Past Events

Click on the quick links below to learn more about a few of our Past PECA Events:

Placer Plug-In Day

In conjunction with California Clean Air Day and National Drive Electric Week, the First Congregational Church hosted a daylong festival on September 28, 2024.

The main attenders were EV enthusiasts who brought their cars to display--a nice variety, trucks and sports cars and sedans and a hybrid passenger van. It was a great opportunity to check out new Electric Vehicles and get helpful information from EV owners.

A local heat pump and solar contractor had a pop-up, along with Pioneer Community Energy and Citizens Climate Lobby. PECA Board member, Ginny Kesler-Day provided a demonstration in solar cooking for this event as well.

The keynote speaker, Dana Nuccitelli, spoke on the benefits of home electrification and the savings available through the Inflation Reduction Act.  He covered a LOT of factual information on tax incentives and rebates for various home improvements and EV purchases, including heat pumps (water, air, clothes dryer--new to me) and induction stove/cook-tops. 

Beavers and Climate Resilience: Bring Back the Beaver Campaign

On July 7, 2024 Kate Lundquist of the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center spoke about the Bring Back the Beaver Campaign to educate citizens about the importance of beaver. North American beaver (Castor canadensis) are considered a “keystone species” because the habitat that they create benefits many other species. Their dams improve water quantity and quality, increase late season flow and reduce the impacts of flooding. In addition, beaver bank burrows and food caches provide critical habitat for many native and endangered California species. In order to improve water supply for humans and the environment and increase resilience to drought and climate change, beaver management needs to be integrated into California policy and regulation. 

Kate collaborates with landowners, communities, tribes, conservation organizations and resource agencies across California to uncover obstacles, identify strategic solutions, and implement beaver and process-based restoration to conserve watersheds, recover listed species, increase water security and build resilience to climate change (www.oaec.org/beaver). Kate is a co-founder and member of the California Beaver Policy Working Group and the California Process-Based Restoration Network (www.calpbr.org) and serves as a member of the Beaver Institute’s Advisory Board (www.beaverinstitute.org).       

EVs // High Tech

Did you miss climate movie night on June 24th? You can view it here!

Finding Hope in a Time of Climate Change

On June 2, 2024, Allen Edwards presented his journey toward creating hope in a time of climate change. Allen is a retired energy economist and climate change policy analyst. He worked for six decades, part-time and full-time, practicing sustainable silviculture and forest farming, and served as an agricultural educator with UC extension.  For the past two years, Allen has been working with a small group of volunteers on what has evolved into the Community Regeneration Project. Allen’s journey took him to finding hope in building a climate resilient future for his local community. Rather than trying to convince others to act, we can act for ourselves on ecological regeneration – in soil, croplands, and forests. Ultimately, we can build connections between the land and our community, and in the process build a local a sustainable future.

Companion video by Bill Jackson detailing Allen’s forest management activity and philosophy:

Wildfire and Forest Resilience in California

On February 6, 2024 PECA Presents attendees heard Jessica Morse’s (candidate for Congress) vision for dealing with the wildfire threat in California.  Having served as Deputy Secretary for Forest and Wildland Resilience at the California Natural Resources Agency, Jessica shared her deep experience with this issue. As Deputy Secretary she worked on the frontline of California’s wildfire crisis, fast-tracking wildfire prevention efforts. Last year, she was appointed to the U.S. Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission, helping develop recommendations and strategies to reshape national wildfire policies.

Solving the Wildfire Threat

Prior to Jessica Morse’s presentation during PECa Presents (Feb 6, 2024), Dr. Ken Moore provided an overview of the wildfire problem and of the more recent legislation related to the ameliorating the problem.

Sustainable Fish

On January 7, 2024 Dr. Ken Moore, discussed ways that the oceans are being impacted by the climate crisis and specific choices that we can make around eating seafood to promote the resiliency of the oceans. See below for the slides and videos that he showed during the presentation.

David Attenborough Explains What We Need to Do to Stop Over-Fishing

China: Seafood Superpower

My Dad the fisherman: sustainable fishing explained

What is the Marine Stewardship Council and why is certified sustainable seafood important?

Women and Climate

On December 3, 2023 Karyn Bigelow, Co-Executive Director of Creation Justice Ministries, joined us to discuss environmental justice issues associated with women in the face of climate change, both in the United States and internationally.

EV ExtravaganzaS - 2023 & 2024

On March 3, 2024 we learned more about electric vehicles, including

  • a brief overview of the history of electric cars

  • the myths surrounding EVS

  • a preview of the 2024 EV’s

  • firsthand information from a panel of local EV owners.

  • a visit to the parking to get a close look at a variety of electric vehicles and talk to their respective owners

This video provides a brief history of the the electric car in America.

During our first EV Extravaganza (May 7, 2023) PECA brought together a diverse group of local electric vehicle owners to discuss the pros and cons of their EV choices; the cars represented also included a hydrogen-powered vehicle, and plug-in hybrids. The vehicles were displayed in the parking lot so that attendees could have a look at the vehicles and talk to the owners one-on-one after the panel discussion. The brands represented included BMW, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia, Lucid, and Tesla. Click here for a pdf for Dr. Ken Moore’s introductory presentation about EVs. If interested, check out the cool site created by GM that provides useful information about electric cars (including range, charging, batteries, and ownership): https://evlive.gm.com/

Climate Ribbon Project

PECA brought this participatory art ritual for climate healing and hope to our communities in April of 2023.

The Climate Ribbon Project is rooted in one simple, yet profound question: “What do you love and hope never to lose to Climate Chaos?” Write it on a ribbon, add your first name, age, and hometown, then hang it on our climate ribbon “tree”.

Peruse the other ribbons hanging on the tree, then choose one that moves you. Read it to someone else, and tie it to your wrist to signify your resolve to roll back Climate Chaos and protect what this other person most cherishes. Become the guardian of this person’s hopes, as others will guard yours when your ribbon is chosen.

Together our commitments weave a giant ribbon among all of us for a healthy, sustainable planet.

The 2013 Rim fire in and near Yosemite National Park. Credit: USFS/Mike McMillan

Firescaping Presentation

Placer County Master Gardener Kevin Marini joined us on April 2, 2023 for an illuminating and practical presentation about using landscaping to help protect your home from wildfire (firescaping).

Stop Dirty Banks Day of Action

Despite the climate crisis, our biggest banks (Chase, Citibank, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America) are using their customer’s money to fund fossil fuel expansion, to the tune of billions of dollars every year. Even though these Banks may have made a ‘net zero by 2050’ pledge, they continue to underwrite bonds and loans for the fossil fuel industry. Th!rd Act, Sacramento organized a bank protest as part of a nationwide day of action on March 21, 2023 to highlight the link between our money going into the big 4 banks and coming out via loans to fossil fuel companies to make climate chaos worse.

Five of us from PECA traveled down for the protest despite the pouring rain. See below for photos from this event.

What You Do With Your Money Matters!

Do you have money squirreled away in the bank? Do you use credit cards? Have you invested money as you save for retirement? If you said yes to any of these, then you may be allowing banks and investment firms to use your money to fund activities that you might not personally support. During a March 12, 2023 presentation sponsored by PECA and SFUU, Barb Munn shared what she learned as she investigated investments, banks, and credit cards in her drive to align her money with her values.

March 12, 2023 SFUU/PECA Forum
This presentation explores some tools and resources to help you align your investments, banks, and credit cards with your values.

Women Leadership in Climate Change Action

During the January 8, 2023 ‘PECA Presents’ event, Linda Franklin facilitated a discussion related to women’s roles in finding solutions to the impacts of climate change. Inspiration for discussion was provided by Dr. Ken Moore who showed us portions of the following 2 videos from She changes climate, an organization that enables women in all their diversity, to lead just climate action globally.

Over the course of the discussion, the Population Connection’s work on stabilizing the global population at a level that can be sustained by Earth’s resources came up, as well as the fight by indigenous people to defend the Brazilian Amazon rain forest as depicted in the National Geographic Film, The Territory.

PAST PECA Climate Movies