Back from Syracuse and thinking hard about two issues that came up after the Greening presentation at the Onondaga County Public Library staff development day – green roofs and the Energy Star program.

I’ve been pondering my answers to two questions that were asked from the group after my presentation, I don’t think I answered either of them as thoroughly as I should have.

The first was asking me to clarify my stance on green roofs in the Northeast – my perception has been it’s not a great fit.  I answered quickly but realized I should revisit my opinion after a representative from Onondaga County spoke and said they are widely installing green roofs – they must have researched this thoroughly so I’ll be looking in to this more to understand that.

The other comment/question that got me thinking was an astute staff person who had been following the stories surrounding the Energy Star program – revelations that it is not as thorough a rating/standard program as it should be.

Over the course of the next week I’ll post more about these two items.

Overall the feedback I received after the presentation was pretty good. Many people had a spark in their eye as they asked questions about lighting, windows, recycling and purchasing. Others seemed apprehensive about costs and how to move forward with the whole “green team” idea that I shared. Regardless, people were thinking and that’s always a good thing!

Probably not presenting again until the fall between our trip to France coming up at the end of this month, a new executive director starting at MHLS in July and the massive overhaul of our web site at work. I’m looking forward to the chance to sit back and refine my presentation and get up to speed on some things (like green roofs!) that maybe my knowledge is aging on. It’s amazing how fast green technologies are developing and evolving. It’s exciting!