Have a Good Weekend – You earned it

Posted on April 3, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

by Jason Kincaid on April 2, 2009

Virgance, the unique ‘Activism 2.0? startup that is looking to improve the world while making money in the process, has announced the latest addition to its portfolio of campaigns. The company has revealed that beginning six months ago it began quietly acquiring a number of blogs, namely the Green Options Media Network – a collection of 15 blogs, each of which is focused on a different portion of the environmental space. Since the acquisition the blog network has managed to become profitable despite the floundering economy, and has seen its writing staff grow significantly. But according to Virgance, they’re just getting started.

Green Options was founded back in 2007, and has grown to around 2.5 million monthly unique visitors. The network’s most popular blogs include Gas 2.0 (a blog focused on alternative fuels) and CleanTechnica, a blog that examines the latest trends in clean tech. The network sees around 30-40 new blog posts a day, though some of the niche blogs are updated less frequently than the others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jURRsAMGuZk

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2009/04/02/usgs-finds-sources-dead-zone

USGS Finds Sources for New Jersey-Sized Dead Zone in Gulf

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By Matthew Wheeland, April 2, 2009

Every year, excess fertilizers and animal manure flow down the Mississippi River and empties into the Gulf of Mexico, leaving an increasingly large swath of the gulf completely lifeless.

The Gulf’s “Dead Zone,” as it’s commonly known, is largely the result of excess fertilizer use; as the NOAA website on the gulf hypoxic zone puts it, “Nutrient over-enrichment from anthropogenic sources is one of the major stresses impacting coastal ecosystems.” When too much fertilizer and animal waste flow off of farm and ranch lands, it adds too much nitrogen and phosphorus to the water, which depletes oxygen, results in algae blooms, and drives off fish, shrimp and other aquatic life.

In addition to killing off massive amounts of sea life, the Gulf’s dead zone has crippled fishing industries for long stretches of the summer in Louisiana and eastern Texas. Last year, the NOAA predicted the largest-ever dead zone, at 8,800 square miles about the size of New Jersey. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC1ivZl7AE4&feature=related

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/02everglades.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Everglades Restoration Plan Shrinks

By DAMIEN CAVE

Published: April 1, 2009

MIAMI — The Everglades have become yet another victim of the shrinking economy.

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Cane being cut in Clewiston, Fla., in fields owned by the United States Sugar Corporation.

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Times Topics: Everglades

Gov. Charlie Crist announced Wednesday that Florida would significantly scale back its $1.34 billion deal to restore the Everglades by buying 180,000 acres from the United States Sugar Corporation.

At a news conference in Tallahassee, Mr. Crist outlined a far more modest proposal: $530 million for 72,500 acres, with an option to buy the rest by 2019.

“We feel this is the best opportunity, the best financial scenario we can present,” Mr. Crist said, adding, “The economy has been what it has been, and we have to deal with the parameters we are given.”

The new proposal, if approved by the South Florida Water Management District and the board of United States Sugar, would amount to the second major revision of a plan that began last June as a purchase of United States Sugar, all assets included, for $1.75 billion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt7OqNNqwlw&feature=related

life is….

OverPopulation Is The Real Problem With Energy – We are not sustainable and 6 billion people will have to die

Posted on April 1, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

OverPopulation is never a pleasant topic. Why? Well for so many reasons:

1. It is Anti-Capitalistic. Capitalism is founded on an unlimited growth model as is it’s hand maiden in literature – science fiction. Malthus sends Capitalists into a frenzy of “it ain’t so” denial. But if he is ultimately right, and our technology and science can not prevent our population from stabilizing at a set amount, then Capitalism is dead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8-WgJVUcD4

2. It is anti-religious. Almost every religion in the world preaches procreation. The idea has always been that the religion that has the most recruits will eventually become the ULTIMATE Religion. Which is the goal of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndX3tVxCt8&feature=related

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7974995.stm

Earth population ‘exceeds limits’

By Steven Duke
Editor, One Planet, BBC World Service

LIVING ON A CROWDED EARTH

Crowded commuter trains (AP)

Current world population – 6.8bn

Net growth per day – 218,030

Forecast made for 2040 – 9bn

Source: US Census Bureau

There are already too many people living on Planet Earth, according to one of most influential science advisors in the US government.

Nina Fedoroff told the BBC One Planet programme that humans had exceeded the Earth’s “limits of sustainability”.

Dr Fedoroff has been the science and technology advisor to the US secretary of state since 2007, initially working with Condoleezza Rice.

Under the new Obama administration, she now advises Hillary Clinton.

“We need to continue to decrease the growth rate of the global population; the planet can’t support many more people,” Dr Fedoroff said, stressing the need for humans to become much better at managing “wild lands”, and in particular water supplies.

Pressed on whether she thought the world population was simply too high, Dr Fedoroff replied: “There are probably already too many people on the planet.”

3. OverPopulation is very male. Knowing that OverPopulation must end is very women centered. One of the most mysogynist impulses is religion’s and men’s impulse to control a woman’s womb. When women control their womb they produce 2 or 3 children which is just about right for their health and just about right for the planet. But over procreation has been the norm for the last 300 years and we are about to reap it’s wind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlpyGhABXRA&feature=related

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1525/is_5_84/ai_62896162/

Y6B: The Real Millennial Threat

– effects of overpopulation – Brief Article

Sierra , Sept, 1999 by William G. Hollingsworth

Think the population explosion is over? Think again.

On or about October 12, 1999, human population is expected to reach 6 billion. While it took until about 1800 to reach the first billion, the trip from 5 billion to 6 will have required a mere 12 years. Those born in 1930 will have seen humankind triple within their lifetime.

That makes all the more surprising the strange take of the national media, which over the past few years have been full of stories like “The Population Explosion Is Over” (The New York Times Magazine) or “Now the Crisis Is Global Underpopulation” (Orange County Register). These contrarian stories are based on two recent demographic trends: fertility in nearly all developed nations has fallen below the population-stabilizing “replacement” rate (2.1 children per woman, where mortality is low), and fertility is declining in most of the developing world. These trends led the United Nations to revise its population projections, reflecting a slower rate of growth than previously forecast.

“Slower,” however, does not mean slow. At the current global growth rate, 1.5 million people–roughly a new metropolitan Milwaukee–are added every week. Despite fertility declines, birthrates in much of the world remain high. For example, Guatemala’s fertility is 5.1 children per woman, Laos and Pakistan’s 5.6, and Iraq’s 5.7. And those are not even the high end of the spectrum: Afghanistan’s fertility rate is 6.1. The 43 nations of East, West, and Central Africa average 6.0, 6.2, and 6.3 children per woman, respectively. Countries that have reduced their birthrate to three or four children per woman are also growing very rapidly. This is partly because of “population momentum,” in which earlier high fertility yields a large proportion of young people. Even fertility rates fractionally above replacement can perpetuate rapid growth.

What if every nation’s fertility stayed at its present level? Human population would exceed 50 billion by the year 2100–if the earth could support that many.

The UN “medium” projections (perhaps the most realistic) now assume that fertility in developing nations will fall to about 2.2 children per woman over roughly the next 30 years. Even so, world population would reach 8.9 billion by 2050. The 2.9 billion gain would itself equal the world’s entire human population in 1957.

Most future growth will occur in the most distressed regions of the earth, many of which are already experiencing severe deforestation, water shortages, and massive soil erosion. In the medium projections, sub-Saharan Africa’s present population of 630 million will more than double to 1.5 billion by 2050. By that time, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, and Pakistan will also more than double, as will Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Paraguay. Bangladesh will grow by two-thirds, and India will increase by more than half a billion persons to 1.5 billion.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/overpopulation/overpopulation.html

4. OverPopulation harbors everyone’s worst fears about “State” control. That we will be prohibited to breed “for our own good” and that only the rich shall have kids. Which would your rather have a human die off of 6 billion people or a little self control?? But we are past that now. The die off will happen and the real issue is “what do we do when humans become food”…and once we get over the crash how do we stabilize the population. Many world leaders are thinking about this now. Shouldn’t you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kndX3tVxCt8&feature=related

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation

Overpopulation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (December 2007)

Map of countries by population density (See List of countries by population density.)

Areas of high population densities, calculated in 1994.

Map of countries and territories by fertility rate (See List of countries and territories by fertility rate.)

Overpopulation is a condition where an organism‘s numbers exceed the carrying capacity of its habitat. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment, the Earth.^[1]

Overpopulation does not depend only on the size or density of the population, but on the ratio of population to available sustainable resources. If a given environment has a population of 10 individuals, but there is food or drinking water enough for only 9, then in a closed system where no trade is possible, that environment is overpopulated; if the population is 100 but there is enough food, shelter, and water for 200 for the indefinite future, then it is not overpopulated. Overpopulation can result from an increase in births, a decline in mortality rates due to medical advances, from an increase in immigration, or from an unsustainable biome and depletion of resources. It is possible for very sparsely-populated areas to be overpopulated, as the area in question may have a meager or non-existent capability to sustain human life (e.g. the middle of the Sahara Desert or Antarctica).

The resources to be considered when evaluating whether an ecological niche is overpopulated include clean water, clean air, food, shelter, warmth, and other resources necessary to sustain life. If the quality of human life is addressed, there may be additional resources considered, such as medical care, education, proper sewage treatment and waste disposal. Overpopulation places competitive stress on the basic life sustaining resources, leading to a diminished quality of life.:}

http://www.culturechange.org/overpopulation_resources.html

Wind Powered Car – OK so you will not see these on the InterState anytime soon

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

But the idea is amazing. When I was young a guy converted an Ice Racer to wheels and he could haul ass. Of course on really flat land when the wind was blowing. Turning was a problem too. As John Lennon said, “it’s not just for dreamers anymore”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7968860.stm

Wind-powered car breaks record

Wind powered Greenbird reached speeds of 126.1 mph

A British engineer from Hampshire has broken the world land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle.

Richard Jenkins reached 126.1mph (202.9km/h) in his Greenbird car on the dry plains of Ivanpah Lake in Nevada.Mr Jenkins told the BBC that it had taken him 10 years of “hard work” to break the record and that, on the day, “things couldn’t have been better”.American Bob Schumacher set the previous record of 116 mph in 1999, driving his Iron Duck vehicle.“It’s great, it’s one of those things that you spend so long trying to do and when it actually happens, it’s almost too easy,” Mr Jenkins told the BBC.The Greenbird is a carbon fibre composite vehicle that uses wind (and nothing else) for power. The only metalwork used is for the wing bearings and the wheel unit.Sail awayThe designers describe it as a “very high performance sailboat” but one that uses a solid wing, rather than a sail, to generate movement.Mr Jenkins, from Lymington, spent 10 years designing the vehicle, with Greenbird the fifth vehicle he has built to try to break the record.:}But he is not the only chap to get in on the act:http://www.nalsa.org/speed_record.htm NALSA NEWS FLASH- New Landsailing Speed Record !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3/16/99March 15, 1999 – Ivanpah Dry Lake , Primm, NVYesterday Bob Schumacher (pilot) and Bob Dill (designer/pilot) achieved a new world record in landsailing hitting 108.8 miles per hour (175.5 kph) in 25-35 mph winds. Many runs were made in the 90’s and over 100 with Bob Dill and Bob Schumacher alternating as pilots in the “Iron Duck” solid wing, three wheeled landyacht. This US achievement replaces the former world record of 94.7 mph (152.7 kph) held by Bertrand of France.Bob Dill has been developing the Iron Duck for over 7 years in his hometown of Burlington, Vermont.Measurement team was headed by Kent Hatch, President of the North American Land Sailing Assn. (NALSA).More speed attempts are possible as the NALSA America’s Landsailing Cup Regatta begins March 21-26, 1999 at the Ivanpah dry lake site on the California side of Primm, NV, 35 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada.(See follow up note. Editor)Yacht notes may be read here.NALSAc/o Kent Hatch1680 Manzanita LnReno, NV 89509775-825-1530 contact phone775-825-5626 Faxkent@hatchrealty.reno.nv.usReported by Mark Harris, NALSA, American 5 Square Meter Assn., SALA2027 Valencia WaySparks, NV 89434

Speed Ramblings

By Bob Dill October 2000

The Iron Duck Flies AgainOn Friday, March 31, the last day of the PACRIM we had plenty of wind…too much wind to race. It started with gusts over 30 and built to gusts over 40. I took advantage of the big wind to try to beat Bob Schumacher’s NALSA sanctioned record of 116.7 mph. I figured with so much wind it would be a piece of cake. It turns out, it was not so easy. If I had a decent run I could easily get over 110 but the fastest I went was 113.4 (in two separate runs).

www.nalsa.org

Suddenly it has gotten real hip man:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkcn8ZkvKKc

OR

Ventomobile, World’s First Wind-Powered

Race Car, Ready for Primetime

by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 5.08

Cars & Transportation

ventomobile image

While electric cars and PHEVs may still be all the rage stateside, a team of German students has already moved on to the next latest and greatest: wind-powered vehicles. That’s right: students from Stuttgart University’s Team InVentus have built the Ventomobile, a three-wheeled “car” which features a 2 meter diameter two-bladed rotor mounted on top.Despite its seeming unwieldiness, the Ventomobile has already proven itself as a potent racing contender — performing impressively during early wind tunnel testing. The airy vehicle weighs in below 100 kg and has an engine power of 6 kW. See below the fold for a video of the construction process.The InVentus team plans on competing in the 3-day, 5.3 kilometer Aeolus Race in Den Helder, Netherlands, against 5 teams from other European universities and research institutions. Here’s a short description from the

www.windenergyevents.com official website
:}

Al Casella – What other people had to say

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

Disclaimer – I got these comments off of the “guest books” both at the SJ-R and the funeral home. They are online. Thus I suppose public. If anyone objects to their comment being displayed here I will immediately take it down.

Claimer – This is not an all inclusive list. I picked people I know or Know OF, and people’s comments that seemed typical. If you wish to add your own please do.

SJ-R:

http://www.legacy.com/sj-r/Obituaries.asp?Page=SearchResults

Butler Funeral Home:

http://www.kirlin-egan-butler.com/_mgxroot/page_10730.php

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of such an influential person in my life. I only wish I would have known before the funeral so I could have attended. He will absolutely be missed.

Layla Paulus-Slater Mar 18, 2009 Dunlap, IL

Al was a scientist with a social conscience.What a warm,positive,loving human being!He was always there to lend support when supporters were few and far between.He saw the whole university as his home,not just his program or school.Great mind,great fun-loving personality,great colleague and friend.If SSU was truly a “different” kind of university,and I believe it was,it’s because of people like Al.As he would say,Solidarity Forever! My sincerest condolences to his family. How fortunate they were to have him as their own. Mike Townsend.

mike townsend Mar 16, 2009 springfield, IL

I was very sorry to hear about Al’s death. He was one of my favorite professors. He had the ability to actually help me understand nuclear physics! I will always remember his big smile and friendly personality. Please accept my condolences.dorene gillman campbell Mar 16, 2009 sherman, IL

Thank you, Alex, for your collegiality and friendship.

Jack Van Der Slik Mar 16, 2009 Port Saint Lucie, FL

Al was a good friend…we will miss him very much.

John and Diane Munkirs Mar 14, 2009 Rochester, IL

If I were not leaving town in a few hours I would certainly be present to offer my heartfelt condolences in person. Al and I worked together on many committtees and projects during the thirty some years we were both on the faculty at UIS and I always treasured his intelligence, generosity,and good humor. I especially remember the good times we had together back in the mid-1980s when we were both on sabbatical leave at the same time and both happened to be in the San Francisco area. He was a fine person who leaves fond memories behind.

Larry Shiner Mar 13, 2009 Springfield, IL

March 17, 2009 I was a student of Dr. Casella’s and am sad to hear of his passing. I had worked with him on “Peace Talks” and through the Heartland Peace Center also. I am also a staff member of the Central Illinois Foodbank and recognized that he has also been a great supporter of our organization. He was a great man and will be missed by many.
Sincerely, Lynne Slightom Lynne Slightom (Springfield, IL)

Dear Family of Alex,
I wish I could join all of you and all of Alex’s friends for his memorial service. Alex was a dear friend to all and especially to my late sister, Beckie, and late husband, Luther Skelton. I have fond memories of parties on Lowell Avenue–especially the one with Winona LaDuke! My thoughts and prayers are with all of you during this sad time of losing Alex.
Peace and Love,
Bonnie Benard Mar 13, 2009 BERKELEY, CA

Alex was a special man and a dear friend to me and my family. We will so miss him. As I wrote to Chris, Lara, and Niny, I’m certain Dr. Casella is up there right this minute kibitzing with Dr. Einstein. And Albert is loving every minute of it.

Lynn Lyons Mar 13, 2009 Laguna Beach, CA

I had the pleasure of officiating the wedding of Alex and Niny at Washington Park in 2001. It was a beautiful ceremony. Alex will be greatly missed by all those who knew him. I will never forget “Casella’s Theory of ESP”.

Prairie Eigenmann Mar 13, 2009 Sherman, IL

Thanks, Alex, for being my friend for all these years

Tom Immel Mar 12, 2009 Springfield, IL

March 15, 2009 Susan and I are saddened to learn of Alex’s departure. I valued his leadership as dean and his advice as a colleague. He was a highly active and creative member of our campus community. He was forever launching new initiatives toward the betterment of our campus, our community, and the world. His initiatives strengthened the Environmental Studies Program and contributed to the vitality of the campus. His sense of humor also lightened the tone of sometimes difficult operational discussions. His creativity even extended to the genius of his costumes at our vaunted Halloween parties. He once appeared as the most authentic witch we had ever seen! We want to offer our deepest sympathy to his family. Wayne and Susan Penn (Walnut Creek, CA)

March 15, 2009 Commiserations from the Lennon family–Michael, Donna, Stephen, Joseph and James. I worked with Alex for many years at SSU/UIS in public affairs activities–he was dean of public affairs for several years–and relish the memories of his energy, humor and commitment to the environment. He was one of the prime movers in establishing Earth Day nationwide and gave of himself generously to many worthy causes. Endlessy curious and open to new experience, he was always fun to be with. I saw him last when he came to Pennsylvania for the funeral of our friend, Ashim Basu. I’m glad he lived long enough to see President Obama elected and the nation begin to mobilize against global warming, but sorry that his laughter will not be heard again–except in memory. michael lennon (westport, MA)

March 14, 2009 This is terrible news! Al was one of a kind. I remember asking my friends in Carbondale, as I was moving to Springfield after graduate school, who to look up in the capitol city. Al was a name that was highly recommended. We became friends and shared an ethnic background and were both scientists and involved in energy and public affairs. I knew of his work on the Springfield Energy Project as I was active with the Carbondale City Energy Division and Shawnee Solar Project. He made a tremendous contribution to not only Sangamon State University (U of IL), but also the city of Springfield. He led by example in his own home energy improvements and was a huge inspiration to not only students but also the community. He was an expert in energy and environmental affairs long before it was fashionable. I could always count on him to conduct a television interview with political speakers I had brought to Springfield. He was a great comrade and I will always remember his funny laugh. My husband was a student at SSU and remembers well Alex’s messy and very interesting and stimulating office, full of posters, quotes and books. Even his office was an education. My husband’s and my heart go out to his children, grandchildren and wife. We know the Force is with him now and he is marveling at the wonders of God’s universe, now revealed in full without human or laboratory constraints. He is now a student in the ultimate Physics class. May God Bless Him and Keep Him. The world has lost a very good man that enriched all who knew him. Godspeed Alex! Valeri DeCastris (Rockford, IL)

March 14, 2009

Alex was a great colleague. We felt a strong kinship because of our shared Phildaelphia roots. My condolences to Alex’s family Harry Berman (Springfield, IL)

Al Casella – Tributes by Bob Croteau and Fletcher Farrar

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

Al touched a lot of people’s lives. He actually named this organization. More from the people who loved him. Bob Croteau offered this:

There are usually a few formative personalities you meet who have a profound impact on your life, Alex Casella was one of those for me.

I was struggling with direction as I had abandoned my chemistry career with the maker of Alka Seltzer and One-a-Day vitamins, feeling like I was part of the problem rather than part of the solution. I needed to do something with my hands and was doing home remodeling jobs, but that was not fulfilling either and started dabbling in solar energy projects.

My sister Suzanne was attending Sangamon State in the mid-1970s and told me about this innovative university, and a guy teaching solar energy classes. She said I should come down and check it out. I came to Springfield and SSU. When I first met Al and his students, they were building a geodesic dome and solar collectors to heat it. This was definitely the place I wanted to be where it wasn’t just talk; they were getting down to it. This was where I could blend my science and my “build it” needs.

Alex had a class called Community Energy Systems which led to the creation of a not-for-profit corporation by class members and commuity activists. They hired me and 2 others to do solar demonstration and weatherization projects. In 1984 I was hired by CWLP and just celebrated my 25th anniversary of employment there pursuing my environmental passion.

He also took it to higher levels including a policy changing campaign bringing in the gurus of energy efficiency to Springfield like Amory Lovins and embarking on the Springfield Energy Project that identified all the things with energy policy that we still need to do now, thirty years later, to help save us from environmental and economic mayhem.

Clearly I owe this man of vision, compassion and intelligence my thanks. And so I offer this song to you that I sang for him many years ago because I feel it talks to how Alex lived his life.

(editor’s note: this part was sung, and I can not do justice to that. Bob Croteau has a marvelous voice)

Second Story Window from Rita Coolidge‘s first album.

Live your life however, you want to do whatever, you want to and you’ll never die.

You can do whatever, you want to do whatever, you want to do, and you can try.

(Chorus)

And you know who your friends are, by looking in their eyes.

You know so you smile, but they never realize,

What goes on inside of every me and you, keeps on a rolling on, keeps on a rolling on.

Life just lasts a second, you don’t have time to reckon things that people say and do.

Try to find your secrets, death is just a sequence, to be one day rolling through.

And you know who your friends are…

If you can love then you can, live forever you can, live forever if you love.

You just be a giver and help the poor deliver, it’s something less for something more.

Chorus

And you know…

You know so you smile, and sometimes they realize, What goes on…

Thank you Alex

Alex is still with us.

Bob Croteau
MA-Environmental Studies SSU

Bud Farrar offered this:

Editor’s note

At IT we’re sad this week about the passing of our old friend and colleague Alex Casella, who died March 5 at the age of 69. The former Sangamon State University professor was solar before solar was cool, doing most of his scientific work during the last energy crisis in the 1970s and 80’s. He was passionate about sustainable energy, but not just passionate. He was also sensible, making sure he had his facts straight and offering the best argument for the cause of renewable fuels. Al never passed up a chance to make his argument, appearing in these pages as often as we’d give him the chance in letters to the editor, guest columns and features. His tireless commitment to what he knew was right advanced the cause with hundreds of students and anyone who knew him. We’ll have to take it from here. — Fletcher Farrar, editor

Alexander J. Casella – Good bye old friend. It was a great 30 years

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

I started in the anti-nuke tradition in the Prairie Alliance when I was 14 years old. We marched and protested a lot against Clinton Nuclear Power Plant. When I turned 19 some of us filed lawsuits against rate basing cost overruns. Those suits wound through the courts for years. The first one coming in against Clinton in 1978, the year I met Al at what was then Sangamon State University. The first time we talked and I told him what I was into, he laughed and said, “What does that have to do with Public Policy.” I was a Psych. student then and it kinda pissed me off. But the more we talked the more I saw that it takes Public Policy well implemented to really change how we treat the Earth. Thank God he lived to see Obama elected. God speed Al.

Casella, Alexander J.

SPRINGFIELD – Alexander “Alex” Joseph Casella, 69, died Thursday, March 5, 2009, at his home in Springfield.Alex was born August 10, 1939, in Taylor, PA, the son of Alexander Joseph Casella Sr. and Josephine M. Cesare Casella. He married Thanawan Kohrianchai on July 1, 2001, in Springfield, Illinois.Alex grew up in Moosic, PA. He received a B.S. in Physics from Villanova University, an M.A. in Physics from Drexel University, and a Ph.D. in Physics from Pennsylvania State University. He began his professional career in 1961 as a Physicist for the U.S. Dept. of Defense at the Frankford Arsenal in Philadelphia. In 1969, he became a professor of Physics at Jacksonville University in Florida. Alex embarked on a 30 year career in 1973 with Sangamon State University/UIS as Professor of Environmental Studies and Physics. He became the Director of Energy Studies at SSU in 1975. From 1989-1996, Alex served as Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Administration. In 2002, he became Professor Emeritus, Environmental Studies and Physics.Alex was the producer and host of about fifty, half-hour interview shows on environment/energy issues starting in 1985. He also hosted two weekly interview shows, “Faculty Focus” and “Peace Talks.”Alex was a member of Sigma Pi Sigma, Illinois Environmental Council, American Assoc. for the Advancement of Science, Union of Concerned Scientists (IL Coordinator), Sierra Club, Charter Member of Better World Society and Worldwatch Institute. He served on numerous boards and committees, including Energy Consultants Associates, Earth Week 1990, Springfield Urban League, and Springfield Area Arts Council. He provided numerous testimonies to committees of the State of IL House and Senate in areas of Energy Policy and was the prolific author of articles, papers, lectures, and letters to the editor on numerous and sundry topics.A loyal supporter of the Democratic Party, Alex ran for Alderman of Ward 7 in 1999, victory narrowly eluding him by a mere 8%.

Among Alex’s great and varied interests was a love of photography, gardening, debunking myths with science, movies, the ocean, playing with his grandson, Italian food, sports and writing. He loved the performing arts, and even acted in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Of Mice And Men at the Springfield Theatre Center. Alex’s generous spirit, sympathetic ear, and pragmatic advice touched many people along his way. His children brought him great joy. He was very proud of his grandson, Jonah, and newly smitten with his baby granddaughter, Virginia. Alex also loved traveling and meeting new people. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. It was during one notable trip to Bangkok in the fall of 2000 that he met and fell in love with Thanawan Kohrianchai.

Alex was preceded in death by his parents and by his sister, Cynthia Norton.

Alex is survived by his wife, Thanawan; son, Christopher, Hermosa Beach, CA; daughter, Lara Parkes (husband, Michael), Springfield; grandson, Jonah; granddaughter, Virginia; nephew, Thomas Norton; nieces, Mary Jo Christiansen and Cynthia Warren; great-nieces and nephews, all of New Jersey.

Memorial service will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m., Monday, March 16th at Kirlin-Egan & Butler Funeral Home, 900 S. 6th St., Springfield. Memories will be shared at 7:00 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Christian Children’s Fund, 2821 Emerywood Pkwy, Richmond, VA 23294, World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th St., NW, PO Box 97180, Washington, D.C. 20090, Pattaya Orphanage Trust, www.thaichildrenstrust.org, or the charity of one’s choice.

Father, Husband, Teacher, Friend: Alex, we will miss you.

Please visit Alex’s online life story at www.butlerfuneralhomes.com to offer your condolences.

Published in The State Journal-Register on 3/14/2009

Gardening And The Environment – If it saves energy it must be good.

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

So Fall is falling, and much of your garden is either dead, bolted or in weeds. It is September and your thoughts turn to hunting or downhill skiing. If it is your first garden and you are tired, wash, sharpen and stow your tools. Store your seeds in a dark dry place and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

www.eugenehomeshow.com

www.uwex.edu/…/hort/GardeningTidbits.html

Fall Checklist
•Clean and lightly oil your shovels and spades to prevent rust.
•Sharpen your hoes, pruning equipment and saws.
•Drain your watering equipment.
•Clean and service your lawn mower and tiller.

http://www.ehow.com/how_10814_clean-store-gardening.html&usg

How to Clean and

Store Gardening Tools for the Winter

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

Putting garden tools away properly for the winter can add years to the life of your equipment. Your tools will be protected from rust and wear, and better yet, they’ll be ready to go the moment spring fever hits on that first balmy day next year.

But if you ARE a vegitarian:

http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/

OR you really got into the gardening experience:

http://www.rejoicerejoice.com

Then it is time for fall or late season Gardening. Almost everything that you planted in the Spring you can plant in the fall:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8001.html

Growing a Fall Vegetable GardenRevised 1/99 — Author Reviewed 2/99 HIL-8100

Erv Evans, Extension Horticultural Specialist
Department of Horticultural Science

Many vegetables are well adapted to planting in the summer for fall harvest. Planting a fall garden will extend the gardening season so you can continue to harvest fresh produce after earlier crops have finished. The fall harvest can be extended even further by providing protection from early frosts or by planting in cold frames or hotbeds.

Many cool-season vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts, produce their best flavor and quality when they mature during cool weather. In North Carolina, the spring temperatures often heat up quickly. Vegetables, such as lettuce and spinach, tend to bolt or develop bitter flavor when they mature during hot summer weather.

Growing a productive fall vegetable garden requires thoughtful planning and good cultural practices. July and August are the main planting times for the fall garden. Table 1 provides recommended planting dates. Vegetables that have a 60 to 80 day maturity cycle should be planted around August 1 in the piedmont. Planting of quick maturing vegetables, such as turnips and leafy greens, can be delayed until September. Keep in mind that the planting dates can be as much as 7 to 10 days earlier in western North Carolina and 7 to 10 days later in the eastern North Carolina. Be sure to adjust the planting dates for your specific location. For a more accurate planting schedule, consult Figure 1 to determine the average date of the first killing frost in the fall. Count backwards from the frost date, using the number of days to maturity to determine the best time to plant in your area.

http://www.lowescreativeideas.com/idea-library/articles/Vegetable_Gardens_0908.aspx

Know Your Season

Vegetable plants can be classified as either cool- or warm-season crops, named for whether they prefer cool or warm weather. Examples of cool-season crops are lettuce, greens, peas, onions, broccoli, brussels sprouts, beets, carrots, and potatoes. Most cool-season vegetables can withstand a light frost, and some, such as collards and kale, can tolerate 20° Fahrenheit temperatures. Types of warm-season crops include beans, melons, peppers, tomatoes, okra, eggplants, squash, and corn. These are very sensitive to cold and must be planted in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Their harvest will come to an end with the first frost of fall.
Depending on where you live and the length of your growing season, you will either have lots of warm-season vegetables or lots of cool-season vegetables, but either way, you’ll have lots of veggies. Your local Lowe’s Garden Center will sell plants at the appropriate planting time. Warm-season veggies are available in spring, cool-season veggies generally in early spring. In southernmost areas where winters are mild enough to allow a cool-season garden in the fall, cool-season veggies are available in late summer and fall.

Sketch a Plan

When designing your garden this fall, map out the location of cool-season crops first because you will be starting with these. Consider where your spring crops will grow as well. Place the tallest plants on the northern side of your vegetable garden so that they don’t shadow other plants. Practice succession planting: As a cool-season crop finishes, pull it, and plant a warm-season crop in its place. Or surround one crop with another that you’ll harvest first, as long as their growth habits don’t choke each other out. For example, plant bush beans in a 3-foot-diameter circle around tomato plants. You’ll harvest the beans as the taller tomato vines fill out. You also can practice succession planting with any crop that has a limited harvest season. For instance, plant bush beans, radishes, beets, corn, or carrots every two weeks during the appropriate growing season.

Consider Irrigation

Vegetables are about 90 percent water, so it’s vital to water crops. An overhead sprinkler does an effective job, as long as you water very early in the morning. This will allow leaves to dry early, in the same way that dew dries. Keeping leaves dry overnight will help prevent diseases.

Soaker hoses and drip irrigation efficiently deliver water directly to soil and plant roots. In municipalities with watering restrictions, opt for soaker hoses or drip-irrigation methods, which are regulated differently from overhead watering.

In very warm zones, such as Florida and California, irrigation is the secret to wonderful fall harvests. In all zones, mulch crops to conserve soil moisture. Use straw or pine straw, and it will add organic matter as it breaks down.

Finally when it gets too cold, Dig up what you got and Bring it inside. I believe that tomatoes cooked in a big pot, and placed in a freezer will last all winter. I intend to find out later this year:

http://www.container-gardens.com/

Container Gardens as a place to Meditate

Benefits of Gardening in Containers: Do you live in an apartment complex where digging up a little sod is out of the question? Or, maybe you just don’t have the physical ability to tend a large garden, but still want the benefits and rewards of having one. like having a spiritual retreat for meditation? Techniques for meditating vary, but there is no better place to meditate than your own garden. Have you considered container gardening?

Container gardening is simply growing your garden in – you guessed it – containers! It was born of a strong desire, and in some cases a need, to produce herbs, vegetables, and flowers within a limited amount of space and/or poor soil conditions, all which can be controlled by gardening in containers.

Container gardening can be beneficial for many individuals and situations:

• The disabled and the elderly – container gardening offers easy access.
• Problem soil – containers allow you to control your own high-quality soil.
• Space – Container Gardens utilize minimal space.
• Apartments/Condos – addresses limited access to garden plots.
• Gourmet cooking – easily grow fresh herbs and vegetables for cooking.
• Plant enthusiasts – for those who just can’t get enough gardening!
• Mobility – container gardens are easy to move around as needed.
• Convenience. Keeps your flowers, vegetables, or herbs close at hand.

Open Yucca Mountain – As an antinuke person the sooner we get rid

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

of the hot garbage they produce, the quicker we get rid of them. Geologic storage is the only hope. I know I am supposed to be posting about gardening…but somethings I just gotta get off my chest..!

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/green/chi-nuclear-waste-11-mar11,0,5164994.story

Nuclear waste has no place to go

Obama budget kills Nevada storage site

for used radioactive fuel rods piling up near power plants

By Michael Hawthorne |Tribune reporter

March 11, 2009

In a pool of water just a football field away from Lake Michigan, about 1,000 tons of highly radioactive fuel from the scuttled Zion Nuclear Power Station is waiting for someplace else to spend a few thousand years.

The wait just got longer.

President Barack Obama‘s proposed budget all but kills the Yucca Mountain project, the controversial site where the U.S. nuclear industry’s spent fuel rods were supposed to end up in permanent storage deep below the Nevada desert. There are no other plans in the works, meaning the waste for now will remain next to Zion and 104 other reactors scattered across the country.

Obama has said too many questions remain about whether storing waste at Yucca Mountain is safe, and his decision fulfills a campaign promise. But it also renews nagging questions about what to do with the radioactive waste steadily accumulating in 35 states.

With seven nuclear plant sites, Illinois relies more heavily on nuclear power and has a larger stockpile of spent fuel than any other state. Besides Zion near Lake Michigan, plants storing waste are sited along the Illinois, Rock and Mississippi Rivers.Customers of ComEd and other nuclear utilities have shelled out $10 billion to develop the Yucca Mountain site in spare-change-size charges tacked on to electric bills. Most of that money will have been wasted, and experts forecast that billions more will be spent on damage suits from utilities that counted on the federal government to come up with a burial ground

What Is The Most Environmental Thing You Can Do Right Now – It saves energy as well

Posted on March 6, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

Plant a garden. You think I am kidding right. BUT if everyone on the planet who does not have a vegetable garden planted one, the world would change. Most products that you buy in the grocery store in America travel 1,500 miles…That’s a lot of gasoline products. All the produce, herbs and flowers you grow soak up carbon dioxide, especially sweet corn. Plus if you compost your garden waste you put that carbon directly into the soil where it will not be released. Plant a tree while you are at it. If all 7 billion people in the world planted a tree our problems would temporarily be over. Young trees soak up an incredible amount of carbon as they grow. Not to mention the health and well being benefits from working out doors and being away from modern stress inducers. Or the health benefits of eating good nutritious food. If you have kids teach them how to do it (it is no longer innate) and you will have passed along a valuable skill. Invest in an efficient refrigerator and a small efficient freezer to store your valuable products. This saves bunches too. If you are really adventurous invest in a dehydrator and a solar cooker or make your own. You save even more. By the time you are done heck you wlll amaze yourself at how much you have done. Seem impossible? NOPE, it starts with the first seed you plant. So lets get agrowing.

Getting Started:

Some of you are lucky to have year round growing conditions. As the world warms more of you will enjoy that perk. But where I live in Illinois it’s pretty much a 3 season affair. Today is March 6th and I plan on planting a row of peas and some lettuce and spinach. That will be dicey though and if we have an ice storm in April or early May it will be a wipe out. Such is life. If I get lucky I will be freezing sweet peas by the end of May. Here are some great sources for getting in the groove.

http://www.finegardening.com/

Planning Your First Vegetable Garden

March 5th, 2009 in Grow It, Live It

Ruth Dobsevage, editor

So you’ve decided to grow some veggies this year? Welcome to the club. Before you decide on what to grow or pick up a spade, you need to make some basic decisions about your garden’s location, size, and shape. Here are some things to consider.

Location
Walk around your property as you try to decide on a location for your garden-to-be.

Vegetables do best in full sun. You will get decent results with less than that, but in general strive for a site that gets at least six hours a day during the summer. Remember that sun patterns change dramatically with the seasons; a site that looks good in April may be too shady when the leaves come out.

Another factor to consider is proximity to your kitchen. You are more likely to check out your garden frequently if it is close to the house. My garden is maybe 30 feet from the kitchen door. When I need some parsley or mint, or maybe a few more tomatoes for a salad, it’s not a big deal to go out and get them.

If you have a choice, a flat area is better than a hilly one. A gently sloped site can work well, especially one that faces south or west.

What about water? You will most likely want a source close by, be it an outside tap, a rain barrel, or even a stream or pond.

Don’t despair if your lot is is very small. Even if you don’t see a way to create a separate garden area, you can probably tuck a couple of vegetable plants in somewhere: near the house or by the garage, perhaps. Or on the deck in containers.

Size and shape
For a garden of moderate size, aim for 400 square feet (20×20) to 625 square feet (25×25). You’ll have enough space to grow several different crops, but not so much that you’ll be overwhelmed. If even that seems daunting, start small. You can always enlarge the space later.

Gardens are generally square or rectangular, but they don’t have to be. You may want a different configuration to take advantage of sun patterns, to work around boulders, or just for artistic reasons. The plants won’t care if they are arranged in straight lines or curves.

Personally I pick any 10 x 20 ft area that is unshaded and jump in. Begginners should start smaller. But if you are going to grow peppers, squash, corn or tomatoes you need a lot of space. Just think, the bigger your garden the less grass to mow.

http://www.organicgardening.com/

The Beginner’s Guide to Organic Gardening

Gardening is not too complex. Almost all of us–probably in grade school–planted a seed in a cup of dirt, watered it, and watched it grow. But creating a garden that produces fresh food and flowers all season is not so elementary, especially to those who did not grow up gardening. So we’ve compiled this guide to the basics of organic gardening and the keys to success we’ve learned over the years. When you’re done reading, look at your thumb–you may see a tint of green that wasn’t there before.

No. 1 Plant Seeds

1. Make your bed. About three weeks before you are ready to plant, after the soil has dried so that it doesn’t clump when you pick up a fistful, sink a fork into the earth. Loosen it down to about 12 inches, add a half-inch layer of compost, and rake the surface of your garden until it has no weeds, dirt clumps, or big stones. Over the next three weeks, pull any weeds that come up. Raking and then letting the soil sit for a few weeks brings out weed seeds that were lurking in the soil.
For more information on garden beds, check out this article about raised beds and this video to see how to build a raised bed, or watch this video to see how to turn your lawn into a garden bed.

I am not going to copy all of this stuff. go and read it yourself. If you have never done it before this is essential reading:

Garden Design

Horticulture

Garden Design

Country Gardens

Gardening How-To

Herb Quarterly

Growing Edge

Water Gardening

Garden Compass

Don’t read too long though, that’s what winter or nightfall is for. Get out doors! NOW

Wind Turbines For The Home – Well for the first one it would have to be a really

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

really really really big home. Maybe a neighborhood or a subdivision. Still:

http://northernpower.com

Catch the Wind

…by discovering the Northwind 100! Northern Power’s 35 years as a wind industry leader has informed the intelligent, elegant and powerful design of our 100kW turbine.

Discover how the gearless direct drive technology, aerodynamically designed blades and SmartView Web Service create the ideal energy solution for your application.

Call us at 1 877 90 NORTH. We look forward to working with you to provide solutions for your energy needs.

What’s New?

New York Times article highlights the benefits of Northern Power’s turbines

Click Here

We Are Hiring

Northern Power’s team is expanding with many great opportunities

View Our Job Listings Here

100 Kw is a tad big for our little 850 sq. ft. house but please note THEY Are Hiring. These are the much bandied about “green jobs”. Who else is hiring? MacDonalds? Back to the more affordable turbines:

http://www.redriven.net/

No. 1 in Modern Energy

Over the past year, the term “going green” has conquered the world. The media and environmental organizations are promoting sustainability, persuading people to live ecologically conscious lifestyles for the sake of the environment and longevity of the planet. A green lifestyle is no longer just a necessity, but also a huge trend. People everywhere are challenging themselves to reduce their ecological footprint by recycling, shopping with reusable bags, reducing their hot water usage, and purchasing clothing made from environmentally friendly materials. [ Read More … ]

Almost everyone is doing something small to contribute to the sustainability of the environment. ReDriven wants everyone to take their passion for the environment a step further by considering a wind turbine. Very few people reflect on the environmental impact of their energy source. They may know that it their power source is bad for the environment but think of it as a necessity; everyone needs electricity. A wind turbine substantially reduces and almost eliminates the pollution and C02 emissions generated from a traditional power source, making them a great resource for people and communities looking to significantly reduce their environmental footprint. With a wind turbine, people are able to benefit from the convenience of electricity without substantially harming the planet.

This year, the United States Government passed the U.S. Renewable Energy Tax Incentive Extension, granting tax credits to people and businesses that purchase a wind turbine. The government believes that by allowing people easier access to diverse energy sources, including a wind turbine, energy prices will drop and businesses will be able to make an easy transition into more environmentally friendly production. Like many others, the government is recognizing the ecologically beneficial nature of the wind turbine, viewing them as an intricate and essential component of America’s future. By giving people and businesses tax credits for purchasing a wind turbine, they are encouraging them to live sustainably and creating more environmentally friendly jobs, thereby promoting a healthier and more ecologically friendly America.

Few people realize how damaging their traditional fossil fuel energy sources are for the environment. With the majority of citizens still using fossil fuels and not investing in a wind turbine, dangerous amounts of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, particulates, and mercury are released into the environment on a daily basis. The use of fossil fuels over a wind turbine not only hinders people’s well-being and health, but also contributes to green house gasses and global warming. It is imperative that all families and businesses consider the long term environmental advantages of the wind turbine. Unlike traditional fossil fuel sources, a wind turbine does not emit pollution while generating energy. Although, pollution is generated while manufacturing a wind turbine, once it is constructed it is emission and pollution free. After nine months of environmentally friendly use, a wind turbine easily pays back the pollution emitted during manufacturing. Additionally, a substantial percentage of a wind turbine is fully recyclable. A wind turbine is an ideal energy source for anyone looking for an environmentally friendly and sustainable electricity source.

It is clear that the environment is in a dire situation. People everywhere are clamoring to do their part in saving the planet but sometimes a carrying reusable grocery bags and recycling just isn’t enough. ReDriven wants everyone to consider replacing their energy source with a wind turbine. Taking energy from the natural environment, a wind turbine preserves the ecological system by eliminating pollution released during electricity production. A wind turbine is the future of energy generation and an excellent way for people to significantly reduce their ecological footprint.

Wind Power

Throughout the world, wind power is quickly gaining popularity. Even though wind power only accounts for 1% of the earth’s power, the number is continually rising as wind power gains ground as a profitable and effective energy source. Wind power electricity production has quadrupled over the past six years, with Denmark, Germany, the United States, and Spain, leading the pack. Denmark generates one fifth of its total electricity through wind power, which is the highest production rate in the world. The United States and European governments, businesses, and people are championing wind power, recognizing its affordability and beneficial effects on the environment. [ Read More … ]

Many countries are now investing in wind power over fossil fuels, causing the industry to grow substantially from year to year. ReDriven wants to supply people with the tools and knowledge they need to generate ecologically friendly electricity. Wind power does not produce air pollution while generating electricity, making it better for the environment than fossil fuels, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. With 20 KW, 10 KW, and 5 KW units, ReDriven have wind power turbines to fulfill all businesses, companies, and governments needs. Their modern and aesthetically pleasing wind power generators are an excellent and modern source of electricity for people looking for a cost effective and environmentally friendly energy source. People throughout the world are advocating for wind turbines and their positive effects on the environment. ReDriven is devoted to helping people purchase and attain wind power electricity sources.

In 1999, wind power only accounted for .1% of the United States’ total generated electricity. Over the past nine years, attitudes towards the environment have changed, causing wind power electricity to rapidly increase; wind power is now over 1% of the countries total electricity. With the rise of green living and the popularity of the “Planet Earth” documentary, people are no longer blindly polluting and countries and families alike are looking for more sustainable energy sources. The environment has become an internationally relevant topic that everyone is aware of. The government and environmentally conscious businesses and home owners are taking it upon themselves to consider more viable energy sources that are less harmful to the environment than traditional fossil fuels. Fortunately, they have found it in wind power; The U.S. Department of Energy has discovered that the abundance of wind flowing across the Great Plains has the ability to power the entire nation. That combined with the wind power produced by offshore turbines in the Great Lakes area guarantees an effective and sustainable means of providing the country with electricity. As time goes on, the environment will become an increasingly important political and social issue, causing the number of wind power turbines in the states to grow. This highly economic and environmentally friendly energy source will soon dominate the industry.

ReDriven realizes that wind power is the future of electricity. They are the leading American developer of wind turbines and offer 20 KW, 10 KW, and 5KW unit wind power turbines and a variety of tower options. All packages include generators, blades, flanges, grid controllers, inverters, and isolation transformers of differing sizes and powers, depending on the package ordered. Additionally, the height of the wind power turbine tower ranges from regular to hydraulic towers from 12 to 36 m tall. These modern and sleek wind power turbines are guaranteed to suit any natural landscape and produce efficient and environmentally friendly electricity. People concerned with the effectiveness and price of wind power turbines can log on to the ReDriven website to calculate the amount of energy that will be produced from the unit chosen. By filling out a form that takes into consideration average energy costs and consumption, wind speed, and other variables, everyone is able to see the potential effectiveness of their wind power turbine. ReDriven is an excellent resource for people looking to purchase and gain information on wind power.

Countries and people everywhere are searching for more sustainable energy sources and looking towards wind power turbines. With people becoming more environmentally conscious, wind power will become the electricity source of the future. ReDriven offers a variety of wind turbines to fulfill all corporations, governments, and personal needs. By logging on to their website, everyone is able to find out how wind power can work for them.

Wind Generator

Few people ever consider investing in an alternative energy source because they believe that new electricity generators are ineffective. Unfortunately, wind generators are still controversial and have a variety of insubstantial issues surrounding them. The reality is that a wind generator is an incredibly effective and environmentally friendly means to produce electricity and the majority of concerns surrounding them are incorrect and misleading. [ Read More … ]

2 KW Wind Turbine

Modern Energy

The ReDriven 2 kw wind turbine system is an excellent system for on-grid applications where 250 kwh -500 wkh of power per month will provide the necessary capacity to offset partially or fully the utility bill for your seasonal property or home.
[ Read More … ]

The ReDriven 2kw is a tailed unit that uses the wind direction to help it determine where best to capture the wind. This turbine head weighs approximately 116 lbs (53 kg) and comes with the ReDriven controller, a Power One Inverter, blades.

Product Features:

Start up wind speed is 4.4 mph
Rated wind speed (generate 2 KW) is 20.1 mph
Maximum power 2000 watts
3 blades measuring 3.2 meters in diameter
Recommended tower height is 9 meters

5 KW Wind Turbine

Modern Energy

The ReDriven 5 kw wind turbine system is the first in our line of non-tailed units. The technology found in the 5 kw ReDriven Controller is identical to the larger 10 kw and 20 kw units. Therefore you receive all the advantages of a larger unit packed into this ultra efficient power house.
[ Read More … ]

These folks even put a windmill on the lawn of the Federal Capitol Building. Way to go people:

http://www.windenergy.com

Bringing low-cost, reliable wind energy to the world

U.S. Federal government endorses small wind turbines with tax credit

New law gives up to $4,000 to consumers who purchase Southwest Windpower’s Skystream 3.7

Flagstaff, Ariz. — Southwest Windpower, the leading manufacturer of small wind turbines, played a leadership role in the passage of new legislation creating a federal-level tax credit for qualified small wind turbines.

Press Release | FAQs | Tax Form

We will finish the list up tomorrow.