by jboullion | May 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by WPPI Energy:
The GreenMax Home, the region’s first owner-designed and occupied net zero energy home (NZEH), has quickly generated interest for community members and renewable energy enthusiasts. Homeowners Tom and Verona Chambers are opening the doors to their NZEH and hosting public tours with WPPI Energy to showcase the energy-efficient construction and sustainable energy systems that make their Black River Falls home unique.
With grant funding from WPPI Energy’s GreenMax Home initiative, the Chambers’ designed and constructed an all-electric NZEH, which they completed in spring 2009. Through careful planning and research, the Chambers worked to refine their home’s design to control energy use, ultimately advancing the status of their home from highly efficient to net zero.
Together WPPI Energy and the Chambers will host three opportunities for interested participants to tour and learn more about the special features of their NZEH. The tours are open to the public; however, participants are encouraged to schedule a tour in advance for one of the following dates:
Saturday, May 16 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. in conjunction with the Black River Falls Memorial Hospital Fundraiser
Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in conjunction with the Solar Tour of Homes and Public Power Week
To schedule a tour, visit www.greenmaxhome.com/projects. Open to the public, the tours will take place at the site of the Chambers’ NZEH. From the ground source heat pump to structural plumbing and the solar photovoltaic system, interested parties will learn about home energy use and renewable energy systems while getting a first-hand look at the state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction techniques and features that make this NZEH so unique.
by jboullion | May 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by WPPI Energy:
The GreenMax Home, the region’s first owner-designed and occupied net zero energy home (NZEH), has quickly generated interest for community members and renewable energy enthusiasts. Homeowners Tom and Verona Chambers are opening the doors to their NZEH and hosting public tours with WPPI Energy to showcase the energy-efficient construction and sustainable energy systems that make their Black River Falls home unique.
With grant funding from WPPI Energy’s GreenMax Home initiative, the Chambers’ designed and constructed an all-electric NZEH, which they completed in spring 2009. Through careful planning and research, the Chambers worked to refine their home’s design to control energy use, ultimately advancing the status of their home from highly efficient to net zero.
Together WPPI Energy and the Chambers will host three opportunities for interested participants to tour and learn more about the special features of their NZEH. The tours are open to the public; however, participants are encouraged to schedule a tour in advance for one of the following dates:
Saturday, May 16 from 1 to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13 from 1 to 5 p.m. in conjunction with the Black River Falls Memorial Hospital Fundraiser
Saturday, Oct. 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in conjunction with the Solar Tour of Homes and Public Power Week
To schedule a tour, visit www.greenmaxhome.com/projects. Open to the public, the tours will take place at the site of the Chambers’ NZEH. From the ground source heat pump to structural plumbing and the solar photovoltaic system, interested parties will learn about home energy use and renewable energy systems while getting a first-hand look at the state-of-the-art, energy-efficient construction techniques and features that make this NZEH so unique.
by jboullion | May 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
4th STREET FORUM
at MILWAUKEE TURNER HALL
Stimulus money is flowing. It could nurture green jobs, energy, and transit.
But will bureaucratic inertia and a powerful status quo stifle Wisconsin’s green future?
FORUM DATE AND TIME: MAY 14, NOON
WHERE: Milwaukee Turner Hall, 2nd Floor, 1034 N. 4th Street (Main entrance across from the Bradley Center on 4th; elevator access off the parking lot on 4th and Highland.)
MODERATOR: ENRIQUE FIGUEROA, PhD, Director, Roberto Hernández Center, UW-Milwaukee, www.uwm.edu
WITH GUESTS
ANN BEIER is the director of Milwaukee’s Office of Environmental Sustainability. She coordinates the City’s efforts to improve water quality, reduce energy consumption, and to create more green technology jobs throughout Milwaukee. Prior to accepting her position here, Ms. Beier worked on environmental issues in government both in Oregon and in Washington DC. www.ci.mil.wi.us/greenteam
CURT HARRIS is the executive director of the African American Chamber of Commerce, which works to increase minority business involvement in Milwaukee and the region. A more recent focus is to encourage minority entrepreneurship in the green sector. Mr. Harris is also a business consultant. www.aaccmke.org
MELISSA SCANLAN is the founder and senior legal counsel for Midwest Environmental Advocates, which provides legal services to implement innovative solutions for environmental problems. Ms. Scanlan is the author of, “Blueprint to Wisconsin’s Green Economy.” www.midwestadvocates.org
NEAL VERFUERTH is president and CEO of Orion Energy Systems that employs over 250 people in Manitowoc and Plymouth. Recently, President Obama recognized Orion in a White House speech, applauding the company for creating green collar jobs in the clean energy sector. www.oriones.com
CAN’T ATTEND?
Milwaukee Public Television will broadcast this forum on Friday, May 15, Channel 10.1and 10, 10PM and Sunday, May 17, Channel 36.1 and 36, 3PM.
Programs also run on Time Warner’s, “Wisconsin on Demand,” (WIOD), Channel 1111. Check listing.
All programs will be available for checkout from your local public library.
Podcasts of the programs will be posted after broadcast at www.4thStreetForum.org.
by jboullion | Apr 23, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Meredith Thorn in the Stevens Point Journal:
Environmental sustainability can be a large concept. But from grants to purchase hybrid buses to a designation of Tree City USA, Stevens Point officials say small steps must be taken when talking about environmental sustainability and saving energy.
“We’ve got to get our feet wet before we jump into the deep end of the pool,” Mayor Andrew Halverson said.
Wednesday marked Earth Day, a day of recognition for the environment that began in 1970 and was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a then U.S. senator from Wisconsin.
With all the talk about carbon footprints, sight is often lost of the simple things that can be done for the environment, such as planting a tree, Halverson said Wednesday at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he spoke at a tree-planting to commemorate Earth Day.
He said it’s about taking small steps that will help the city, which was declared an eco-municipality in June, achieve realistic goals. This can include the planting of trees, but also planting vines on fences, or growing in a denser way, he said. As a city, he said, we’ve go to start somewhere.
by jboullion | Apr 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Jeff Starck in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Central Wisconsin environmentalists say “green” is not as mainstream as it should be, but the movement has evolved from a rallying cry on the first Earth Day 39 years ago to a common practice today.
It’s hard to miss the push for green and environmentally friendly practices in the Wausau area. Downtown Grocery opened in July 2006, focusing on locally grown, organic foods. Virtually every grocery store and many other shops promote the use of cloth bags instead of plastic bags. Wausau residents recycled 1,959 tons of glass, plastic, aluminum and other items in 2008, an amount barely imagined in 1970 — two decades before the state enacted a mandatory recycling law.
Local government bodies have looked at ways to be more eco-friendly and explore alternative energy and conservation techniques. In November, Wausau School Board members voted in favor of installing two wind turbines on Wausau East High School property.
Much has changed in the decades since the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, but longtime activists are concerned that some people still don’t take environmental concerns seriously.
“Many people are ‘green’ on the surface, and do things that make them look good,” said Wausau business owner and resident Kari Bender-Burke. “They need ‘greenness’ throughout.”
Bender-Burke, 50, who owns The Needle Workshop and The Quilting Workshop, replaced 40traditional light bulbs with fluorescent bulbs when she moved the stores several years ago to the present location on First Avenue. The switch has saved her about $40a month on her electric bill. At home, Bender-Burke prides herself on collecting rainwater in a barrel for her large garden and compost pile.
Stevens Point architect Tom Brown, who specializes in environmentally sensitive and energy-conserving designs, said the green building boom in recent years is a direct response to consumer demand. As energy prices increased, businesses and homeowners wanted to find ways to reduce their energy use.
“It’s nothing new. These are old, basic design concepts and rediscovering basic principles that work,” said Brown, who participated in the first Earth Day. “This is more of a reaction to poor design than a new design concept.”
