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"There will be a chance to learn a huge amount about how to conserve energy in our own home by using renewable resources," Ms. Cronauer said, adding that 350.org is based on the belief of many scientists that 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for CO² in the atmosphere. "We're beyond that already and we need to get back," she said. "Events are being planned world-wide and our expo and the expo being planned by Herrington's at the Taconic Hills High School in Craryville, N.Y., are a good example of what we see happening. There is a new awareness across the board."
She said it would be easy for visitors to come to the Clean Energy and Sustainable Living Expo in the morning and then to travel to nearby New York State to look over the exhibits at Herrington's Green Life Home Show. That will be a full-day event, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., geared toward Tri-State homeowners and building professionals. Set up with an exclusively green focus, the show features five educational seminars, demonstrations, on-site experts, giveaways, a children's art contest, and more.
The Clean Energy and Sustainable Living Expo will look at a lot of emerging technologies. "Almost any product or process that you can think of was developed when energy was 'free,'" said Ms. Cronauer. "We never thought about sustainable energy back then. But now, everyone is thinking about it-the environmentalists and business people have a lot in common now."
She said that the conservation district has historically been associated with the preservation of open spaces and land uses, but that its expansion into the idea of sustainable resources is a natural extension. "When you think about what climate change will do, you can't separate it," she said. "We see the idea of saving energy and sustainable living as just another way of living lightly on the earth."
Exhibits at the expo will focus on renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal and fuel cells. Visitors will be able to sign up to purchase electricity from "clean" sources and can view home energy products and insulation that will help to cut costs. CFL light bulbs, which save up to 75 percent of the energy used by incandescent bulbs, will be for sale for only $1 to $1.50, and homeowners can sign up for a subsidized home energy audit during which technicians test and analyze the home for air leaks and other deficits that waste energy.
"The energy audits are subsidized by Northeast Utilities rate payers and by 'cap and trade' programs," said Ms. Cronauer. "It costs $75 but, if it were not subsidized heavily through the Clean Energy Fund, it could cost $300 or more. When I had my home done, I had two guys there for over three hours. They put in 14 CFL light bulbs, they brought their caulking guns [to seal air leaks], they insulated and gave me discount coupons to use for Energy Star appliances. You add it all up, and it is really worth it."
The energy audit also includes a check of energy use in the home through use of a Kill-A-Watt meter. The meters can be purchased and rented the day of the expo. Other exhibitors will offer information on green building, recycling, ride sharing, local agriculture and more.
There will be a variety of free mini-seminars on topics such as understanding energy costs (bring your utility bill); understanding and reducing your carbon footprint, the Connecticut Clean Energy programs, solar energy programs, green landscaping and native plants. In addition, homeowners can learn about the hidden costs of common products and "phantom energy use," which can account for 15 percent of home energy consumption.
Those planning to attend the Clean Energy and Sustainable Living Expo can register and learn more at www.conservect.org or can call 860-626-7222.
Over at Taconic Hills High School, located at 73 County Route 11A in Craryville, Herrington's, a building supply chain with outlets in Salisbury, Conn., Hillsdale, Hudson, Chatham and Millerton, N.Y., and West Springfield, Mass., will try to address the long-standing need its management has seen for a quality green home show for residents and professionals in the tri-state region.
The day-long event will feature dozens of local and national product and system vendors who will be on site, including Dow, Benjamin Moore with its Natura No VOC (No Volatile Organic Compounds) paint, N.Y. Energy $MART and Boston Cedar.
Also on view will be items such as FSC-certified wood (the Forest Stewardship Council is an independent nonprofit that promotes responsible management of the world's forests), concrete stone and tile permeable pavers, which allow water to infiltrate through the pavement surface into the ground below to help control storm water runoff, replacement windows that qualify for the federal tax credit and more.
The other environmentally friendly products featured by Herrington's include loose fill insulation by Owens Corning called Atticat, a blown insulation guaranteed not to settle and to provide maximum insulating capabilities through thousands of trapped air pockets, and as well as the Owens Corning Insulation in rolls and batts.
Herrington's new LEED-accredited professionals, Jon Wenk and Neil Feathers, will be on hand to present workshops. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that provides third-party verification that a building was designed and built to improve energy savings, water efficiency, CO² emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality and stewardship of resources. The certification was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and LEED Accredited Professionals (LEED APs) must have taken a two-day course and have studied the 400-page LEED manual before completing a qualifying examination.
Mr. Feathers, Herrington's service manager and a lifelong resident of the Berkshires region, says he has long been interested in issues concerning ecological technology, human health and efficient building design. "If folks are looking for answers to what is 'green,' we can help, now more than ever," he said. "Having a LEED AP on a project as a team member earns a client LEED points, which hopefully all homeowners and builders will aspire to collect."
Mr. Wenk, a native of Chatham N.Y., has a degree in chemistry and was once in the field of health care. He is now Herrington's service department coordinator. "I believe that with ever-rising home energy costs, homeowners will be interested in ways to save money on energy bills while making their homes healthier places to live in. Improving home energy efficiencies and environments is a great way to create a better environment for ourselves and our children," he said.
Herrington's expects to make the Green Living Expo an annual event to supply the tri-state community with information and resources to build or renovate in an environmentally responsible manner. Taconic Hills senior class students will sell refreshments on the day of the show.
For more information, see the Web site at www.herringtons.com or call 800-453-1311.
