June 27, 2008 — Residents and business owners interested in learning about what they can do to reduce their energy costs can attend an Alternative Energy Forum scheduled for Saturday morning at the University of the Virgin Islands Business and Administration Center on St. Thomas.
The forum, co-hosted by the League of Women Voters, starts at 9:30 a.m. and runs until 12:30 p.m. It will also be teleconferenced to UVI's St. Croix campus.
"We wanted to start a dialogue with residents on how they can reduce their energy costs, and their energy needs overall," League of Women's Voters President Abigail Cyntje said Friday. "We hope to explore various sources of alternative energy and try to figure out what would be best for the Virgin Islands to examine and implement. The forum will also give us a better idea of what the government will be doing in terms of policies and initiatives to reduce the cost of energy."
Speakers at the event will include V.I. Energy Office Director Bevan Smith Jr., a representative from WAPA, Sen. Louis P. Hill and a representative from Sustainable Systems and Designs International, according to a recent news release.
The idea to hold an Alternative Energy Forum stemmed from the V.I. Water and Power Authority's ongoing search for a local small power producer, Cyntje added.
"We saw that WAPA was considering alternative energy bids, and we decided to broaden our discussion to include not just what WAPA is doing, but what individual consumers could do," she said. "That way, once WAPA gets on board with their initiative, individual customers could be involved and help get the ball rolling on reducing energy costs throughout the territory."
The forum is also sponsored by UVI's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, the V.I. Conservation Society, St. Croix Environmental Association, the Environmental Association of St. Thomas and AARP.
For more information on the forum, contact Cyntje at 998-3964.
