Climate Stories Driving Change

SUE’S STORY

My name is Susan Hughes-Smith and I grew up in Manhattan and Westchester County.  I moved to Brighton NY in 2006.  My husband was looking for a full-time teaching position and my brother was living in Webster NY and suggested the area to us.  We love the family friendly living and the ease of access to anything we want to do – natural areas, swimming, hiking, or museums. 

For the past 13 years I have taught as an adjunct professor of Environmental Health at SUNY Brockport and for the past 8 years I have taught Environmental Studies at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  In May 2018, I co-founded Roctricity with my partners Ben, Melissa and Margy. It is a small business dedicated to facilitating the implementation of renewable CCA programs in our area.

My wish for cleaner energy is driven by the fact that I have children and I want to see our climate crisis brought under control in order for them to have a healthy, safe, and happy adulthood. 

It makes me feel encouraged to see communities embrace renewable energy. We need to convert all our transportation and heating needs to clean, non-fossil fuel sources and the easiest path is to electrify everything while adding renewable generation to the grid.

Addressing the climate crisis is a central part of my daily life.  Living in upstate NY I am more sheltered from the direct impacts than most people in the world but that is all the more reason to act – to protect those who are more vulnerable

In our family we have chosen to reduce the amount of meat and dairy that we consume.  We have also added solar panels to our house, converted our heating system to geothermal energy, and own one electric car. 

If I could snap my fingers and get any policy change I wanted, it would be to implement a steadily rising price on carbon-based fuels and a dividend to US residents while simultaneously redirecting the billions of dollars given to subsidize fossil fuels to the communities that have borne the brunt of the harm from our addiction to them.

I enjoy being outside and also spending time with family and friends.