The Humanist Association of Connecticut

All members of the Humanist Association of Connecticut are welcome to attend. If you have something to bring to the board or wish to attend, please contact our president. The link to attend will be sent out prior to the meeting.

With the passage of the "One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act", you might assume that the Inflation Reduction Act rebates are history, but with the exception of electric vehicle incentives they do not expire until the end of the tax year.

In the first part of this presentation Richard explored how the IRA promotes electrification as a way any of us could counter climate change. We discussed not only federal rebates but also how some incentives were delegated to states, though not all were implemented. Also, for experienced DIYers, the cost of meeting rebate requirements may outweigh the benefits.

Topics covered included electric vehicles, weatherization and appliance discounts for heat pump dryers, induction cookers and service panel upgrades. This session will complete the presentation with hybrid water heaters, heat pumps, solar power, and residential batteries. We discovered at the last session that there are even options for renters!

Richard Siddall will share the remainder of his research into the expiring incentives, using the Rewiring America (https://homes.rewiringamerica.org/) web site as a guide. There will be side trips to EnergizeCT (https://www.energizect.com/), CHEAPR (https://portal.ct.gov/deep/air/mobile-sources/cheapr/cheapr---home), Energy Storage CT (https://energystoragect.com/), PVWatts (https://pvwatts.nrel.gov/), and Electricity Maps (https://app.electricitymaps.com/map/72h/hourly) among others.

Join us for this bit of good news from a thorough researcher and entertaining speaker. We will meet for coffee and conversation at 6:30 PM followed by Richard's presentation at 7:00 PM.

Our book for October is The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War by journalist and author Jeff Sharlet.

Note: Date is 4th, rather than 3rd, Saturday.

From Amazon:
An unmatched guide to the religious dimensions of American politics, Jeff Sharlet journeys into corners of our national psyche where others fear to tread. The Undertow is both inquiry and meditation, an attempt to understand how, over the last decade, reaction has morphed into delusion, social division into distrust, distrust into paranoia, and hatred into fantasies – sometimes realities – of violence.

Across the country, men “of God” glorify materialism, a gluttony of the soul, while citing Scripture and preparing for civil war – a firestorm they long for as an absolution and exaltation...Framing this dangerous vision, Sharlet remembers and celebrates the courage of those who sing a different song of community, and of an America long dreamt of and yet to be fully born, dedicated to justice and freedom for all.

"Jeff Sharlet’s startling, Didion-esque The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War, with its CinemaScope landscapes and slightest of hopes, visits the dirt lanes and country rallies where Christian nationalism threatens." – Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune