Now online: Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly

The Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly, the newsletter of RENEW Wisconsin, features these article:

Siting Rule Suspension Rocks Wind Industry
In a move that sent shock waves through the wind industry in Wisconsin, a joint legislative panel voted on March 1 to suspend the wind siting rule promulgated by the Public Service Commission in December 2010.

Community Biogas Project Fires Up
Home to 400 dairy farms, Dane County recently dedicated a community-scale manure-to-methane generating system designed to reduce nutrient runoff into the Yahara Lakes.

Insty Prints: Mpower ChaMpion
But if I can help other businesses make some of the harder choices by being more vocal, then I’m willing to help.

Manitoba Hydro: A Washout?
On behalf of our members and the many businesses and individuals who support the continued expansion of Wisconsin’s renewable energy marketplace, RENEW Wisconsin is here to express opposition to AB 114 (and its companion SB 81), and urges the Legislature not to pass this bill.

Verona Firm Begins Work on “Epic” PV
With the commissioning of its 1,300-module solar electric canopy spanning its parking deck, Epic Systems joins an elite group of Wisconsin companies embracing on-site energy capture to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. At 360 kilowatts (kW), Epic’s new photovoltaic system is the largest solar array in Dane County and the third largest in Wisconsin.

Calendar of Renewable and Energy Efficiency Events
June 17-19, 2001 The Energy Fair. Custer, WI. The nation’s premier sustainable energy education event. Three days of workshops, demonstrations, and exhibits highlighting renewable energy and sustainable living. For details see www.midwestrenew.org.

July 8-10, 2011 EcoFair360. Elkhorn, WI. Join hundreds of exhibitors and presenters and thousands of attendees who will Make Green Happen for three days of education, exploration and inspiration. For details see www.ecofair360.org.

July 16, 2011 Western Wisconsin Sustainability Fair. Menomonie, WI, Dunn County Fair Grounds. Exhibitors from business, government, and non-profi t groups, speakers, workshops, music, energy effi cient vehicles, a photo contest, and a tour of the Cedar Falls Dam. See http://sustainabledunn.org for more information.

July 30, 2011 8th Annual Kickapoo Country Fair. LaFarge, WI. The Midwest’s Largest Organic Food and Sustainability Festival. Food, music, bike and farm tours, cooking demonstrations, theater, kids’ activities, dancing. More information at www.kickappoocountryfair.org.

October 1, 2011 Solar Tour of Homes and Businesses. All across Wisconsin. Owners open their doors to let people see how renewable energy is practical, reliable, and affordable in today’s economy. The homes and businesses often include other energy efficiency and renewable technologies. For details see http://nationalsolartour.org.

October 26, 2011 Wisconsin’s Solar Decade Conference. Milwaukee, WI. Now in its seventh year, the Wisconsin
Solar Decade Conference is your opportunity to see fi rsthand the latest developments in the world of solar energy. For details see www.solardecade.com.

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Going Green with PR

Found this on a blog (CGB) and thought it did a great job of speaking to the "business side of green":  http://chrisguli.com/going-green-with-public-relations-for-company-initiatives.php.

Here's part of it:

"No matter how big a brand you have, or how many years you have been an industry leader, once your company’s reputation is in question about non-existent energy conservation programs or go green initiatives, you will experience negative repercussions which will reflect on sales and customer retention. Lowered public trust is the downfall of companies who don’t do anything about helping their brand become more conscious of how they use energy; and those that don’t even consider looking into green energy public relations tools to help them present a better picture of the initiatives done in response to the public’s clamour.

Critics, especially those groups of people who want to sabotage your business, can attack your company if there is no rigorous and well-maintained ecological sustainability. In fact, it is the most prevalent topic nowadays and many go under the media radar – how a company is doing in terms of preserving the environment by keeping things right on energy conservation. This issue particularly for a technology-centric company is easy to point out specifically the negative issues like the pollution damage that is incurred in the making of hardware parts, the smallest labor oversight, or just a general attack against electronic waste and overuse of energy.

Renewable energy is one of the hot topics nowadays, and many group of organizations have been debated this issue over time, not only on its usage for households but also in all businesses as well. Companies can be easily accused of not having enough recycling programs or promotion of proper waste management, and not only that, they’ll suffer even more if hit with the pressure of utilizing alternative energy.

Companies are urged by the public, the critics and most importantly the various regulatory boards to come up with a way to switch to renewable energy source. In this case, a company has a lot to do in terms of investing in this new energy, but the returns are greatly immeasurable. The benefits include a lower or at least a much stable cost of operations as well as reduced risk of pollutants. Once a company decides to do so, they may be able to recover the damage to their reputation by hiring environment PR to take over and promote the new facet of the company."

We have a great show releasing this week with Al Cerrone.  Be there..."you will be glad you did".

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Kodak Hands Out Cash for Cameras/Weekend Edition

We thought everyone would like this on the "business side of green": http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/06/02/kodak-hands-out-cash-for-cameras/.

" Eastman Kodak has launched a recycling program that lets consumers trade used cameras, printers and digital picture frames for cash.

The Kodak Trade-In and Recycling Program also accepts accessories such as lenses and flashes, and takes all brands.

Consumers use the program website to provide information on the products they wish to recycle. They then receive an instant quote and a pre-paid shipping label.

If the trade-in is accepted, customers receive a check as well as a discount offer from the online Kodak Store. For products with no resale value, Kodak provides the website user with responsible recycling options.

The program’s fulfillment partner is Smash Direct, an online trade-in program provider.

“Our Trade-In and Recycling program is another example of Kodak’s ongoing commitment to sustainability in our operations, and to helping consumers be more sustainable in their own lives,” said Pradeep Jotwani, president of the consumer digital imaging group and chief marketing officer at Eastman Kodak. Kodak’s other sustainability commitments include Energy Star qualified printers and digital frames, recyclable ink cartridges and papers sourced according to sustainable forestry initiatives.

Since 2002, Kodak has reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 1.5 million tons, or 49 percent, closing in on its goal for a 50 percent reduction by the end of 2012.

Recently, Toshiba America Business Solutions announced that its recycling program for ink cartridges, toner bottles, drum units and similar items will start taking items of any make."

Kudos to Eastman Kodak and their reduction on GHG emissions and their progress on the 50% goal.  Nice job.

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Google Data Center cooled with ocean waters

Very interesting article on Google's new data center in Finland, cooled as you can, from ocean waters...no refrigeration, no compressors.  Here's the link:  http://www.ecogeek.org/geothermal-power/3510.

And some of the article: 

"Google has opened a new data center in Finland where all of the cooling is done with sea water rather than compressors and refrigerants. The building, which was originally built as a paper mill, is located on the Gulf of Finland and using cool sea water is a way to save money while keeping the building cooled with a readily available resource.

Cooling is one of the biggest expenses for data centers. Servers, especially when many of them are stacked close together, generate a great amount of heat, and that heat must be dissipated to keep the equipment running. The Google data center brings in sea water through granite tunnels and into heat exchangers where the water absorbs the heat to keep the equipment cool.

The heated water is further tempered with cool sea water in a separate building before it is returned to the ocean to minimize the impact the heated water might have on the natural environment."

This last paragraph is most critical as, I'm sure, everyone's first thought is, what is the environmental impact of heated water dumping back into the ocean?  We know military ships cycle water back into the ocean, but that is on a much smaller scale.  There is clearly benefit to the environment in not using energy to run cooling systems, but it would be great to see the final economic benefit and ecological benefit or lost.

Does anyone have experience on a project like this?  We will reach out to Google on a future show to get their comments on this installation.  You have to believe their energy savings are fanstastic.

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Written on the wind: Glacier Hills open house offers up-close look at project

From an article by Lyn Jerde in the Portage Daily Register:

TOWN OF SCOTT - Along with names, dates and shout-outs to favorite sports teams, the writing on the turbine blade included a warning: "Watch out."

Mark Barden wrote it, in permanent black marker.

The warning, he said, is aimed at any birds that might fly near the blade once it's turning, 400 feet in the air.

Wednesday's open house at the Glacier Hills Wind Park was Barden's first up-close look at the components of the 90 electricity-generating wind turbines that have begun to rise in the skyline in northeast Columbia County.

But it won't be his last look. Barden said three of the towers will be on his land in the town of Scott, just outside of Cambria.

He said he doesn't share the health and safety concerns about the wind towers that many of their opponents cited in seeking to block the construction of Glacier Hills - things such as constant low-level noise and shadow flicker.

"I'm more worried," he said, "about the red lights at night," he said. "When I look in the sky and try to find constellations, all I'll see is the red beacons (on the towers).

"But," Barden added, "we'll deal with that."

Barden was one of several hundred people who attended the open house, which included indoor easel and tabletop displays, and a tour - on foot or by school bus - of one of the four towers that, as of Wednesday, had two of its four segments erected.

Mike Strader, site manager for the We Energies project, said that, barring wind or other inclement weather, plans call for adding the top two segments to at least one of the towers today, with the hub, cell and three blades of the turbine to follow soon.

More photos on RENEW's Facebook page.

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Thank you to Cardis/GM recycles parts of Gulf Oil spill into Volt

Renewable Now, thanks to our sponsor, Cardi's Furniture, was featured on a regional morning show yesterday, the Rhode Show.  You will be seeing a lot more of Renewable Now on TV, print and listening to us on radio.

Some positive news from EcoGeek this morning on the cradle-to-crave tail end of the tragedy in the Gulf.  GM is taking 227 miles of oil-soaked plastic booms, used to clean up the spill, and building Volts with them.  Here's the link:  http://www.ecogeek.org/automobiles/3514.

Article: " A majority of the miles upon miles of plastic oil booms deployed to soak up the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill have ended up either in landfills or are destined to be burned for fuel.  GM has come up with a way to keep a large chunk of those booms from that same fate by recycling the material into parts for the Chevy Volt.

GM will turn a total of 227 miles worth of oil booms into material for the Volt's air-deflecting baffles that surround the radiator.  A centrifuge spins the used booms to release the oil and the plastic material is then processed and remolded to be used in the air deflectors.  The program will divert 212,500 pounds of boom waste from landfills.

The air deflectors are made of all recycled materials, including the booms, recycled tires from a GM test facility, recycled packaging plastic from a GM plant and post-consumer recycled plastic."

So, on the business side of green, we turn a liability, a huge liability, into a partial asset.  That is great management of resources, great innovation, a testimony to what a creative team, in this case at GM, can do to innovate their processes.  As importantly, the last paragraph describes Volt's assumption of all recycled material, including old tires, into their booms.

Wonderful job, GM, of reducing material costs and helping to clean the earth and rid ourselves of part of our ugly failures.  Can we do more of this?  Please let us know if your company has a similar story to share.

Coming up soon on Renewable Now is a show, with Al Cerrone, profiling the innovative Volt, and the major changes instituted at GM post-bankruptcy.  Al does a great job, with a great sense of humor, of covering the story.  We look forward to having you there.

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Today's Live Stream of our newest show

Wednesday at 10a we stream live our newest show.  Join us.

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