BOALSBURG — On Sunday, Sept. 21, Sierra Club Moshannon Group participated in Sun Day, a groundbreaking nationwide mobilization that marks a pivotal moment in America’s clean energy transformation. This nationwide event will feature hundreds of events across all 50 states, creating a powerful, coordinated day of action to spotlight the most significant energy revolution of our time.
The group hosted a community event at Boal City Brewing to demonstrate the readiness of clean energy solutions. The event demonstrated that clean energy isn’t a far-off dream, but is instead an immediate, practical solution to our current energy challenges that will bring down costs and improve reliability.
Attendees were given an opportunity to chat with neighbors who have solar panels for home electricity, test drive e-vehicles and e-bikes, take an action to advocate for solar in Pennsylvania, meet the folks behind Black Moshannon Solar and other major solar operators in our area, and kids created a piece of art in celebration of Sun Day
“For decades we have called this stuff ‘alternative energy’. We want to drive home the point that that’s not true anymore–this is the straightforward, common-sense, obvious way to power our future, the cheapest way to drive down electric prices, the easiest way to build a working America,” said Bill McKibben, the driving force behind Sun Day and a pioneering voice in the climate movement. McKibben, co-founder of 350.org and a leading environmental author, has been instrumental in bringing global attention to climate change and the potential of renewable energy.
“We’re really excited to be highlighting the impact of clean energy in the Centre Region. Our community is proving that solar and wind aren’t just the future, they’re actually powering our present,” said Kelly Forest, vice chair of the Sierra Club’s local Moshannon Group. “My family powers our home with solar, we have e-vehicles and I do most of my errands around town on my e-bike and there are plenty of other folks like me who are committed to a clean energy. We want to share these experiences to hopefully inspire others at a time when there is lots of misinformation out there.” The event is part of a larger national movement demonstrating that clean energy technologies are affordable, reliable, and ready to deploy at scale. According to Sun Day organizers, the United States added 50 gigawatts of solar power to the grid in 2024– the most any energy source has added in two decades – enough to power 8.5 million homes.
