Spring 2024 Newsletter
APRIL 2024
VINEYARD POWER SPRING NEWSLETTER
Dear Reader,
Summer is here! The Vineyard Power team is thrilled to kick-start a successful summer. We want to begin by welcoming in our 2024 cohort of interns, who we introduce below. Over the next few months you will find our team at community events, at grocery stores, at libraries, and more to help our neighbors save money and energy! Visit us online at vineyardpower.com or come say hello at one of our Upcoming Events listed below.
Keep reading to learn more about what the Vineyard Power team has been up to! If you like what you see, make an impact by donating to our 501(c)(3)!
Updates
Energy Transition Program:
This program is an effort to educate, coach, and support residents, businesses, and the building trades in a transition towards an environmentally just, 100% renewable energy and fossil fuel-free economy.
Between January and May, we have:
Supported over 500 island residents and businesses in signing up for no-cost Home/Business Energy Assessments - the first step in reducing your energy bill and your building's carbon footprint.
Coached over 30 individuals through our no-cost energy coaching service in solar, energy efficient buildings, EVs, and income eligible programs.
Wrapped up our education programming for the school year with two solar car races at the Charter School and West Tisbury School, our final Junior Career Pathways course at the MV Regional High School, and celebrated two cohorts of students completing Imagine Corps, a learning and community service program.
Recruited four fantastic college interns that start in June. You will be seeing their friendly faces around the island this summer!
Supported the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) in submitting a Priority Climate Action Plan and Implementation Grant to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Pictured left to right: Nell Coogan, Martha's Vineyard Regional High School; Gabe Bellebuono, General Electric Vernova; Governor Maura Healey; Alexandra Bullen Coutts, ACE MV; Luke Lefeber and Sophie Pittaluga, Vineyard Power.
On Thursday, June 6th, Governor Maura Healey, along with our State Senator Julian Cyr, Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra, and Vineyard Offshore CEO Alicia Barton, inaugurated the Vineyard Wind Operations & Maintenance facility in Vineyard Haven.
They celebrated the significance of Martha’s Vineyard being the hub of the Vineyard Wind project and the importance of education & workforce development to create and support clean energy jobs as we transition our economy away from fossil fuels.
Read more about Governor Healey's visit here: https://www.mvtimes.com/2024/06/07/gov-healey-describes-renewable-energy-education-push/
Spotlight:
BlueDot Living Series
BlueDot Living has published a series of articles about Vineyard Power. The first story, Who is Vineyard Power?, details the origins of our non-profit and our mission & vision driven strategy to a renewable powered and fossil fuel free Vineyard by 2040.
The second feature,The Road to Clean Energy, was included in BlueDot's Green Guide. This roadmap "offers instruction on receiving no-cost home energy assessments, assistance in installing solar or purchasing an electric vehicle, and income-eligible energy coaching in both English and Portuguese." Find the roadmap below!
Look for more articles this summer and fall in BlueDot Living on resiliency and education & workforce development.
Spring 2024 School Year
This academic year, we relaunched the Vineyard Power renewable Energy education program, starting with elementary and middle school students, all the way to high school Juniors and Adult Re-learners.
Here's a recap of who we met:
4th and 5th graders at the Chilmark School for a solar car race,
5th and 7th graders at the West Tisbury School for an introduction to wind energy and building wind turbines
7th graders at the West Tisbury School for a solar car race,
8th graders at the West Tisbury School and Charter School for the ImagineCorps, learning and community service program,
11th graders in Ms. Nell Coogan's Junior Career Pathways course at the MV Regional High School, and
Preliminary discussions with ACEMV to train islanders on professions in the trades related to the energy transition.
Watch the West Tisbury school's solar car race final. All their hard engineering work came to fruition!
What we’re keeping an eye on…
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Boston (ABC News) - In February, Governor Healey proposed a $1 billion over 10 years climate tech initiative to invest in green jobs, resiliency, and emissions reduction technologies. This was an effort to launch Massachusetts into becoming "the new leader in climate and environment technology, as the race to find solutions for sustainability and emissions mitigation heats up around the world."
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Framingham(AP News) - A neighborhood in Framingham, MA is embarking on a ground source heat pump pilot program. Nearly 40 homes and businesses will be connected "with a highly-efficient, underground heating and cooling system. Even taking into account that several of the buildings will be switching from natural gas to electricity, people are expected to see their electric bills drop by 20% on average. It’s a model some experts say can be scaled up and replicated elsewhere."
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Natick (Boston Globe) - Communities that are investing in a sustainability Office and/or Director are seeing great pay back. "Having an in-house sustainability officer can greatly enhance a community’s odds of winning major grants for local, climate-friendly improvements, including solar panels that lower electric bills, new electric vehicle chargers, and energy efficiency upgrades that save money while slashing greenhouse gas emissions."
Vineyard Power is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization capable of receiving charitable donations. We rely on support from folks like you to advance renewable energy, energy efficiency, and equity in our island community. Please consider giving today!
Sincerely,
The Vineyard Power Team