Page 5 - JANUARY2023

January 2023
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM
Page 5
Community
In the beautiful Lakes Region, the idea our environment could change for the worse feels distant. But you likely noticed the brutal stretch of 90+°F days this August and that the window for ice fishing, skating, and snowmobiling is steadily shortening. We know that carbon emis- sions are the culprit and need action on every level to ensure a future of pleasant summers and wintertime recreation.
On a personal level, examine fossil fuel usage in your life. Try biking or walking instead of driving a car. Ask your grocer about sourcing from local farms. Consider exchanging gas- powered leafblowers for rakes and ensure your house is well-insulated.
Maybe you can’t bike everywhere, but if your electric or hybrid car gets power from solar pan- els on your house, you’re still cutting emissions! I’m already seeing this shift around Newfound, with more solar panels on roofs and initiatives
like Bristol’s hydroelectric partnership with Free- dom Energy that, as of April 2022, reduces the town’s yearly energy costs by $2500 dollars.
If you want action to phase out fossil fuels, voting is essential, especially at state and munic- ipal levels. If pro-environment candidates aren’t in the party you support, contact those you do and make it clear their supporters care about our climate. We don’t have to agree on everything or be on the same “side.” We all live on this planet, and in the Newfound Area, we all love our beau- tiful lakes, forests, and mountains.
I implore you to implement these methods for reducing carbon emissions. Climate change isn’t a problem for someone somewhere else; it is already at our doorstep. We must be proactively in combating this crisis because if we wait until we can’t ignore it, we’ll be left with a home we don’t recognize.
Gretchen McGowan
Letter To the Editor
song. She had been singing and guitar strumming all the years following her first summer camp songfest. She sang with her mom in the old church choir. She sang in the choirs in Utah. Since com- ing to New Hampshire, she has enriched the Bristol UCC Choir with her alto voice and has added that voice to the Pemi Choral Society. A few years ago, Deb- bie, who loves to travel, was in Hawaii and thus began her love of the ukulele. Soon after she returned home, the Joyful Noise Ukelele Band was formed. The band, comprised of Debbie and 7 or 8 others, has entertained and uplifted audiences through- out the Lakes Region, including appearances at Old Home Days, long-term health facilities, Day Away Program, Senior Lunches, schools, private, private homes, and churches. Last month, the concert mentioned in the open- ing of our story raised over $6,000 (with matching funds) for the people of Ukraine.
When interviewing Debbie for this community article, I asked her what I thought was a reasonable question that might lead to some revelation about her faith. “Debbie, what mo- tivated you to spend a lifetime working with youngsters with multiple challenges?” She never answered me, at least not di- rectly. At first, she appeared puz- zled. Then she looked at me as though I was a little “off”. How- ever, as we talked, it became evident that, to Debbie, helping
those in need was as “natural” as breathing. Eventually, she said, “It was something I was born with.” Debbie made no mention of God or religion during our interview. She did not prosely- tize. Yet she is clearly a person of faith. She chairs the Bristol United Church of Christ’s Com- mittee on Education and believes a spiritual dimension enriches a child’s life. Her life’s work speaks volumes about her own spiritu- ality. As for her love of music, I didn’t get a quick response on that question either, but as she reflected on her life, she let it be known how lucky she felt she had been. Close friends who faced life-ending illnesses are re- membered for their wisdom and bravery. She never saw broken- ness in her students; She beheld their beauty or their potential for it. Her reflections on surviv- ing a struggle with cancer focus on how it deepened her ability to empathize with others. She is thankful for the good fortune of being spared the troublesome challenges that are borne by those with disabling conditions. Debbie made clear that music and songs are her celebrations of a happy here and now and an expression of thanks for a life that was and remains a good one.
In this month’s story, it seemed fitting to acknowledge Debbie’s life work with our own expres- sion of thanks for her many gifts to us, gifts of sight and song, and of sharing some wisdom.
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