Climate Action Council analyzes Hudson's energy usage
By Angela Greiner Community Reporter

Richard Lawrence PHOTO/SUBMITTED

Hudson - Hudson resident Richard Lawrence has become a local voice concerned about the threats of both global warming and oil consumption. Lawrence is involved with several ventures to heighten awareness about these environmental issues and is seeking solutions on both the national and local fronts.

He regularly presents a lecture series across the state and has co-founded the Association for Study of Peak Oil and Gas (ASPO), a national organization focused on the depletion of fossil fuels. He is also one of the founding members of the Hudson Climate Action Network (HCAN).

HCAN is a local chapter of a national organization dedicated to making local and government changes to reduce human-induced climate change. HCAN, which was founded nearly a year ago, has spent the past year trying to advocate for the use of easy energy-efficient changes like replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights.

"We started out just trying to engage people," Lawrence said, "and then on an individual level we tried to get them to reduce their fossil fuel usage."

The next step for the organization is to implement change on a town government level. To identify the town's needs, the group first will collect data on the amount of usage and type of energy used by each of the town buildings and departments. Lawrence explained that the process will include evaluating and logging the amount and types of gasoline that police cars and school buses use and how buildings like the schools and fire station are heated.

Once the data is collected, HCAN members will then look for how to better use energy that will both reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save money.

"With the rising energy prices, the towns are really getting strapped … In the long run we could save a lot of money," Lawrence said.

Lawrence warned that after the data is collected, the real work begins.

"There are quite a few decisions and choices about energy that are not all equally good," he said.

The group meets twice a month at the Unitarian Church on Main Street in Hudson. It will meet once more before requesting a meeting with the Board of Selectman in February.

"We would like to approach the selectman to get recognized as a temporary committee, which would help to get access to [public] energy records," Lawrence said.

Lawrence hopes that town officials will lend their support to the organization.

He also said that the group would like to develop a partnership with the schools' science departments and community leaders.

"We have an opportunity, if we do this right, to save the town a lot of money," he said, "and run the town more efficiently, from an energy standpoint."

For more information about ASPO, visit www.ASPO-USA. com. For more information about HCAN, visit www.hudsonareacan. blogspot.com.