Gundersen Lutheran 'Going Green'

by | Oct 17, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a story by Mark McPherson on WKBT, La Crosse:

Every day, Gundersen Lutheran works to help patients get better. Now through a new initiative they are working to help the enviroment as well.

Gundersen Lutheran’s Going Green program is something they say makes sense for everyone. “We can improve our enviroment and reduce the cost of our operation at the same time,” said Gundersen Lutheran Senior V.P. of Business Services Jerry Arndt. Arndt feels it’s especially important for a hospital to try and save energy considering how much they consume. “Hospitals use 2 1/2 times more energy than a commercial office building would for example,” said Arndt.

The program will include small changes like turning off lights and computers, but includes bigger initiatives like solar panels on the new parking ramp and using methane emissions from the City Brewery to create electricity.

Milwaukee urban farmer recogized for vision of food future

by | Oct 17, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by Karen Herzog and Lee Berquist in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Will Allen was cutting heads of lettuce in a farm field when his cell phone rang.

The caller told him to put down his knife. He had good news:

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, known for its annual award of “genius” grants, was giving Allen $500,000 — no strings attached.

Allen is not your typical farmer. He is the founder of Growing Power, a nonprofit farm in the middle of Milwaukee that raises fresh produce for underserved populations with high rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

The son of an illiterate laborer, Allen has been a leading figure in urban agriculture for a decade. Thanks to the growth of the local foods movement, and now the MacArthur fellowship, his approach of melding sustainable farming and mentoring kids is gaining broader attention.

At 6 feet 7 inches tall and 280 pounds, Allen is a former professional basketball player with the biceps of an NFL lineman.

He is not a table-pounder, but he is passionate about his long-held beliefs: Good food helps build healthy communities, and the costs of relying on food that travels long distances have become too great.

“You have to figure out how to grow food closer to where people live,” Allen, 59, said in an interview in his office crammed with boxes of yellow tomatoes and bags of greens.

“We are in a worldwide food crisis and worldwide energy crisis.”

Time to broaden definition of what's sustainable

Time to broaden definition of what's sustainable

by | Oct 17, 2008 | Uncategorized


The all-electric vehicles from Columbia ParCar offer one transportation
alternative to the internal combusion engine. (Photo courtesy of
Columbia ParCar, Reedsburg, WI.)

From an editorial in The Thomah Journal:

For all the attention the banking and insurance bailouts have received — and anything that involves $1 trillion of taxpayer money deserves attention — it’s only a short-term fix to what ails the American economy and American living arrangements. To solve its long-term problems, America needs a new sustainability agenda.

Unfortunately, discussions of sustainability are limited to the poor and whether it’s possible, for example, to guarantee adequate health care for everyone. That’s a very narrow definition. We need a broader view of sustainability that examines:

* Mobility. Exurban lifestyles in which people live in big houses and drive big automobiles to jobs located 30, 40 or 50 miles away impose a huge cost on the economy and environment. We need an agenda of sustainable neighborhoods that require us to drive fewer miles — or not at all — to meet basic needs.

* Energy. It’s unclear how much oil lies beneath the earth’s surface, but this much is beyond dispute: oil is a finite resource, and it will run out some day. It’s not too early to invest in clean, renewable energy sources and develop an alternative to the internal combustion engine. . . .

A nation that can massively subsidize exurban sprawl, non-renewable energy, corporate farms and pre-emptive war is capable of sustaining a sturdy safety net for our sickest, poorest and most vulnerable citizens. It’s just a matter of leaders adopting a new vision of what’s sustainable and what needs to change.

Racine wants green for housing project

by | Oct 16, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article by Dustin Block in The Daily Reporter:

Ken Lumpkin cautions against poor timing as Racine closes in on building an environmentally sound housing development in one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

“The whole area needs to be cleared out, new sod put down, and the lot should be utilized as a park until the economy makes a turnaround,” said Lumpkin, a member of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Racine, about the site of a former homeless shelter torn down earlier this year to make room for development.

“It’s a fragile area directly across the street from an elementary school,” he said. . . .

The city hired Pragmatic Construction LLC, Milwaukee, for preliminary work on the site, and the city is reviewing the results, O’Connell said. He said he wants to give a report to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Racine, which is in charge of the project, by November.

The challenge for developers of the green housing project is to build affordable new homes in a neighborhood with deteriorating housing stock, said Juli Kaufmann, co-owner of Pragmatic. Homes surrounding the property are valued at about $50,000, according to Racine County property tax data.

But the green, high-efficiency homes Pragmatic specializes in could be the perfect fit for a low-income neighborhood, Kaufmann said. With lower heating and gas bills, the homes would be cheap to run, and they’re built from durable materials that eliminate the need to paint or repair exteriors.

“We certainly think about that, and our clients talk about that,” Kaufmann said. “It’s on the table. The objective would be to figure out how to build reasonably affordable homes with homes across the street selling for $50,000. It’s impossible to build any size home at that price today.”

The city likely would support construction of a spec home on the site and then recruit builders to take on a certain number of lots on the property, O’Connell said. The property could support roughly 10 homes, and could possibly include multifamily homes.

O’Connell said building green homes keeps to the city’s commitment to environmentally responsible construction and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Eau Claire looks toward energy efficiency

by | Oct 15, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a story by Kelly Schlicht on WEAU News:

There’s a lot of buzz about converting old light fixtures and other appliances to new, energy efficient ones, and if the City Council approves a measure at Tuesday’s meeting [Sept. 23], the city of Eau Claire could be joining that trend.

18 different stoplights around the city have yet to be changed over to more efficient LED light bulbs, which will save the city money and help save the environment.

But changing a light bulb is just the beginning of the proposed upgrades.

Change is also in the air for this old ventilation system at the Eau Claire city garage, as the city looks to replace it with a new, more efficient model.

“We can run the system intermittently, instead of consistently, which reduces our energy costs, says Eau Claire Public Works Director Brian Amundson.

Grant County leads state in switchgrass, biomass potential

by | Oct 15, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a media release issued by Better Environmental Solutions:

Platteville–Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, Inc, the Driftless Area Initiative (DAI) and Alliant Energy highlighted six prairie restorations where farmers are planting switchgrass and prairie plants to determine the best management practices to maximize switchgrass yields in Southwest Wisconsin. The biomass field day toured two test plots planted this spring on the Jim and Terry Schaefer farm and the Dan Schaefer farm.

“Planting switchgrass is a great crop for our highly erodible fields,” said Jim Schaefer. “We are looking to develop ways to grow and create more markets for grass and other biomass crops for energy and fuels.”

Grant County has more than 300,000 acres of highly erodible land, but only 33,000 acre are enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to protect it. These test plots allow farmers and researchers to try various strategies to restore native prairie and switchgrass.

“With all the interest in switchgrass and biomass, we wanted to start some test plots to see what we could do to provide fuel for proposed projects in the area,” said Steve Bertjens, coordinator with Southwest Badger RC&D.

“Grant County and southwest Wisconsin are the buckle of the biomass belt and have the best biomass reserves in the state with more than 6.8 tons of potential fuel nearby,” said Brett Hulsey, president of Better Environmental Solutions, an environment and energy consulting firm.

“Restoring switchgrass and native prairie is one of the most effective ways to reduce global warming, provide homes for birds and wildlife, reduce flooding, and clean up our streams.”

Milwaukee's Hot Water Products picked by State for solar hot water services

by | Oct 15, 2008 | Uncategorized

From a media release posted on marketwatch.com:

TORONTO, Oct 15, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Mondial Energy Inc. of Toronto, Canada and Hot Water Products of Milwaukee, Wisconsin are pleased to announce that their partnership was selected as one of two renewable energy providers for solar thermal energy services to State of Wisconsin facilities. The state facilities which could potentially purchase solar thermal services from this contract include the 26 campuses of the University of Wisconsin, Department of Correctional institutions, and other State owned buildings.

Renewable energy needed to cut mercury pollution

by | Oct 14, 2008 | Uncategorized

A letter by Kristin Charipar to the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Oct. 5 article “Strict mercury rules likely to take effect” did not mention a key element: According to the Energy Information Administration, two-thirds of Wisconsin’s electricity comes from coal-fired generation. If Wisconsin used more sustainable and less polluting forms for electricity, this mercury rule would not be so controversial.

Wisconsin needs to move toward sustainable energy policies. I fully support the proposed mercury rule because it will give electric companies an additional incentive to stop proposing coal power plants (which not only release mercury but also lots of greenhouse gas emissions) and invest in renewable energy instead. This is rule is taking a step in the right direction by focusing on humanity (our environment and health) rather than a monthly bill.

I applaud the Department of Natural Resources for its work on the mercury rule and hope the government will continue to move toward policies that will make Wisconsin a clean and green place to live.

Apply for assistance before heating season begins

by | Oct 13, 2008 | Uncategorized

From an article on Living Lake Country:

The Wisconsin Department of Administration’s (DOA) Division of Energy Services and the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC) urge energy customers to contact their local utility if their heat is currently disconnected. The agencies also encourage residents to take advantage of energy-efficiency programs and the state’s low-income bill payment assistance programs to reduce the burden of their utility bills this winter.

Wisconsin law states that consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from Nov. 1 through April 15, if they are connected at the start of the moratorium. Customers who are currently disconnected must make arrangements with their local utility to pay outstanding bills to have their service restored. If a consumer has not made arrangements to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to reconnect the service until payment arrangements have been made.

Payment agreements
Consumers who need to set up a payment agreement should call We Energies at (800) 842-4565. If customers cannot reach an agreement with their utility, they may contact the PSC at (608) 266-2001 or (800) 225-7729.

Energy assistance
There is financial assistance available for eligible households who cannot pay their gas or electric bills this winter. The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) administers low-income and energy assistance programs for the state. WHEAP is part of the state’s comprehensive Home Energy Plus program which also provides assistance with emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, and weatherization and conservation services.

Eligibility is based on income and family size. For example, a family of four which earns $7,743.75 or less in the three months prior to applying for assistance is potentially eligible. For a two-person family the earnings must be $5,133.75 or less. Benefits are based on income levels and energy bills. Consumers do not have to be behind in their energy bill payments to qualify.

For information about WHEAP, including contact information for local energy assistance offices, call 1(866) 432-8947) or visit www.homeenergyplus.wi.gov.