We rocked out the sun on Sun Day! The Granite State held more than six Sun Day events on September 21st. We were part of a nationwide movement of over 450 events in 48 states with over 80 organizations partnering. Here in Concord, NH a solar festival took place on the State House lawn under beautiful sunny skies! Peterborough saw a whole week of Sun-Day-related events following the 21st.
Central to the Concord event was a stage where ReVision Energy provided solar-powered electricity for the sound system. Director of ceremonies Caelin Graber, a TANH coordinating committee member and songwriter extraordinaire, held attendees’ enthusiasm with a variety of speakers and homegrown music.
The festival opened with a blessing and statement by Christine Nih’shaw of the Iroquois and Blackfeet nation. She asked that, “…we connect our hearts and minds with one another and show compassion, respect and help empower one another to be stewards of our water, land, flora, and fauna.”
“No Planet B,” a six-musician band that wrote Sun Day’s theme song, provided tunes with a message! Listen to the music video Sun Day here.
“The Fretbenders,” a folk duo, played sun-themed songs between speakers who represented various ways to transition to solar and renewable energy. Green Wave electric car dealership displayed a new Nissan and a dozen climate-related organizations shared information on how people can get involved in the renewable energy movement. (Photos: Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy NH, and Jesse Lore of Green Wave Electric cars.)
It was a family affair! Young people enjoyed giant bubbles, making solar crowns, cyanotype sun printing, painting rocks, and visiting the “Learning Center” where they had an opportunity to generate enough power to turn on a light bulb by peddling a bicycle. Solar 101 and electrifying coaches answered, “Why solar?” and explained how to go solar, electrify, and save on energy costs.
Themes from Bill McKibben’s new book Here Comes the Sun surfaced in the Sun Day theme song and in speakers’ messaging. The New York Times reports, “Solar power has become the world’s cheapest form of energy, with costs declining by nearly 90 percent in the last 15 years, according to Our World in Data. Solar power is no longer the ‘Whole Foods of energy — nice but pricey,’ Mr. McKibben said. Instead, it’s become the ‘Costco of power — cheap, available in bulk, and on the shelf ready to go.’”
With a successful Sun Day behind us, what’s next for Third Act New Hampshire? Check the next article to see!
Photo Credit: All but the third photo were taken by Steve Russell. TA NH greatly appreciates him!