Join us for a special evening as we host Mike Richter, President, Brightcore Energy and Michael Levin of Columbia University, as they discuss the science and application of geothermal systems and solar facilities – their pros, cons and how thoughtful siting can produce positive effects for our planet. Rounding out the hat trick, Greenwich Audubon Center Director, Rochelle Thomas, will moderate a discussion with Mike and Michael, with a focus on how both systems can benefit and protect our birds and other wildlife.

Potluck food and hors d'oeuvres will be provided by Happiness Is Back Country Market along with organic wine from The Study Fine Wines! Bringing a dish to share is 100% optional but if you do, please make sure you include a notecard listing ingredients. Bite size sharables are preferred as the Center has limited capacity to provide serving and eating utensils.

6:00 -6:30pm: Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in our Learning Center area 6:30-7:30pm: Presentation and panel in Kiernan Hall.

This event is FREE but RSVPs Required to determine capacity HERE.

Suggested Donations encouraged. Your contributions greatly help to support the Greenwich Audubon Center's conservation and education efforts. Thank you!

Speaker Bios:

Mike Richter:

Mike Richter is currently the President of Brightcore Energy, LLC, a leading provider of end-to-end clean energy solutions to commercial and institutional markets. Prior to joining Brightcore, Mike enjoyed a successful 15-year professional athletic career for the New York Rangers where he was a three-time NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup Champion. In addition to his success in the NHL, Mike represented the United States in numerous international competitions including three Olympic teams, earning a Silver Medal in 2002 and World Cup Gold in 1996. In 2008, Mike was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame.

After retiring from the NHL, Mike enrolled in Yale University and received his degree in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a concentration in Environmental Policy. In 2007, he launched his career in sustainability as a founding partner at Environmental Capital Partners, a $100M Private Equity Fund focused on financing resource efficient companies in the middle market. Four years later, Mike shifted his focus to the project finance space when he created Healthy Planet Partners, LLC., a fund that deployed renewable energy technologies in the C&I space in order to reduce both their operating costs and ecological footprint. Over this period, Mike devoted much of his time to a variety of not-for-profit environmental boards, collaborated with a number of efforts in the sport and sustainability space, and earned an Aspen Institute Environmental Fellowship in 2012.

In 2016, Mike joined Brightcore Energy as President to help the company in its mission to become a leader in the design, financing, implementation, and maintenance of energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy technologies for commercial, industrial, and municipal buildings.

Michael Levin:

Michael is a 5th-year PhD student in the DeFries Lab at Columbia University and a NatureNet Fellow with The Nature Conservancy. His primary interest is in the regions where humans and wildlife actively share the landscape, and in questions where solutions to the climate crisis overlap with those of biodiversity loss. He is particularly interested in the expanding footprint of solar energy and how animal movement might be affected by the presence of solar infrastructure. Prior to his graduate work, Michael developed and oversaw a research regimen at a biomedical startup. He received a Master of Arts from Columbia University and Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.

Greenwich Audubon Center is a vibrant nature education center located at the main 285-acre Audubon sanctuary in Greenwich. We are a part of the Audubon Connecticut state office of the National Audubon Society and Atlantic Flyway, and steward a total of seven sanctuaries in the Greenwich area. Our mission is to protect birds and the places they need, today and tomorrow. Visitors are welcome to enjoy our miles of trails, nature programs, education resources, conservation-themed events, and nature store throughout the year.

We support a diverse and inclusive environment, and welcome individuals of all races, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, ethnicities, and perspectives. We work with families to modify programs for accessibility where possible.

Learn more about Accessibility at Greenwich Audubon Center

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