Happy to see this thought process. We have been creating habitat for pollinators in solar fields since 2015. When we started the importance of addressing biodiversity loss in these spaces was an afterthought embraced only by the most progressively-minded Solar developers. We now have over 30 solar Fields in four states including Maine. It's important to recognize that this process is not simply 'set it and forget it' but requires fastidiousness to avoid tossing down wildflower seeds in a space where invasive species, including native opportunists, will result in only a short term success. Optimal strategies include site selection that embraces protecting diverse habitats from development and measuring sites for positive impact across the lifespan of the project. Mike Kiernan beethechange.earth
Excellent. So happy to hear this, Mike. Thank you for the good and thoughtful work you're doing. I'll be sure to let my readers know about Bee the Change in next week's post. If you'd like, I can try to connect the local solar developers here with you, or at least let them know about the opportunity.
Thank you, Susan. Seems like there's not a lot of easy choices these days, right? But the brilliant folks making good policy - when it happens - are making certain choices easier for us. Like heat pumps and EVs, for example. My piece this week is really about making smarter hard choices rather than harmful ones. And to do that we need to be honest about the scale of the problem beyond just climate. Not sure when we'll see a cultural shift that will have people in the streets or protesting the big banks while talking about biodiversity in the same way they're doing it now for climate. Need some nifty slogans... and a better word/phrase than "biodiversity."
Happy to see this thought process. We have been creating habitat for pollinators in solar fields since 2015. When we started the importance of addressing biodiversity loss in these spaces was an afterthought embraced only by the most progressively-minded Solar developers. We now have over 30 solar Fields in four states including Maine. It's important to recognize that this process is not simply 'set it and forget it' but requires fastidiousness to avoid tossing down wildflower seeds in a space where invasive species, including native opportunists, will result in only a short term success. Optimal strategies include site selection that embraces protecting diverse habitats from development and measuring sites for positive impact across the lifespan of the project. Mike Kiernan beethechange.earth
Excellent. So happy to hear this, Mike. Thank you for the good and thoughtful work you're doing. I'll be sure to let my readers know about Bee the Change in next week's post. If you'd like, I can try to connect the local solar developers here with you, or at least let them know about the opportunity.
I so appreciate this article. I myself feel torn between hard choices when it comes to becoming more energy efficient.
Thank you, Susan. Seems like there's not a lot of easy choices these days, right? But the brilliant folks making good policy - when it happens - are making certain choices easier for us. Like heat pumps and EVs, for example. My piece this week is really about making smarter hard choices rather than harmful ones. And to do that we need to be honest about the scale of the problem beyond just climate. Not sure when we'll see a cultural shift that will have people in the streets or protesting the big banks while talking about biodiversity in the same way they're doing it now for climate. Need some nifty slogans... and a better word/phrase than "biodiversity."