Pete Nelson, left, and Joseph Davidson (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

Climate change and higher energy costs are growing challenges for residents of the Adirondacks, and helping locals address those twin challenges inspired the town of Jay and its Comprehensive Planning Committee to host a Sustainability and Energy Fair on Saturday, Sept. 14, on the Jay Village Green and in the Amos & Julia Ward Theater.

Over a dozen vendors were featured, and their products and services ranged from insulation and heat pumps to electric cars and solar and nonprofits. An equal number of nonprofits provided access to services and programs to enhance our ability to address our energy and sustainability needs.

In addition, four seminars and activities for kids were held, and lively music lifted the spirits. And thanks to Stewart’s Shops and local volunteers, plenty of food nourished the body and soul. There is no question that word-of-mouth by this engaging and well-attended event bodes well for making it an annual gathering.

In a step toward sustainability, I arrived in my new lime green 2016 Prius C, known by a few as Kermit. While it sips gas, getting a bit over 50 miles to the gallon, it was bested by an array of electric cars lined up like so many tigers eager to take on our hilly roads. The KIA EV 6 sitting there could do 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds, even if towing a waterski boat, while the Prius takes at least 12 seconds. Still, 50 mpg gas is lovely.

Extolling EV affordability and practicality was Pete Nelson, who noted that having driven over 300,000 EV miles, the only things he has had to replace were the tires and the blades on his windshield wipers. As Nelson has solar panels on his garage roof, he rarely has to recharge his batteries.

Rachael Olsen and Hunter Wilmot of Casella (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“I’ve been driving hybrid or electric cars for thirteen years,” said Nelson. “People have a lot of misconceptions about EV cars. Top of the line is that they are not affordable. EVs are far cheaper to operate. That’s a fifty-thousand-dollar car (pointing at a Hyundai Ioniq), but it’s cheaper to own than a 30,000 gas car. No oil change, belt replacements, hoses, sparkplugs, gas, oil or brake job because you don’t use your brakes or wear out the engine; almost no maintenance at all. And in winter on mountain roads, they are just great.”

Lake Placid native Joseph Davidson, now working for Della Auto Group in Plattsburgh, was extolling Subaru’s Soltera, its new all-electric SUV. For those living in the North Country, with our cold winter temperatures known for draining batteries of their power, Davidson said Subaru has come up with an ingenious fix for warming the battery.

“The coolant used to cool the motors is heated in the winter, keeping the battery nice and warm,” said Davidson. “The owner just plugs it into a regular wall outlet in the evening; as an example, I did last night at about 8 p.m., and my car was fully charged by 4 a.m.”

No less passionate were those promoting the benefits of heat pumps, such as Mark Sauter of Lewis and Matt St. Louis in Lake Placid, who represents High Peaks Heat Pumps. Heat pump units provide air conditioning in summer and warmth in winter by transferring heat from the outside in, or the reverse, depending on the warmth and humidity levels desired in a home or area (zone) of the home. Heat pumps use less power than baseboards and have been proven more efficient than a furnace or wood boiler.

“As your house asks for heat, through the zone it creates, it will either heat or cool, or you can just put the fan on and continue getting air circulation through your home,” said St. Louis. “They are efficient electrically, and if you are a non-municipality user and not a resident of a town like Lake Placid and Tupper, potential rebates come with the unit.”

Barbara Tam and Susan Lacy (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“What I like about heat pumps is how easy it is for them to heat or cool your house,” said Hunter Wilmot.

In the United States, 38% of all food is wasted. To help reduce food waste in our region, Casella has taken up composting by collecting food waste from hotels, restaurants, schools and other commercial users, and in the near future, individuals as well.

“We are trying to divert food waste from going into landfills into composting,” said Rachael Olsen. “We compost it at our Clinton County facility. We have an aerated sag pile. We use oxygen to help break down faster, resulting in a less smelly and food waste breaks down a lot faster.”

Olsen noted that they plan to sell the compost and donate it to local nonprofits. They also recycle mattresses and electronic products. A challenge is that not all the wood waste Casella receives is clean; they constantly have to remove food wrappers and other plastics, a problem that recycling centers have with plastic ending up in office paper, tin cans and cardboard bins. The public is urged to be more vigilant.

A variant of composting is TimberHP, which turns wood chips and small low-grade softwood trees from lumber mills into high-performance, non-toxic wood fiber insulation that not only keeps your houses toasty but also captures carbon. This safe, affordable and carbon-negative product can be found at Wards and a growing number of other dealers.

Matt St. Louis, left, and Hunter Wilmot (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“It’s a very green carbon-negative, highly-recyclable product,” said Paige Molloy.

Jay Town Council member Knut Sauer and community volunteer and chair of the Jay Comprehensive Planning/Climate-Smart Community Task Force Wally Waters coordinated the Sustainability Fair, which was co-presented with the town of Keene.

“Our town has been very active in promoting climate-smart in the community, and as part of that, we decided to put on this fair,” said Sauer. “It took some work to get the vendors together, but we’ve had an excellent turnout and are very pleased. It’s the first year, so you never know what to expect, but I think we will likely try to do it again. That’s the plan.”

Providing an overview of how to live sustainably, Barbara Tam of Keene shared the value of permaculture, a sustainable design system focused on forming a harmonious, mutually beneficial relationship between people, plants, animals, and soil.

“It enables us to think about where we live so that we and everybody else, which includes wildlife, thrives,” said Tam.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)