Angie Cook lives in Keene Valley, NY, and her house was damaged by Hurricane Irene in August, 2011. This is the third in a three-part series in which Angie will share her story of the storm and its aftermath.

Angie Cook lives in Keene Valley, NY, and her house was damaged by Hurricane Irene in August, 2011. This is the second in a three-part series in which Angie will share her story of the storm and its aftermath.

Angie Cook lives in Keene Valley, NY, and her house was damaged by Hurricane Irene in August, 2011. This is the first of a three-part series in which Angie will share her story of the storm and its aftermath.

Our electricity bill is one-third of what it was when we had electric heat, and provides a corresponding decrease in the carbon needed to generate that electricity.

Living in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California, air quality and sufficient water are daily issues.

At the end of August 2011, I packed up and headed to Ecuador for 3 months to volunteer on an organic farm.

I have loved the outdoors all my life. It served as escape and solace during my childhood and useful work and source of recreation and inspiration during my adult years.

We contribute to the Nature Conservancy carbon credits program whenever we travel, and have been purchasing wind energy from our local electric company.

After hearing Bill McKibben speak at an event near my home in 2008, I began to keep a “global cooling journal” in which I recorded actions I was taking to fight climate change.

Getting my roommates, friends, family, and coworkers on-board with reducing our carbon emissions has resulted in them telling all of their friends and passing the message outward in a ripple effect.

Cartwheels on the beach, climbing trees and wading in creeks in the open space of the Marin hills, camping among the redwoods, biking to school along the bay, and my father’s vegetable garden made up a major part of the time I spent growing up in northern California.

I was selected to participate in the first Renewable Energy Expedition to Antarctica.

We have created a natural wild perimeter around the edge of our property which serves not only as natural privacy fencing but also as a carbon depository, oxygen production system and habitat for deer, fox, birds, rabbits, and other critters that we share the space with.