Produced.By
Copper Mountain College
Basin Wide Foundation
Joshua Tree National Park
Conference.Overview
At the root of the SoPAE Conference is the special combination of Copper Mountain College's much anticipated installation of a solar energy field to provide for its future energy needs and the institution's addition of career path courses in solar installation and maintenance. Add to this the Basin Wide Foundation's ongoing efforts to facilitate events and ideas that can enrich the quality of life for all residents of the Morongo Basin and you have assurances of an event that will dispense information of high practical value. Couple the efforts of both these organizations with the strong environmental concerns of Joshua Tree National Park and you will discover very real contemporary solutions to very real energy problems.
CONFERENCE TOPICS
In addition to having specially invited major tribal leaders and Superintendents from both State and National Parks in Southern California, presentations and exhibits featuring the following subjects are being planned for the agenda.
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Wind Solar Technologies
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Fuel Cells Biomass Discussions about
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SoPAE ORIGIN
In the interests of serving its neighbors throughout the whole of our Morongo Basin, the Basin Wide Foundation has been holding informational Forums at its monthly breakfast meetings, the purpose of which is to help residents better understand the larger issues that affect their everyday lives. Each Forum features persons of position and influence from both public and private service agencies who respond to questions from the audience about the ways in which their particular organizations serve the public interest.
The Foundation soon realized that the information imparted at these Forums was very much dependant on the nature of questions coming from the audience, and that the amount of information made available was limited by the 50 minutes given to each forum event. Confirmation of this became particularly evident at the conclusion of the January 2006 Forum which was dedicated to the subject of Solar Energy. It was obvious that the audience had a strong desire to know more about any source of alternative energy.
A participant in that Forum was Ms. Kindred Murillo, Chief Business Officer at Copper Mountain College. She had been invited to participate in the Forum because of CMC's plan to install a practical solar field for two purposes. One of which is to serve the energy needs of the College and the other to serve as a laboratory for up-and-coming courses on solar field installation and maintenance.
At the conclusion of that Forum, Bob Dockendorff, program chairman for the Foundation's monthly meetings and Ms. Murillo discussed audience reaction to the Forum topic. It was during that conversation that the idea of the SoPAE Conference was born.
Because of its strong environmental concerns and because of its demonstrated dedication to solar energy production at its headquarters site, Joshua Tree National Park volunteered to support the Conference by helping produce this important event.
SoPAE COMMITTEE
The Conference Committee is made up of a group of community service minded people who enthusiastically volunteered to combine their unique skills in helping make this event reality.
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Dr. Thom Armstrong, President Mr. Cary Harwin, President Mr. Curt Sauer, Superintendent |
Copper Mountain College Basin Wide Foundation Joshua Tree National Park |
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Kindred Murillo Bob Dockendorff |
Copper Mountain College Basin Wide Foundation |
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Deborah DeMeo Arn Hancock Lee Johnson Jennifer Lukus Jerry Mattos Karin Messaros Rosalin Schiller Bob Stephenson Sue Tsuda Barbara Weeda |
National Parks Conservation Assn. Basin Wide Foundation Independent Contractor Copper Mountain College Basin Wide Foundation Joshua Tree National Park Union Bank of California Pro Video Productions Retired Workforce Development Coordinator Weeda Real Estate |