May Newsletter
We hope you’re enjoying the outdoor weather, even if unpredictable. If you’re new to the Kicking Gas mailing list, welcome!
May Info Sessions
If you haven’t yet attended an Info Session, we have two great in person opportunities coming up. Keep reading to learn more.
Whidbey Island Info Session
For Whidbey Island residents and business owners looking to kick gas now, please click here to RSVP for our Whidbey Island Info Session - Langley, WA to be held at the South Whidbey Community Center in Langley next Wednesday, May 22 at 6:00 pm.
Kicking Gas Launches in Snohomish County
In partnership with the local Sno-Isle Sierra Club and Homes and Hope Community Land Trust, we will be co-presenting a free information session about converting from gas, oil, or wood for heating and cooking to efficient, pollution-free electric heat pumps and induction stoves, which are better for personal health and the environment.
The Info Session is taking place at the Village on Casino Road, 14 E. Casino Road Everett, WA 98208, on May 29, 2024, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, featuring information tables and a slide show explaining the Kicking Gas program, as well as information on why electrification is important. Click here to RSVP for our Snohomish County Info Session - Everett, WA.
Gal Zamir from AirGanic Heating and Cooling will talk about heat pumps and the installation process. Erika Lundahl from Salish Sea Cooperative Finance will explore financing options. Attendees will receive guidance, answers to questions, and learn about generous subsidies and financing available to those who make the switch.
Kicking Gas is excited to bring its program for the first time to Snohomish County. This year we hope to help 150 renters and homeowners with their heating and cooking conversions, including residents of Snohomish County and Whidbey Island.
Nancy Johnson, Co-Chair for Sno-Isle Group of the Sierra Club, said, “We are thrilled to help bring this program to Snohomish County. Come join us to learn how you can convert your home appliances to save on utility bills, reduce carbon emissions, and increase your indoor air quality. We look forward to meeting you.”
To register for either of these events, go to www.kickgasnow.org/events/, choose the May calendar, and sign up today.
Solarize Island County
If you’ve been thinking about going solar, it isn’t too late to participate in our group purchase program. In case you missed it, we got this great article in the South Whidbey Record sharing about our recent workshop.
Installing solar on your home can seem like a daunting process: from perceived costs, to technical details, to figuring out which installers to choose. To address these challenges and to support homeowners, we’re excited to bring you Solarize Island County, a group purchasing program that reduces costs and simplifies the installation process. Solarize installers provide discounted prices and made-in-Washington equipment
Click to sign up for a free home assessment before July 4th.
Energy Program Seeks New Director
If you or someone you know is interested in providing inspiration, leadership and direction, stakeholder engagement, administrative oversight, and management to advance the initiatives of the WSU Energy Program, then keep reading!
The Director position is responsible for the oversight and delivery of the programmatic activities, personnel, and sound fiscal management of the program. The WSU Energy Program is Kicking Gas’ funder through the Community Energy Efficiency Program for two years running. They provide thought leadership, strategic vision, and the programmatic investment not just for building decarbonization, but serve as a resource for our local governments and community-based organizations.
Click to read the job description.
Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project
One of the topics we discuss at Kicking Gas is how decarbonizing our buildings and making them healthier isn’t sufficient to create healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities—or to limit human-caused climate change. One thing we need to do is to protect and restore the land and the sea. Recently, the capacity of a major tar sands pipeline, the Trans Mountain pipeline, was tripled from 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day. This pipeline enters Washington State through a pipeline spur, the Puget Sound Pipeline, and through tankers and barges through the Salish Sea. With its completion, tanker traffic through our shared waters will increase sevenfold, and increase the risk of a major oil spill dramatically. It also further endangers the Southern Resident Killer Whales, and exacerbates global warming. Tar sands oil is the dirtiest form of oil on the planet, and it is refined in Washington State. As we kick gas, we can also be thinking about how to make our mobility and transportation systems fossil fuel-free. This project was also possible in part due to the financing from big banks, which is why we also need to bank and invest in a climate friendly way.
To learn more about this project, read this article in the Seattle Times or this one in The Globe and Mail. Feel free to drop us a line if you have questions or comments about this issue, or anything else you’d like to bring up.
Please share any of the above resources or opportunities with your community, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, and remember to RSVP for one of our two May Info Sessions if you are interested in taking action to kick gas in your home.
Derek Hoshiko on behalf of the Kicking Gas Team