On Sunday, September 15, 2024, Sustainable Bainbridge, our Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference partnering organizations, and many dedicated volunteers were thrilled to host the Electrification Conference and Expo at Woodward Middle School!
About 300 people participated in the conference and expo. Keynote speaker Brian Stewart of Electrify Now gave a fascinating talk about electrification for homes and businesses and its potential to save consumers money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Expo also hosted several community-led panels on the practicalities of electrification, including solar panels, EVs, and HVAC and water pump topics.
Each year, the Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference presents its Environmentalist of the Year Award, given to a member of our community who exemplifies leadership in environmental advocacy and stewardship. The winner has their name added to a silver cup that they can take home to display for the year until the cup is passed forward to the next award winner (Bainbridge Island’s own Stanley cup!) This year’s award was given to Christine Perkins, Sustainable Bainbridge Board member and past President, who is also an IslandWood docent and who has been instrumental in leading multiple sustainability events and initiatives including the Bainbridge Island Beach Cleanup and Earth Month Bainbridge Island. Congratulations Christine!
We also had a robust group of exhibitors sharing information and resources about topics related to electrification and energy conservation, including EVs and electric bikes, solar installers, constructions firms, and community organizations. A full list of vendors and links to their websites is available on our 2024 Environmental Conference Page.
The Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference is an annual conference that inspires participants to become educated and take individual and collective action around environmental issues vital for Bainbridge Island. Organizing partners include Sustainable Bainbridge, IslandWood, the Bainbridge Island Land Trust, EcoAdapt, and the Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation. This year, the Conference and Electrification Expo was also supported by the extremely hard work and dedication of an additional group of volunteers that included Climate Action Bainbridge and Citizen’s Climate Lobby.
We want to particularly give a shout out to Mike Cox, former EPA scientist and member of the City’s Climate Change Advisory Committee, who chaired this effort and did a heroic amount of work to ensure the conference was a great success. Thank you Mike!