HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 12-Environmental Forum
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: Krystal Caron, Communications Coordinator
Phone 952-826-0347 • kcaron@EdinaMN.gov • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
City To Hold Annual Environmental Forum, Entitled ‘Here Comes
the Sun’
Edina, Minn., March 12, 2015 – The City of Edina’s Energy & Environment Commission will recognize Earth
Month with the fourth-annual Environmental Forum entitled “Here Comes the Sun: Clean, Carbon-Free Energy
Independence.” The forum will be held in Edina High School’s Fick Auditorium on Wednesday, April 8, and will
feature keynote speaker Meteorologist and Entrepreneur Paul Douglas and remarks from Northfield Area
Community Solar Co-Chair Erica Zweifel. The event is in partnership with Edina Public Schools.
The event will begin with an action resource fair held from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. The program, beginning at 7 p.m.,
will address the theme of “Here Comes the Sun” by examining the future of community solar power and
climate change in Minnesota. Following Douglas’ talk on energy independence and climate change, Zweifel will
speak about emerging community solar initiatives. The forum is interactive and will allow time for attendees to
ask questions and participate in the discussion. In addition, the event will feature project presentations from the
Edina Student Environmental Leadership Council.
Douglas is a Senior Meteorologist and Founder of Media Logic Group. He and a team of meteorologists,
engineers and developers provide weather services for various media and high-tech alerting and briefing services
for companies. He serves on the Climate Science Rapid Response Team, providing meteorological input to
media and government representatives. Douglas also currently writes a weather blog for the Star Tribune at
www.startribune.com/weather/blogs.
Zweifel works at Carleton College as a project manager for the Science Education Resource Center. She was
elected to the Northfield City Council in 2008 and again in 2012 for a second term. Zweifel co-chairs
Northfield Area Community Solar with Mary Jo Cristofaro.
The event is free and open to the public, and will include refreshments following the program. The action
resource fair and forum will be held in the Commons Area and Fick Auditorium, respectively, at Edina High
School; please enter using door No. 3. A drawing for a portable solar charging system and other eco-friendly
prizes will be held for people who ride their bikes, walk or carpool to the event. (Eligible carpools include at
least four or more people in the vehicle or two or more households.) All attendees are eligible to enter in a
drawing for one of three Home Energy Squad Visits from the Center for Energy and Environment.
For more information, contact Environmental Engineer Ross Bintner, Staff Liaison to the Energy & Environment
Commission, at 952-903-5713 or RBintner@EdinaMN.gov.
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