Our Energy Future: Energy Options, National Energy Policy, and Making a Local Contribution
A Free Lecture Given by Francis Vanek PhD, Lecturer in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, and resident, Ecovillage at Ithaca Thursday March 20th, 7:00 PM Home Green Home, 215 the Commons, Ithaca One of the most important aspects of achieving a sustainable future is developing sustainable energy options. This goal in turn leads to many questions! Along with my colleague Prof. Lou Albright from the Dept. of Biological & Environmental Engineering, I have just finished writing a book entitled Energy Systems Engineering: Evaluation and Implementation, which will be available this summer. In the book I review most of the major sources of energy for the future, including wind, solar, biofuel, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy. Based on the content of the book, as well as current events being covered in the national press, I will talk about a number of issues related to energy, including: · What is going on currently with renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel energy? · With the upcoming presidential election and end of the Bush administration, what is likely to change with national energy policy? · What is the role of local efforts to develop renewable energy in the larger campaign to achieve energy sustainability? The content of this talk will be accessible to people who do not have a technical background! I will use a slideshow that mixes images, basic statistics, and talking points to cover the issues I have raised. The tone will be informal, with plenty of time for questions and answers along the way, as well as at the end. All are welcome -- I hope you can join us! Bio: I am originally from Ithaca (I.H.S. class of 1985), and was also a Rotary Exchange student in Japan in 1985-1986. I have degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Asian Studies from Cornell University, and a doctoral degree in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. After living in Philadelphia and Edinburgh, Scotland, between 1993 and 2000, I moved back to Ithaca with my partner Catherine Johnson and children Ray and Mira, and have been teaching at Cornell since 2001. I have been a resident of the Ecovillage at Ithaca since 2002, and have also been a consultant with Taitem Engineering of Ithaca (Technology As If The Earth Mattered) since 2004. Lastly, I am a volunteer member of the board of the S.T.E.V.E.N. Foundation (Sustainable Technology and Energy for Vital Economic Needs), which develops and disseminates appropriate technology designs for small-scale renewable energy systems, especially for rural communities in the Global South. - -- _______________________________________________ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
