Like many others I want to transition away from fossil fuels and create green energy right here in the North Country. Many people cannot afford to buy solar panels for their roof, or like me they rent an apartment.

It is now possible for a group of us to join together to create green energy through a process called community distributed generation. Several of us could join together to create a small-scale community solar project.

If you are interested in helping us make that happen I encourage you to attend the Canton Sustainability Committee meetings. We meet at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at 60 Main Street.

One North Country business called Northern Power & Light (npandl.com) is already doing this with hydropower. I just signed up myself and in doing so I’m joining several of my neighbors and local businesses including the Potsdam Food Co-Op and Paul Smith’s College. Basically all of us together have joined to support a small-scale energy producer and we can know that the energy we are creating together isn’t coming from fossil fuels.

The monthly cost I pay for electricity will remain the same, so while I’m not saving any money it isn’t costing me anything extra either. The people behind Northern Power & Light are members of our community.

I was able to meet and speak with Everett Smith at the Green Living Fair at SUNY Canton in April, and ask questions to his son Emmett at the Green New Deal town hall in Potsdam and again when he met with the Canton Sustainability Committee.

Supporting community distributed generators like Northern Power & Light is a quick and easy way for us to transition our own energy use away from fossil fuels.

Thomas Gokey

Canton