Free Movies on Fridays
Oct. 15, 2008 – Do Virgin Islanders really need to worry about global warming? Were Al Gore's predictions in "An Inconvenient Truth" too sensational? You can find some answers by watching the film "The Dimming of the Sun" being presented by the V.I. Energy Office on Friday, Oct. 10, at Pistarckle Theater, St. Thomas; and on Friday, Oct. 17, at the University of Virgin Islands, St. Croix. Both movies begin at 7 p.m., and admission is free.
VIEO staff will be available to answer questions and to compute the estimated cost of residents going with solar systems and how that compares with the costs of their Water and Power Authority bill.
Here is how the movie is described on its Web site:
"The Dimming of the Sun" investigates the discovery that the sunlight reaching Earth has been growing dimmer, which may seem surprising given all the international concern over global warming. At first glance, less sunlight might hardly seem to matter when our planet is stewing in greenhouse gases. But the discovery of global dimming has led several scientists to revise their models of the climate and how fast it's changing. According to one recent and highly controversial model, the worst-case warming scenario could be worse than anyone has predicted. Dimming the Sun unravels this baffling climate conundrum and the implications for Earth's future.
Outreaches and Other Activities
To mark Energy Awareness Month the Energy Office will give presentations to employees at a dozen different departments in the Virgin Islands government on how to practice energy efficiency.
VIEO began its public education program for the month with an outreach at Sunny Isle last Saturday. This Saturday staff members will be set up in the park in downtown Crux Bay giving information to residents.
The staff will be at the Sugar Estate Post Office on Oct. 14, and at K-Mart in Frederiksted on Oct. 18. They will also be taking part in the St. Thomas Business Expo at the end of the month. For a complete listing of events, go to the Web site: www.vienergy.org, and click on the events section on the menu bar.
New Educational Material
The Energy Office will have new educational materials to hand out this year. The office has designed nine new fact sheets that focus on the micro (laundry tips) and the macro (saving with alternative energy systems).
Also this year, VIEO has a new DVD available for residents interested in installing a photovoltaic system. The film covers eight different sites on St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix where residents have photovoltaic systems working for them.
To download the fact sheets go to the Web site: www.vienergy.org and click on the fact sheets section on the menu bar.
