October 21, 2022

Welcome to the Sunrise Spirit –
the Weekly Newsletter of The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise

 


Matthew Marshall of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority

We hope that you will attend one of our lively Friday meetings,
whether or not you are interested in joining Rotary.
We meet (almost) every Friday at 7 am in the Plaza View Room
of Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse.

For more information and for the meeting links, please visit the RCAS Website.


Rotary Vision

Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create
lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.


The RCAS Calendar

RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone

  • November 11 – Veterans Day Flag Lowering Ceremony at 4 pm on the Arcata Plaza
  • November 17 – The return of in-person Taste of the Holidays! All hands on deck at the Arcata Community Center!
  • March 31 & April 1 – District Training Assembly
  • May 4-7 – District Conference at Konocti Harbor Resort
  • May 27-31 – Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia

For Openers

Terri Clark told us that our Club had received honors at the previous Saturday’s Foundation Dinner. We earned three banners – #2 Club in the District for per capita donations to the Rotary Foundation, 100% Club Participation in Foundation Giving, and Every Rotarian Every Year.

It was a bittersweet weekend for Terri, however. The next day, she attended a memorial service for Past District Governor Bruce Campbell, who passed away recently following a stroke. Bruce was a great Rotarian and a wonderful guy.

President Vanessa talked about the October board meeting, and we received reminders to sell our Taste of the Holidays tickets. We will need a few raffle items for the event, as well.

Matthew Marshall Talks Energy

Our Featured Speaker was Matthew Marshall, the Executive Director of the Redwood Coast Energy Authority (RCEA). His organization was established in 2003 as a Joint Powers Authority, with a mandate to develop and implement sustainable energy initiatives for Humboldt County and its cities.

Matthew said that in 2017, RECA gained local control over the energy supply. This means that they work with PG&E to deliver power to homes and businesses in Humboldt County, but RECA is responsible for sourcing and billing for energy.

He noted that RECA owns and operates the Redwood Coast Airport Microgrid project, which is serving as a model for other microgrids throughout California and the U.S. The agency is also looking to expand additional locally-produced alternative energy sources, with an eye to developing an offshore wind farm in the near future. There will be an “Offshore Wind Auction” on December 6th, which will encompass five areas off the coast of California. Two of those five areas are in Humboldt County. (The other three are in the Morro Bay area.)

Matthew noted that his organization’s emphasis is on working within the community.

In Closing

As our meeting was winding down, President Vanessa reminded us to take the online survey regarding Rotary Youth Exchange. We were also reminded that RCAS will once again participate in the Veterans Day Flag Lowering Ceremony on the Arcata Plaza at 4 pm on November 11th. We are looking for two veterans to lower and fold the flag.

We heard an impassioned talk from Romi Hitchcock Tinseth about the investigation into the death of Josiah Lawson back in 2017. In addition to her concerns about the decision not to prosecute the accused assailant, she told us that supporters are collecting items such as toiletries and other items, which will be distributed to members of the community who are in need. You can bring the items to Romi, or you can drop them off at the Arcata City Hall.

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