On Saturday, April 13, several New Hampshire environmental organizations co-ordinated to celebrate Earth Day. Their goal was to sponsor an event which would enable the public to learn more about energy efficiency and conservation. The Earth Day event was held at the Conservation Center of the Society for the Protection of NH Forests in Concord. The sponsoring organizations were SPNHF, The New Hampshire Chapter of the Sierra Club (NHSC), The Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services, Clear Air-Cool Planet and the New Hampshire Project Learning Tree. The event was free and open to the public.

The Sierra Club banner was placed adjacent to the entrance to the main building of SPNHF's Conservation Center. Since energy conservation via new transportation approaches is of primary importance, the driveways and parking areas on the building's exterior were put to use for the display, demonstration and test-driving of various energy-saving vehicles.

In the left photo below, Sierra Club member Pat Mattson (left) and an official helmet-wearing demonstrator are shown with a Segway Human Transporter. The Segway HT is powered by 2 2hp electric motors which require 2 rechargeable batteries. Although the public could not test-drive the Segways, hybrid gas-electric vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight were available both for viewing and test-driving. In the right photo, NH Sierra Club Transportation Chair Bob Norman (next to hood) is shown explaining his Honda Insight to several interested observers. The Insight can achieve more than 70 miles per gallon, as indicated on its license plate.

Visitors to the Energy Empowerment Earth Day could also check out vehicles fueled by compressed natural gas, biodiesel and electricity. A variety of this type of vehicle was available. The cars were placed at different locations on the grounds of the Conservation Center and quickly caught the attention of the public.

In this photo, Cathy Corkery, former Global Warming Co-ordinator for the NHSC and currently a lobbyist for the organization, is shown as she explains the advantages of the vehicles to an interested audience. The transportation sector is clearly the single largest consumer of oil in the U.S. A more widespread use of alternative fuels and a greater encouragement of new automobile technologies can greatly reduce our country's demand for oil.

Guided tours were available which showcased the energy-efficient features of SPNHF's main building and its recently constructed addition, the French Wing. The buildings also contained numerous exhibits which were prepared by members of the various sponsoring organizations. In the left photo below, two Earth Day enthusiasts observe a poster on global warming near the Sierra Club's "table" which was manned by Nick Patel (in background). In the right photo, NHSC Vice-Chair and Conservation Chair Jim Sconyers (center), is examining an exhibit on composting.

In addition to the activities shown in the above photos, the Energy Empowerment Earth Day offered a variety of workshops and a slide presentation. The event was considered to be highly successful by both members of the public and the sponsoring organizations and proved to be an excellent way of celebrating Earth Day, 2002.

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