GORDIAN RAACKE
Founder and Executive Director, Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI)

Through his commitment to energy conservation and the development of renewable energy sources, Gordian Raacke, founder and Executive Director of Renewable Energy Long Island (RELI), has become a catalyst for change. His member- based, nonprofit organization established in 2003, promotes clean, sustainable energy use and seeks public participation in energy policy decisions locally and statewide to encourage energy efficiency and the protection of the environment, economy and public health.

Born in Hanau, Germany, Raacke holds a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering. He came to the United States in 1980 and started a business in Manhattan. His appreciation for open space, nature and beautiful landscapes and his interest in science and technology, however, nurtured a desire to work on environmental issues in the not-for-profit sector. In 1993 he was named Executive Director of the court-appointed Citizens Advisory Panel formed as a result of the settlement of a class action lawsuit against the Long Island Lighting Company. He calls this opportunity his “entry into the field.” He worked with the panel to develop energy efficiency and renewable energy sources and represented consumers’ interests before LILCO and the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC).

When the Panel’s job was completed, Raacke lent his expertise to STAR (Standing for Truth About Radiation), an East Hampton group fighting the Millstone Nuclear Reactor in Connecticut and working with Brookhaven National Laboratory to bring about the cleanup of toxic waste at a small Brookhaven nuclear reactor. He also served as a consultant on energy issues to the Suffolk County Legislature. On the state level, he participated in the development of New York State’s Energy Plans, PSC rate cases, and proceedings to restructure electric utilities. Raacke contributed to the State’s establishment of a Renewable Portfolio Statement, which mandates that by 2013, 25% of the state’s electric needs must come from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and biomass.

Under the RELI umbrella, he heads the Long Island Solar Roofs Initiative, which has achieved a milestone in its solar electric program to encourage residents and businesses to install PV (photovoltaic) solar systems on their roofs. Raacke notes that while in 1999 there were less than a handful of systems, “the initiative passed its 2006 goal of 1,000 solar roofs in June—six months ahead of schedule.” Raacke is initiating two new RELI programs. LI-CAN (Long Island Climate Action Network), he explains,“ seeks volunteers to be trained as educators and presenters on climate change,” initiating grassroots action on global warming to reduce individual and community- wide greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, “in response to increasing inquiries from developers about
green building technologies,” says Raacke, RELI is adding its GreenAAA (Green Ask, Answer, Act) program.“ RELI looks forward to working with builders, realtors and architects who have an interest in green design and construction and to assist the building industry in assuring that homes are built in an environmentally sensible and energy efficient manner.”

Raacke plans to work closely with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Long Island Chapter and others to bring the GreenAAA to Long Island. He is a member of the advisory committee for the RexCorp Realty- Charles Wang Lighthouse Project, which is seeking to develop 150 acres in Nassau County known as The Hub into a residential and commercial center.

In 2006, Raacke was chosen as one of former Vice President Al Gore’s 1,000 “Climate Change Messengers” worldwide, and attended The Climate Project’s United States training seminar conducted by Gore in Nashville, TN. After receiving an intense and extensive crash course, his task was to spread the message about global warming and its solutions.“ I’ve delivered The Climate Project presentation at libraries, high schools, colleges, synagogues and other houses of worship, civic associations and town halls,” notes Raacke. “People seem to understand the problem, and they want to learn what they can do at home, in the workplace and through their local governments to become part of the solution.” In addition, he coordinates public outreach and education efforts on solar energy with the Long Island Power Authority.

Raacke is a member of the Board of Directors of Environmental Advocates of New York, which includes among its successes the Bottle Bill, the nation’s first acid rain law, the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the Environmental Protection Fund, the Clean Indoor Air Act, and the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. Raacke says that while his energies are focused on global warming and climate change, his Long Island representation with Environmental Advocates keeps him informed “about recycling, the local environment including ground water protection and open space, and ther issues.”

Raacke is a founding member of Alliance for Clean Energy NY (ACE-NY), the largest coalition of clean energy advocates in New York State. “ACE brings industry and business together with environmental groups,” he says, to promote the use of clean, renewable electricity technologies and energy efficiency. Following his interest in renewable energy, in December 2006, Raacke attended the European Offshore Wind Conference in Berlin, Germany.

In 1993, Raacke and his wife Gabriele, a painter specializing in the medieval technique of reverse painting on glass, set out to build an energy efficient home in East Hampton. After receiving initial help from a builder, they researched, planned and designed the home and did most of the work themselves over the next four years. Their goals included reasonable construction and operation costs, safe nontoxic materials, and environmental friendliness (minimizing fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions by using solar energy and recycled building materials). Raacke enjoys the outdoors, including going to the beach, kayaking and hiking. He drives a hybrid car and often walks or rides his bicycle to work. His passion for travel took Raacke and wife on a trip to Glacier National Park in Montana to see the effects of climate change on the dramatic retreat of the Grinnell Glacier. Future plans include additional trips “to see some of the sites that will be lost at some point in the future.” He encourages everyone to set “a New Year’s resolution to go on a low carbon diet.”