Stay Another Day: The Green Revolution in Laos

Fantastic article--as we continue to look globally for the "business side of green"--in the International Business Times profiling the green revolution and sustainable tourism engulfing Laos.  Here's the first paragraph:  "There's something terribly right going on in Laos.  Engulfed in a green revolution, sustainable tourism is racing through the recently paved roads from the provincial cities to the remote edges of this pristine country.  From organic farm cooperatives to ethnic fashion shows, the idea is pulsing and putting money back where it belongs - with the people"

How sweet the last sentence:  "From organic farm cooperatives to ethnic fashion shows, the idea is pulsing and putting money back where it belongs - with the people"

Here's the link:  http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/154031/20110529/sustainable-tourism-voluntourism-volunteer-abroad-green-travel-and-tourism-eco-tourism-travel-greene.htm.

Here is a little more of the article: 

"Sustainable tourism is an incredible boon for a country like Laos as it has little in the way of industry.  Yet, how the idea took root in this country is a miracle.  The concept remains foreign in tourist-heavy Thailand whose Western music, entertainment and culture continues to float over the Mekong, much to the Lao government's dismay.

In Laos, sustainable tourism takes on many faces.
The folks at Green Discovery lay their claim as Laos' pioneer in adventure travel and ecotourism.  Opening their doors in 2000, they were indeed one of the first in this recent movement and today, they are committed to ensuring that the local people "not only benefit financially from tourism, but also are true business partners by helping to develop programs and activities."  Each trip includes a graph explaining where your money goes, making the entire process refreshingly transparent"

What lessons can we learn from the green revolution in Laos?  If anyone is expert on sustainable tourism, we'd like to hear from you and do a show on this.

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Weekend Edition

Found this on the PR Wire: 

First Fuel Cell to Power Residential Building in New York,

Here's the link: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/first-fuel-cell-to-power-residential-building-in-new-york-122723448.html

Part of the story:
ROOSEVELT ISLAND, N.Y., May 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "Yesterday, The Octagon, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® (LEED) Silver 500-unit apartment community on Roosevelt Island, made green history by becoming the first residential building in the State of New York to be powered and heated by a 400 kilowatt (kW) fuel cell from UTC Power. This installation marks a paradigm shift in the State's use of clean energy technologies, made possible through New York's progressive stance on energy policy.  The project was supported by $1.2 million in financial incentives from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The fuel cell arrived on Roosevelt Island this winter and is now operating at full capacity.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110527/NE10381 )
"Roosevelt Island is a place where progressive green initiatives are at the forefront of our smart growth plans. We are proud of our island partners, including Becker + Becker, who are contributing to a greener Island and a cleaner City," said Leslie Torres, President and CEO of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, the New York State Public Benefit Corporation responsible for the development and operation of Roosevelt Island.
The fuel cell, a PureCell® System Model 400, is a combined heat and power (CHP) system that represents a game-changing technology. It converts natural gas to electricity and heat through a combustion-free, electrochemical process to provide power and heat to meet the majority of the apartment building's energy demand.  The energy efficiency achieved by the fuel cell is significantly higher than the energy received from the grid and emissions are negligible.  Additionally, the fuel cell's process heat is captured to satisfy the building's space heating and domestic water requirements.

"We are so proud that the Multi-Employer Property Trust (MEPT) and Becker + Becker have selected UTC Power's PureCell System to provide reliable on-site power to this innovative and historic project," said Neal Montany, Director of UTC Power's stationary fuel cell business. "It is truly rewarding to know that the benefits of our efficient and clean fuel cell technology will touch the daily lives of the residents of The Octagon..."

Fuel cells could be a huge part of our energy landscape moving forward.  At Arpin, we are looking at joining forces with other tenants in this industrial park to share a fuel cell fed my natural gas. 60 Minutes did a great story on Bloom fuel cells, and there is a major producer on the East Coast in CT.  Very worth looking at.

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New ‘solar customer benefit’ will spur solar energy, jobs across Vermont

Great news in VT:   The Governor yesterday signed a new bill spurring solar energy, and related jobs, through out the state.  We own a facility in Brattleboro, VT, and will most likely move ahead with renewable energy on that site.

Here's the link:  http://vermontbiz.com/news/may/new-‘solar-customer-benefit’-will-spur-solar-energy-jobs-across-vermont.

Here's part of the article: 

"Governor Shumlin signed the Vermont Energy Act of 2011 (H56) Wednesday in South Burlington. The law includes a new, statewide solar customer benefit that will help deliver net metered solar energy and jobs throughout Vermont.  

“There is a fiscal and environmental urgency for Vermont to move off fossil fuels and toward sustainable sources of power,” the Governor said at the bill signing ceremony, which was held at the Farm at South Village. The Village is a “new urbanist” sustainable community with a 150 KW net metered solar array to power an organic farming operation, wholesale production and refrigerated storage and distribution. 

Also participating in the bill signing were representatives for Encore Redevelopment, which developed the Village project, Renewable Energy Vermont, Gardener’s Supply, Alteris Renewables and others. In addition, the secretaries of Agriculture and Commerce, as well as the Commissioner of Public Service, attended the event. 

First initiated with Green Mountain Power’s (GMP) SolarGMP program, the 6 cents per kilowatt hour solar benefit helped provide the incentive to over 400 new solar installations.  The utility initiated the incentive as a way to reduce peak power and transmission costs and encourage the development of local solar energy..."

Read the rest when you can.  This is great news.

This is a absolutely the business side of green:  Legislation that can spur, across a state, economic development while reducing use of fossil fuel and emissions.  A big win-win.

We will be covering this story on a future edition of Renewable Now.

Also, the audio from our shows is now available in a radio show format on WARL, 1320 AM (either over the air or on their stream).  The first shows are now running:  with Julian Dash, RIEDC, and Al Dahlberg,  Project Get Ready.  More radio stations to follow soon.

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Energy groups oppose bill to undermine Wisconsin's renewable energy commitment

From statements issued by three groups in opposition to Assembly Bill 146:

"Clearly, this bill is a drastic step in the wrong direction for our state. The Wisconsin Energy Business Association therefore opposes this attack on renewable energy in our state." - Wisconsin Energy Business Association. Full statement.

We strongly recommend that this bill not be approved as it solves no known problem in Wisconsin and seeks only to roll-back policies on renewable energy that have served the state well and are otherwise benefitting Wisconsin residents with cleaner air and lower prices for electricity. - Wind on the Wires. Full statement.

Fresh attack on Wisconsin voters’ desire for a renewable energy standard would kill wind projects and sap state’s economy, say wind energy advocates - American Wind Energy Association. Full statement.

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Trucking Info Magazine

Some great stuff in Trucking Info this week, including articles on a split-cycle engine coming from a W. Springfield company, Navistar's investment in a Danish  company inventing a better aftertreatment process and profiling a company a Northeast company that just covered half its 570,000 warehouse with solar panels.  Take a look:

http://www.truckinginfo.com/clean-green/index.asp

Here's a sample:  "Amidst endless chatter about electric power and even fuel cells, the good old internal combustion engine clearly isn't going away any time soon. I refer you to the flurry of new engine designs we've seen lately. In my archly humble opinion, one of the most interesting is a split-cycle motor coming out of the Scuderi Group in West Springfield, Mass. The company is a seemingly well-funded development outfit that's intent on re-engineering the conventional four-stroke engine. Its global patent portfolio contains more than 476 patent applications filed and 154 issued in 50 countries.

And its SSC motor, the Scuderi Split Cycle, is even more intriguing now that it's achieved a 35 percent fuel-consumption decrease in a Nissan Sentra in an elaborate computer simulation. That testing was done by an independent third party, Scuderi Group boss Sal Scuderi tells me, using proper, accepted protocols.

His sights aren't set only on little cars, I hasten to add, and the engine design can just as easily have heavy-duty applications running diesel and other fuels. The company hasn't done those simulations yet, but they're coming. Scuderi's plan is not to manufacture engines, by the way, rather to license his technology. So far, interest has come mainly from the four-wheel world. Only one truck maker -- unnamed, but not North American -- has sniffed around. .... "

To find out a lot more about altenative fuels that will be powering our future fleets, go to arpin.tv.com and watch our show with Ocean State Clean Cities.

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Transit: A Lifeline for People with Disabilities and Seniors

From a news release issued by Make It Work Milwaukee! Coalition:

The Make It Work Milwaukee Coalition supports the preservation of public
transportation funding. Transit and paratransit services are critical to maintaining the independence of older adults and people with disabilities as many do not drive or own a vehicle because of their disability, aging, and/or limited income.

When transportation is cut, not only are people with disabilities and older adults unable to work or get out in their community, but a caregiver may no longer be able to provide care when it is needed. Some people with disabilities need supports at all hours of the day. Transit lowers government costs by helping people with disabilities live independently and be employed.

Our agencies urge legislators to restore transit operating aids to help preserve public transportation. Over the past decade, we have seen harmful reductions in transit services, as local government struggles to maintain essential services with declining resources and increasing fuel costs. The resulting cutbacks have already taken a heavy toll on the ability of people with disabilities and seniors to work and be contributing members of the community, and also made it very difficult for the caregivers they rely on to get to work.

Nearly half of transit use is for work related purposes. Further cuts in transit will cut off people with disabilities and seniors from jobs and education, and lead to higher unemployment. Transit is vital to Wisconsin’s economy, businesses and families, and lowers government costs by keeping people employed and living independently.

In addition, proposed reductions in transit aids are expected to result in significant reduction of paratransit services which are a lifeline for many people with disabilities and older adults. In Milwaukee County along it is expected that a minimum of 2000 people with disabilities and older adults will completely lose access to transportation, leaving them prisoners in their own homes unable to travel to work, to school, to medical appointments, or to buy food. The majority of those expected to lose
service live in suburban areas including Bay Side, Glendale, Franklin, Oak Creek and Greendale. Thousands more will be impacted by the reduction of the service area and may be unable to get to work, to the doctor, or to visit family.

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From EcoGeek/Arpin Broadcast Network

Very interesting possibility of creating hydrogen from sunlight (talk about an alternative, clean fuel--the discharge being water.  Here's the link:

http://www.ecogeek.org/hydrogen/3501

Here's some of it:

 "A team of scientists from the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University and others at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) are also working on a method to generate hydrogen from water using sunlight. This form of photo-electrochemical (PEC) water splitting uses molybdenum sulfide as a catalyst rather than platinum. Platinum has been known to work as a catalyst for PEC water splitting, but it is also a particularly rare and expensive mineral, which makes it problematic for widespread use. In addition to developing an inexpensive catalyst, the research has also worked on light absorbers to capture as much light energy as possible"

Watch Wendy Lucht from Ocean State Clean Cities talk about aternative fuels on Renewable Now today.  Tune in on Arpin Broadcast Network and send us your feedback.

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Great day today for Renewable Now

We hit a record today for views (and it is early in the morning here back East): 247 and counting.

Here's our upcoming show:  Tune in at Arpin Broadcast Network (Arpin.tv.com).

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Guest Blogger: Mark Learn

Mark sent the following link to us so you can get a good summary of the front runners in the EVSE market:  http://gm-volt.com/2011/05/20/coulomb-technologies-and-ecotality-ranked-top-charging-equipment-suppliers/. 

Here's part of the story:

"A recent report by Pike Research has identified two front runners in the still-only budding electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) industry.
The Colorado-based clean-tech research company said for now it is Coulomb Technologies and ECOtality based on their strategy and execution.
“The electric vehicle charging equipment market is in its formative stages, and business models are still developing as vendors gain experience with charging station deployments,” said senior analyst John Gartner. “Pure-play EVSE vendors are taking the early lead, but looming behind them are several companies that announced products in 2010 and will be shipping in volume during 2011. These major players – Siemens, GE, and Eaton, among others – have developed the makings of a good product strategy, but have yet to execute on their extensive global resources and marketing channels.”

As readers of this blog know, converting to electric cars is critical to the financial future of the country.  There is no greater "business side of green" than being a part of the new industrial revolution and trading your fossil fuel car for a domestically-supplied EV.

Thanks, Mark.  Keep the material coming.

Also, please go to Arpin Broadcast Network and watch our segment with Al Dahlberg of the Project Get Ready, and pick up the book, Jolt.  As auto dealer Al Cerrone says on an upcoming episode, "you will be glad to did".

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Schlitz Park to add electric vehicle charging station

From an article on BizTimes Daily:

Schlitz Park in downtown Milwaukee has become the first corporate development in the state to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging station as part of a growing effort to make sustainable transportation easier for its tenants and their employees.

The charging station was provided by ElectriCharge Mobility and manufactured by Coulomb Technologies, which operates the worldwide ChargePoint Network. Major automakers began to sell EV models late last year. Projections estimate that by 2012, 20 models will be available and that by 2015 there will be more than 3 million plug-in electric vehicles in use worldwide.

“As electric vehicle use grows, there will be employee demand for EV charging services at their workplace,” said Dave Hansen of Brookfield-based ElectriCharge Mobility LLC. “Progressive organizations like Schlitz Park are seizing the opportunity to meet this need as part of corporate-wide green initiatives to lower greenhouse gases and to steward independence from petroleum based fuels beyond the workplace.”

Although users will charge vehicles overnight at home, the limited range of early electric vehicles will make the availability of charging stations where people work a necessity, according to Hansen.

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Toys "R" US installs huge solar system

Do you have a large, flat building with a rooftop with Southern exposure?  If you do, read about Toys "R" US PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) on their site in NJ, and start looking at the economics of a possible PPA on your site.

Here's the link:  http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3500.

Here's part of the story:  A Toys "R" Us distribution facility in New Jersey will soon be home to the largest solar rooftop installation in the country.  The huge installation will feature 37,000 solar panels producing 5.38 MW of power.
Toys "R" Us has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Constellation Energy Group -- the builders of the project -- and will meet 72 percent of the facility's energy needs with the solar power system.  The facility's carbon footprint will be reduced by 4,569 tons.
The project just surpasses another huge solar roof in progress on top of the Jersey Gardens mall that will have a capacity of 4.8 MW.  Go New Jersey!
via Treehugger

A 5.38 MW system is huge, and part of why it works is the value of the RECS in NJ. Other states need to get as aggressive as NJ in supporting the economics of renewable energy.

We will work to bring a spokes person on from Toys "R" Us to talk about the project, costs (of which they will bear none), savings on electrictiy and much more.

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Guest Blog by Greg Gerritt

Thanks, Greg, for sending this article along:  http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/05/electric_cars.

Here's part of it: 

Electric cars

Horsepower v cash cows

May 17th 2011, 18:30 by The Economist online

"AS IF petrolheads did not already have reasons aplenty to hate electric vehicles. With oil prices rising inexorably (the recent dip notwithstanding) drivers of these silent, soulless battery-powered contraptions are set to look smugly on as gas-guzzlers burn a hole in their owners' pockets. Now, adding insult to injury, research suggests that electric cars might actually make a profit for their owners.

At present, in order to meet sudden surges in demand, power companies have to bring additional generators online at a moment's notice, a procedure that is both expensive and inefficient. If there were enough electric vehicles around, though, a fair number would be bound to be plugged in and recharging at any given time. Why not rig this idle fleet so that, when demand for electricity spikes, they stop drawing current from the grid and instead start pumping it back..."

And:

"What the power company would be paying for is not so much the electricity itself as the availability of that electricity at zero notice. At the moment, peaks in demand have to be sated by firing up expensive rapid-response generators, such as gas turbines. Speed of availability is as important as total capacity. Battery-driven cars, if plugged in appropriately, provide power instantly—faster, even, than a stand-by power station. That is where they truly score. And, for that reason, owners would actually be paid a tariff related to when and for how long their cars were available for the power company to tap. In Delaware, this amounts to about 30 cents an hour. Add in a fixed fee payable just for being part of the system and Dr Kempton and Dr Pearre think an income of $4,000 a year per car might be possible. That is a sum far greater than the $225 that Nissan, for instance, thinks will be the average annual cost of the electricity needed to power one of its Leaf..."

As future owners of EV's (I hope I can include you in this group), can we make this kind of money selling power back to the Grid?  We'll find out on a future episode of Renewable Now.

In the meantime, log on and see the episode with Al Dahlberg from Project Get Ready.  Come take a look at the charging station Arpin installed at the Cardi's in W. Warwick.  Become part of the new industrial revolution and go electric.  Say no to 13million barrels of imported oil a day, 70% of which goes to transportation.  Read the book, Jolt, and plug in your next car at home using domestic energy. 

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Al Dahlberg: Wednesday, May 18

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Central Library renews environment via green roof, including solar

From an article by Bobby Tanzilo on OnMilwaukee.com:

There are always exciting things going on in Milwaukee Public Library's Downtown Central Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. But, these days, there is also some excitement on the building's roof, too.

When the library needed to replace its 25-year-old roof last year, instead of going for a conventional roof, a 30,000-square foot green roof was constructed and 132 solar electric panels were added to generate about 36,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. That's enough to power four homes annually.

"Everyone's very enthused about it," says the library's public services manager Christine Arkenberg, on a recent visit that begins on the library's first floor, where there is an area dedicated to the green roof initiative.

There, visitors can see books about green issues, view explanatory materials, see a monitor with status updates on how much electricity is being generated, watch a video screen slide show and pick up brochures.

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Today's Green News

A couple of good updates from Environmental Leader today:

Fleet Briefing: Nissan Leaf Torture Test, Fossil Fuel ‘Greener’ than Biofuel, Oil Price Predictions:

"Automotive manufacturer BYD has received an order for what it says will be the world’s largest all-electric bus fleet. The buses will serve the global collegiate athletic competition the International Universiade Games in Shenzhen, China this summer. Post-games, the buses will be incorporated into Shenzhen’s city bus fleet.
The trend toward cleaner transit buses will continue over the next several years, according to a recent report from Pike Research. The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that by 2015 alternative fuel vehicles will represent more than 50 percent of the 64,000 total transit buses that will be delivered worldwide during that year, up from 28% of total bus deliveries in 2010."

And:

"Finally, staff at automotive news service Edmunds Insideline.com have tested the endurance of an electric powered Nissan Leaf, by driving the car on a full charge until it stopped dead. The green vehicle lasted 132 miles on an oval track before running out of juice"

Here's the link if you want to read more:  http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/05/13/fleet-briefing-nissan-leaf-torture-test-fossil-fuel-greener-than-biofuel-oil-price-predictions/.

Have you logged on to ABN and watched Renewable Now yet?

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State clean energy mandates have little effect on electricity rates so far

From an article by Don Huagen in Midwest Energy News:

One of the larger reviews of renewable portfolio standards was a 2008 report (PDF) from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The study looked at data on a dozen state renewable policies enacted before 2007. The estimated impact on electricity rates varied by state, but it was a fraction of a percent in most cases and just over 1 percent in two states, Connecticut and Massachusetts. “There is little evidence of a sizable impact on average retail electricity rates so far,” the report concluded.

One of the report’s co-authors, Galen Barbose, said in an interview that they are collecting data for an updated version of the report. So far he said he hasn’t seen any new information to suggest their conclusion about rate impacts will change significantly in the next edition.

A 2009 study by the U.S. Energy Information Administration modeled the potential impact of a 25 percent nationwide renewable electricity standard. It, too, noted that rate impacts would vary by state, with renewable-rich regions like the Great Plains and Northwest meeting the targets more easily. Overall, though, it projected no impact on rates through 2020, followed by a less than 3 percent increase by 2025. By 2030, however, it projected little difference in rates with or without a national renewable mandate.

The Minnesota Free Market Institute and American Tradition Institute reached a very different conclusion in an April 2011 report (PDF), which claims Minnesota’s renewable electricity standard is going to cause rates in the state to skyrocket by as much as 37 percent by 2025.

Utilities’ experiences vary
Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility, has come up with a much smaller number: $0.003. That’s the difference Xcel forecasts between its projected per-kilowatt-hour energy price in 2025 under its proposed wind expansion plan compared to a hypothetical scenario in which it stopped adding new wind capacity after 2012.

Asked to comment on the Free Market Institute’s study, Xcel Energy spokesman Steve Roalstad said, “It doesn’t seem to be moving in that direction.” The cost of adding renewable energy sources, especially wind, continues to fall and has become very competitive with traditional generating sources, he said.

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Construction on wind turbine project near Hoan Bridge could start in July

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Plans are proceeding for Milwaukee to erect a 154-foot tall wind turbine this summer next to the Port Authority building near the Hoan Bridge.

The stimulus-funded project would generate more than enough electricity to power the port office building and sell a small amount of power back to the grid.

Some Bay View residents had raised concerns about a different alternative for the project, which would have been closer to the lake, next to the Lake Express ferry terminal.

A community meeting about the project attracted hundreds of people on a snowy evening in January. At that time, about one-third of those in attendance were in favor, another third were opposed and another third were seeking more information, said Ald. Tony Zielinski.

Zielinski said he was pleased that a compromise could be reached to address concerns about the original site.

The location by the Port Administration building, 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive, is an improvement, Zielinski said, for "people who were fearful of the detrimental effect on the aesthetics of the lakefront by virtue of having it so close to the lake."

Other concerns had been raised about the other site, which would have put up a turbine or several small turbines on a confined disposal facility next to the Lake Express car ferry terminal.

"We received a lot of push back primarily because of public trust doctrine issues and the impact on waterfowl and migratory birds in that area," said Matt Howard, director of the city's office of environmental sustainability.

Public trust concerns were raised about whether a wind turbine would be an appropriate use of land on the lakefront site.

"They listened well and took that to heart in the planning for this alternate site," said Aaron Schultz, spokesman for the Lake Express ferry.

The turbine is aimed to be a demonstration of the city's commitment to renewable energy, Howard said.

"This seems to be a good compromise position. The wind profile is still great at that site, and we're still looking at being able to generate between 110% and 150% of that building's energy needs," he said.

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CSR Wire/ Conferences

Just found this on the Corporate Social Responsibility wire:

Green Initiatives Conference

Organizer:Fidelity One Conferences

Date:09.29.11, 09:00AM – 09.30.11, 02:30PM

Location:Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Sponsor:Fidelityoneconferences.com

Website:www.greeninitiativesconference.com

Come and hear from America's top business and sustainability leaders like Carol Williams, President of Dow Chemical's Energy Division, about how they plan to tackle the issues, risks and challenges surrounding Sustainability!!!

The Green Initiatives Conference is the perfect forum for top sustainability executives to learn from each other and discuss the way forward with regards to the latest trends in Sustainability.

Smart Organizations are embedding sustainability into their "Organizational DNA." This event is geared towards everyone involved in spearheading Green Initiatives for their respective Organizations from the CEO; Chief Sustainability Officer-C.S.O, Corporate Strategists, Directors of Supply Chain, CFO to the CIO.

You will learn how leading Corporations and Organizations are moving their environmental initiatives from beyond just being a "cost center" to being a viable way to make a huge impact not just on the environment but on their financial and social bottom lines as well. Meet key Decision Makers and Solution Providers in one place.

The conference will give a 360 degree view of the hurdles and opportunities surrounding the sustainability issue and then address the business case for going Green across different functional areas.

Get up to speed on the latest developments...We are not leaving any stone unturned!!!

For more information, please contact:

Mitchie Mutyambizi Marketing Manager

Phone: 404-865-1438

Fax: 646-695-3144

Whether you attend or garner information off their site, you, too, will want to "learn how leading Corporations and Organizations are moving their environmental initiatives from beyond just being a "cost center" to being a viable way to make a huge impact not just on the environment but on their financial and social bottom lines as well." 

Off to film three more shows today, then working in Canada.  I will try to post from there this week.  

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From Gregg Gerritt, Part 2

http://prosperityforri.org/?page_id=108


The Shrinking Economy: Time to Get Real about Ecology (PART 2)Greg Gerritt

Part of Getting Real: Full Cost Accounting 
"The US is actually gearing down.  A system of Full Cost Accounting would clearly demonstrate less is available after subtracting all the damage.    Our old forests are gone and we struggle to keep the second growth we have regained. Our oil is depleted and more and more found in very difficult places to work like the bottom of the Ocean. Food is cheap but has a huge carbon footprint and more and more of our soil sits at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico creating dead zones. We have already made it harder for working people to retire safely, have made medical care harder to access and ever more expensive, fallen behind the rest of the world in clean energy production. Our bridges are failing, and the talk is of shrinking government investments that ameliorate the worst effects of the games the rich play.  Detroit is coming back as an agriculture center, not a builder of cars.  
 
Rhode Island is probably a bit further along the road to ruin than most places. The starting point for the Western Hemisphere’s industrial revolution, Rhode Island is highly urbanized, has few natural resource industries, dammed rivers, poor soils, depleted fisheries, little agriculture, slowly recovering forests (the flip side of little agriculture), and more industrial brownfields than you can shake a stick at. It has some design based industries, many artists and other knowledge workers, but what it has placed its hopes on, besides windpower, seems to be the medical industrial complex, which is by far the biggest industry in the state.  Unfortunately the faster the medical industrial complex grows, the more it sucks the life out of the rest of the economy by making health care for all unaffordable, and draining resources that might be productively utilized elsewhere. (  http://prosperityforri.org/?page_id=37 <http://ProsperityForRI.org/?page_id=37>     http://prosperityforri.org/?page_id=29 <http://ProsperityForRI.org/?page_id=29>    “Health Care in the Economy”  RI Policy Reporter issue 17   March 29, 2006  )  The unacknowledged fundamental incompatibility between using health care as a growth industry and affordable healthcare for all, and the squeeze this puts on businesses, households, ecosystems, and communities when overall growth is exceedingly limited has become unbearable and an economic disaster, but understanding of this has not yet made it to the legislative chambers or city halls of Rhode Island.  Expanding TF Green Airport or giving money to Curt Schilling to produce video games are also not going to change the fundamental problems or provide a way forward.  Like Detroit, the fastest growing industry in Rhode island is agriculture. 
 
 
A way out of the vicious cycle? 
The politicians and the rich propose tax cuts as the answer to all of our problems.  This is the only way they can give themselves more money in a shrinking economy.  Unfortunately the only result of this is bad schools, deteriorating infrastructure and an unwillingness to face climate change and the ways people are contributing to the problem. Sometimes it seems as if China understands our problem much more clearly than American politicians do and therefore is willing to lend us more money as a way of hastening our demise as a great power.  
 
All over America, and for that matter all over the world, people are experimenting with new forms of economic development. Microlending, clean energy, organic agriculture, community gardens, Zip cars, and mass transit just to name a few. It is still on the edge, on the margins, and ignored by Wall Street until it becomes the next big thing, such as the pseudo organic agriculture being touted by biotech industries, but it is exactly these new ventures, focused on healing ecosystems and doing well and doing good simultaneously that are transforming and bringing prosperity to communities undone by Wall Street.  
 
The American election system is broken. A poll in The Economist found 77 percent of respondents agree. Some of the new tools of democracy would help. Ranked choice votes and proportional representation would help insure that all voices are heard and that new ideas have an opportunity to filter up from the practitioners. But any democracy would be threatened if basic honesty about the conditions we find ourselves in are kept from the discussion. Until discussion of the American economy takes into account ecosystem collapse and the end of growth, we shall continue to get governments that cannot solve the problem and we will get wildly swinging electoral cycles. We shall throw the bums out but we will bring in new bums and continue with the mess they made."

Agree, disagree?  You tell us.

Our first Renewable Now show is not available, on demand, on the Arpin Broadcast Network. We are filming three more tomorrow.

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Great night and new blog from Gregg Gerritt

Arpin Group was fortunate enough to receive a Chaffee Conservation award last night, recognizing our installation of the first auto recharging facility in the state.  It was a great night, graced by the Governor whose dad the awards are named after.  Our sincere and humble thanks to the Environmental Council for this great honor and the privilege of attending with the other award winners.

Also, one of our future guests, Gregg Gerritt, Prosperity for RI. com, has been gracious enough to write an article (and blog), and off Renewable Now the chance to have him as a guest on our blog.  We'll include the first part today, and we'll finish tomorrow.

Here, by the way, is the link to the entire article if you want to read it all right now:  http://prosperityforri.org/?page_id=108.

And here is part 1.  :The Shrinking Economy: Time to Get Real about Ecology  

Greg Gerritt

For weeks after the 2010 elections the mass media continued to produce election analysis with the premise that the American electorate is very good at kicking out the party in power when the economy is not doing very well. Not doing well appears to mean the economy is not growing fast enough, at least 3 percent and preferable 4 or 5 percent a year. The articles claim that without this rate of growth unemployment rises and a swath of Congress pays with their seats.

Neither party has been able to find a path out of the endless morass we find ourselves in, at least not using the conventional wisdom and the conventional approach to governance.  So we end up in gridlock and a holding pattern that allows the large corporations and Wall Street to continue to loot America while the rest of us struggle. We throw the bums out of Congress whenever we have to bail out the rich after another bubble bursts. We replace them with other bums who will continue to bail out the rich.   Such is progress

My premise, and that of many others who look closely at the linkage between ecology and economy, is that due to ecological collapse it may no longer be possible to grow the economy of the United States. The conditions essential for rapid economic growth -- a massive infusion of natural resources and cheap places to throw the tras -- are no longer applicable to the United States or for the most part on the planet. Cycles of prosperity in the industrial west are becoming ever shorter, and are based more on bubbles and chicanery than actual production. Wall Street and the government pretend that we have economic growth, but if the U.S. adopted some sort of full-cost accounting, refusing to count capital depletion as income, not adding the repair of the damage done to communities by industrialism to the economy, but rather subtracting the damage and cost of repair from the economy, the numbers would show the U.S. economy was actually shrinking. It would not even register the phony growth we now see only during bubbles.

The proximate cause of the economic crash were the financial games played by Wall St. Some claim the continuation of the economic slowdown is the tax structure or the size of the government. The reality is that it is the destruction of ecosystems and depletion of natural resources: the overfishing, deforestation, erosion, elimination of wild things, dirtying of the water and fouling of the air, that has caught up with us. Our technology is not going to fix this in a way that opens the door to growth ever after. Until the political parties describe what is really going on, why a gearing down is appropriate and necessary and how they are going to engineer it rather than doing ever crazier things to prop up the appearances of growth, they will alternate in failed policies and majorities in Congress.

The original version of this essay, available at http://prosperityforri.org/?page_id=95 <http://ProsperityForRI.org/?page_id=95>   provides a variety of links to the ecological data and the data that points out that nearly all of the growth in income in the US has for more than 20 years gone to the richest 1% of the population. For at least 40% of the population their actual wealth, wealth, not income, has already shrunk.  In other words both ecological collapse and the complete stagnation of the economy are our daily reality despite what the media tells us about the American Dream.

Gregg, thanks you so much for being on the show and contributing to the blog.

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We Energies may not meet renewable energy standard

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

We Energies won final approval to build a $255 million biomass power plant in north-central Wisconsin Thursday.

The utility had wanted a decision this week to help it keep on target to complete construction by late 2013.

But the utility hasn’t decided whether it will proceed with the building the plant at this point. Utility spokesman Brian Manthey said We Energies and Domtar Corp., its partner in the project, are reviewing conditions that regulators attached to the deal – conditions that aim to bring down the overall cost of the project for utility customers.

The biomass plant at the Domtar paper mill in Rothschild is being proposed at a time when the utility has enough power to meet the needs of its customers but is required because of the state’s renewable portfolio standard.

That standard, adopted by the state Legislature in 2006, requires that 8.25% of We Energies’ power come from renewable sources by 2015.

If the project does not move forward, We Energies executives told investors last week they would want to have discussions with the Walker administration about alternatives, including a possible way of delaying the company's compliance with the law.

There have been discussions of possible legislation that would help the utility delay the time frame for complying with the law, or it could take advantage of “off-ramps” built into the 2006 law that would allow it more time to comply.

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Milwaukee solar manufacturer lands huge contract and added financing

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Helios Solar Works was awarded an additional $150,000 in financing for the purchase of robotic manufacturing equipment at its factory in the Menomonee River Valley.

Helios, which began production in February, was initially awarded a $500,000 by the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., a business lender affiliated with the city of Milwaukee, but the size of the company’s investment in robotic equipment has increased. MEDC’s loan and finance committee awarded more funding on Tuesday. . . .

Steve Ostrenga, Helios chief executive, said the increase resulted from higher costs for robotic equipment used in the production of solar panels that it says are more efficient than competitors’ panels. . . .

Ostrenga has just won its largest order to yet for solar panels, Ostrenga said.

“We just landed a 1-megawatt order,” he said. “That’s huge, so we’re making that right now.”

The 1 megawatt order is part of a 5-megawatt solar project that is expected to be one of the largest single solar projects in Europe, he said.

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Chaffee awards and NY Times article

Great first show today.  Streaming live again at 4.  Go to Arpin Broadcast Network (arpin.tv.com) to watch. Thank you, Julian Dash, for a great job.

Thursday night I am honored to accept a Chaffee Environmental award on behalf of Arpin Group.  The award recongnizes our effort in installing the first electric auto recharging station in RI.  Timing is great as our first show for Renweable Now broadcast on a live stream earlier in the day.

Today's NY Times Opinion Page does a great job of citing some of the compelling statics on the future gowth of EV's, and hybrids, and reports "The Electrification Coalition, an electric-vehicle advocacy group, estimates that if, by 2040, 75 percent of all miles driven in the United States are powered by electricity, oil consumption by light-duty vehicles will drop from the current level of nearly nine million barrels a day to two million."

Here is the link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/10/opinion/10Fletcher.html?hp.

Here is the first part of the Opinion:  "THE American response to rising gas prices has been depressingly predictable. We’re shocked to see prices top $4 a gallon, as if it’s never happened before. We demand that something be done — not to reduce our dependence on oil, but to cut the cost of a fill-up. Fortunately the White House is standing behind a goal that could genuinely transform the nation’s automotive fleet: putting one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

The plan is ambitious, but it’s more realistic than its critics maintain. Some argue that because batteries can’t yet propel a full-size car 500 miles on the highway and recharge in a few minutes, we should give up and focus on squeezing better mileage out of existing technology

But many of the electric vehicles that will count toward President Obama’s goal won’t run on electricity alone. They will combine batteries, electric motors and internal-combustion engines to use as little gasoline as possible while still doing everything Americans expect their cars to do. Electrification is not an all-or-nothing proposition — it’s a process, the gradual replacement of gas-burning engines with batteries and electric motors.

The process has already begun. Last December, the first mass-produced electric vehicles of the 21st century — the Chevrolet Volt, which runs on battery power for up to 50 miles before a backup gasoline engine kicks in, and the Nissan Leaf, a purely battery-powered five-passenger hatchback — began shipping to customers. Tesla Motors has been selling small numbers of expensive electric sports cars since 2008. Ford will soon come out with a plug-in model of its own, and Toyota will release a plug-in version of the Prius hybrid. (The current Prius can only run gas-free for short stretches and at low speeds.)"

Great article.  Read the rest when you can.  And my thanks to the wonderful people at the Environmental Council for their award and honor and advising me about this article and contributing to the blog.

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Rail money went to states with "farsighted leadership"

From an editorial in The New York Times:

None of the money in Monday’s announcement will be going to Wisconsin, for example, where Gov. Scott Walker has also decided that his strapped state could do without rail improvements and the construction jobs that go with them. Nor will it go to Ohio, where Gov. John Kasich preferred rejectionism to the improvement of rail service among the state’s largest cities, which could have produced 16,000 jobs.

Instead, it will go to 15 states that have more farsighted leadership, who understand the important role federal dollars can play in stimulating the economy, moving people quickly from place to place and reducing tailpipe emissions. Some of those states are led by Republicans: Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan happily stood beside Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Monday to accept nearly $200 million to upgrade the rail line between Dearborn and Kalamazoo, the bulk of the Chicago-Detroit corridor.

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Renewable Now getting picked up around the world

With our recent flurry of releases we've issued, in anticipation of our world premier this Thursday, May 11, stories about the show are starting to get published in many places.  Here's one I found yesterday:

Green Technolgy News

[May 06, 2011] New Web-based Show, ReNewable Now, Focuses on the "Business Side of Green" WEST WARWICK, R.I. --(Business Wire)-- On May 11, the creators of Arpin Broadcast Network will debut a new Web-based show, ReNewable Now, an eco-conscious series dedicated to the "business side of green." Peter Arpin, partner of Arpin International Group and award-winning green business advocate, hosts the program at ReNewableNow.TV. "Businesses today are only just beginning to realize the substantial cost savings that 'going green' can create for them," said Peter Arpin. "Our show features discussions with experts at the intersection of green technology and business, who offer valuable data and convincing arguments for why companies should adopt environmentally friendly programs and how they can take steps to implement them." The show will be launched through a world premiere broadcast on Wednesday, May 11, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. EDT at ReNewaleNow.TV. Every week, a new episode will premier live and then be made available "on demand" the next day. The inaugural show will feature guest Julian Dash, director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation's Renewable Energy Fund, who will discuss how his organization is helping businesses move towards a greener economy. ReNewable Now brings together government officials, business leaders, community groups, inventors, activists and others from around the world to shed light on ways in which companies can introduce green technologies, programs and practices for conducting activities in an environmentally and economically responsible manner. During each broadcast, Peter Arpin and his guests will explore ways to help companies around the world progress toward sustainable development and engage in environmentally smart practices. The ReNewable Now series challenges viewers to recognize how effective environmental management can positively impact corporate profitability and sustainability. ReNewable Now is currently inviting guests from companies, non-profits, and government organizations from around the world who have a story to share about the "business side of green." To be featured on an upcoming episode, visitReNewableNow.TV and click on the "Become a Guest" button to submit your application. Peter Arpin is part of the fourth generation of family members to run Arpin Group, the U.S.-based moving and storage company first established in 1900. Via his company, Arpin Renewable Energy, Peter Arpin currently leads a team which conducts low-carbon growth research and development initiatives for businesses. Visit Peter Arpin's ReNewable Now Blog at http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Farpingreen.blogspot.com%2F&esheet=6712922&lan=en-US&anchor=http%3A%2F%2Farpingreen.blogspot.com%2F&index=5&md5=8538fa4433a1643098d88644cdfb03cb.. Log on to the new ABN (Arpin Broadcast Network), and watch the show on  Thursday.  A historic day was we march towards a cleaner future.

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The new ABN (Arpin Broadcast Network) is live

The home network for Renewable Now is broadcasting on its new platform:  ABN 2.  You can log on at arpin.tv.com.  Our first show runs live on Thursday, 10a, EST, with a second live stream at 4p, EST.  Log on to take a look between now and Thursday.

Also, found this on Green Technology World today (green.tmcnet.com): 

Bob Vila Teams Up With GreenTowns.com to Promote Sustainability

"Bob Vila, a pioneer in helping share green ideas and promoting new sustainable home renovation and repair products and technologies, has tackled a new role as partner and featured expert in the launch of a new online network, GreenTowns.com, a digital platform that connects and celebrates green initiatives and the people leading them in towns across America.

“Every town has its own unique challenges to finding green solutions. We want to help!” said Vila, CEO of BobVila.com. “The audience of BobVila.com is interested in sustainable building and green efforts, and we hope that our partnership with GreenTowns.com will connect them with specialists and local citizens across the United States who share the same green commitment.”

With the partnership, Vila hopes to reconnect with those home renovation enthusiasts he has associated with for more than 30 years, as well as with new home renovation fans who believe strongly in the idea of green technologies dominating the future of home building and renovation.

Vila’s home renovation and repair website is an eye-opener for all those who believe that ‘going green’ is expensive and non-aesthetic, revealing how small changes can have a big impact on helping the environment"

Take a look at GreenTowns.com, and we will get them, and Bob, an invitation to be on the show.

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Boneheaded move on transit

From an editorial in The Journal Times, Racine:

In a lamentable vote last week, state Rep. Robin Vos, R-Rochester, led the state’s Joint Finance Committee to vote 12-4 along party lines to do away with recently authorized regional transit authorities in southeastern Wisconsin and four other areas of the state.

It is a boneheaded and short-sighted maneuver that could well ring the death knell for commuter rail linking Kenosha, Racine, Milwaukee and Chicago.

Unlike the high-speed rail proposed for Milwaukee to Madison by former Democratic Gov. James Doyle, KRM would connect a corridor of highly populated areas in the southeastern corner of the state. It would give businesses access to willing workers through the region, provide those workers with the means to get to jobs, give residents a car-free alternative to taking in the sights, recreational and entertainment offerings of Chicago and Milwaukee — and it would lessen the reliance on the Interstate highway system.

It was perhaps prophetic that the Vos-led vote last week came as gasoline pump prices roared well past $4 per gallon.

For good measure, the Joint Finance Committee also threw state funding for bike and pedestrian paths under the bus as well, eliminating $5 million in spending over the next two years.

Vos said the transit authorities were unpopular, unelected “abomominations” as he guided the vote for disbandonment.

Unlike during the Gov. Tommy Thompson era, in recent years Republicans have taken a Goldilocks and the Three Bears approach toward mass transit, complaining that plans — whatever plans — were too hot, too cold, too this, too that. The unelected “abomination” criticism from Vos that transit authorities would spend tax money, even though their boards were not elected, feeds into the recent rise in anti-taxing frenzy — including an advisory referendum in Racine County on “new taxes” for transit or rail that was defeated by a large margin.

In fact, Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed budget would have preserved transit authorities, but required a binding referendum before an authority could levy a tax.

That’s a more reasoned approach . . .

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