Rising energy costs and concern for energy security and the environment are drivingforces in a growing trend to incorporate renewable energy technology into residential housing. Focus on Energy and the Wisconsin ENERGY STAR® Homes Program recognize this as an opportunity . . .Read more.
Monday, June 30, 2008
New homes can be renewable ready
From Focus on Energy:
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Green Jobs for America, June 26, Menasah
From the Blue Green Alliance:
We Can Solve It!
Menasha
June 26, Thursday
7:00 – 9:00 pm
Menasha High School Auditorium
420 Seventh St.
Climate Change is real. It’s urgent. And it demands that we invest in alternative energy sources that result in good green jobs.
The United Steelworkers, the Blue Green Alliance and the Sierra Club are holding a Town Hall meeting to discuss what the people of Wisconsin are doing to invest in good green jobs and fight dangerous global warming.
The panel of experts will include:• Phil Neuenfeldt, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO;
• Kris McKinney, Manager of Environmental Policy for WE-Energies;
• Mark Westphal, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly 55th District;
• Fred Schnook, Wisconsin Delegate to the Great Lakes Commission
• Ryan Shryver from Clean Wisconsin;
• Menasha Mayor Don Merkes, moderator!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Home Depot will collect CFLs for recycling
A summary from Grist:
Home Depot announced Tuesday that it will collect compact fluorescent light bulbs and send them off to be recycled. The home-improvement behemoth hopes the new program will keep the bulbs, which contain a small amount of mercury, out of household trash and recycling bins. IKEA also collects CFLs for recycling but doesn't have the market saturation of Home Depot; more than three-quarters of U.S. households are estimated to be within 10 miles of a Home Depot store. The company's 1,973 U.S. stores will also switch to CFLs in light-fixture showrooms by the fall, a move expected to save it $16 million annually in energy costs.
Home Depot announced Tuesday that it will collect compact fluorescent light bulbs and send them off to be recycled. The home-improvement behemoth hopes the new program will keep the bulbs, which contain a small amount of mercury, out of household trash and recycling bins. IKEA also collects CFLs for recycling but doesn't have the market saturation of Home Depot; more than three-quarters of U.S. households are estimated to be within 10 miles of a Home Depot store. The company's 1,973 U.S. stores will also switch to CFLs in light-fixture showrooms by the fall, a move expected to save it $16 million annually in energy costs.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Easy to switch to green electricity
From a media release issued by Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton:
Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton today announced an easy way to wean your home and business from fossil fuels with the launch of a new online tool designed to connect consumers to all they need to switch to renewable energy.
“All of us in Wisconsin cherish the beauty of our environment,” Lt. Gov. Lawton said. “And every one of us has the power to keep it clean and green. I want it to be as easy as a click of your mouse to make a change that will do just that and contribute to a robust green economy.”
Lawton announced the new web tool at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection, a downtown Kenosha coffee shop that makes sustainability the foundation for its profitable business. Owner Carolyn Berg has made the switch to 100 percent renewable energy as a source of electricity in both her home and business.
Lawton said that roughly 90 percent of residential utility customers have access to “green pricing programs,” which give consumers the option to pay a small premium to power their homes and businesses with renewable energy sources like wind, landfill gas and methane. Lawton provides the website as part of her Green Economy Agenda, to boost visibility of options utilities now make available across the state.
“People in every one of 72 counties have the option to power their homes with renewable energy, but only about 1.6 percent of them take advantage of this tremendous opportunity,” Lawton said. “Imagine what we could accomplish in terms of reducing our carbon emissions, increasing our energy independence and driving development of alternative energy sources if every one of us who can afford about $10per month made the switch to renewable energy in our home and business.”
Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton today announced an easy way to wean your home and business from fossil fuels with the launch of a new online tool designed to connect consumers to all they need to switch to renewable energy.
“All of us in Wisconsin cherish the beauty of our environment,” Lt. Gov. Lawton said. “And every one of us has the power to keep it clean and green. I want it to be as easy as a click of your mouse to make a change that will do just that and contribute to a robust green economy.”
Lawton announced the new web tool at Carolyn’s Coffee Connection, a downtown Kenosha coffee shop that makes sustainability the foundation for its profitable business. Owner Carolyn Berg has made the switch to 100 percent renewable energy as a source of electricity in both her home and business.
Lawton said that roughly 90 percent of residential utility customers have access to “green pricing programs,” which give consumers the option to pay a small premium to power their homes and businesses with renewable energy sources like wind, landfill gas and methane. Lawton provides the website as part of her Green Economy Agenda, to boost visibility of options utilities now make available across the state.
“People in every one of 72 counties have the option to power their homes with renewable energy, but only about 1.6 percent of them take advantage of this tremendous opportunity,” Lawton said. “Imagine what we could accomplish in terms of reducing our carbon emissions, increasing our energy independence and driving development of alternative energy sources if every one of us who can afford about $10per month made the switch to renewable energy in our home and business.”
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sturgeon Bay council OKs solar energy project
From an article by Joe Knaapen on WisInfo:
A solar energy demonstration project to run parts of two city offices got the go-ahead Tuesday, June 17, from the Sturgeon Bay Common Council.
The project involves installing solar panels at a cost of about $65,000, of which about $27,000 will be paid by the Sturgeon Bay Utilities. The lion's share of the cost will be paid by grants from WPPI — a utility consortium that includes Sturgeon Bay — and Focus on Energy.
The project, explained by SBU General Manager James Stawicki, will offset about one-third of the energy demand for the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department's West Side station.
The cost of savings would amount to about $700 on an annual bill that totals $2,100 to $2,500, said Fire Chief Tim Herlache.
"You're spending $65,000 to save $700?" asked Alderman James Michaud.
If the cost-benefit ratio was being used to determine an investment for business or residence, Stawicki agreed, the numbers would not make sense.
In this case, he added, the city-owned utility and the 49-member WPPI are investing in an education and demonstration project to encourage the use of alternative energy sources.
At least a dozen communities involved in WPPI already have taken advantage of grants and incentives to construct solar and wind projects, Stawicki told the council.
A solar energy demonstration project to run parts of two city offices got the go-ahead Tuesday, June 17, from the Sturgeon Bay Common Council.
The project involves installing solar panels at a cost of about $65,000, of which about $27,000 will be paid by the Sturgeon Bay Utilities. The lion's share of the cost will be paid by grants from WPPI — a utility consortium that includes Sturgeon Bay — and Focus on Energy.
The project, explained by SBU General Manager James Stawicki, will offset about one-third of the energy demand for the Sturgeon Bay Fire Department's West Side station.
The cost of savings would amount to about $700 on an annual bill that totals $2,100 to $2,500, said Fire Chief Tim Herlache.
"You're spending $65,000 to save $700?" asked Alderman James Michaud.
If the cost-benefit ratio was being used to determine an investment for business or residence, Stawicki agreed, the numbers would not make sense.
In this case, he added, the city-owned utility and the 49-member WPPI are investing in an education and demonstration project to encourage the use of alternative energy sources.
At least a dozen communities involved in WPPI already have taken advantage of grants and incentives to construct solar and wind projects, Stawicki told the council.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Obama: U.S. can't drill out of gas crisis
From an article by Ben Jones in the Appleton Post-Crescent:
KAUKAUNA —As gas prices top $4 a gallon around the Fox Valley, Sen. Barack Obama said a reduction in consumption, not new domestic drilling, will provide relief.
"If we reduce our consumption of oil, that's what will reduce gas prices, the presumptive Democratic nominee said in a one-on-one interview with The Post-Crescent during a campaign stop in Kaukauna.
“There’s really no other way of doing it.”
“We can’t drill our way out of the problem because there's just a finite amount of oil out there and you have got increasing demand from countries like China and India.
“And so the way we are going to see gas prices reduced is when we start using the oil that we get, more intelligently than we are doing now.”
Obama said the U.S. needs to “ramp up” its use of alternative energy and improve vehicle fuel efficiency.
“The thing that is going to reduce gas prices over the long term is reduced demand,” Obama said.
“That’s something we have not focused on.
“(President Bush) has not had an energy policy to accomplish that, and I think that's been a mistake.”
KAUKAUNA —As gas prices top $4 a gallon around the Fox Valley, Sen. Barack Obama said a reduction in consumption, not new domestic drilling, will provide relief.
"If we reduce our consumption of oil, that's what will reduce gas prices, the presumptive Democratic nominee said in a one-on-one interview with The Post-Crescent during a campaign stop in Kaukauna.
“There’s really no other way of doing it.”
“We can’t drill our way out of the problem because there's just a finite amount of oil out there and you have got increasing demand from countries like China and India.
“And so the way we are going to see gas prices reduced is when we start using the oil that we get, more intelligently than we are doing now.”
Obama said the U.S. needs to “ramp up” its use of alternative energy and improve vehicle fuel efficiency.
“The thing that is going to reduce gas prices over the long term is reduced demand,” Obama said.
“That’s something we have not focused on.
“(President Bush) has not had an energy policy to accomplish that, and I think that's been a mistake.”
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Running on solar: Cars that need no gas
From the Web site of the Sierra Club:
There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.
We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of vehicles that run on empty.
Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life
Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.
"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."
In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.
Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."
By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."
Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"
But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"
There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.
We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of vehicles that run on empty.
Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life
Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.
"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."
In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.
Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."
By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."
Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"
But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"
Friday, June 13, 2008
Part of Sheboygan power plant to go idle
From an article by Erik Litcke in the Sheboygan Press:
Alliant Energy plans to shut down one of three coal-fired generators at its Sheboygan power plant by 2013 as part of an initiative to increase efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, the company announced Thursday.
The move — which is tied to construction of a new $1 billion plant in Cassville — is expected to result in rate increases of 5 to 6 percent annually, company officials said.
"Having a green energy future, that's really where we want to go," said Ken Wilmot, who supervises the Edgewater Generating Station and all other Alliant plants in Wisconsin. "Doing this in a cost-effective manner is important to us. We believe this is the right approach to take."
Wilmot said the shutdown of the oldest of the plant's three units should have little or no effect on the Edgewater work force, since Alliant will be implementing more rigorous pollution controls in the coming years that will require more manpower. The plant's 117 employees were notified of the planned shutdown Thursday morning. . . .
Unit 3, which was built in 1951 and is Alliant's oldest coal-fired plant in Wisconsin, would be retired in 2013 if the more cost-effective Cassville plant is approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Unit 3 can produce up to 75 megawatts, or about 10 percent of Edgewater's total capacity.
Alliant Energy plans to shut down one of three coal-fired generators at its Sheboygan power plant by 2013 as part of an initiative to increase efficiency and reduce carbon emissions, the company announced Thursday.
The move — which is tied to construction of a new $1 billion plant in Cassville — is expected to result in rate increases of 5 to 6 percent annually, company officials said.
"Having a green energy future, that's really where we want to go," said Ken Wilmot, who supervises the Edgewater Generating Station and all other Alliant plants in Wisconsin. "Doing this in a cost-effective manner is important to us. We believe this is the right approach to take."
Wilmot said the shutdown of the oldest of the plant's three units should have little or no effect on the Edgewater work force, since Alliant will be implementing more rigorous pollution controls in the coming years that will require more manpower. The plant's 117 employees were notified of the planned shutdown Thursday morning. . . .
Unit 3, which was built in 1951 and is Alliant's oldest coal-fired plant in Wisconsin, would be retired in 2013 if the more cost-effective Cassville plant is approved by the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Unit 3 can produce up to 75 megawatts, or about 10 percent of Edgewater's total capacity.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Running on solar: Cars that need no gas
From the Web site of the Sierra Club:
There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.
We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of vehicles that run on empty.
Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life
Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.
"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."
In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.
Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."
By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."
Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"
But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"
There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.
We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of vehicles that run on empty.
Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life
Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.
"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."
In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.
Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."
By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."
Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"
But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Worried About Summer Utility Bills? Don’t Sweat It!
A media release issued by the Public Service Commission:
MADISON – Keeping cool during the summer can be expensive. To reduce energy use so utility bills do not rise when summer temperatures do, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) offers the following easy, low-cost steps:
SHADING
• Close blinds and curtains on hot, sunny days.
• For long-term cooling, plant trees to shade your house.
• Install white window shades or blinds to reflect heat away from your house.
APPLIANCES
• Set your dishwasher to air-dry mode to dry dishes, rather than using heat.
• Put a fan next to your air conditioner to help circulate the cool air.
• Turn off electronics, such as computers, televisions and radios, when you are not using them.
• If you are ready to buy new appliances, look for those that are ENERGY STAR qualified, which means they are more energy efficient than traditional appliances.
• Clean and maintain your air conditioner often. Make sure air filters, air intakes, grilles and radiators are unblocked and clean at all times to maintain peak performance.
• Do not to place lamps or other heat-generating appliances next to the thermostat. The heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer.
LANDSCAPE
• Place air conditioning units under trees to shade the unit.
• Avoid landscaping with unshaded cement or asphalt. It increases the temperature around the house and can radiate into your home.
• Vines, such as ivies, can shade windows or a side of a house.
VERY LOW-COST
• Check the weather-stripping and caulking for leaks around doors and windows.
• Use natural lightening and compact fluorescent lights rather than heat-generating
incandescent light bulbs.
• Use a microwave oven instead of an oven.
MADISON – Keeping cool during the summer can be expensive. To reduce energy use so utility bills do not rise when summer temperatures do, the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) offers the following easy, low-cost steps:
SHADING
• Close blinds and curtains on hot, sunny days.
• For long-term cooling, plant trees to shade your house.
• Install white window shades or blinds to reflect heat away from your house.
APPLIANCES
• Set your dishwasher to air-dry mode to dry dishes, rather than using heat.
• Put a fan next to your air conditioner to help circulate the cool air.
• Turn off electronics, such as computers, televisions and radios, when you are not using them.
• If you are ready to buy new appliances, look for those that are ENERGY STAR qualified, which means they are more energy efficient than traditional appliances.
• Clean and maintain your air conditioner often. Make sure air filters, air intakes, grilles and radiators are unblocked and clean at all times to maintain peak performance.
• Do not to place lamps or other heat-generating appliances next to the thermostat. The heat from these appliances will cause the air conditioner to run longer.
LANDSCAPE
• Place air conditioning units under trees to shade the unit.
• Avoid landscaping with unshaded cement or asphalt. It increases the temperature around the house and can radiate into your home.
• Vines, such as ivies, can shade windows or a side of a house.
VERY LOW-COST
• Check the weather-stripping and caulking for leaks around doors and windows.
• Use natural lightening and compact fluorescent lights rather than heat-generating
incandescent light bulbs.
• Use a microwave oven instead of an oven.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Many learning opportunities in Jume
From Roger Kanitz, Co-Chair ECOS-FV:
Well summer has finally arrived along with some GREAT learning opportunities to help us support our Community's Sustainability Movement!
As you are aware, there are now three Community Sustainability Boards here in the Valley that are meeting and planning jointly for a more sustainable future for us all. Soon they will be looking for citizen support! Fortunately there are some great opportunities right now to help you be part of the movement as it unfolds in our communities.
June 18th, Wednesday, Author Visit/Lecture/Workshop
Free to all!
Torbjorn Lahti and Sarah James, authors of the The Natural Step
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Appleton Public Library
Contact Information services at 832-6173.
AND after the lecture...
Networking Reception/Book Signing by Authors
8:00 - 9:00 pm
Harmony Café
Coffee, Cookies and Conversation!
This will be special opportunity to speak with the authors!
Sponsored by ECOS!
June 20-22, The MREA Energy Fair in Custer WI
Torbjorn Lahti will be the keynote speaker on Sunday afternoon!
See www.the-mrea.org for information
June 25, TNS Study Circle Facilitator Trainers Meeting
Training lead by Catherine Neiswender and Leslie Taylor will in Menasha Library at 6:30 PM till 8:00 PM. RSVP by June 23rd is encouraged using the phone numbers or e-mail addresses below.
And lastly, YOU are encouraged to be a part of a study circle; groups to be established based on the location and time needs of the participants. Sign-up by calling Catherine Neiswender, UW-Extension, cneiswender@co.winnebago.wi.us, (920) 232-1972 or Leslie Taylor, ltaylor@sustainfv.org, (920) 739-7307.
We hope you all will find the time to meet the authors of the The Natural Step and make the most of these great opportunity to learn!
Well summer has finally arrived along with some GREAT learning opportunities to help us support our Community's Sustainability Movement!
As you are aware, there are now three Community Sustainability Boards here in the Valley that are meeting and planning jointly for a more sustainable future for us all. Soon they will be looking for citizen support! Fortunately there are some great opportunities right now to help you be part of the movement as it unfolds in our communities.
June 18th, Wednesday, Author Visit/Lecture/Workshop
Free to all!
Torbjorn Lahti and Sarah James, authors of the The Natural Step
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Appleton Public Library
Contact Information services at 832-6173.
AND after the lecture...
Networking Reception/Book Signing by Authors
8:00 - 9:00 pm
Harmony Café
Coffee, Cookies and Conversation!
This will be special opportunity to speak with the authors!
Sponsored by ECOS!
June 20-22, The MREA Energy Fair in Custer WI
Torbjorn Lahti will be the keynote speaker on Sunday afternoon!
See www.the-mrea.org for information
June 25, TNS Study Circle Facilitator Trainers Meeting
Training lead by Catherine Neiswender and Leslie Taylor will in Menasha Library at 6:30 PM till 8:00 PM. RSVP by June 23rd is encouraged using the phone numbers or e-mail addresses below.
And lastly, YOU are encouraged to be a part of a study circle; groups to be established based on the location and time needs of the participants. Sign-up by calling Catherine Neiswender, UW-Extension, cneiswender@co.winnebago.wi.us, (920) 232-1972 or Leslie Taylor, ltaylor@sustainfv.org, (920) 739-7307.
We hope you all will find the time to meet the authors of the The Natural Step and make the most of these great opportunity to learn!
Monday, June 9, 2008
RENEW's spring newsletter online
Articles in the Renewable Energy Quarterly, Spring 2008, include:
RENEW Battles Local Opposition to Wind
Starting a Renewable Energy Business
Renewable Profiles: Wes Slaymaker
Solar Hot Water from the Garden
Reviving a Classic Wind Machine
Calendar
Friday, June 6, 2008
Swedish eco-municipality expert speaks, June 22, Custer, WI
From the listing of workshops and events at the Energy Fair in Custer, Wisconsin (just outside of Stevens Point):
Sunday, June 22, 1:00 p.m.
Eco-Municipality Expert Torbjörn Lahti
Torbjorn Lahti is the project director for Sustainable Robertsfors, a five-year sustainable community demonstration project. He was the project planner for Sweden's first eco-municipality, and is co-author of The Natural Step for Communities. Lahti will also present an extended workshop at the Energy Fair for individuals interested in a more in-depth study of eco-municipalities.
Sunday, June 22, 1:00 p.m.
Eco-Municipality Expert Torbjörn Lahti
Torbjorn Lahti is the project director for Sustainable Robertsfors, a five-year sustainable community demonstration project. He was the project planner for Sweden's first eco-municipality, and is co-author of The Natural Step for Communities. Lahti will also present an extended workshop at the Energy Fair for individuals interested in a more in-depth study of eco-municipalities.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Flower-shaped sculptures are green power plants
From a story by Avrum Lank in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Sturgeon Bay - John Hippensteel believes a person has only one original idea in a lifetime.
His can be summed up in two words: flower power.
Not the kind expressed in bright splashes of color on psychedelic concert posters or daisies put down gun barrels during anti-war demonstrations, but actual power from flowers.
OK, not real flowers. Rather from sculptures that look like flowers - and rather unusual sculptures at that.
A professional engineer, Hippensteel designs, builds and installs large arrays of photovoltaic solar panels made to look like flowers. He hopes the product line he and wife, Ann, have dubbed Solar Flairs will be the key to a blossoming of their business, Lake Michigan Wind and Sun Ltd., which they run out of a 100-year-old farmhouse on 40 acres near the Lake Michigan shoreline in the southern Door County Town of Clay Banks.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
State's energy efficiency and renewable initiative unveils new Web site
From a press release issued by Focus on Energy:
MADISON, Wis. (June 2, 2008) - Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, launched a completely redesigned and enhanced version of its Web site, focusonenergy.com. The site has a new, more useable navigation system and an improved look and feel. . . .
The improvements to the Web site stem from feedback solicited from members of the Focus on Energy staff, as well as from participating retailers and other subcontractor groups who work to deliver the Focus on Energy Programs to residents and businesses throughout Wisconsin. The results include improved navigation and search functions, as well as easy access to promotions and incentives available for Wisconsinites looking to take action immediately.
MADISON, Wis. (June 2, 2008) - Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, launched a completely redesigned and enhanced version of its Web site, focusonenergy.com. The site has a new, more useable navigation system and an improved look and feel. . . .
The improvements to the Web site stem from feedback solicited from members of the Focus on Energy staff, as well as from participating retailers and other subcontractor groups who work to deliver the Focus on Energy Programs to residents and businesses throughout Wisconsin. The results include improved navigation and search functions, as well as easy access to promotions and incentives available for Wisconsinites looking to take action immediately.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Green Home Pavilion at Energy Fair, June 20-22
From the just-released program for The Energy Fair in Custer, Wisconsin (just outside of Stevens Point), June 20-22:
New in 2008, the Green Home Pavilion is designed to help fair-goers find green, sustainable resources for their home. It features exhibit spaces and a workshop area. Exhibitors will include green building materials, energy efficient products, and sustainable home products. The Green Home Pavilion workshops will cover different aspects of creating a green home. Example workshops include Retrofitting an Existing Home to Be Carbon Free, Healthy Homes: A Green Approach, Energy Efficient Construction, and Alternative Construction Techniques.
New in 2008, the Green Home Pavilion is designed to help fair-goers find green, sustainable resources for their home. It features exhibit spaces and a workshop area. Exhibitors will include green building materials, energy efficient products, and sustainable home products. The Green Home Pavilion workshops will cover different aspects of creating a green home. Example workshops include Retrofitting an Existing Home to Be Carbon Free, Healthy Homes: A Green Approach, Energy Efficient Construction, and Alternative Construction Techniques.
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