Climate Summit emphasizes education, empowerment | Local News | lancasteronline.com - LNP | LancasterOnline

Climate Summit at Millersville University emphasizes education, empowerment | Local News | lancasteronline.com

RegenAll’s second annual Climate Summit partnered with Millersville University to offer Lancaster County residents the chance to hear from experts, access resources and commit to lowering the county’s carbon footprint.

“My dream is that Lancaster County becomes a national model for effective, nonpartisan work that generates meaningful climate impact while creating jobs and improving quality of life,” RegenAll founder Eric Sauder said at today’s summit, held at the Ware Center in Lancaster city.

The environmental nonprofit, which incorporated in 2021, connects residents, businesses and elected officials to expand work on renewable energy, green transportation and water quality. RegenAll spokesperson Laura Brenner said about 140 people registered for the Climate Summit.

The passage of federal climate change and infrastructure legislation has made funding more available than ever, Sauder said, and RegenAll aims to direct that money into local projects.

A greenhouse gas inventory RegenAll produced for Lancaster County calculated that the county spends $2.5 billion a year on fossil fuels, and Sauder said that spending is a wasteful transfer of economic resources outside the county.

“This is an Extraordinary Give every other day but to fossil fuel companies,” Sauder said.

The greenhouse gas inventory uses 2018 data to avoid factoring in pandemic-related changes to energy consumption. At the Climate Summit’s opening session, Sauder announced that RegenAll is working on an updated report that will use 2023 data.

According to the inventory, 51% of Lancaster County greenhouse gas emissions are controlled by businesses — that includes energy and fuel consumption for commercial and industrial purposes. A further 37% of emissions are controlled by households, including residential energy consumption and fuel for personal vehicles. Agriculture controls the final 12% of the county’s emissions.

Influencing businesses and residents

RegenAll’s outreach targets both businesses and households. Carbon Neutral Coffee, held the last Thursday of each month at the Commons Company at 315 E. Marion St in Lancaster city, brings together local business leaders to discuss climate-friendly business practices, and a Home Navigator program provides audits for homeowners seeking to minimize their energy use (more info at regenall.org/navigator).

Local business leaders at the Climate Summit spotlighted ways to bring sustainability into company operations.

Christina Leslie, the senior director of corporate sustainability at Eurofins, said green commuting initiatives at the laboratory company’s headquarters in Upper Leacock Township include electric vehicle chargers, bus passes, a bike repair station and electric shuttles.

Eurofins has also installed green infrastructure such as rain gardens, and the company will be hosting a campus tour on June 12 during this year’s Water Week.

On a neighborhood level, Lancaster County residents have also formed groups called Climate Action Neighborhoods to educate each other and pool resources.

Representatives from Hamilton Park in Lancaster Township and College Park in Lancaster city attended the Climate Summit to offer advice and showcase their work.

The College Park chapter has documented its recent efforts to build awareness around plastic use at its website, CollegeParkCAN.org. Organizer Melissa Snavely said the group is looking to take further action on reducing plastics use in the city.

Those interested in starting their own Climate Action Neighborhood can check out regenall.org/start-a-chapter.