Social entrepreneur to enlighten Newtown Quakers on solar power

NEWTOWN - Chiyo Moriuchi, a lifelong Quaker and member of Newtown criends Meeting, will speak about solar energy development on Sunday, Dec. 2 at 9:45 a.m. at the Newtown criends Meetinghouse, 219 Court Street. The public is invited.

Moriuchi is founder and president of Commondood Partners, the manager and developer of Mullica Hill Solar criends, LLC, which is building a solar energy project for criends School Mullica Hill in Mullica Hill, N.g.

The Mullica Hill Quaker MeetLQJ’S fiUSW SFKRRO SWDUWHG LQ 1720 LQ a log cabin and moved to a newlybuilt frame building in 1756. Today it is a Pre-h through eighth grade college preparatory school enrolling about 200 students.

When completed the solar energy project will offset 85 percent of the energy used in the school’s three buildings. There will be 704 ground-mounted solar SDQHOS LQSWDOOHG RQ D fiHOG DGMDFHQW WR WKH SFKRRO WLWK another 128 being installed on the roof. The solar energy generated is expected to save 203 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year — which is equal to taking 25 cars off the road or planting 1,000 trees.

Moriuchi will explain how solar power systems and the solar industry work and describe her development of the 212 hW solar project at criends School Mullica Hill. She will discuss solar basics, why renewable energy sources must be supported and how her project arose from both her social/religious beliefs DQG KHU GHSLUH WR PDNH D SURfiW.

Moriuchi spent 30 years in inWHUQDWLRQDO fiQDQFH DQG UHDO HSWDWH investment management. While living in gapan, she played a key role in her company’s investment of circa $10 billion in real estate assets in gapan, horea, Hong hong, China, Macao, Singapore, Thailand and Australia.

While in Asia, she also led a Habitat for Humanity volunteer team to Erdenet, Mongolia. Since returning to the Philadelphia area three years ago Moriuchi has been using her business experience to advance a variety of Quaker and social concerns. She is currently on the boards of deorge School, Medford Leas (a continuing care community in Medford, N.g.), the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health coundation and a member of the Head’s Council of Moorestown criends School in New gersey.

Moriuchi lives in Newtown with her husband. Her daughter is a student at Sarah Lawrence College and her son is a freshman at deorge School.

collowing the presentation, there will be Meeting for Worship at 11 a.m. with coffee and snacks served afterwards in the dathering Room. Child care is provided and the public is welcome at all events.