To the editor:

Where are the solar panels that should be on the middle school roof? 

Didn’t the Town of Barrington request and receive monies from the state to make the middle school roof solar-ready? Doesn't that imply that we will put solar panels on the roof even if it is not absolutely required? It is now years since the school has been ready and being used; we have the money left over that we already borrowed; where are the solar panels? They are not on the middle school roof. If we are not going to use the state money as it was intended, shouldn’t we re-pay the additional cost for a solar-ready roof?

Who does not understand that climate change is moving faster than the scientists originally thought it would? In fact, a recent IPCC Special Report (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – the gold standard in climate science from around the world) not only reinforced the scientific imperative of reaching the 1.5 degrees goal but ended up calling a climate “code red” as reaching that goal requires immediate action by all of us. Who in this country does not understand that the increasing rate of climate change is witnessed by increasing our extreme weather events that are becoming larger, more destructive, and more expensive as we sit by and watch? Where is our one simple contribution toward slowing climate change? Why don’t we have solar panels on the middle school roof and maybe on the closed landfill as well?

Who does not understand that children are terrified about the world’s climate that they will inherit from us? Don't we owe it to our children to show them how to care for our earth and our people by taking even the easiest of actions – putting solar panels on the middle school roof? Don’t we owe it to the next generation and beyond to do the best that we can do especially since there is no question about what our lack of actions are causing and costing? Shouldn’t we be demonstrating what some of the easiest options are that we as a town could be contributing to reducing this problem? Where are the solar panels for the middle school roof? 

Do people actually not understand that solar panels will save the town thousands of dollars per year for at least the next 20 years? Why are we not doing the one easy thing that will both reduce the problem of climate change and save the town money? Why doesn’t the middle school already have as many solar panels as can fit on its roof? Why are we wasting time and losing money that we could be using to pay off the school loan or reduce the need to increase our taxes every year?  

Where are the solar panels that should be on the middle school roof? 

Lynne M Carter, PhD. 

Barrington