New York's Catskill Animal Sanctuary, one of the nation's leading sanctuaries for rescued farm animals, is going green. Construction begins today to complete Catskill Animal Sanctuary's conversion to solar power. This complete conversion to solar energy is but one of the Sanctuary's practices aimed at minimizing the organization's environmental footprint.
Saugerties, NY (Vocus) November 5, 2009 -- New York's Catskill Animal Sanctuary, one of the nations' leading sanctuaries for rescued farm animals, is going green. Construction begins today to complete Catskill Animal Sanctuary's conversion to solar power. Upon completion of the installation of an additional 84 Sun Power solar panels on the main barn, the farm will be 100% solar powered. This complete conversion to solar energy is but one of the Sanctuary's practices aimed at minimizing the organization's environmental footprint.
The sanctuary has seen significant savings since Phase 1 of the solar installation was completed in February 2008, when approximately 50% of the main barn's conventionally-derived electricity was replaced with solar energy. The installer, Hudson Valley Clean Energy, is using SunPower panels, which it describes as "among the most efficient on the market."
Catskill Animal Sanctuary director Kathy Stevens calls her group "serious about minimizing our footprint." The Sanctuary composts all its manure for reuse as topsoil and uses sustainably-harvested timber for its building projects. Its publications are printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks. Its biggest impact, of course, comes from the fact that nearly all staff and volunteers are vegans--they consume no animal products. CAS also actively promotes a vegetarian lifestyle, and has launched a national search for a vegetarian chef.
"Most of us changed our diets for the animals," explains Stevens. "Sadly, they are not reason enough for a lot of people...particularly people who don't know these animals as we do. I'm thrilled that there's finally widespread acknowledgment that our diets must change if we want to save our planet. Everyone has to do all that he can--and the biggest thing one can do is go vegetarian."
In the meantime, though, Stevens is delighted that Catskill Animal Sanctuary's solar energy project will soon be completed.
Located in upstate New York, Catskill Animal Sanctuary is a 100-acre haven for twelve species of farm animals and a center to raise public awareness of agribusiness and its implications for animals, humans, and the planet we share. Since its inception in 2001, CAS has rescued over 1,700 desperately needy animals, and has worked frequently with law enforcement to bring animal abusers to justice. CAS has been featured in national and regional media such as The New York Times, Good Morning America, and NBC Nightly News. Founder and Director Kathy Stevens, author of Where the Blind Horse Sings: Love and Healing at an Animal Sanctuary, is currently completing her second book about the work of CAS. For further information, go to www.casanctuary.org.
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