OCCASIONALLY WE MEET SOME REAL CLIMATE HEROES
We'd like to highlight them and take inspiration from their efforts.

Meet the Staff of the Hampstead Public Library

Regular visitors to our website have no doubt noticed that Hampstead NH has emerged as our new leader in the New England Carbon Challenge. Our February climate heroes, the staff of the Hampstead Public Library, were instrumental in making Hampstead #1 and we're delighted to tell you their story.

Janet Arden, the library's adult programming director, approached us last summer about giving a talk in the fall as part of a month long environmental series. We explained our new policy regarding presentations and the library agreed to host a month long challenge as part of their environmental series, becoming the first library in New Hampshire to formally host a challenge.

Under the direction of Library Director Peggy Thrasher, the library set out to publicize, promote, and lay the groundwork for a successful challenge, which was scheduled to run from October 22 through Nov 22, 2008. They contacted local media, sought the support of their Board of Selectmen, reached out to area businesses (who provided incentives for taking the Challenge) and publicized the Challenge throughout the library and on the library website. Most importantly, they led by example with staff members each taking the Challenge and pledging to reduce their collective household emissions by 50,235 pounds CO2 through actions that will save them $7781 per year. In short, the library staff did everything possible (and a few seemingly impossible things) to create a successful Challenge.

Their hard work paid off. The October 22 kick-off presentation was attended by 70 residents, many of whom went home that evening and immediately took the Challenge. Over the next few days more households followed and Hampstead started climbing our rankings chart of towns taking the Challenge, eventually settling in to the #3 spot behind the venerable Williamstown, MA and Rye, NH.

While #3 is certainly respectable, Hampstead wanted to lead and pave the way for other libraries to help their residents reduce their energy consumption. "Libraries are in the business of providing information and hosting the Carbon Challenge is a great way to help residents address the energy and environmental concerns that are forefront in so many people's minds" said Library Director Peggy Thrasher.

Peggy and Janet's perseverance and a final push in the waning days of the Challenge secured Hampstead's position as the #1 town in New England taking the Carbon Challenge and inspired a friendly little wager from neighboring Atkinson. The library staff's enthusiasm, tenacity, and willingness to champion change are characteristics shared with all of the climate heroes we've profiled in the past. Helping households reduce their energy consumption is essential to reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and rebuilding our economy. Peggy and her staff have demonstrated that libraries are a terrific way to reach out to residents and have planned programming this winter to help residents make even deeper cuts in their energy consumption. We are thrilled to highlight the Hampstead library staff as our February Climate Heroes!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO MEET MORE CLIMATE HEROES?

NOMINATE a CLIMATE HERO . . . do you someone who's gone to great lengths to reduce carbon emissions? . . . maybe to help an entire community to reduce carbon emissions? We want to hear about it. Send us your stories, heroic or otherwise. We'd love to hear from you. And we will ask permission before highlighting you in any way. We know that not all heroes are comfortable with this kind of attention.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE. . .