Category Archives: residential energy efficiency

Local 193 of the International Brotherhood of Electricians Announces a new Green Union Hall

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I could have picked any number of Google “friendly” topics today like:

Gasoline prices rise Oil prices don’t – because I have long argued that the refiners will restrict production to raise prices because of the Speculator Driven Oil Shock of 2008.

Obama to announce new mileage standards – because I argued during the campaign that if Obama wanted a real energy policy change he would ban the sale of gasoline in anything other than 1 gallon containers. Gas driven cars would disappear overnight.

There is a local story however that needs to be covered. Local 193 of the IBEW is breaking ground for a new union hall later this month and it is going to be a doozy. Geothermal, Solar and Wind, the whole enchilada. God I have always wanted to say that.

While there is nothing up on their websites yet (hint hint)

http://www.unions.org/home/v-28641-13-IBEW-.htm

http://www.ibew193.com/

Nor do they list the Building Committee on there web site. Here is what one of their better writers, Tim Landis,  had to say in the State Journal Register. First in brief:

http://www.sj-r.com/business/x1393569371/Tim-Landis-Changes-to-Lincoln-Home-site-considered

The INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS 193 plans to break ground Friday for a union hall and training center at 3150 Wide Track Drive, just off Dirksen Parkway in Springfield.

According to the union, the “green building” will include solar panels that cover the roof, geothermal heating and cooling, and green space. Long-term plans are to add a wind-turbine. The training center will offer instruction in wind and solar technology.
The site is adjacent to the existing hall, which also will be upgraded once the new building is finished.

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Then in a longer piece that talks about the Greening of Central Illinois:

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 193 has begun construction of a new administrative office and training center at 3150 Wide Track Drive, just off Dirksen Parkway, in response to “green” trends in energy and job training, said business manager David Burns. The local represents about 800 workers in nine area counties.

“We just think that the green concept is more than right around the corner. It’s here,” Burns said.

In addition to use of geothermal heating and cooling, the solar panels on the roof are expected to provide most of the building’s electrical needs. Long-term plans are to add a wind turbine. Once the new hall is completed, the existing hall will be demolished to make way for green space, including landscaping and a retention pond.

But it’s the 12,500-square-foot training center that is the centerpiece of the green strategy for the labor union.

Plans are to offer hands-on training to apprentices in solar and wind technology. A “green jobs training curriculum” will include 70 lessons.

Burns said members already work on solar and wind projects, large and small, but that the training required will become more sophisticated along with the technology.

“We believe the demand is going to continue to grow,” Burns said. “As the technology gets better and better, we’re going to have to train people.”

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He listed these jobs that could enlist Electricians:

Jobs of the future?
A state list of “green jobs” outlines the top jobs that should be available in coming years or that will require retraining as alternative energy use increases. Additional information is available at http://www.ilworkinfo.com.

Among the categories:
* Building retrofitting. Electricians, heating and air conditioning, carpenters, construction equipment operators, roofers, insulation workers, carpenter helpers, industrial truck drivers, building inspectors and construction managers.

* Smart grids. Computer software engineers, electrical engineers, electrical equipment assemblers, electrical technicians, machinists, construction laborers, operating engineers, electrical power line installers and repair technicians.
* Wind power. Environmental engineers, iron and steel workers, millwrights, sheet metal workers, machinists, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, industrial truck drivers, industrial production managers and production supervisors.
* Solar power. Electrical engineers, electricians, industrial machinery mechanics, welders, welders, metal fabricators, electrical equipment assemblers, construction equipment operators, installation helpers, laborers and construction managers.

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Way to go 193!

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Windows That Generate Electricity – Integrated Photovoltaics and your house

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I said yesterday, how would your world change if everything on the outside of your house generated electricity? I skipped windows because they are a topic in and of themselves.

http://www.buildingsolar.com/design.asp#anchor138832Vision Glass

Photovoltaic (PV) vision glass substitutes a thin-film, semi-transparent photovoltaic panel for the exterior glass panel in an otherwise traditional double-pane glass window or skylight. Electric wires extend from the sides of each glass unit and are connected to wires from other windows, building up the entire system. The technology, while available in Europe, is currently being developed as part of a United States Department of Energy PV-BONUS project.

On the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus, the system, rated at about 11 kW, substitutes Building Integrated Photovoltaic vision glass for traditional windows in the Wintergarden of Mary Ann Cofrin Hall.

This system spans 2,000 square feet and generates about 12,500 kWh annually. The “PV Glass” unit was manufactured by Viracon, Inc. using BP Solar MST-43LV 43-watt, thin-film photovoltaic modules and was installed in a standard Kawneer Company 1600 PowerWall (TM). In this application, BP Solar laser-etched their photovoltaic modules to create a desired transmittance for the Wintergarden.   Sunspace
Artist’s rendering of Wintergarden.

A total of 252 modules were installed. Each vision glass surface has 13 layers of thin film, altogether thinner than one piece of paper, sandwiched between two protective layers of glass.

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What if it was a SMART Window? One that opened when the house got too cold or too hot?

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V2V-4MH8BDR-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=4b8850a2c79f9f29640dca3f42ce3fde

Performance evaluation of a PV ventilated window applying to office building of Hong Kong

T.T. ChowCorresponding Author Contact Information, a, E-mail The Corresponding Author, K.F. Fonga, W. Hea, Z. Lina and A.L.S. Chana

Received 29 June 2006; 

revised 23 September 2006;

accepted 26 September 2006.

Available online 6 December 2006.


Abstract

PV ventilated glazing technology for application in warm climate provides energy saving opportunities through the reduction in air-conditioning load, the daylight utilization, and the green electric power generation. In a working environment, the use of semi-transparent a-Si glazing is deemed better than the one with non-transparent c-Si solar cells. This paper reports an evaluation of its integrated performance using a small office room in Hong Kong as an example. An energy model of a PV ventilated window system is first introduced. Based on this together with the TMY weather data of Hong Kong and the daylight simulation capability of the EnergyPlus program, the overall performance analysis have been executed for different window orientations. It was found that a solar cell transmittance in the range of 0.45–0.55 could achieve the best electricity saving.

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It’s getting to be big business:

http://www.optoiq.com/articles/display/361842/s-articles/s-laser-focus-world/s-industry-news/s-konarka-partners-with-window-company-on-bipv-integrating-photovoltaics-with-glass.html

Konarka partners with window company on BIPV; integrating photovoltaics with glass

May 12, 2009–Konarka Technologies (Lowell, MA), a developer of Konarka Power Plastic, a material that converts light to energy, entered into an advanced product development agreement with Florida-based Arch Aluminum & Glass Co. Together, they plan to collaborate on building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV), with a memorandum of understanding to integrate Konarka’s patent-protected thin-film solar material into glass for various commercial BIPV applications (see “ Thin-film and organic photovoltaic manufacturing to reach 29 GWp” and “THIN-FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS: The key to success is higher efficiency“).

“Konarka is making great strides with our aggressive plans to expand into various markets, including building and construction,” said Rick Hess, president and CEO at Konarka. “Because our solar material is flexible, lightweight and semi-transparent, it integrates easier and is more aesthetically appealing than other solar products, making it ideally suited for BIPV applications. We expect that our collaborative work with Arch Aluminum & Glass will advance the delivery of Konarka Power Plastic on a large scale basis into this market segment.”

Arch Aluminum specializes in a wide range of artistic and architectural glass products to keep pace with the demands of today’s architects, designers and building developers. The company offers in-house laminating, heat-treating and fabrication technology as well as selective, engineered, off-the-shelf aluminum and glass products.

“Until today, aesthetic and performance concerns limited the ability of architects to use BIPV technology in their designs,” said Arch CEO Leon Silverstein. “This product development investigation is about the creation of a new product category, one that had been unavailable until today. It is energy-efficient and transparent with superior vertical performance and a subtle red, blue or green aesthetic. With these features, BIPV will no longer need to be confined to spandrel or overhead applications. An entire building can be put to use, producing its own power, and looking good doing so.”

In October 2008, Konarka opened the largest roll-to-roll flexible thin film solar manufacturing facility in the world, preparing for the commercialization and mass production of its solar material for various market segments including sensors, consumer products, tent and fabric structures, greenhouses, marine and boating, building construction, as well as fashion and accessories, among others.

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This would be Barack Obama’s GREEN Economy or as I like to say Greenomy.

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Flexible Solar Photovoltaics – They could change your view of electrical power forever

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What would the world look like if every surface of your house generated electricity. This is a very practical issue. During the illegal rate hikes of 2007 my brother Mike who owns an all electric house figured that for him to got off the grid it would take a 10 kilowatt system. At the time using only solid solar panels he figured there was not enough space on his roof to put the power generation there. But what if every surface of his house except the windows generated power. I am sure that he has enough sun facing surfaces to generate that much power. (more on the windows later. and yes I did recommend a personal windmill but…)

First there is the flex version of a stand panel which is light enough to hang on exterior walls:

http://store.altestore.com/Solar-Panels/Flexible-Rollable-Solar-Panels/c679/

Flexible Solar Panels, Flexible Portable Solar Panels, Solar Energy Panels from

Flexible solar panels are the perfect low wattage, environmentally friendly and space efficient energy solution. If you have an appliance or gadget that requires between 5 and 20 watts of power, these versatile flexible portable solar panels will be just the right fit. Just use these solar energy panels to charge up the battery you want to use to run your basic necessities. You can roll them up to move them or store them or install them semi-permanently. These are a great solution for camping or marine excursions where you may not have sufficient room for a traditional solar panel. These flexible solar panels come in multiple sizes and can offer multiple wattage power and they all weigh less than 2 pounds.

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It can even bend around corners:

http://www.siliconsolar.com/flexible-solar-panels.html

Flexible Solar Panels: The lightest thin film flexible solar panels on today’s market are available from Silicon Solar.

Solar technology has reached its most convenient, lightweight form: the newly-engineered flexible solar panel. Silicon Solar is the proud carrier of over 50 modules of flexible solar panels, offered in a variety of sizes.

Through recent developments, Silicon Solar has provided ways of listing thin, light weight, flexible solar panels allowing for multiple applications to now be solar accessible that never were before.

Thin Film solar cells and panels now allow for several types of application to be introduced into the market including solar backpacks, solar thin film clothing and athletic apparel. We at Silicon Solar have taken these methods to the extreme and receive requests from customers who give us incentive and constructive feedback on developing new ways of utilizing this technology not only for them, but for you as well. Each flexible solar panel can be rolled up to 2 inches in diameter, making the paper thin solar cell one of the most durable and long lasting solar modules on the market.

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What about a tent that generates all the electricity you need on a camping trip? I can’t show you much of the website because it is too heavey into video but:

http://www.powerfilmsolar.com/

What’s New

Earth Care Products Using PowerFilm Technology
A stick-on solar panel to use to charge golf cart batteries while out on the course is voted the year’s best new product by the PGA.
http://www.solarenergygolfcarts.com/

PowerFilm’s USB + AA Solar Charger took second place in the Mobile CE – Fashion & Lifestyle Products competition at CTIA Wireless 2009.

Nearly 300 products were submitted for consideration for the various catagories and PowerFilm was among the few to be recognized.

Temporarily Unavailable
The RA-5 Accessory (12-Volt Deluxe Universal Battery Charger/Analyzer/Conditioner) is temporarily out of stock. Sorry for any inconvenience. Please check back soon!

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Finally what if your drapes in your windows or the couch in the bay window could be generators? Now imagine everyhouse in the United States outfitted this way.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080617114723.htm

Getting Wrapped Up In Solar Textiles

ScienceDaily (June 21, 2008) — Sheila Kennedy, an expert in the integration of solar cell technology in architecture who is now at MIT, creates designs for flexible photovoltaic materials that may change the way buildings receive and distribute energy.

These new materials, known as solar textiles, work like the now-familiar photovoltaic cells in solar panels. Made of semiconductor materials, they absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.

Kennedy uses 3-D modeling software to design with solar textiles, generating membrane-like surfaces that can become energy-efficient cladding for roofs or walls. Solar textiles may also be draped like curtains.

“Surfaces that define space can also be producers of energy,” says Kennedy, a visiting lecturer in architecture. “The boundaries between traditional walls and utilities are shifting.”

Principal architect in the Boston firm, Kennedy & Violich Architecture, Ltd., and design director of its materials research group, KVA Matx, Kennedy came to MIT this year. She was inspired, she says, by President Susan Hockfield’s plan to make MIT the “energy university” and by MIT’s interdisciplinary energy curriculum that integrates research and practice.

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http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2008/solar-textiles-0609.html

MIT lecturer focuses on flexible photovoltaic materials

Sarah H. Wright, News Office
June 9, 2008

This spring, Kennedy taught a new MIT architecture course, Soft Space: Sustainable Strategies for Textile Construction. She challenged the students to design architectural proposals for a new fast train station and public market in Porto, Portugal.

For Mary Hale, graduate student in architecture, Kennedy’s Soft Space course was an inspiration to pursue photovoltaic technology in her master’s thesis.

“I have always been interested in photovoltaics, but before this studio, I am not sure that I would have felt empowered to integrate them into a personal, self-propelled, project,” she says.

Kennedy, for her part, will pursue her research in pushing the envelope of energy-efficiency and architecture. A recent project, “Soft House,” exhibited at the Vitra Design Museum in Essen, Germany, illustrates what Kennedy means when she says the boundaries between walls and utilities are changing.

For Soft House, Kennedy transformed household curtains into mobile, flexible energy-harvesting surfaces with integrated solid-state lighting. Soft House curtains move to follow the sun and can generate up to 16,000 watt-hours of electricity–more than half the daily power needs of an average American household.

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Alternative Energy Costs Money – All the headlines that are simply wrong

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Conserving Energy Will Bankrupt Our Economy

Energy Efficiency Is Too Expensive For Poor People

Coal Will Always Be a Part Of Our Energy Mix

The Future Is Nuclear Power

And so it goes. I will say it only one time and then repeat it for the rest of my life, YOU WILL Always SAVE Money By Saving Energy. Right now in the worst Depression since the Great Recession people are still throwing their energy $$$ out the window. People are so used to Energy as a Commodity concepts that they talk about turning the thermostats down not Turning Their Insulation up. There is nothing wrong with drying your clothes on a clothesline. How are you going to lose money planting a garden?

No greater authority than Parade Magazine posts these articles from Sunday:

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/05/finding-joy-in-frugality.html

$AVINGS SURVIVAL GUIDE

Finding Joy in Frugality

by Alix Kates Shulman

published: 05/10/2009

Related Features

1. Savings Strategies

2. How To Save Smarter

3. My Haunted House

 

The author at home with her frugal finds, including flowers that she dried herself.

For decades, frugality has been despised as stinginess. But with the recent collapse of consumer culture, it is now in style again. Its return confirms that, given time, everything sensible eventually comes back into fashion—an article of faith to the thrifty, including me.

I was not always frugal. In high school I was as careless a spender as any other suburban American girl. The clothes and music I bought with my after-school earnings didn’t  begin to satisfy my longings, which I regularly laid on my parents as a fatal need for another sweater.

Then, suddenly, when I moved to New York for graduate school, I did a complete turnaround. Initially, I was motivated by the desire to spend a year abroad, which in those pre-credit-card days required saving money. But mainly, I think, living on my own for the first time, I felt free to revise my values to suit a serious-minded grad student.

I adopted a set of simple if stringent rules that still make sense today: If you don’t need it, don’t buy it; never buy a new one if your old one works; never buy an expensive one when a lower-priced one will do. I abandoned bookstores for libraries, restaurants for my kitchen, boutiques for bargains—and soon found myself enjoying a gleeful sense of liberation. By limiting my consumption and saving for what I really wanted, I felt empowered. Here was a way to beat the system and achieve control.

But frugality is one thing in a student, another in a woman of the world. As the years passed, I hung onto it, but I also knew better than to broadcast it. It became a secret strength, a guilty pleasure.

My delight in frugality took a giant step when, at age 50, I went one summer to a house on an island off the coast of Maine. It offered propane and rainwater instead of electricity and plumbing, and the island store was an hour’s walk away. Far from lamenting the lack of amenities, I felt stimulated and challenged. With nothing to buy and no one to impress, I set out to discover what mattered most. What I learned is how little one needs to be content and how much of life’s bounty is free if you open your eyes and use your imagination.

 

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This as well:

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/05/how-to-save-smarter.html

$AVINGS SURVIVAL GUIDE

How To Save Smarter

by Tim Harford

published: 05/10/2009

Not very long ago, Americans were terrible savers. In 2007, the average person put aside 60 cents of every $100, or .6% per paycheck. However, the current economic downturn has shocked us into depositing more at the bank. As of February, the personal savings rate was more than 4%. That’s a big improvement, but it’s still half of 1980s levels, when Americans routinely socked away 10% of their paychecks. Why is saving so hard? And how can we be smarter savers?

Behavioral economists—researchers who mix psychology and economics—have uncovered three reasons why people find it so difficult to save. The first is temptation: Although we often later regret it, we just can’t resist spending. The second is lack of understanding: Our brains can’t quite grasp the profitability of saving. The third is optimism: We believe that everything will work out, even if we don’t save.

Fortunately, researchers have found solutions to these problems. Temptation can be countered if you make saving as much fun as spending. This isn’t such a stretch. Neuroeconomist Ben Seymour of University College, London, sits in front of a brain scanner and watches what happens in our heads when we think about financial decisions. He found that imagining a future purchase is almost as good as getting it. For example, when we daydream about buying a new car, our brains respond in much the same way as when we actually make the purchase.

We can harness this buzz to our benefit by discarding vague ideas of “saving for a rainy day” and focusing instead on particular items we need or want. “Saving is much easier when it’s for something specific,” Seymour says. Reinforce this connection in your mind by opening a different savings account devoted to each of your goals: one for a new car, one for a vacation, one for a child’s college tuition fees.

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So is a Killowatt saved a Killowatt earned? Damn Straight:

http://www.green-energy-news.com/arch/nrgs2009/20090023.html

March 19, 2009 – Vol.13 No.52

ENERGY FRUGALITY MAKES GOOD BUSINESS.
by Bruce Mulliken, Green Energy News

Author, activist, statesman, inventor Benjamin Franklin famously said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Kilowatts weren’t yet conceived in his day but the experimenter in electricity certainly would have quipped, “Kilowatts saved are pennies earned.”

Somehow I think the man who believed in frugality would have been a vocal proponent of energy efficiency.

Today, saving energy and using it more efficiently is not just virtuous, it’s good business. In an economy struggling to get traction, spending less on energy can mean the difference between business failure and staying in it. A penny spent on energy savings can shift a negative number on the balance sheet into the positive column.

For an individual a switch to a more fuel efficient car or truck will make an immediate and noticeable difference in cash outflows. But adding more efficient lighting or beefing up insulation in a home will be barely noticeable on the monthly utility bill. (Rest assured; the savings will be there and evident in the long run.)

However, for a business, energy efficiency measures of all kinds will stand out when the bill comes due. When dozens, hundreds or thousands of light fixtures are changed to more efficient ones the effect on the bottom line will be immediate. Further, calculating the dollars and cents difference between the efficiency investment and long term energy savings can give a business a long term bill of health.

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Or This:

http://ase.org/content/news/detail/5549

 

Frugality 101: Why Pay More for Energy Than You Have To?

For Further Information
Rozanne Weissman 202/530-2217 rweissman@ase.org

For Immediate Release

(Editor’s note: The news release has hypertext links as well as complete web links to meet various media, web, and blog needs.)

Washington, DC, April 2009 – Although gasoline prices are heading upward once again, they are nowhere near last summer’s average high of $4.11 a gallon, meaning that you could drive more for less. But is that smart? As a matter of fact, one of the bright spots in this turbulent economy is that it will actually cost significantly less to power your home and vehicles this year than last year.

With “frugality” being the hot buzzword in this tough economy, why pay more for energy than you have to? The Alliance to Save Energy offers extensive money-saving resources and tips to reduce your energy bills so you and your family have more money for other things:

  • Unemployed, home more, and watching your home energy bills soar? When a home is in use 24/7, more energy is used for heating or cooling, lighting, home office equipment, electronics, water, and other needs. The Alliance to Save Energy’s consumer website (www.ase.org/consumers) offers an entire section on Tips to Lower Your Energy Bills.
  • $1,500 home energy efficiency tax credit. There’s no better time than this year or next year to improve your home’s energy efficiency. Certain home energy efficiency improvements are eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $1,500 through the end of 2010 as part of the February “stimulus” package. The Alliance provides all pertinent details on home and vehicle tax credits (http://ase.org/section/_audience/consumers/taxcredits). The tax credit increases the federal income tax refund you would get or lessens the money you would otherwise owe. In addition, these improvements would simultaneously reduce your monthly energy bills, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

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For much more:

www.consultenergyefficientdesign.com/2009/03/energy–frugality-makes-good-business.html

http://frugalist.instantcreditcard.com/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/5089236/Wartime-frugality-needed-to-help-fight-climate-change-says-Energy-Saving-Trust.html

http://americanenergycrisis.blogspot.com/2009/03/frugal-is-in-again.html

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Wind Power 2009 In Chicago – It is the last day and I thought I would at least put up something

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I checked the Tribune – nothing. I checked the Sun Times – nothing. I googled and got several up and coming Wind Power Conventions/Conferences – nothing:

Wind Power Asia

http://www.windpowerasia.com/

Wind Power Transmission

http://www.windpowertd-events.com/

Small Wind Conference

http://www.the-mrea.org/smallwind.php

This one that happened in Chicago in MARCH:

 http://www.platts.com/Events/2009/pc908/

The Oil Drum won’t load up:

http://www.theoildrum.com/

Connection Interrupted
The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.
The network link was interrupted while negotiating a connection. Please try again.

Fucking geniuses

In desperation I started reading Peak OIL. By God they came through:

http://www.peakoil.com/

Thankyou Coyote

http://www.peakoil.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=48183

Reuters too of course:

http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-GreenBusiness/idUSTRE5457XA20090506

Some Americans clamor to try wind power at home

Wed May 6, 2009 6:30pm EDTBy Andrew Stern

CHICAGO (Reuters) – The idea of wind turbines churning out free electricity alongside every home and office building has appeal, judging by the throngs around “community wind” purveyors at a Chicago wind power convention this week.

Darrin Russell of Southwest Windpower was inundated with questions during the Windpower 2009 convention where he explained the economics of the company’s workhorse 2.4 kilowatt Skystream turbine, which plugs into the local electrical grid.

“It’s nice watching the (electricity) meter go backward. Sometimes it gets going pretty fast when the wind blows hard” which it does often at the company’s headquarters in Flagstaff, Arizona, he said.

Russell paid practically nothing for his own turbine, which costs roughly $14,000 to buy and install, thanks to a newly enacted 30 percent federal tax credit for wind projects large and small, state tax credits and rebates of up to $9,000 from many utilities eager to promote renewable energy. The first month his electricity bill was zero.

The company sells to business, homeowners and developers.

“Some companies like to line them up outside instead of flags” to promote their green credentials, he said. “Helps keep their offices cool at least.”

Retailers can draw in environmentally conscious customers if they have a wind turbine outside, experts say.

Potential buyers from Chile, South Korea and the state of Michigan flocked around Southwest Windpower’s olive-green machine with three distinctively curved blades, designed to cut noise. Russell said the company has sold 5,000 small turbines in the past two years, and 150,000 in total.

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Let’s See Dorothy, Tornadoes, Little People And An Eco Friendly Infrastructure – What the heck is going on in Kansas

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This doesn’t look like Kansas anymore TOTO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0-um0pHTAg

They have a cool organization to prove it:

http://www.greensburggreentown.org/

U. of Colorado Students to Present Their Designs

DateMonday, April 20, 2009 at 10:08AM by AuthorEmily Schlickman

Students survey the proposed site. Model of a new green housing design.

During the Fall of 2008 and Spring of 2009, graduate-level architecture students from the University of Colorado-Denver met with residents of Greensburg, Kansas to better understand the needs of the community and the devastation of the EF5 tornado that hit Greensburg almost 2 years ago. They spent the next 8 months researching the Kansas climate and the appropriate materials and building techniques for new “green” housing designs.

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Supper to Feature a Banquet of Local Foods

DateSaturday, April 18, 2009 at 10:22PM by AuthorCatherine Hart

image courtesy of Local Burger

GreenTown will host supper Saturday, May 2 at 6:30 as part of the weekend of events observing the second anniversary of the tornado. (See entry from April 5, below, for itinerary.) Guests at our First Annual Green Initiative Awards banquet will be treated to a meal made possible by: Local Burger, a Lawrence, Kansas organic/sustainable/local foods eatery owned by Hilary Brown; Good Natured Family Farms, a consortium of over 100 family farms headed up by Diana Endicott; New Grass Bison Company, a sustainable food production and distribution company founded by Jeff Adair in 2001; and Anita Friesen, local Greensburg caterer extraordinaire.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVCkD-SLmK0&feature=related

If you will remember 2 years ago they got wacked at the knees:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17643060

OH that’s Hendrick not Hendrix:

Kansas Town’s Green Dreams Could Save Its Future

by Frank Morris

All Things Considered, December 27, 2007 · Greensburg, a tiny town on the vast, flat prairie of western Kansas, is at the center of a grand experiment. In May, a tornado obliterated nearly every house, tree and business.

The twister — among the strongest on record — killed 10 people and displaced almost 1,400 residents. The community had been in steep decline before the storm, but city leaders quickly saw opportunity in the disaster. Perhaps they could revive Greensburg and sustain it for generations to come by making it the greenest town in America.

Rebuilding Better

Less than two days after the tornado, as huge machines began to tear into the wreckage of his hometown, School Superintendent Darren Hedrick managed to put a brave face on.

“Towns are about people, they’re not about buildings. And it’s a huge opportunity to rebuild — not just rebuild it the way it was but maybe rebuild it a little bit better than it was,” Hedrick said.

Though buildings, books and records were gone, Hedrick pledged to open school on time in the fall.

He did.

First-graders recently celebrated the end of an odd semester. Classes were held in small, white trailers lined up a quarter-mile from where most of the students now live. Their teacher, Laura Proser, says winter break marks a welcome milestone.

“We just got our stoplight yesterday, and everybody’s excited about that,” Proser said.

The Greening of Greensburg

Townhomes are beginning to rise from the ragged tree trunks, weeds and ruins off Main Street. They mark a radical departure from traditional low-income housing, according to Duncan Prahl, who is from Pennsylvania and on contract with the National Renewable Energy Labs.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3Uia79MRrI&feature=related

Even Leonard DiCaprio got into the act:

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/07/23/leonardo-di-caprio-to-build-eco-town-in-kansas/

LEONARDO DI CAPRIO to Build “Eco-Town” in Kansas

by Tylene Levesque

Tornado Damage in Greensburg, Kansas, Discovery Communications, Planet Green Channel, “Eco-Town”, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sustainable Building

Discovery’s new eco-lifestyle channel Planet Green is partnering with actor and avid environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio to help launch the channel early next year with a touching environmentally-friendly project. DiCaprio is set to executive produce “Eco-Town,” a 13-part reality series which will follow state and local officials in their quest to build an ecologically—and economically—sustainable town in Kansas, aptly named Greensburg.

The series will document the green rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas, a small town that was leveled by a devastating tornado on May 4th. Environmentally friendly, energy efficient materials and technology will be used to reconstruct the hundreds of homes and businesses damaged by the storm in hopes of encouraging many of the 1,500 residents to return home. We’re eagerly waiting to see what other green programs Planet Green has in store for us.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z94RfLEzwAg&feature=related

But does it really take ALL of this to get earth friendly? Do we have to wait for disasters like Katrina to do the things we know are right. Isn’t this Environmentalism by suicide?

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/04/the-greenest-town-in-america.html

 

Previous 1 of 3 Next

The Greenest Town in America

by Lamar Graham

published: 04/19/2009

1. The Greenest Town in America

 

2. Personality Parade

 

3. Wind Power

An eco-friendly home in Greensburg, Kansas. Photo by Jim Reed.

Darin Headrick, superintendent of schools in Greensburg, Kan., wasn’t particularly alarmed to hear a tornado siren wail on the evening of May 4, 2007. Such warnings are rites of spring in south-central Kansas, and when Mother Nature gets her dander up, “there’s nothing much you can do but get home, put the vehicles away, and get down in the basement,” Headrick says. So he and his wife went next door and joined their neighbors, a couple with two teenage daughters, in their below-ground rec room.

Violent wind, rain, and hail lashed the town. The power went out. Suddenly, Headrick says, “ there was a huge pressure change in the atmosphere.” They heard glass begin to shatter above them, then a sound like a giant wrecking ball.

Miraculously, the planks over their heads held fast. The rest of the house simply vanished. So did every other dwelling in the vicinity. For a desperate hour, the two families searched for neighbors. Eventually, they set out on foot for the dark center of town.

Every house and building they passed had been flattened. “We met people coming from the other direction,” Headrick recalls. “They said, ‘It’s not any better back there.’ That’s when we knew.” Greensburg, population 1574, had been wiped off the map.

  Devastated but not destroyed: Greensburg after the twister that killed 11 on May 4, 2007

The tornado that obliterated Greensburg was one of the strongest ever recorded anywhere, with winds of 205 mph and a footprint 1.7 miles wide. The town, only about 1.5 square miles, never stood a chance. Eleven people died. Fewer than a dozen homes were left standing.

The devastation was so complete that folks in Greensburg wondered whether to rebuild at all. Even before the twister, their town had been on the wane, its population graying, its young people moving away. “Rural America is kind of dying,” Headrick observes.

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What Does Spain Know That The US Doesn’t – Not only do they lead the world in solar

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They lead in the US as well.

http://ecoworldly.com/2009/04/07/spain-leads-the-world-in-new-solar-energy-development/

Spain Leads the World in New Solar Energy Development

 

Written by Bryan Nelson

Published on April 7th, 2009

2 Comments

Posted in About Energy, In Europe

According to a newly released draft of a report by the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), Spain now leads the world in added photovoltaic capacity.

Solar Energy Panels

Although Germany is still the leading nation in total grid-connected solar photovoltaic capacity, this news now means Spain has surged into second place there. The report comes as an embarrassment for a floundering Japan, who used to lead the world, but now has fallen to third place in total capacity and forth place in added capacity.

Spain added 1.7 million kilowatts of capacity in 2008, followed by Germany at 1.5 million kilowatts. The United States lagged behind in a distant third place at 300,000 kilowatts, followed by Japan with only 240,000 kilowatts. The news is disappointing for Japan, but it should be equally as distressing for the United States, which continues to show only slow improvements year.

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This is why. They give awards for being sustainable!

http://www.managenergy.net/products/R1574.htm

Good Practice Case Study: Sustainable Energy Solutions in Barcelona – Spain

Case Study (45 KB PDF)

Imma Mayol i Beltran receives the ManagEnergy Local Energy Action Award 2007 from Alfonso González Finat In 2007, Barcelona won the ManagEnergy Local Energy Action Award for their committment to Sustainable Energy Solutions in Barcelona.The Award was presented to Imma Mayol i Beltran, Vice-Mayor of Barcelona and President of Agència d’Energia de Barcelona, Spain during the plenary session of the ManagEnergy Annual Conference Award by Alfonso González Finat, Conference Chair [left].
Link to website for Directorate-General for Energy and Transport

link to presentation

ManagEnergy Local Energy Action Award 2007

Feb 2007   ( 14min 0sec )    
Link to website for Directorate-General for Energy and Transport

link to presentation of Imma Mayol

Barcelona – sustainable energy city

Feb 2007   ( 9min 0sec )    

Imma Mayol
Deputy Mayor and Chairman of Sustainability, Barcelona

Summary

The goals of Barcelona City Council’s Plan for Energy Improvement in Barcelona (2002-2010) are to increase the use of renewable energy (especially solar energy), reduce the use of non-renewable energy sources and lower the emissions produced by energy consumption in order to meet Barcelona City Council’s international protection commitments. This integrated plan includes a quantification of the energy used and emissions produced in the city and provide scope for municipal action to promote an environmentally sustainable city, reducing air pollution and the consumption of fossil fuels in the process. As part of its plan a Solar Thermal Ordinance has been introduced. The aim of the ordinance is to regulate, through local legislation, the implementation of low-temperature systems for collecting and using active solar energy for the production of hot water for buildings. New buildings and buildings undergoing major refurbishment are required to use solar energy to supply 60% of their running hot water requirements. Since its enforcement licenses for the installation of a total of 14,028 square meters of solar panels have been requested with annual savings of 11,222 Megawatt hours and a corresponding reduction in eCO2 emissions of 1,973 tonnes per year.

Results

The strategies named promotion policies and demonstration projects have been present in the city for several years, with different examples such as the installation of solar systems in schools, sports centres (solar thermal installation in the Olympics Swimming Pool ) or in some other public buildings (solar photovoltaic installation in the Town Hall building).

Concerning legal instruments, Barcelona is the first European city to have a Solar thermal ordinance. According to this bylaw all new buildings and buildings undergoing major refurbishment are obligated to use solar energy to supply 60% of their running hot water requirements. This solar ordinance was approved by the Barcelona City Council in July 1999 and entered into force in August 2000. This new policy has brought Barcelona to multiply per more than 10 the surface of solar thermal square metres (licenses requested), moving from 1,1 sqm /1.000 inhabitants (in 2000) to 13 sqm/1.000 inhabitants [as of march 2004, the licenses requested for the installation of solar panels made up a total of: 19.543 sqm of solar panels (before: 1650 sqm)]. We are happy to see these results and specially to see that more than 20 Spanish cities are now “replicating” this initiative taking Barcelona as a model.

The Barcelona Energy Improvement Plan (PMEB), a 10 year plan adopted in 2002, and the Barcelona Energy Agency, are two major management instruments that ensure the commitment of the City to further promote these energy measures in a planned and structured manner. The Barcelona Energy Improvement Plan proposes a series of measures and 55 projects for local action up to the year 2010, these being centred on energy savings and in the use of renewable energies.

The municipal action promoting a sustainable energy city also works towards the integration of sustainable energy measures in urban developments, an example of this integration are thesustainable energy measures in the Forum Barcelona 2004 area. The major Sustainable Energy measures in the Forum 2004 area are the following:

  • Urban solar FV power station (10.700 sqm, 1,3 MWpic)
  • District heating & cooling system, and
  • Energy efficient buildings.

Keywords

To find similar reports, click on a keyword below:
Buildings : Cooling : District Heating : Energy Efficiency : Heat/Heating : Local Government : ManagEnergy : New Buildings : Planning issues : Refurbishment of Buildings : Regional Government : Regulatory framework : Renewable Energy Sources & Systems : Schools & Colleges : Solar Thermal : Sustainable Communities : Sustainable Energy

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http://www.technologyreview.com/microsites/spain/solar/index.aspx

Solar Energy in Spain

Spain forges ahead with plans to build concentrating solar power plants, establishing the country and Spanish companies as world leaders in the emerging field. At the same time, the number of installed photovoltaic systems is growing exponentially, and researchers continue to explore new ways to promote and improve solar power. This is the seventh in an eight-part series highlighting new technologies in Spain and is produced by Technology Review, Inc.’s custom-publishing division in partnership with the Trade Commission of Spain.

From the road to the Solúcar solar plant outside Seville, drivers can see what appear to be glowing white rays emanating from a tower, piercing the dry air, and alighting upon the upturned faces of the tilted mirror panels below. Appearances, though, are deceiving: those upturned mirrors are actually tracking the sun and radiating its power onto a blindingly white square at the top of the tower, creating the equivalent of the power of 600 suns, which is used to vaporize water into steam to power a turbine.

This tower plant uses concentrated solar technology – otherwise known as solar thermal power – with a central receiver. It’s the first commercial central receiver system in the world.

Spanish companies and research centers are taking the lead in the recent revival of concentrated solar power, as expanses of mirrors are being assembled around the country for concentrated solar plants. At the same time, Spanish companies are also investing in huge photovoltaic fields, as companies dramatically increase production of PV panels and investigate the next generation of PV. Spain is already fourth in the world in its use of solar power, and second in Europe behind Germany, with more than 120 MW in about 8300 installations of PV. Within only the past ten years, the number of companies working in solar energy has leapt from a couple dozen to a few hundred.

Power from the Sun’s Heat
Southern Spain, a region known the world over for its abundant sun and scarce rain, provides an ideal landscape for solar thermal power. The tower outside Seville, built and operated by Solúcar, an Abengoa company, is the first of a number of solar thermal plants and will provide about 10 MW of power. The company SENER is completing Andasol 1, the first parabolic trough plant in Europe, a 50 MW system outside Granada that will begin operation in the summer of 2008.

Solar thermal power, also known as concentrating solar, works by utilizing the heat of the sun (unlike PV panels, which work on the principle of the movement of electrons between layers when the sun strikes the materials).

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At one level this is great. At a personal level it sucks.

OK So Is It 10 Easy Tips Or 20 – You know we are at a tipping point when every

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publication is falling over itself to produce TIPS.

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/20things.htm

EcoMall
20 THINGS YOU CAN DO

TO CONSERVE ENERGY
 
Whenever you save energy, you not only save money, you also reduce the demand for such fossil fuels as coal, oil, and natural gas. Less burning of fossil fuels also means lower emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary contributor to global warming, and other pollutants.You do not have to do without to achieve these savings. There is now an energy efficient alternative for almost every kind of appliance or light fixture. That means that consumers have a real choice and the power to change their energy use on a revolutionary scale.The average American produces about 40,000 pounds of CO2 emissions per year. Together, we use nearly a million dollars worth of energy every minute, night and day, every day of the year. By exercising even a few of the following steps, you can cut your annual emissions by thousands of pounds and your energy bills by a significant amount!

Home appliances

  1. Turn your refrigerator down. Refrigerators account for about 20% of Household electricity use. Use a thermometer to set your refrigerator temperature as close to 37 degrees and your freezer as close to 3 degrees as possible. Make sure that its energy saver switch is turned on. Also, check the gaskets around your refrigerator/freezer doors to make sure they are clean and sealed tightly.
  2. Set your clothes washer to the warm or cold water setting, not hot. Switching from hot to warm for two loads per week can save nearly 500 pounds of CO2 per year if you have an electric water heater, or 150 pounds for a gas heater.
  3. Make sure your dishwasher is full when you run it and use the energy saving setting, if available, to allow the dishes to air dry. You can also turn off the drying cycle manually. Not using heat in the drying cycle can save 20 percent of your dishwasher’s total electricity use.
  4. Turn down your water heater thermostat. Thermostats are often set to 140 degrees F when 120 is usually fine. Each 10 degree reduction saves 600 pounds of CO2 per year for an electric water heater, or 440 pounds for a gas heater. If every household turned its water heater thermostat down 20 degrees, we could prevent more than 45 million tons of annual CO2 emissions – the same amount emitted by the entire nations of Kuwait or Libya.

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For more see the article

http://www.squidoo.com/10waystoconserveenergy

10 Ways to Conserve Energy

Tips to Help You Save!

1. Replace old light bulbs with energy saving fluorescent bulbs. They may cost more, but will save you much more in the long run.

2. Turn off all electronic devices that are not in use. Not only turn them off but try to remember to unplug them. You will be surprised how much you will save with this simple step!

3. Air dry your dishes. When washing in a dish washer, the heat generated during the wash cycle is more than enough to dry your dishes.

4. Clean or replace air filters regularly. This can vary depending on the filter you are using. It’s important to follow the instruction found on the packaging. If you no longer have it, here are some basic guidelines:

  • Deep Pleated = Once or twice a year
  • Ordinary Flat or Pleated = 2-3 Months
  • Traditional Fiberglass/Polyester = Monthly

It is also important that your air filter fits properly and air is moving through it and not around it.

5. Close vents and doors in unused rooms. No need to cool or warm areas that people are not in.

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Seems like the lists just go on and on:

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Lesser-Known-Ways-To-Conserve-Energy&id=778134

5 Lesser Known Ways To Conserve Energy
By Jennifer Carpenter

The truth is definitely becoming clearer. Thanks to widespread news coverage and Al Gore’s book and documentary, people are becoming more and more aware that energy needs to be conserved, even if it means inconvenience. Recycling isn’t something only “tree-huggers” do anymore. Even big companies are getting into the habit of recycling and reusing their waste products. My local Wal-mart has barrels set up to collect used plastic bags and one of the local grocery stores uses their cardboard boxes instead of bags for their customers to carry their purchases home.

With all the basics covered; changing light bulbs, recycling your paper, plastic and metal goods, and turning off the faucets when brushing your teeth, you are doing a great job of conserving the Earth’s natural resources. But there is more that you could be doing. Follows is a list of lesser-known ways to conserve energy in the comfort of your own home.

  1. Replace the filters on your air conditioner every month that you are using it. By running the machine with a clean filter, it doesn’t have to work as hard and doesn’t need to use more energy to achieve the keep the rooms cool.
  2. Turn down the water temperature on your water heater. By lower the temperature of the water to 120 degrees, the heater won’t have to use as much energy to heat up the water to a warmer temperature. It’s also safer to have the water heater lower if you have young children in the house, as the hot water won’t scald them if the heater is turned to 120 degrees or cooler.
  3. Avoid over checking your food while it is cooking in the oven. Every time you open the oven door while it is on, the temperature inside the oven drops as much as 30 degrees. The oven then has to expend energy to bring the temperature back up. By reducing the number of times you open the door to check on your meal, you can save energy.
  4. Avoid washing your clothes in hot water. Most clothes that are not stained can be cleaned in cold water (it’s also better for the dyes and less harsh on the fabric). Clothes that are dirty but not overly stained can be pretreated and washed in warm water. Hot water is really only necessary for heavily stained clothes or if you are trying to eliminate pests such as lice. Many detergent companies are formulating their products to work as well in cold water as in warm and hot in order to help consumers conserve energy.
  5. Adjust the blades on ceiling fans for seasonal changes. The fan company (and occasionally the blades themselves) will inform you of the optimal position for your fan blade to keep the air circulating during the summer and winter months.

Doing these five things may seem like an inconvenience, especially when all our lives are so busy already. Just remember that we only have one planet and it is up to us to treat the best way we can.

Jennifer Carpenter is a work at home mother of three, two teens and a preschooler. She writes about parenting, social, health, and financial issues from her home in Warwick, RI. Jenn also hosts a website discussing the different ways she is making money online and achieving her financial freedom.

http://www.livingmybigdream.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Carpenter

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Everyone’s always making lists…but do they do it themselves?

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We Just Bought A Metal Roof – What are the positives and the negatives

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We just paid 11,000 $$$ for a new metal roof from the lovely people at Pro Max in Decatur, IL. Thanks Dean! We could have gotten the same roof in asphalt for 7,000 or 8,000 $$$s. Some people would say that is a negative right there. But what is 4 or 5,000 $$s among friends when the life of the roof could easily be 50 years?. Not only that but it lowers your homeowners insurance enough that the payback times must be in like 5 years. Especially with how much it can save in energy consumption:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=roof_prods.pr_roof_products

 

Reflective Roof Products for Consumers

(Are you a partner? For Partners)

Americans spend about $40 billion annually to air condition buildings — one-sixth of all electricity generated in this country.

roof

Why choose ENERGY STAR reflective roofing for your building?

  • ENERGY STAR qualified roof products reflect more of the sun’s rays. This can lower roof surface temperature by up to 100F, decreasing the amount of heat transferred into a building.
  • ENERGY STAR qualified roof products can help reduce the amount of air conditioning needed in buildings, and can reduce peak cooling demand by 10–15 percent.

During building design and when your existing roof needs replacement are both excellent times to consider reflective roofing. See how much reflective roofing can reduce your building’s energy costs .

What is emissivity and why is it important to cool roofs?

Read more about emissivity and how it relates to energy savings and cool roofs.

How does roof insulation relate to ENERGY STAR labeled roof products?

The ENERGY STAR energy-efficiency criteria do not include a specification for roof insulation. However, in addition to reflectivity, roof insulation (measured by the R-value) plays an important role in building energy consumption for heating and cooling. The colder the climate, the greater the need for a higher R-value to ensure that less heat is lost from the building envelope. To determine the minimum R-value for a given location, refer to the International Energy.

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http://www.wbdg.org/resources/coolmetalroofing.php

Cool Metal Roofing

by the Cool Metal Roofing Coalition
Patrick Bush, U.S. Steel; Greg Crawford, AISI; Scott Kriner, MCA; Todd Miller, Classic Products; Charles Praeger, MBMA; James Robinson, Architectural Metals Systems; Robert Scichili, BASF; Lee Shoemaker, MBMA

Last updated: 02-13-2007

Introduction

Photo example of metal roofing

Metal roofing has been available and utilized as a roofing material for centuries. Metal roofing is available in a wide variety of substrates, colors, textures, and profiles. Though diverse in appearance, metal roofing has many common attributes such as durability, recycled content, recyclability, fire resistance, low weight, and low life-cycle cost.

Depending upon the surface finish, cool metal roofing can provide enhanced energy efficiency with its solar reflectance and infrared emittance properties. In fact, the solar reflectance and infrared emittance of a metal roof can be engineered to meet the climate requirements of the building. Cool metal roofing can provide the desired high reflectance and low emittance in climates where heating loads prevail. Cool metal roofing can also provide the desired high reflectance and high emittance where cooling loads dominate. Cool metal roofing easily meets the requirements of the EPA’s Energy Star® program. Cool metal roofing is also eligible for other cool roof incentive programs:}

http://ezinearticles.com/?Metal-Roof-Cost—Common-Myths-Debunked&id=2078869
Metal Roof Cost – Common Myths Debunked
By Chris Xavier

Out of the box, metal roof cost can seem astronomical when comparing it to a traditional asphalt shingle roof. But to just compare absolute material cost and no other factors is not comparing “apples to apples”. Metal roofing does not get its cost effectiveness from its materials. To better understand the expense, we are more apt to examine the differences in an asphalt roof versus a metal one.

Asphalt always looks like a bargain. At approximately one third of the metal roof cost and warranty slapped on the package boasting twenty years or better, it seems clear to the uninformed that an asphalt roof will provide the same performance at a fraction of the payout. Over our time, warranties have become more a tool for marketing than a display of quality. We, as consumers, take it as a company standing behind their product for a specified amount of time but the details are in the small print. Don’t take it wrong, there are a lot of great warranties out there but it’s key to understand their limitations and fine print when taking warranties into account.

Upon further examination, we see that most shingle warranties do not cover the shingles to their claimed lifespan. Instead, the company heavily pro rates the value so if and when you were ever to file a warranty claim, you would not recover the amount of the initial product. Also, these warranties do not cover the cost of labor of the initial job or replacement.

The second biggest myth that homeowners face when comparing metal roof cost to asphalt are the effects of the environment has on them both. Your climate can bring some of the harshest conditions we could ever imagine. Scorching heat, hail, rain, sleet, snow, tornadoes, wildfires, and hurricanes are some of the environmental conditions we face in the United States. As these conditions get more extreme, the more asphalt shingles fail and the more often they will need to be replaced, thus increasing ownership costs and maintenance requirements.

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http://www.themetalinitiative.com/content/building_with_metal/benefits/sustainability/s_coolmetalroofing.cfm

Cool Metal Roofs Help

Put Lid on Rising Energy Costs

A roof has a significant impact on the energy use of a building. As a result, building owners and their architects have discovered that it pays to specify building products such as “cool metal roofs” to help avoid unwanted heat build-up inside the building and to help ensure maximum energy conservation. Buildings consume one-third of all energy and two-thirds of all electricity generated in the U.S. But, commercial metal roofs with heat-deflecting coatings and finishes can drastically lower the energy consumption rate by reducing cooling loads. In the process, these roofs can save building owners up to 40 percent in heating and cooling energy costs, perhaps more if used in conjunction with insulation under the roof surface, according to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

At the same time, highly emissive roofs benefit the environment by lowering urban air temperatures, thereby helping to reduce smog. They also offer a solution for communities searching for ways to control the demand for electricity.

Cool Roof Performance Depends on Reflectance, Emittance

The performance of a cool roof depends on two properties: solar reflectance and infrared emittance. Solar reflectance indicates the percent of sunlight reflected off the roof. Emittance indicates the percent of the sun’s heat re-radiated from the roof to its surroundings.

Available unpainted, with baked-on paint finishes, or with granular-coated surfaces, cool metal roofing can reflect up to 70 percent of the sun’s rays, resulting in less heat transfer to the interior of the building. The emittance of painted or granular-coated metal roofing can be as high as 90 percent.

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And for you do it yourselfers out there:

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2007/01/04/done/

Wasn’t This Worth Waiting For?

Just in time for the rain storm tonight. Tonight’s rain [hence the dreary looking photos – I’ll take better pictures when the sun comes out] will fall on a new sustainable metal stone coated roof. Justin read that this type of process was developed in WWII. The reflective metal roofs on buildings were attracting enemy planes so folks put tar on the metal and over that ground up stone or sand.   Such stone coated metal roofs are commonly used in New Zealand.   Jules’first homestead in the rural South Island (NZ) had a corrugated metal roof which collected and diverted the rainwater into a huge cement cistern.     Now we have an “upgraded” metal roof and we once again plan to harvest the rainfall and it use to irrigate the garden.

For those of you who have been following the roof saga since summer you are probably glad you won’t read about the “R” word anymore. Truthfully, this project wasn’t as easy as you would think – believe me. We spent many sleepless nights and stressful days agonizing over this decision. Looking at the 4? thick folder of all the types of roofing that we looked at Justin would comment “choosing a roof is like getting married, the only thing is you can’t get divorced if it doesn’t work out.”

Time for high fives, pats on the back and hugs all around – time to celebrate !!!!   A friend of ours dropped by yesterday with a bag of goodies to “celebrate your new roof.”   How kind and thoughtful!   Of course he couldn’t help but admire and question in amazement “that’s metal?” Speaking of admiring these last few days you’ll find us pausing as we work in the garden just to admire the roof.

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But you say how much energy does it consume vs. a shingle roof. I don’t know, but I will try to find out for tomorrow.

As always please read the complete articles and attachments above for many more details.

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Al Casella – Tributes by Bob Croteau and Fletcher Farrar

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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

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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