Tom Cotter (environmentalist)

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Tom Cotter
Tom Cotter (environmentalist), 2006 (cropped).jpg
BornJune 29, 1972
Robins AFB, Warner Robins, Georgia United States
Citizenship US citizen
SpouseChristi Gaither
Children3

Tom Cotter (born June 29, 1972) is an American conservationist, entrepreneur, renewable energy advocate, and ordained evangelical minister living in Clovis, California.

Contents

Biography

Early life and inspiration

Tom Cotter grew up in Napa Valley, California, United States. A significant influence of his work was the Boy Scouts of America. In 1988, Cotter was awarded the title of Eagle Scout.

Professional career

In 1997, he was ordained clergy at First Christian Church in Napa, California. He served as a pastor at Clovis Christian Church in Clovis, California, from 1996 to 2006.

From 2006 to 2015, Cotter worked in sales leadership in the U.S. Photovoltaic Industry, starting at ReGrid Power, which was later acquired by Real Goods Solar. He also worked at Sunrun. [1]

From 2015 to 2017, he worked as Regional Sales Manager at Renew Financial for the California counties of Fresno, Madera, Tulare, and Kings.

Cotter has worked as an adjunct professor [2] of Theological Ethics and the Environment at Fresno Pacific University.

Personal life

Cotter lives the family life residing in Clovis, California, with his wife, Christi Gaither, and their children. The family has down to earth spirit, loving nature and a pretty yard while at the same time host's lar power and solar thermal system in their home. Mr and Mrs cutter are frugal in cost-effective. [3]

Cotter is a part of the California Climate Ride, [4] a 320-mile bicycle benefit ride for bicycle advocacy and renewable energy down the coast of California from Eureka, California to San Francisco, California.

Sustainability education and advocacy

Tom Cotter on PBS TV being interviewed about the future of solar. TomCotter-FresnoSolar.jpg
Tom Cotter on PBS TV being interviewed about the future of solar.

Community

In 2007, Cotter and Socient CEO, Victor Ramayrat, co-founded Green Fresno, [5] a free online community and information portal (in 2012 it was relaunched as Green Central Valley).

Cotter is the organizer and curator of the annual Fresno Solar Tour [6] part of the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour.

Cotter is an Organizer of Fresno Earth Day, purposed to inspire and mobilize individuals and organizations to demonstrate their commitment to environmental protection and sustainability.

Cotter is the creator and organizer of Fresno Green Drinks, a monthly informal gathering of environmental field experts, educators, public servants, activists, and individuals looking to learn from and encourage one another toward broader ecological stewardship in the Fresno metro area. As of May 2012, Green Drinks was active in 642 cities worldwide.

In 2012, Cotter became a Climate Leader in the Climate Leadership Corps with the Climate Reality Project.

Cotter served as a Technical Advisory Committee Member for Energize Fresno in the Private Business, Development, and Finance Sector in 2017. [7]

Board of directors

Cotter serves on the Board of Directors of the Solar Living Institute. [8]

Cotter is the past president and chairman of the board of directors at the International Green Industry Hall of Fame, [9] which promotes ecological sustainability worldwide by recognizing individuals and organizations for outstanding achievement(s) in the Green Industry and provides an educational forum for the international public. [10]

Cotter is a past member of the board of directors at Restore Hetch Hetchy. [11]

Film

Cotter is a producer of the short documentary film, Forest Man. [12] [13] The film chronicles the story of Jadav Payeng, an Indian man who single-handedly planted nearly 1,400 acres of forest to save his island, Majuli, India. [14] The film is directed by William D. McMaster of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The film was released in the summer, of 2013.

Political

In 2010, Cotter worked with California's No on Prop 23 Campaign. [15] This proposition would have suspended AB 32, a law enacted in 2006 legally referred to as the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Prop 23 was defeated by California voters during the statewide election by a 23% margin. [16] [17]

In 2012, Cotter worked to get the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to expand net metering in California. [ citation needed ]

In 2012, Cotter worked to get the passing of Proposition 39 - California Clean Energy Jobs Act.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental movement in the United States</span> Organized environmental movement in the US

The organized environmental movement is represented by a wide range of non-governmental organizations or NGOs that seek to address environmental issues in the United States. They operate on local, national, and international scales. Environmental NGOs vary widely in political views and in the ways they seek to influence the environmental policy of the United States and other governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra Club</span> Environmental nonprofit membership association based in the United States

The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization with chapters in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who became the first president as well as the longest-serving president, at approximately 20 years in this leadership position. The Sierra Club operates only in the United States and holds the legal status of 501(c)(4) nonprofit social welfare organization. Sierra Club Canada is a separate entity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hetch Hetchy</span> Valley, reservoir, and aqueduct in California, USA

Hetch Hetchy is a valley, a reservoir, and a water system in California in the United States. The glacial Hetch Hetchy Valley lies in the northwestern part of Yosemite National Park and is drained by the Tuolumne River. For thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from the United States in the 1850s, the valley was inhabited by Native Americans who practiced subsistence hunting-gathering. During the late 19th century, the valley was renowned for its natural beauty – often compared to that of Yosemite Valley – but also targeted for the development of water supply for irrigation and municipal interests. The controversy over damming Hetch Hetchy became mired in the political issues of the day. The law authorizing the dam passed Congress on December 7, 1913. In 1923, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was completed on the Tuolumne River, flooding the entire valley under the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The dam and reservoir are the centerpiece of the Hetch Hetchy Project, which in 1934 began to deliver water 167 miles (269 km) west to San Francisco and its client municipalities in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuolumne River</span> River from Yosemite to the San Joaquin Valley, California

The Tuolumne River flows for 149 miles (240 km) through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne drains a rugged watershed of 1,958 square miles (5,070 km2), carving a series of canyons through the western slope of the Sierra. While the upper Tuolumne is a fast-flowing mountain stream, the lower river crosses a broad, fertile and extensively cultivated alluvial plain. Like most other central California rivers, the Tuolumne is dammed multiple times for irrigation and the generation of hydroelectricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Public Utilities Commission</span> American local government agency

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and electric power services to the city and an additional 1.9 million customers within three San Francisco Bay Area counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Pedro Reservoir</span> Reservoir in Tuolumne County, California

Don Pedro Reservoir, also known as Lake Don Pedro, is a reservoir formed by the construction of the New Don Pedro Dam across the Tuolumne River in Tuolumne County, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raker Act</span>

The Raker Act was an act of the United States Congress that permitted building of the O'Shaughnessy Dam and flooding of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is named for John E. Raker, its chief sponsor. The Act, passed by Congress in 1913 by the Wilson administration, specified that because the source of the water and power was on public land, no private profit could be derived from the development. The plan for damming the valley was fought for years by John Muir. Construction of the dam was finished in 1923.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherry Lake</span> Reservoir in Tuolumne County, California

Cherry Lake is an artificial lake in the Stanislaus National Forest of Tuolumne County, California, U.S.A., about 25 miles (40 km) east of the city of Sonora. It is at an elevation of 4,700 feet (1,433 m) on the western side of the Sierra Nevada, and lies just outside the western boundary of Yosemite National Park. The lake has a capacity of 273,500 acre⋅ft (337,400,000 m3) and is formed by Cherry Valley Dam on Cherry Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Eleanor</span> Reservoir in California, United States

Lake Eleanor is a reservoir located in the northwestern backcountry of Yosemite National Park at an altitude of 4,657 feet (1,419 m). The reservoir has a capacity of 26,100 acre-feet (32,200,000 m3) and a surface area of 953 acres (3.9 km2).

The Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, or Assembly Bill (AB) 32, is a California State Law that fights global warming by establishing a comprehensive program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state. AB32 was co-authored by then-Assemblymember Fran Pavley and then-Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Nunez and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 27, 2006.

The Hetch Hetchy Railroad (HHRR) was a 68-mile (109 km) standard gauge Class III railroad constructed by the City of San Francisco to support the construction and expansion of the O'Shaughnessy Dam across Hetch Hetchy Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environment of California</span> Results of human habitation of California

The environment of California describes results of human habitation of the American State of California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 California Proposition 7</span> 2008 California ballot proposition

California Proposition 7, would have required California utilities to procure half of their power from renewable resources by 2025. In order to make that goal, levels of production of solar, wind and other renewable energy resources would more than quadruple from their current output of 10.9%. It would also require California utilities to increase their purchase of electricity generated from renewable resources by 2% annually to meet Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requirements of 40% in 2020 and 50% in 2025. Current law AB32 requires an RPS of 20% by 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water in California</span> Water supply and distribution in the U.S. state of California

California's interconnected water system serves almost 40 million people and irrigates over 5,680,000 acres (2,300,000 ha) of farmland. As the world's largest, most productive, and potentially most controversial water system, it manages over 40 million acre-feet (49 km3) of water per year. Use of available water averages 50% environmental, 40% agricultural and 10% urban, though this varies considerably by region and between wet and dry years. In wet years, "environmental" water averages 61%, while in dry years it averages 41%, and can be even lower in critically dry years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Livermore</span> American environmentalist and baseball player

Norman Banks "Ike" Livermore Jr. was an American environmentalist, lumber industry executive, and state official. He was the only member of California governor Ronald Reagan's cabinet to serve during the full eight years of his administration. He played baseball at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 California Proposition 23</span> Ballot proposition concerned with environmental regulations

Proposition 23 was a California ballot proposition that was on the November 2, 2010 California statewide ballot. It was defeated by California voters during the statewide election by a 23% margin. If passed, it would have suspended AB 32, a law enacted in 2006, legally referred to its long name, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006. Sponsors of the initiative referred to their measure as the California Jobs Initiative while opponents called it the Dirty Energy Prop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Don Pedro Dam</span> Dam in California

New Don Pedro Dam, often known simply as Don Pedro Dam, is an earthen embankment dam across the Tuolumne River, about 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of La Grange, in Tuolumne County, California. The dam was completed in 1971, after four years of construction, to replace the 1924 concrete-arch Don Pedro Dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restore Hetch Hetchy</span>

Restore Hetch Hetchy is a US non-profit organization seeking to restore the Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park to its original condition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 California Proposition 39</span> Ballot measure in California modifying corporate tax burdens

Proposition 39 is a ballot initiative in the state of California that modifies the way out-of-state corporations calculate their income tax burdens. The proposition was approved by voters in the November 6 general election, with 61.1% voting in favor of it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Shaughnessy Dam (California)</span> Dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States

O'Shaughnessy Dam is a 430-foot (131 m) high concrete arch-gravity dam in Tuolumne County, California, United States. It impounds the Tuolumne River, forming the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir at the lower end of Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park, about 160 miles (260 km) east of San Francisco. The dam and reservoir are the source for the Hetch Hetchy Aqueduct, which provides water for over two million people in San Francisco and other municipalities of the west Bay Area. The dam is named for engineer Michael O'Shaughnessy, who oversaw its construction.

References

  1. "Extreme Weather and Climate Change". Central Valley Cafe Scientifique. aranyak. January 16, 2015.
  2. "What's the Big Deal with Earth Day?". Jessica Mast. Community Alliance. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  3. "Your Green Life". NBC KSEE24. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  4. "Climate Ride" . Retrieved August 10, 2019.
  5. "Green Fresno". Victor Ramayrat. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  6. "Fresno Solar Tour". Tom Cotter. Archived from the original on December 19, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  7. "Energize Fresno Master Community Design" (PDF). Local Government Commission.
  8. "SLI Board". Solar Living. Solar Living Institute.
  9. "International Green Industry Hall of Fame Board Members". Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  10. "Urbee Honored with IGIHOF Environmental Award". Kor Ecologic. Jim Kor. March 13, 2013.
  11. "Comments of Restore Hetch Hetchy on the State Water Resources Control Board's Lower San Joaquin River Draft Substitute Environmental Document" (PDF). California Water Boards.
  12. "Forest Man Producer". IMDB. William D McMaster.
  13. "Forest Man Film". YouTube. William D McMaster. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021.
  14. Manimugdha, Sharma. "The man who made a forest". The Times of India . Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  15. "Californians to Stop the Dirty Energy Proposition". Scribd. Prop 23 Central Valley Campaign.
  16. "Election 2020 | California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010.
  17. County Summary Status for the November 2, 2010, Statewide General Election Archived November 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , California secretary of state, November 3, 2010