Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati

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RCRC starts new Going Green Committee!

RCRC Rotarian Patrick Lynch, who works with DC solar power and Bill Thomas, Mortgage broker with Umqua bank, will co-chair this new environmentally conscious committee for the Rotary Club of the Future. While Patrick Lynch has been working to get solar power into our club's special clinic in Kangundo Kenya, Bill brings a local perspective sharing with us all about Orange Guard, a natural safe product to get rid of household ants, termites and other pests. The Going Green idea caught hold and Brianne Nelson, president of Rotaract, asked if Rotaract could join RCRC with this new committee.

Immediately, Bill Fusco. Athletic Director at SSU, on the right said yes and he too joined the new GG committee. Each month we will be sharing green tips. On the larger scale, we are currently partnering with Nairobi Parklands Rotary club and installing a new back up generator in their clinic as step one of solar power. Go Green.

Going Green committee for Rancho Cotati Rotary.

In 2009 when RCRC moved into the Sonoma Mountain village it was a major "green" decision. Their former meeting place used paper plates, cups, bowls, napkins, and utensils and was just not environmentally friendly. The Sonoma Mountain Village recently won an award called Planet One community which is an award by the governor of the state for buildings with a plan that contribute both environmentally and economically to the state and thus eventually to North America. There were 5th in North America for most environmentally friendly location. That move started the Rotary Club of Rancho Cotati going green.

Next, the RCRC International committee got on board with Going Green and worked towards clean water and solar power for their partner club in Nairobi-Parklands. Together our 2 clubs first had youth run fundraisers called Kenya Night and raised funds for hand dug and hand pumped wells. The parklands Rotary club in Kenya found the locations, got local volunteers and also raised funds. The funds earned paid for engineers and equipment. Now there are 8 fresh water wells that do not require electricity, and all have large hand pumps that the kids can use to help fill water containers quickly and with fresh clean.

Finally a Going Green committee was formed in the RCRC club which is shown with their first tip for the month on going green which is Orange guard, a non poisonous pest control product. Shown in the photo are Bill Thomas, co-chair of Going Green, Bri Nelson, president of SSU Rotaract, Patrick Lynch, leader of the solar power projects in Kenya, and Bill Fusco, RCRC liaison to SSU. Add George Malkemus(co-chair) and Lilia Gonzales and that is our new going green committee.

Our water project video can now be seen on YouTube!!...or you can still view it below. Please press the "play" button in the center of the video screen.