by jboullion | Jul 10, 2008 | Uncategorized
From the Vote Solar Initiative:
We are looking for a few volunteers to help out with a fun project.
Vote Solar will be the “headlining” non-profit on Maroon 5’s summer U.S. tour (you can check out their music at www.maroon5.com). There will be Vote Solar banners up around the auditoriums, and the band is going to make a pitch for folks in the audience to check out the Vote Solar booth in the lobby. The purpose of the booth is to get their fans excited about solar energy, and get them signed-up as Vote Solarian activists.
That’s where you come in!
Wisconsin Show:
Marcus Amphitheatre
Milwaukee, WI
August 23, 2008 – Saturday
7:00 pm
We need a few lively, outgoing folks to staff this concert for Vote Solar.
Basically the deal is this: in exchange for free entrance for you and one friend, you need to 1) participate in a conference call prior to the show so we can verse you on a simple pitch; 2) show up at the concert 45 mins. early (we will have a contact person for you to call once you get to the show); 3) talk to fans that come by the booth about the great work Vote Solar is doing across the states and encourage them to sign up as Vote Solar online activists (we will provide you all the materials you will need for this pitch).
When things are slow at the booth, you are welcome to check out the show.
If you are interested in this chance to check out Maroon 5 and promote solar advocacy please let Annie Carmichael know. She can be reached at annie@votesolar.
Onwards-
The Vote Solar Team
The Vote Solar Initiative
300 Brannan Street, Suite 609
San Francisco, CA 94107
www.votesolar.org
by jboullion | Jul 9, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a request for proposals issued for Habitat for Humanity homes:
Habitat for Humanity, Focus on Energy, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association and We Energies are accepting proposals for a market provider to perform the following work:
Installation of up to three (3) systems on new Habitat for Humanity homes in Milwaukee. There will be six (6) total installations completed; two of the installations will be installed flush with the roof line on North/South running roofs. One will be installed flush with the roof line on East/West running roofs and three will be installed on tilted frames on East/West running roofs (these are suggestions – there is room for recommendations). We are also requesting that two of the systems be installed as drain-back systems – where if you apply to install three (3) systems you must include one drain-back system installation (please see the chart for additional details). Homes will be built “solar ready” with appropriately sized joists and interior plumbing runs. . . .
Proposals should be sent to:
We Energies
Attn: Jessica Thibodo-Johnson
231 W Michigan St – P318
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Or electronically to: Jessica.thibodo-johnson@we-energies.com
by jboullion | Jul 8, 2008 | Uncategorized
From Focus on Energy’s Information Center:
Focus on Energy’s Information Center is your ultimate resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy tips and information. Enjoy free access to a library of product and equipment data, fact sheets, case studies, technology updates, industry best practices and more.
Let Focus on Energy give you the information you need to make more informed energy efficiency and renewable energy decisions.
by jboullion | Jul 7, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Consumers should expect energy price sticker shock to continue well past the summer driving season, as pain at the pump is poised to give way to furnace frustration next winter.
The price of gasoline, above $4 for the past month, is on people’s minds — and it’s visible at nearly every major intersection. But another energy jolt may be coming as the price of natural gas, the primary fuel used to heat Wisconsin homes, is at historic highs for this time of year.
Natural gas futures have jumped 82% since the start of the year. Heating oil and propane prices are also soaring.
The increased natural gas prices already have resulted in electricity bills jumping twice since March for customers of Milwaukee-based We Energies and Green Bay-based Wisconsin Public Service Corp. Including increases authorized for three other state utilities, customers of the state’s five investor-owned utilities have seen rates rise by $210 million since the start of the year.
Spokesmen for the state’s large natural gas utilities said it’s too early to predict what customers may pay this winter. The futures price of natural gas, which finished last week at its highest point in more than 2 1/2 years, could still fall below its current, abnormal high, they said.
“Prices right now are in the scary range,” said Kerry Spees, spokesman for Wisconsin Public Service, an electric and natural gas utility. “It makes you look toward the winter with a little trepidation.”
by jboullion | Jul 3, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Steve Kokette, signit2@hotmail.com, creator of the “Buy Products From Renewable Energy” bumper sticker and author of Money Saving Conservation Products and Projects for the Homeowner.
Recently Governor Doyle suggested Wisconsin could become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy. Doing so would be extremely beneficial for the state in many ways, even if you’re not a believer in global warming. Seventy percent of the U.S. economy is consumer driven, and if consumers started consciously spending their money on the thousands of products made with renewable energy, it could help clean the air, and the water.
It feels strange living in an era when life often seems to be regressing in the very places it started. When I was young, the DNR did not recommend limiting your intake of Wisconsin caught fish. Then in the late 60s, a short stretch of the Fox River polluted by paper mills was so polluted the DNR recommended people eat a limited number of fish from these waters. Since the late 60s the number of Wisconsin waters with DNR fish consumption limitations slowly grew over the years, until a few years ago the DNR recommended fish consumption limitations for fish caught in all Wisconsin lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. This is not progress.
If you want to reduce acid rain, when you buy products, try to buy products made from renewable energy. If you want to reduce mercury pollution, buy products made from renewables. If you want to reduce particulate matter in the air, buy products made from renewables. If you want to help those with respiratory problems, which might include yourself and/or people you know, buy products made from renewables.
Every person who renews a membership or joins RENEW will get a free bumper sticker!
by jboullion | Jul 2, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Focus on Energy:
On Dec. 31, 2007 Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative, launched a contest to find a Milwaukee area family with a home in need of energy efficient improvements. The contest, named Home Energy Makeover, was sponsored by Focus on Energy in partnership with WITI-TV FOX 6 and awarded one lucky winner with energy efficient improvements for their home, including insulation and air sealing, ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances and a new furnace, air conditioner and tankless water heater. . . .
John and Corinne Kangas of Waukesha, Wis., were named the winners of the contest, valued at approximately $20,000, on Feb. 3, 2008 during halftime of the Super Bowl telecast. It wasn’t long after the announcement that the Kangas home began its energy transformation.
“We found out we had won the contest when we saw the TV commercial announcing the winner during the Super Bowl. My family was jumping up and down – we were so excited,” said Corinne Kangas. “Our home is older, so knowing we won’t have to worry about things like the furnace or the air conditioner gives us great peace of mind. Plus, we couldn’t wait to learn about the process of making our home more energy efficient.”
For several weeks, FOX 6 joined the homeowners on their journey to energy efficiency, covering such details as the energy evaluation of the home, the advantages of ENERGY STAR qualified appliances and the installation of a tankless water heater. Through each step, FOX 6 viewers learned how they could benefit from the same improvements to their homes.
“By identifying what the home needed and then making the necessary improvements, the Kangas family can expect to save approximately 30 percent on their energy bills,” said Rich Marshall, Focus on Energy Project Manager. “More importantly, if other homeowners made just a few of the improvements the Kangas family received they could save significantly too.”
