by jboullion | Jan 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA):
PV Systems For Your Home
Course Instructor: Jim Funk, Energize LLC
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Metropolitan Builders Association
N16 W23321 Stone Ridge Drive
Waukesha, WI 53188
Thursday, March 19, 2009
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Outpost Natural Foods – Bay View
2826 S. Kinnickinnic
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Saturday, April 25, 2009
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Keep Great Milwaukee Beautiful
1313 Mount Vernon Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Saturday, May 16, 2009
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Urban Ecology Center – Riverside Park
1500 E. Park Place
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Solar Water Heating for Your Home
Course Instructor:
Roak Parker, Beyond Green
Thursday, March 5, 2009 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Metropolitan Builders Association
N16 W23321 Stone Ridge Drive
Waukesha, WI 53188
Thursday, March 26, 2009
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Outpost Natural Foods – Bay View
2826 S. Kinnickinnic
Milwaukee, WI 53207
Saturday, April 25, 2009
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Keep Great Milwaukee Beautiful
1313 Mount Vernon Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53233
Saturday, May 16, 2009
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Urban Ecology Center – Riverside Park
1500 E. Park Place
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Course descriptions and registration details
PV (Solar Electric) Systems for Your Home: Participants in this two hour seminar will learn about: how photovoltaic (PV) systems create electricity from the sun; what components make up a PV system; how to determine what size system will meet your needs; where to locate a system on your home or property; what PV systems cost and the financial incentives that are available. This program includes handouts, demonstrations, and a question and answer period. We Energies and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) have partnered to offer this seminar, and it is only available to We Energies Customers. Cost: $15/person, or $5/We Energies’ Energy For Tomorrow Customers. To register visit: www.we-energies.com/RE, or call the MREA at 715-592-6595.
Solar Water Heating for Your Home: Participants in this two hour seminar will learn how to supplement their existing water heating system with a solar water heater that uses the sun’s energy to heat water. They will also learn about the components that make up a solar water heating system, the most reliable system types for cold climates, where to locate a system on a home or property, what solar water heating systems cost and the financial incentives available, and the steps to get started with an installation. We Energies and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) have partnered to offer this seminar, and it is only available to We Energies Customers. Cost: $15/person, or $5/We Energies’ Energy For Tomorrow Customers. To register visit: www.we-energies.com/RE, or call the MREA at 715-592-6595.
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a Business Journal interview with Ann Beier, Milwaukee’s director of environmental sustainability, conducted by Pete Millard:
1. Since your appointment just over two years ago, what’s been your most satisfying achievement?
“The most satisfying achievement has been the overall success of Mayor Barrett’s sustainability initiatives. I am also pleased with Milwaukee’s reputation as a ‘green’ city. Each year, Sustain Lane, a nonprofit group that provides information on sustainability practices for individuals, businesses and governments, ranks the 50 largest U.S. cities for their sustainability programs. In 2008, Milwaukee was ranked 12th. This a move up from 16th in the prior ranking. This is an important recognition and shows how well we are doing among much larger cities.
We’ve also been named by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of only 24 Solar American Cities, and we are working with the department to reduce barriers to installation of solar technology in Milwaukee.”
2. What are some specific examples illustrating how Milwaukee is more energy efficient today than two years ago?
“The mayor has directed city departments to reduce energy use by 15 percent over the period 2005-2012. By reducing our energy use, we are also reducing our carbon foot print and saving taxpayer dollars.
“We have focused on making our buildings more efficient. We’ve worked with Focus on Energy, the state’s energy efficiency program, to conduct audits of our highest energy-using buildings. We’ve implemented efficiency projects as a result of the audit findings. For the municipal building complex (City Hall, the municipal building and 809 Broadway building), we saved $35,000 in the first year and reduced energy use by 9 percent.
We are also converting stoplights to more efficient LED lights, reducing energy use for stoplights by about 50 percent annually. Another part of our strategy is to convert to cleaner fuels. We now fuel our diesel fleet with B-20 biodiesel fuel. We’ve also installed renewable energy in several facilities.”
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
From left to right, Michael Vickerman (RENEW), Paul Milbrath (Wigwam), and Dave Drapac (Seventh Generation Energy) check Wigwam’s solar thermal collectors, designed by Energy Concepts, Hudson, Wisconsin.
From a solar hot water profile written by RENEW’s Michael Vickerman and Ed Blume for Focus on Energy:
“We wanted to do something genuine, not phony,” said Bob Chesebro, president of family-owned Wigwam Mills, Sheboygan, about his company’s decision to install a solar energy system.
Initially, Chesebro wasn’t sure which kind of solar energy system to go with. But the more he delved into the question, the more he came to believe that solar hot water would provide the best fit for the 103-year-old company.
Placed in service in February 2008, Wigwam’s 27 solar collectors supply 47 percent of the hot water used by the company to shrink, bleach, antimicrobial treat, wash and soften 40,000 pairs of socks each day. . . .
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a story by John Krerowicz in the Kenosha News:
The need for wind energy technician training is not a lot of hot air, said those involved in a conference to be held here on the topic.
The summit is expected to draw 50 participants from the industry and technical colleges on Jan. 6-7 at Snap-on’s Innovation Works. The renovated building, on the company’s headquarters site, 2801 80th St., was the production factory until it closed in 2004.
Representatives from Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland, Wis., Texas State Technical College in Sweetwater, Texas, and Iowa Lakes Community College are expected to attend.
One goal of the gathering is to designate representatives to be liaisons with lawmakers in Madison and Washington, D.C., where the new administration is expected to be more receptive to clean energy. The liaisons would promote appropriate policies and encourage funding for training and related issues.
The group also wants to develop a standard training program that technical schools can adopt and quickly implement to meet the anticipated need for technicians, said Fred Brookhouse, Snap-on’s business and education partnership manager and business development manager over education.
There appears to be no formal study of the number of jobs that the young industry would create. The Focus for Energy Web site currently lists 21 installers, including some in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota and Illionois, with a Milwaukee firm the closest to Kenosha.
But Brookhouse said the need for technicians to install and service wind energy technology will be evident once the country accepts that our major energy supplies are finite.
by jboullion | Dec 31, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Brian Reisinger in the Marshfield News Herald:
Mike Anderson retired from corporate life several years ago to a big house he didn’t need and a desire to live free. That included how he got his electricity.
“What can we do to minimize our impact?” Anderson, 60, said of he and his wife’s desire to pursue alternative energy.
Today, he powers and heats the home he built in the town of Marathon largely by sun and wind. It’s a transition that includes major costs and logistical challenges, but also long-term benefits to everyone, experts and residents who use alternative energy say.
In Anderson’s case, his solar panel and wind turbine cost about $30,000 and $70,000, respectively. Mike Ritzel, owner of Bullshooters Saloon in Weston, wants to install similar systems at his business, but said upfront costs make it difficult.
“Cost is the prohibitive thing,” he said.
There are government incentives and rebates available. That’s partially how Anderson paid for his systems, but Ritzel said elected officials need to provide more funding and fewer restrictions.
by jboullion | Dec 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
From the Web site of Sustainable La Crosse:
Sustainable businesses offer products and services that fulfill society’s needs while contributing to the well-being of all earth’s inhabitants. Sustainable businesses operate across all business sectors: energy efficiency and renewable energy generation, water and wastewater treatment, resource-efficient industrial processes, advanced materials, transportation and agriculture. They create products and services that compete on price and performance while significantly reducing humankind’s impact on the environment. . . .
Local Businesses with sustainable efforts:
Gundersen Lutheran
City Brewery
Trane
Honda Motorwërks
River Architects
INOV8
Xetex
Michael’s Engineering
Xcel Energy
Dairyland Power Cooperative
by jboullion | Dec 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
An event in Eau Claire:
Thinking of remodeling or building a new home or business? Want to make your office, a single room, or your whole house more comfortable and attractive while minimizing the harmful effects on you and the environment? Find out about the amazing options now available to you, from energy efficient lighting and natural, sustainable flooring materials to countertops made of recycled materials. Learn about New Urbanism, LEED, USGBC – and what exactly is a VOC? Get inspired by ideas for interior finishes and materials that help create beautiful and healthy places to live and work. Touch and feel samples of today’s eco-friendly materials. Discover how cost-effective it is to be green!
Saturday, January 10
1:30 p.m.
Eau Claire Room
L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library
400 Eau Claire Street, Eau Claire
by jboullion | Dec 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a guest column by Dan Kohler and Rep. Andy Jorgenson in the Janesville GazetteXtra:
“We have the opportunity now to create jobs all across this country in all 50 states to repower America, to redesign how we use energy and think about how we are increasing efficiency to make our economy stronger, make us more safe, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make us competitive for decades to come—even as we save the planet.” — U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, Dec. 8
We couldn’t agree more. Our slumping economy is taking its toll, leaving all of us with a sense of anxiety about the future. But we have a tremendous opportunity to rebuild our economy across the country and here in Wisconsin, and to do it on a solid foundation.
President-elect Obama and the new Congress should enact a green economic recovery plan that makes critical investments in clean energy and green infrastructure to help rebuild the American economy, protect our environment and make us more energy independent.
When it comes to clean energy, the Badger State has a unique combination of assets that can help us capitalize on such a plan and lead the way into the new energy future. We have vast renewable energy potential from wind and solar power, the research laboratories to develop new energy technologies, the manufacturing base to build them, and the farms to grow the next generation of fuels.
by jboullion | Dec 30, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Brian Reisinger in the Wausau Daily Herald:
WESTON — The village Plan Commission on Monday approved an ordinance identifying wind as “an abundant, renewable and nonpolluting energy resource” to respond to growing interest among local businesses.
The Village Board could consider establishing rules on wind turbines at its meeting next Monday.
Jennifer Higgins, community development director and zoning administrator, said the village does not prohibit energy windmills but needs an ordinance to define what’s acceptable.
“Right now, we don’t have anything,” she said.
The ordinance would permit “small wind energy systems” that have a capacity of 100 kilowatts or fewer and are no more than 170 feet tall.
At least three businesses — Applied Laser Technologies, K&M Electric and Bullshooters Saloon — are exploring wind energy as an option.
Chris Osswald, president of ALT, a metal fabrication shop, said a wind turbine would allow his company to address environmental concerns and potentially save money.
“It’s important to how we do things,” he said.
Mike Ritzel, an estimator and electrician with K&M, is exploring wind as an energy resource on behalf of the company. He’s also considering Bullshooters, of which he is an owner, as a possible site to help encourage community interest as electric rates continue to rise.
“Nothing ever goes in reverse,” he said of energy costs.
by jboullion | Dec 29, 2008 | Uncategorized
From the announcement of the Manure Digester Summit:
Whether you have less than a 100-head herd or a large herd, digesters can work for you. Come to the seminar to hear how Dane County and Richland County are using community digesters as well as how to implement a manure digester on a 50-head farm.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
9:30AM -3:00PM
Room B-30 West Square Building
505 Broadway
Baraboo, Wisconsin
Cost: $20.00 and includes lunch
