The Cape and Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative (CIREC) and the Students for Sustainability at Cape Cod Community College are celebrating Earth Day with an upbeat, inspiring and practical presentation entitled “America’s Energy Challenges, Energy Solutions,” by Randy Udall, Director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency on Thursday, April 26, at 7 pm in Lecture Hall A. Refreshments will be served following the program.

Randy Udall, director of the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) in western Colorado, is one of the nation’s leading activists and innovators in promoting energy sustainability. CORE’s partnerships with individuals, governments, and businesses have led to some remarkable accomplishments, including the nation’s first solar energy incentive program, the world’s first Renewable Energy Mitigation Program, and some of the most aggressive and progressive green power purchasing programs in the country. As the featured speaker on April 26, he will review the current energy situation around the globe and in the United States—addressing issues such as energy security, peak oil and gas, and climate change—as a backdrop for an introduction to innovative policies and programs developed by CORE. Randy also will provide perspective on energy-related activities in this region, including collaborative efforts to develop the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Action Plan.

For more information, contact Chris Powicki.508-362-9599.

CIREC (http://www.cirenew.org/) was formed in 2000 to bring together diverse individuals and organizations with common interest in achieving a sustainable energy future, both locally and globally. CIREC participants work together to build awareness of the benefits of renewable energy, increase the use of clean energy technologies, and lay the groundwork for transforming the energy basis of the Cape & Islands region. In September 2005, CIREC became the local chapter of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA).

The Students for Sustainability is a student-run organization at Cape Cod Community College dedicated to educating students as well as the wider Cape population on issues of importance to the Cape Cod environment and community.