Miami Dade County Community Forum

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Recap on our Energy Revolution Panel Discussion. By Fran Bohnsack

The UEL program on the Energy Revolution was surprisingly delightful last night! I say that because the subject matter for me is often dry and -- dare I say -- boring, but that was certainly not the case this time.

The speakers were all quite informed and interesting (especially our own John Van Leer and Albert Harem-Alvarez) and the rep from FPL, David Bates, was pretty good natured about the polite grilling he got. John Scott of Cushman and Wakefield was up to the task of moderation, and Jane Gilbert and George Cavros rounded out the program. The room was filled with all sorts of interesting young people who were new to UEL and who take the subject of the energy revolution quite seriously. Quite honestly, it gave me hope for the direction of our future. And a bonus -- I got to meet Paul Farren, the owner of the Energy Store in Hollywood, and I got some really good composting tips from Prof. Jack Parker, our local energy guru. The program also attracted a candidate running for the State House, Lisa Lesperance, who happens to be running in my district -- another good sign If you missed it, we did tape it for future posting on our website.

For the success of this program UEL has to credit two of our newest Board Members, Sarah Ridley and Sonia Succar. I am looking forward to more of this kind of programming and participation.

P.S. When the sun set Sarah suggested we open the curtains lining a second wall, and the guests were treated to a 180 degree sunset view of Biscayne Bay and downtown. It was breathtaking. We had thought the view on just one side was spectacular, little did we know.

3 comments:

  1. Sounds like it was a great success! I wish I could of made it, the future of energy is such an interesting topic to me. We should definitely do similar programs in the future.- Jennifer G.

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  2. Thank you Fran. Great recap! All the panelists had a unique perspective to contribute and I was impressed with our moderator, John Scott, and his ability to guide the conversation. It was so great to see so many new faces at our program. As for the curtains, well it seemed a crime to keep them shut with such a spectacular view behind them! Besides, it's a perfect reminder of the Florida paradise which we all work so hard to protect.

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  3. Barbara FalseyApril 22, 2010

    It was an "energizing" evening .. and wonderful to see so many new faces.

    Thanks to Sarah and Sonia.

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