Director pleased with city's 'green' reputation

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.”

Read more »

Industry needs wind technicians, training standards

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.

Read more »

Repower America and rebuild Wisconsin’s economy

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.

Read more »

Solar panels boost Milwaukee company

From a story by Ken Reibel in the Milwaukee Express:

Jack Daniels, co-owner of Milwaukee-based Hot Water Products, one of the largest distributors of thermal solar panels in the Midwest, isn’t one to go with the flow. “We’re not waiting for business to come to us,” says Daniels, whose partner, Howard Endres, began selling high-efficiency water heaters and boilers in 1998.

Daniels nudged his partner into the solar panel business three years ago, soon after Daniels became a partner in the company. Solar thermal panels circulate and heat water, an efficient supplement to natural gas or electric systems. Hot water can also be passed through a furnace or boiler to heat a house or business.

Today, the company designs and engineers systems for homes and businesses, and hires contractors for installations. Hot Water Products (HWP) has trained more than 100 contractors to install the panels, and fields three sales technicians who call Wisconsin businesses to talk about going solar.

Business is heating up. HWP sold about $400,000 worth of solar panels last year, and $1 million worth this year. “We only sold three installs in 2006, our first year. In 2007, panel installs were 10% of our total business, and so far in 2008 they are 20%,” Daniels says.

Read more »

Big oil vs. big lakes

From an article by Dan Egan in the Superior Telegram:

SUPERIOR — There is indeed a growing awareness of just how precious the Great Lakes are — and will be — in a century in which many are predicting fresh water will become more coveted than oil.

The significance of this can’t be underestimated for a system of linked lakes that hold 20 percent of the world’s fresh surface water and 90 percent of the nation’s.

Recognizing the lakes’ ecological and economic value, President George W. Bush this fall signed the Great Lakes Compact, which prohibits most water diversions outside the Great Lakes basin. Bush signed the measure after the compact received overwhelming bipartisan support from the eight Great Lakes state legislatures, as well as the U.S. House and Senate.

Its passage is the latest example of the region becoming increasingly protective of the lakes.

President-elect Barack Obama promised in his campaign to push for $5 billion to help restore the lakes — money he said would be generated by increased taxes on oil and gas companies.

And it was probably no coincidence he pitted the health of the Great Lakes against Big Oil.

Read more »

Regional transit authority and a commuter rail line still deserve widespread support

From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Transit supporters have taken a couple of hits recently, casting doubt on both the creation of a regional transit authority and system, and the development of a critical element of such a system, a commuter rail line linking Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha. Nevertheless, the transit authority and the KRM line are still proposals that deserve widespread support if the region wants to build effective regional mass transit that would provide a number of benefits, including fostering economic development.

A regional transit system could improve bus service in Milwaukee County and other areas, as well as help create better intercounty connections to help workers get to jobs. The KRM can help provide a reliable speedy mass transit link along the eastern edge of the region from downtown Milwaukee to Kenosha.

Read more »

Solar workshops planned for Milwaukee area

A media release issued by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association:

Milwaukee, WI – Through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity and other funders, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) is now offering a wide variety of solar courses in the Milwaukee area. These courses range from introductory seminars to hands-on installation training.

“We are very excited to be working with our partners in the Milwaukee area to offer high quality solar training for home and business owners,” said Tehri Parker, Executive Director of the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. “Our goals for this program are two fold: to build a solid base of knowledge and enthusiasm for these technologies among Milwaukee residents, and to train a dependable workforce that can scope, install, and maintain these systems.”

The MREA has been offering workshops on renewable energy system design and installation since 1990. This new initiative will bring more of this training to the Milwaukee area. “Our partnership with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity will provide us with rooftops where students can participate in actual solar electric and solar hot water installations,” explains Clay Sterling, MREA Education Director. “We now have the equipment and facilities available to offer a full range of Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Installation courses.” Over 50 seminars, workshops, and training events are planned for the upcoming year. The full schedule will be on line at www.the-mrea.org starting January 1, 2009.

To help people connect to these programs the MREA now has a Milwaukee address and phone number. In addition the main office in Custer, Wisconsin, the MREA may also be reached at:
MREA – Milwaukee, 544 E Ogden Ave. Ste 700-225, Milwaukee, WI 53202, 414-303-7351.

Watch for the schedule to be posted here after January 1, 2009.

Read more »

Racine school adds solar electricity to sell to utility

From a story John Dobberstein in the Racine Journal Times:

RACINE — Bringing a modern amenity to an aging building, contractors Thursday continued installing solar panels on the roof of Walden III School.

The sun peeked out from the clouds during the frosty morning as electricians wired up two banks of solar panels that, when operational, will boost Walden’s certification with the state as a “Green and Healthy School.”

Between three major grants and several student fundraisers, the community at Walden III, 1012 Center St., raised more than $140,000 in about a year’s time to have 70 205-watt panels purchased and installed on the roof.

Walden will sell the electricity generated by the 14.4-kilowatt system back to We Energies at twice the rate the utility sells it for. The profits, estimated at $4,000a year, will be used for more energy-saving projects at the school.

Walden has been threatened with closure because of its age, said high school English teacher Tom Rutkowski. One area of the campus dates back to the 1860s.

“There is some educational value for students and it’s good for the school to see something new happening here,” said Rutkowski, who helped spearhead the solar project.

We Energies contributed $52,000 for the project and also paid for a weather station to be installed on the roof.

Wisconsin-based Focus on Energy, which promotes energy-efficient and renewable-energy projects, kicked in a $35,000 grant.

And the Kenosha-based Brookwood Foundation, which focuses on education, renewable energy and religious projects, also contributed grant money, although the foundation would not reveal the actual amount Thursday.

Educators Credit Union and the Racine Community Foundation are also sponsors of the project.

Read more »

New study questions commuter rail line; author's integrity quetioned

From a story by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

A new study by a libertarian think tank claims the projected economic benefits of a proposed Milwaukee-to-Kenosha commuter rail line have been inflated and questions its ridership estimates.

But a business leader noted that the author of the study, Los Angeles-based transit consultant Tom Rubin, took a far more positive view of the $200 million project in June, when pro-transit business leaders were pushing the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority to hire him as the authority's consultant. And a regional planner said the commuter rail projections were sound.

The Reason Foundation study, being released today, says the transit authority should consider express buses as an alternative to the KRM Commuter Link, which would connect downtown Milwaukee and the southern suburbs to Racine and Kenosha with 14 round trips each weekday.

Rubin said his latest study wasn't meant to bash the KRM, but to highlight the advantages of bus options.

"We're not saying that KRM is a dumb idea and it should be dropped," Rubin said Monday. "I am not saying that KRM is going to fail. I am saying there are other options that should be studied before you make that commitment."

Read more »

Energy efficiency evaluation can save homeowners hundreds of dollars

From an article article by Deneen Smith in the Kenosha News:

Shawn Henoch can’t wait for frigid weather and the first serious heating bills of winter.

“I’m really looking forward to January and February to see,” Henoch said. “Who is excited to get their electric bill? But I am.”

Henoch hired a company to do an energy efficiency overhaul of her 60-year-old Kenosha home this year. The work was completed in June, and she said she’s already seen a dramatic reduction in her energy bills and an improvement in the coziness-factor of her home.

The project sealed air leaks in the house, added insulation in the walls and ceiling, and replaced an old, inefficient furnace and air conditioner.

Before the overhaul, her typical winter heating bills were about $400 “and that was keeping my heat set at 67 or 68,” she said. “Now I can really keep my house at 72, and my last bill was, I think, $136.”

Learn more about an energy efficiency evaluaition at Focus on Energy.

Read more »

Mini wind turbine proposal blows into West Allis

From an article by Mark Schaff in West Allis Now:

West Allis residents will get the chance next week to tell the city if proposed restrictions blow too gently or too hard when it comes to an alternative energy source for local homes.

A public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, on an ordinance that would allow West Allis residents to install mini wind turbines on their properties. The public hearing will come at the beginning of the Common Council meeting at City Hall, 7525 W. Greenfield Ave.

On Dec. 3, the Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval of the ordinance.

Wind proponent
Earlier this year, resident Conrad LeBeau asked the city to change its municipal code so he could install such a system at his residence.
LeBeau, who has long been interested in alternative energy, had purchased a wind turbine with a 46-inch rotor diameter — a device capable of generating about 400 watts of power in a 28-mph wind.

In an interview earlier this fall, LeBeau, 65, said he could power his garage and lawn lights with the turbine, but hopes to continue experimenting to someday reduce his energy bill to zero.

Setting the rules
City officials responded to LeBeau’s request with a proposed set of rules that address safety and noise concerns.

Under terms of the ordinance, home-based wind energy systems could only be placed outside homes in certain places.

A tower for a wind energy system must be set back 1.5 times its total height from any public road right of way and all property lines and utility lines not serving the property.

As proposed, the system could only be located in a backyard, and all electrical wires must be underground. The base of the wind system must be at least eight feet from the ground and the total height could not be more than 60 feet.

The system could generate no more than 60 decibels of sound — the rough equivalent of normal conversation, according to the University of Wisconsin’s College of Engineering— as measured from property lines.

Too restrictive?
City officials stressed safety in drafting the ordinance because of West Allis’ small lot sizes and high-density neighborhoods, said Steve Schaer, planning and zoning manager.

LeBeau said he shared those same concerns, but he also wanted the city to keep costs and restrictions at a minimum to give homeowners flexibility.

Read more »

Doyle adds Milwaukee-Madison rail to wish list

From a story by Mark Pitsch in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The start of a commuter rail line between Madison and Milwaukee, a new UW-Madison medical research tower and expansion of Interstate 94 are among the local projects Gov. Jim Doyle says could be started within months if federal lawmakers pass a massive economic stimulus bill for states.

Doyle met with members of President-elect Barack Obama's economic team and incoming chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday and presented them a list of those and other projects he says the state has ready to go, his office said.

Over all, the state has nearly 1,800 projects worth $3.7 billion that could be ready to start within 120 days if it receives funding under the bill being worked on in Congress — though it's too early to say how much Wisconsin might get.

"These are things we could do immediately to have people work all across the state," Doyle said earlier this week in an interview.

Doyle's office has an additional $10 billion in longer-term projects cued up, including $519 million for the rail project, $300 million to replace UW-Madison's Charter Street plant and $50 million for a campus bioenergy research facility.

The office released the list of projects Wednesday. Doyle is slated to testify before the House Appropriations Committee today and he was scheduled to meet with its chairman, Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau, privately Wednesday.

Click here for the full wish list, including more items for Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.

Read more »

More waste could generate more electricity at Jones Island

From an article by Don Behm in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Sun seekers and swimmers put off by slimy, foul-smelling cladophora algae covering Lake Michigan beaches and rocky shorelines in summer have a pair of new allies in the ongoing battle with the nuisance plant: Daniel Zitomer and hungry microbes.

Where some see a putrid eyesore, Zitomer sees a sweet opportunity to make energy.

Allow bacteria and other microbes known as archaea to digest the stringy algae in enclosed tanks and the end product is methane, said Zitomer, an associate professor of engineering and director of the Water Quality Center at Marquette University.

The same goes for animal droppings at the Milwaukee County Zoo, as well as waste from food processing, candy making or even distilling liquor. Each is rich in organic carbon compounds, and they, too, could yield methane if digested by a diverse set of microbes.

Then, Zitomer says, burn the methane to generate electricity to lessen demand for energy from coal or natural-gas-fired power plants and reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases from the power plants that could contribute to global warming and climate change.

The tanks and microbes he wants to fill with cladophora and organic wastes from the community are at the South Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant in Oak Creek.

The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District uses bacteria and archaea to digest human feces and other sewage solids removed during the beginning of the treatment process at the Jones Island and South Shore plants. The blend is mixed and heated in four separate tanks with capacities of 3 million gallons each and two smaller tanks with half that capacity at South Shore.

Nearly a decade ago, Zitomer identified a seasonal waste - aircraft de-icing fluids from Mitchell International Airport - that could be poured into the digesters to boost methane production.

Christmas will come early again this year for billions of bacteria and other microbes in the below-ground tanks at the South Shore plant. The winter's first tanker full of de-icing waste - propylene glycol and water - arrived last week.

The addition of glycol to the tanks has the same effect as tossing sugar-loaded candy to children: It sets off a feeding frenzy among bacteria and archaea, Zitomer said.

Glycol molecules are broken apart by bacteria, then quickly fermented into acids, which are converted to methane by the archaea. Both groups of microbes working in the tanks thrive in warm, oxygen-free environments.

Since 2000, the airport has shipped between 250,000 and 300,000 gallons of the waste each winter to the South Shore plant. Tankers arrived more frequently last winter, however, and the treatment plant received a record 500,000 gallons.

In October, a separate partnership between InSinkErator, the Racine-based maker of food waste grinders, and Outpost Natural Foods on S. Kinnickinnic Ave. started sending small volumes of ground vegetables to the digesters at South Shore.

In 2007, the total energy value of methane produced in the digesters was estimated at $1.9 million, MMSD chemical engineer Jeff Schilling said. That dollar figure equals the money MMSD saved by reducing energy purchases for the plant. No estimate was available on the value of methane provided by adding the de-icing waste, he said.

Read more »

Milwaukee-Madison train service cost soars

From an article on Milwaukee Rising:

The capital cost of developing Milwaukee-Madison train service has soard 25% to 50% in just two years, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The cost was estimated at $400 million when the 2007-09 budget was developed, according to the agency’s budget request.

“As with all other infrastructure projects, the estimated cost has increased significantly in the last two years due to high fuel and materials costs,” the department said. ”While the final cost will not be known until the final design and engineering are completed, the project cost is currently estimated at $500 – $600 million, including all design, engineering, capital infrastructure costs, and equipment costs.”

WisDOT is seeking $40 million in new bonding authority for the project, on top of the $82 million in authority it already has.

The good news, WisDOT said, is that there now is a federal funding program for intercity passenger rail service that could pay as much as 80% of project costs.

“Federal appropriation of funding and rule-making for the rail programs still need to occur,” the agency said in its 2009-11 budget request. ”The work done on the Madison – Milwaukee corridor so far and the bonding already authorized will place Wisconsin in a good position to receive a grant as soon as the process is established.”

There are good reasons to proceed with the project, WisDOT said.

Read more »

Transit construction creates more jobs than highways

From a fact sheet of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership:

Transportation policy has a strong, positive relationship with job creation and access. The transportation system should support job creation and grant all people access to good jobs. Unlike past transportation decisions that have focused on short-term solutions and have ignored large sections of the population, modern transportation investments must expand opportunities and improve quality of life. . . .

In recent years, proponents of increased investment in new highway capacity have used job-creation as a rallying cry for their cause, saying that money spent on these new roads will lead to a surge in new jobs. While transportation investment should not be seen as primarily a jobs program, economic studies indicate that transit capital investments and operations funding are even better sources of long-term job creation.

According to a recent study by Cambridge Systematics, 314 jobs and a $30 million gain in sales for businesses are created for each $10 million invested in transit capital funding, and over 570 jobs are created for each $10 million in the short run. While new highway construction does lead to an increase in employment, these jobs are mostly for non-local workers: road engineers and other specialists who come in to an area for a specific job and then leave when it has been completed. On the other hand, transit investments create a wealth of employment opportunities in the short and the long run. Transit system construction leads to an impressive level of short-term job creation, and once the systems are finished, a long-term source of high-quality jobs. Of the 350,000 people directly employed by public transportation systems, more than 50 percent are operators or conductors. In addition, 10,000 to 20,000 professionals work under contract to public transportation systems or are employed by companies and government offices that support these systems. Thousands of others are employed in related services (i.e. engineering, manufacturing, construction, retail, etc.). . . .

Read more »

Sustainable homes in Milwaukee

"Pragmatic Construction is building two sustainable homes in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee. These homes are targeting LEED-H Platinum certification," including passaive solar design and options of solar hotwater and solar electricity, according to its Web site which calls the company a "green design-build firm specializing in the integration of multiple green principles and technologies."

Read more »

An interview with Eco-hatchery owner Adam Borut

From a post on the Greener Milwaukee blog:

I conducted a short interview on a local business owner, Adam Borut and his partner's start-up called, Eco-hatchery. Their focus is on Green gift packs that could come in handy this holiday season... what do you think?

0. Who are you?

Eco Hatchery is a Milwaukee based company dedicated to helping homeowners reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

1. How did you get started with this Hatchery business?

My business partner and I were discussing the challenge of moving from environmental consciousness to action. In talking with friends and family, we found most were environmentally conscious, but had done little in their personal lives to take action. They were overwhelmed by information, and short on time. We sought to develop a collection of tools that would enable homeowners to have the greatest impact in a single weekend. Along the way, we realized this was not enough. People needed to see in economic and environmental terms the size of opportunities, and the impact of their actions. They also wanted a clear and personalized roadmap for moving forward. We therefore married our Eco Starter Kit with on-line programs we developed to identify, prioritize and track impact of opportunities.

Read more »

Regional transit bill dead for now

From a story Paul Snyder in The Daily Reporter:

The special legislative committee charged with creating a regional transit authority bill is dead.

State Rep. Alvin Ott, chairman of the Legislative Council Special Committee on Regional Transportation Authority, on Tuesday informed the Joint Legislative Council by letter that he would not convene any more committee meetings.

Citing changes in political leadership, economic conditions and the projected $5.4 billion state budget deficit, Ott said it would not be prudent to set up a new taxing authority until the economy improves.

But Len Brandrup, a committee member and director of Kenosha’s Transportation Department, said the state can’t afford to wait any longer for an RTA bill.

“We have no choice but to get a bill this session,” he said. “We can’t fail. If we’re to remain competitive in terms of attracting business and economic development, the state puts itself at a distinct disadvantage by not acting.”

Brandrup said his biggest concern is that the committee was terminated for partisan reasons, and Ott’s letter confirms the concern.

“With the pending change in party control of the Assembly, the Committee no longer has the ‘built-in’ balance that I feel is necessary to cultivate an appropriate compromise on the policy questions the committee has been charged with addressing,” according to the letter attributed to Ott.

Such comments echoed remarks made by state Rep. Robin Vos, the Racine Republican who last week said he doubts bipartisan discussions of RTAs could proceed with Democrats in control of the Legislature.

Neither Ott, Vos nor state Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale -- the committee’s three GOP legislative members -- was available for comment Wednesday.

“We need all sides at the table,” Brandrup said. “To make this a partisan issue is a shortsighted approach. It’s not a wedge issue.”

Despite the conflict, other committee members said the committee’s demise doesn’t mean the end of an RTA bill.

Read other stories on regional transit authorities.

Read more »