Driving America in the right direction ERIN CRAIG /Weekend Report

Excellent update on our efforts to reduce auto emissions, from a combination of more efficient cars to driving less miles, from Terra Pass.  Mostly good news in here:  http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/driving-america-in-the-right-direction?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Driving+America+in+the+right+direction&utm_content=peterarpin%40msn.com&utm_campaign=Newsletter+07%2F29%2F2011ERIN CRAIG | JULY 28, 2011Eco-driving index shows erratic progress, but progress nonetheless."I’ve commented before about a dilemma produced by fuel-efficient cars: they emit less per mile, but also make it less expensive to drive… creating a countervailing incentive to drive more than you might have in a gas guzzler.Therefore...

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Come to Cardis today for our first on-location shoot

We are doing four shows today at Cardis in Swansea.  Come be part of the live audience.  We will be there from 10a-2p.  Be part of our next series of sho...

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Two interesting stories from Environmental Leader

Have you wondered how Grids manage energy, particularly during hot spells?  Here's some great insight as to the tools they use to keep us up and running.  Link to the story:  http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/07/27/enernoc-dispatched-at-record-levels-as-us-sizzles/And some of the story:  EnerNOC Dispatched At Record Levels as US Sizzles"EnerNOC said that its DemandSMART demand response network was dispatched at record levels last Friday, helping to mitigate blackout risks and reduce energy costs, as a severe heat wave swept North America.EnerNOC’s network responded to a series of dispatches from grid operators including the mid-Atlantic’s PJM Interconnection, the New York Independent System Operator, the Ontario Power Authority, and ISO-New England. EnerNOC was also...

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Milwaukee debuts solar financing program

From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:A solar financing program for city residents will be unveiled Thursday at a community kickoff event at South Shore Park Pavilion.Under the new program, Milwaukee Shines will partner with Summit Credit Union to help homeowners finance the installation costs for solar panels.The city says a study of solar installers found financing options were a key barrier to homeowners installing panels."We have seen the number of solar installations increase over the past two years since our solar program began, but financing the installation can still be a challenge for homeowners," said Amy Heart, who manages the Milwaukee Shines solar program.Solar installers and organizers of the city's solar program and the city energy efficiency program...

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Newest Show on Renewable Now

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Milwaukee aldermen approve downtown streetcar line

From an article by Larry Sanders in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Milwaukee aldermen voted 10-5 Tuesday to approve a modern streetcar line downtown. In response to concerns raised by Comptroller W. Martin "Wally" Morics, aldermen agreed to limit spending to engineering for now, and to seek a review by the comptroller's office before releasing money for construction.The measure now heads to Mayor Tom Barrett, the plan's chief advocate, for his signature.Plans call for a 2.1-mile line, from the lower east side to the downtown Amtrak-Greyhound station, starting in 2014. Streetcars would run every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends, late-night and early-morning hours. The $64.6 million project would be funded by $54.9 million in long-idle federal transit aid and $9.7 million...

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Thanks to Oyster Works and Charlestown Package Store

As the show featuring the construction of Charlestown 's Package Store amazing new facility, featuring geothermal heating and cooling, along with lots of other smart, efficient construction and technology, goes to on-demand on our site, we want to thank them for heavily promoting their appearance on Renewable Now.  Here's their latest marketing piece that we wanted to share with you.  Please make sure you watch the show, which you can do right now off this blog, too:Having trouble viewing this email? Click hereOyster Works' Sensibly Green Project Featured on Renewable Now WebCastOyster Works principal, Andrew Baer, and Charlestown Wine and Spirits' owner, Jon Maldon, were featured on a recent broadcast of Renewable...

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It's official: Rail line from Kenosha to Milwaukee is dead

From an article by Larry Sandler in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Meeting for the last time Monday, the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority ended plans for a commuter rail line linking Milwaukee to Kenosha, Racine and the southern suburbs.The RTA also asked that $6 million congressionally earmarked for the KRM Commuter Link be redirected to the Milwaukee County, Racine and Kenosha bus systems, if legally possible.Much of Monday's agenda was dictated by the Legislature. In the 2011-'13 state budget, lawmakers ordered that the Southeastern RTA and its Dane County counterpart be dismantled, along with two other regional transit authorities that had been authorized but never formed.The three-county body was planning the $284 million KRM and would have run the rail line. Plans had called for...

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Mitsubishi Unveils Solar-Powered Vehicle Charging Station

Great, fantastic news from Mitsubishi:  Driving an electric vehicle (EV) can be a source of personal pride and a strong statement of how you see yourself in the world. Unfortunately, it can also be a little stressful if you have to worry about your car’s charge running out in the middle of nowhere.Enter Mitsubishi, who has recently announced the debut of a solar-powered charging station at their headquarters in Cypress, California. Preceding the launch of the new Mitsubishi i electric vehicle in November, the opening of this charging station is designed to show the company’s commitment to improving the national infrastructure for EV drivers.  Eventually, certified Mitsubishi dealers across the US will also be EV-ready...

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Good news from USPS/Weekend Edition

I know it is easy to beat up on the US Postal Service,  but here is some good news for a change:USPS Saves $400m on Energy Since FY2007"The U.S. Postal Service has accumulated over $400 million in avoided energy costs since fiscal year 2007, the service has announced.USPS made the announcement on the second anniversary of New York City’s largest green roof, atop the Morgan mail processing and distribution facility, which has saved more than $1 million in energy costs so far. The roof reduced energy use by 40 percent in the first year, the service reported.USPS said it has created, and continues to develop, robust systems to audit and analyze facility energy data. It said…."To finish the article, use this link:  http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/07/22/usps-saves-400m-on-energy-since-fy2007/What...

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Game Changer‏/Sierra Club

We love sharing good news.  We recently promoted a national referendum calling for a large-scale change to electric vehicles, which was driven by this great group.  Now they have more good news and are doing more good work:This from the Mayor of NY:  " Dear Friends,As the Mayor of New York City, I know first-hand the effects of air pollution on a community. I have been working for years on initiatives to clean our air, prevent climate change, and create a clean energy future. As a New Yorker, I'm pretty hard to surprise. But as I have been watching the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign do the unthinkable -- stop over 150 coal plants from being built over the past several years -- I have been truly impressed. The power of...

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Hydrogen Fueling Stations Could Reach 5,200 by 2020

Have you thought about hydrogen as an alternative fuel for a future car?  You should.  Clean burning (water is the discharge), affordable, efficient.  Honda has been selling a hydrogen-powered Civic for years, with good results.To make it successful, we need many distribution points.  Here's a good article that predicts 5200 hydrogen fueling stations within 9 years, a very promising future.  Here's the link:  http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/07/20/hydrogen-fueling-stations-could-reach-5200-by-2020/.Part of the article:  "More than 5,200 hydrogen fueling stations for cars, buses and forklifts will be operational by 2020, up from just 200 stations in 2010, according to a report by Pike Research.In the report, Hydrogen Infrastructure, the cleantech market...

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Trains unnecessarily cost Wisconsin taxpayers millions due to Walker's fund rejection

From an article by Larry Sandler and Jason Stein:Wisconsin taxpayers could wind up paying more to keep existing passenger train service from Milwaukee to Chicago than they would have paid to run new high-speed rail service from Milwaukee to Madison, according to a Journal Sentinel analysis of state figures.The Legislature's budget committee voted 12-2 Tuesday to spend $31.6 million in mostly borrowed state money on Amtrak's Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line, costs that could have been paid largely by an $810 million federal grant that would have extended the Hiawatha to Madison.But Tuesday's vote doesn't cover all the spending that will be needed to keep running the Hiawatha, a growing service that carried nearly 800,000 passengers last year.State transportation officials have estimated they...

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Budget committee votes to spend $31.6 million on rail service

From an article by Jason Stein and Patrick Marley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:Madison - The Legislature's budget committee voted 12-2 Tuesday to spend $31.6 million on the Milwaukee-to-Chicago passenger rail service, costs that could have largely been paid by a federal grant that would have extended passenger rail from Milwaukee to Madison. The Joint Finance Committee voted unanimously to shift $33 million within the transportation fund to cover higher than expected winter maintenance costs. Democrats backed the passenger rail measure. But they pointed to an estimate from the Legislature's nonpartisan budget office that found that at least $22.4 million of the additional costs stem from Republican Gov. Scott Walker's move to cancel an $810 million high-speed rail line connecting Madison...

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Newest Show broadcasting live today at 10a and 4p

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Which Is Better: Hybrid or Fuel-Efficient Conventional?

Our show has been reporting on the advent of the electric cars (EV's) and the potential impact on our world.  We believe a transformation to EV's is the solution to mitigating transportation's carbon impact on the air we breath.  Now Mother Jones magazine does a great job of comparing hybrids (which partially uses electric) to fuel-efficient conventional cars as the reporter looks to buy a new car.  If EV's are not for you, which is disappointing but understandable, read this to determine the best clean alternatives to buying a new car.The link:  http://motherjones.com/blue-marble/2011/07/hybrid-prius-fuel-gas.  Part of the story:  "After five car-free years, I am finally considering buying a vehicle. But which...

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National Study Vindicates Wisconsin’s Clean Energy Policies

Immediate releaseJuly 18, 2011More informationMichael VickermanExecutive Director608.255.4044mvickerman@renewwisconsin.orgNational Study Vindicates Wisconsin’s Clean Energy PoliciesNearly a decade of forward-looking strategies propelled investments in Wisconsin’s clean jobs economy above other Midwest states, according to an economic study issued by The Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan public policy organization in Washington, D.C.Reviewing data gathered between 2003 and 2010, the Brookings analysis pegged the number of clean economy jobs in the state at 76,858, a net increase of nearly 4,000. Measured as a percentage, Wisconsin’s clean economy accounted for 2.7% of all jobs in the state, compared with 2.5% for Iowa, 2.1% for Minnesota, 1.9 % for both Indiana and Michigan, and 1.8% for...

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Ceridian Paycards Help Employers Pay Green

Great article on a new, more efficient, less wasteful way to pay employees.The link is: http://www.istockanalyst.com/business/news/5297160/ceridian-paycards-help-employers-pay-greenConverting paychecks to employee paycards saves companies money, time and paper.Jul. 18, 2011 (Business Wire) -- Ceridian Corporation, a leading provider of human capital management and payroll outsourcing solutions and a leader in payment innovation, announced today its Pay Green initiative. Through this initiative the company will be offering existing eligible customers the option to pay their employees using paycards, an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional printed pay checks. During this initial offering, Ceridian will waive the employer fees associated...

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DOT to study walking, biking lane for Hoan Bridge

From an article by Tom Daykin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:The state Department of Transportation will study the feasibility of creating a lane for biking and walking across Milwaukee's Hoan Bridge as part of the department's overall work on rebuilding the span.That study is to be completed this fall, said DeWayne Johnson, the department's regional director for southeastern Wisconsin.Johnson made his comments at a meeting of the Long-Range Lakefront Planning Committee.The County Board created the committee to advise it on the future of O'Donnell Park, the Downtown Transit Center and nearby areas.The board created the group after philanthropist and retired business executive Michael Cudahy floated a plan to demolish O'Donnell Park and the transit center and replace them with a hotel and...

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Tomorrow's Bee-a-Thon

This is going to be an interesting broadcast tomorrow.  Here's description of what is going on:"On July 16th, bee counters across the nation are hosting “backyard bee parties” and other garden events as they celebrate Bee-a-thon 2011, the first-ever online “town hall” event dedicated to our pollinators and broadcasting live to worldwide audiences from 9 am to 9 pm US-Pacific TimeI am writing today to ask you to help spread the word, through your network, friends and family, about this free online grassroots event to help raise awareness around the plight of our disappearing bees. Bee-a-thon 2011 is a fun, interactive event featuring top experts in science, horticulture, conservation and education, as well as other environmental players...

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Believing in change: People can make a difference, Eric Hansen says

From an interview by Lee B. Roberts in the Racine Journal Times:The spiritual aspects of climate change, rather than the technical ones, are the essence of our task as we face this complex conservation challenge, says Eric Hansen, a Milwaukee-based writer, conservationist and public radio essayist. And, conservation work —forging wide agreements on vital landscape issues, is work Wisconsinites know well and excel at, Hansen said in his public radio essay, “Copenhagen, Climate Change and Common Sense Conservation in Wisconsin,” which won him a first place commentary/editorial award from the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association last year. “We’ve done it before and we can do it again.” Hansen will share his thoughts on climate change — and our role in facing it — in a free program at Olympia Brown...

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Enjoy the new show streaming live today at 10a and 4p EST

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This Is The Week To Push The Streetcar Plan, Milwaukee

From The Political Environment, a blog by James Rowen:Milwaukee's Common Council will decide this week whether to move the downtown streetcar plan forward, so let's get involved and help make it happen.Check out www.themilwaukeestreetcar.org . . . .Make sure you email support to mayor@milwaukee.gov with copies to Council Pres. Willie Hines at whines@milwaukee.gov and Alderman Michael Murphy at mmurph@milwaukee.gov.Here are major benefits to the long-delayed system:Transportation:· Improves transit mobility to and between key residential, employment and activity centers.· Maximizes transit accessibility and choices for residents, employees, and visitors. Accessible, low floors for level boarding for disabled, elderly, strollers, bikes. Service every 10-15 minutes.· ...

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From Mark Learn one of our guest bloggers

Military budgets here and world wide are making a serious commitment  to renewable energy:How is this for a headline:  Worldwide military spending on solar to be 15 times higher by 2030.  Clearly, the military sees renewable energy, in particular, solar, as the right alternative to power their troops and equipment going forward.  Such a commitment and investment will help spur many improvements and innovations in the use of renewable energy for mobile batteries, transportation, temporary shelters and mobile communication systems.  The possibilities are phenomenal.Here's the link and part of the story:  http://gm-volt.com/2011/06/17/worldwide-military-spending-for-renewable-energy-to-increase-by-15-times-by-2030/."One...

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Wisconsin’s Widening War on Renewable Energy

Dramatic Slowdown in Market Activity AnticipatedBy Michael VickermanJuly 11, 2011What started out as an opening salvo from the Walker Administration to shackle large-scale wind projects has in six months turned into a systematic campaign to dismantle the state policies that support renewable energy development. Joining the executive and legislative branches in pursuing policy rollbacks and/or funding cutbacks against renewables are various utilities and, surprisingly, Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s ratepayer-funded energy efficiency and renewable programs.Since January 1st, Wisconsin has seen a series of assaults against utility-scale projects and smaller renewable systems serving both residences and businesses. These include the following actions:The Legislature suspended PSC 128, the statewide...

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