Beth Rickard

Installing solar panels

My hero is Beth Rickard because she is a Environmentalist working to save energy of the future. While at Arcata High School in the the Cedar Academy program Beth joined the Green Schools Program of the Alliance to Save Energy. In addition, student grant writers from the Cedar Academy were awarded a $10,000 BP “A Plus For Energy” grant in the summer of 2004. Beth is also my hero because I really think that it is nice that she’s helping the environment and wants to save energy for the earth.

According to Beth , “Solar is the energy of the future. It is simple, environmentally friendly and cost-effective. The energy payback time for modern solar panels is 2 to 5 years and the average lifetime is 30 years.”

"Beth and other students wrote a grant proposal to the Toyota TAPESTRY program which funded the 2.5 KW system. The funding for the 30 kW photovoltaic system came from this program." This is non-polluting, renewable energy by the sun rather than made by fossil fuels.

Inspired by the sun rather than high school community service course, Beth came up with the idea to install solar panels at her school and afterwards founded Arcata High School’s Conservation And Renewable Energy [CARE] program.

C.A.R.E. took advantage of another grant to install and test the efficiency of a solar water heater and more energy-efficient lighting. Another CEDAR project (project-based service learning program) was applying for and getting a grant to install solar panels on the roof.

I did not know much about Beth Rickard when I started working on my project but now I really think she’s a hero.I really like that she is working to save energy and working to save the environment.