Solar Soiree
At 7:30 on December 7th, I attended the “Solar Soiree” held by an organization called “I Heart PV” at the Brooklyn venue, Southpaw. “PV” stands for photovoltaics, which is the technology that converts sunlight into electricity. The tone was pretty informal. It was set up within a small Brooklyn venue, which contained a stage for musical acts and a bar area. There were several environmental booths set up distributing information on solar and other forms of alternative energy, a few tables where you could make a solar car, and a station to write a letter to your senator advocating the making of a law which would support the growth of solar energy in the state of New York. The event was geared towards people already aware of the benefits of solar energy and environmentalists. The crowd was younger and obviously environmentally conscious.
The first activity I participated in was making a solar car. Putting it together was surprisingly easy. I connected the wheels to metal rods, hot-glued a thin piece of wood on the straws on the metal rods, placed a small generator thing on the wood, and then put the photovoltaic rectangle on top. All that was left was to twist the black and red wires from the generator to the photovoltaic piece. I haven’t tested it out yet, but look forward to seeing if it actually works. Next, I went to the Sierra Club booth, where the club member gave me a few brochures on clean energy and a “Cool Neighborhoods Campaign” sheet, which urges you to pledge, and get your neighbors to pledge, to use energy efficient lightbulbs, unplug appliances when not in use, and to use green power. After collecting all the information, I went on to write a letter to a New York Senator. There was a booklet giving statistics on solar energy and why it is better for the environment. The letter was intended to get the senator to support state laws that would work towards supporting a solar initiative, making solar energy more affordable for all. They suggested a small added fee to everyone’s electrical bill that would work towards greater use of solar energy. I wrote to Senator Duane and explained the numerous benefits of switching to solar energy, like the reduction of greenhouse gases which lead to climate change. Also, the event had a DJ, who played music that sported a sun theme.
This was a new experience for me. I don’t normally go to environmental events because I really didn’t know much on the subject before this. The “Solar Soiree” was perfectly timed because it was right after our lecture on alternative energy, so I went into the event knowing something about solar energy. I left the event knowing more about solar energy and with an awesome hand-made solar car. The pamphlets they handed out had some impressive statistics. For example, every megawatt of PV electricity added to the energy mix in New York displaces about 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide. Another said every hour the sun provides the earth with enough energy to power all of humanity’s current energy needs for an entire year. This information was very persuasive in seeing the benefits to solar energy. I think this was a great community event, but the crowd really wasn’t that big. If it was advertised more, it might have brought in more people to educate. The event achieved its aims in spreading the word about alternative energy effectively and in a fun way. I also felt that the letter writing was a good way to get people actively involved. It’s great to know about solar energy, but the only way to enact it with a larger group of people is to contact those who can do something about it. Laws endorsing solar energy can make tiny steps in lessening our impact on the environment.
Overall, I really enjoyed this experience. I learned more about solar energy and came back with an awesome solar energy car. I felt the event was very informative and well organized. It was easy to talk to people, and those I did talk to were well educated on the subject. I would recommend this event to a friend and I may even look at future meet-ups by this group to go to in my spare time. I’m actually glad that we were given these environmental event assignments because I found both to be very worthwhile.
