Museum, Greg Fishel look at benefits and consequences of clean, renewable energy
For immediate release ‐ June 27, 2016
Contact: Jon Pishney, 919.707.8083. Images available upon request
RALEIGH — Join WRAL chief meteorologist Greg Fishel for a new Town Hall discussion on “Environment, Economy, Entrepreneurship: Is Clean Energy Good Business?” This innovative look at the potential benefits and consequences of clean, renewable energy takes place at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Thursday, July 14, 7–8:30 p.m. Fishel will be joined by Jordan Kern from the Institute for the Environment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and former South Carolina congressman Bob Inglis, who has launched the Energy and Enterprise Initiative, a nationwide public engagement campaign promoting conservative and free-enterprise solutions to energy and climate challenges. The event is free.
Jordan D. Kern is Research Assistant Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment. His research combines power systems engineering, finance and economics, risk management, hydrology and environmental science. He is interested in some of the big changes occurring in the electric power industry, including market deregulation, integration of renewable energy, horizontal hydraulic fracturing (fracking), tougher plant emissions standards, changes in the hydrological cycle, and increased use of distributed resources. He studies how these changes alter power system operations and the financial outlook of electric utilities, and looks at how they ultimately have a cascading effect on water resources and environmental flows below dams.
Bob Inglis represented Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, in the U.S. Congress from 1993-98 and 2005-10. In 2011, after losing re-election, Inglis went full-time into promoting free enterprise action on climate change and in 2012 launched the Energy and Enterprise Initiative (E&EI) at George Mason University. E&EI is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt, educational effort that lives to demonstrate the power of accountable free enterprise. By creating a level playing field in which all costs are transparently “in” on all fuels, E&EI believes that the free enterprise system will deliver innovation faster than government regulations could ever imagine. E&EI supports an online community of energy optimists and climate realists at republicEn.org. For his work on climate change, Inglis was given the 2015 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
This program is the third in a new series at the Museum ― The Nature of Science: A Town Hall with Greg Fishel ― inspired by Albert Einstein’s view that “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.” The series is designed to provide in-depth discussions with leaders from around the globe, as they explore the major scientific and environmental issues of our time. Comments and questions from the audience are encouraged.
Doors to the WRAL 3D Theater open at 6:30 p.m. All guests are invited to attend a coffee and dessert reception following the program from 8:30 to 9 p.m. in the Museum’s Natural Treasures Gallery. This program is made possible by the Friends of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and Capitol Broadcasting Company.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (11 W. Jones St. and 121 W. Jones St.) in downtown Raleigh is an active research institution that engages visitors of every age and stage of learning in the wonders of science and the natural world, drawing them into the intriguing fields of study that are critical to the future of North Carolina. Hours: Mon.- Sat., 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sun., noon-5 p.m. Visit the Museum online at www.naturalsciences.org. Emlyn Koster, PhD, Museum Director; Susan Kluttz, Secretary, N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources; Pat McCrory, Governor.
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state’s natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. Led by Secretary Susan Kluttz, NCDNCR’s mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state’s history, conserving the state’s natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development. NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the nation’s first state-supported Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, along with the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please call (919) 807-7300 or visit www.ncdcr.gov.