The Monadnock Working Group, under the leadership of three members of the TA NH Coordinating Committee and with assistance from other volunteers, conducted a full week of activities called SUNweek.
The motivation to do a full week of activities came from the first Sun Day celebration and a desire to show what kind of activities Third Act engages in. About two dozen activities were discussed initially, which boiled down to fourteen events.
On Saturday the 20th, a Common Ground Workshop on the climate was scheduled at the Unitarian Universalist Church (UUC). Braver Angels’ rules for such an event require an equal number of blues (liberals) and reds (conservatives). We couldn’t reach the threshold for reds so this workshop was postponed to early 2026.
On Sunday the 21st, the day began with a Sunrise Hike up Pack Monadnock mountain. Around noon we offered carpooling to the Sunday rally in Concord and at day’s end, a sunset paddle.
On Tuesday the 23rd, the documentary film entitled Remember Winter was shown on the campus of Franklin Pierce University. A Virtual Solar House tour was held at the Peterborough Public Library.
On Wednesday, an event featuring electric bikes was held midday and in the evening an author’s reading of Beyond the Politics of Contempt took place at the Toadstool Bookshop.
On Thursday, a vegetarian potluck dinner with Ledger Transcript columnist Lisa Murray was enjoyed. Also, an online video presentation on how to electrify your home without expensive upgrades was shown.
On Friday, a Restore Nature Now Biodiversity Rally gathered on the front lawn of the UUC Church, featuring music from the band “No Planet B” and an update on NH Environmental Legislation from representative Jonah Wheeler.
On Saturday, the Monadnock Clean Energy Fair took place at the Peterborough Elementary School with over a dozen exhibitors, entertainment, food trucks and other activities.
On Sunday, several churches presented climate- and environment-related services.
The local Third Act Working Group also initiated a presentation of Bill McKibben’s new book Here Comes the Sun and Alan Wiseman’s book Hope Dies Last. However, due to scheduling difficulties, we were unable to accomplish this during SUNweek. Instead, the event was held in August with over 200 people in attendance.
All these events paint a picture of a highly successful week!
Partners for all of these events included:
Monadnock Wanderers
Citizens Climate Lobby and Franklin Pierce University
Peterborough’s Energy and Community Planning Department
Peterborough Public Library
Turn Cycle Solutions
WindowDresserPeterborough Unitarian Universalist Church
Toadstool Bookstore
Lisa Murray, food columnist with the Monadnock Ledger Transcript
Joanna Sharf, NH/VT master electrician
NH State Representative, Jonah Wheeler
Musical group, No Planet B
Peterborough Renewable Energy Project
All Saints Episcopal Church
Divine Mercy Catholic Church
Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church
Several volunteers belonging to Third Act and others