Energy Citizens Rally Or Protest Was Not Just Surreal It Was Sad

Posted on September 3, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

I got into the rally because Roy Wehrle got stopped by Security. The lengths that they went to keep out “undesirables” was pretty amazing. Will Reynolds, of the Sierra Club went in and gave some materials to their Press Table. He was then barred from reentry by 2 Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputies for distributing political literature. Apparently after that anyone seen talking to Will was a thoroughly dangerous man like in Alice’s Restaurant. When I went in the ballroom they pounced on mild mannered Economics professor Roy and turned him away.

Remember this is the compelling protest designed to defeat Cap and Trade WHICH is the INDUSTRIES proposal NOT the Environmentalists. I like a huge Carbon Tax myself. Most European countries pay 6 $$$ per gallon for their gasoline…and that tax money is invested directly into renewables and infrastructure. Why not do something like that in the US? This is what the “protest” looked like:

Photos by Wes King

This is what they stand for:

http://energycitizens.org/about/

About Energy Citizens

Energy Citizens is a nationwide alliance of organizations and individuals formed to bring together people across America to remind Congress that energy is the backbone of our nation’s economy and our way of life.

Energy Citizens are voicing their concerns about the impact climate legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would have on American jobs, families and businesses. The alliance is urging the Senate to get it right and make sure that climate, energy and tax legislation would not take money out of Americans’ pocketbooks and cost millions of jobs.

See personal stories from people across the country, or take a look at the list of participating organizations that have joined Energy Citizens in support of American jobs and affordable energy

This is who paid for it:

http://www.redcounty.com/illinois-business-groups-schedule-anti-cap-and-trade-rally-sept-1st

Illinois Business Groups Schedule Anti-Cap and Trade Rally, Sept. 1st

By Warner Todd Huston | 08/31/09 | 07:41 PM EDT

A group called Energy Citizens made up of 23 Illinois business associations have scheduled a September 1st rally in order to protest the seriously damaging policies of the Cap and Trade bill. The rally will be held near the State Capitol in Springfield.

The event will start a noon and will be held at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3000 Dirksen Parkway, Springfield, Illinois.

A notice was posted at the Illinois Farm Bureau website.

A lunch will follow the roughly 45-minute event, one of 22 rallies nationwide sponsored by the group Energy Citizens to oppose House-approved legislation. IFB members are encouraged to attend, and may contact their county Farm Bureau for additional details.

The Illinois members of Energy Citizens includes the Southwestern Illinois Employers Association and Wayne-White Counties Electric Cooperative, the Illinois Association of Convenience Stores, Associated Builder and Contractors of Illinois (ABC), Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, Grain & Feed Association of Illinois, Growmark, Home Builders Association of Illinois, Illinois Association of Aggregate Producers, Illinois Coal Associations, Illinois Energy Forum, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois manufacturers Association, Illinois Petroleum Council, Illinois Pork Producers, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, Illinois Trucking Association, MidAmerica Energy, Mid-West Truckers Association, Illinois Oil & Gas Association, National Federation of Independent Business, Rural Electric Convenience Cooperative and the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association.

The saddest part was they used local “personality” Bob Murray as the MC. I hate to pick on anyone but there is a reason that Bob moved from TV to Radio and there are no pictures available of him below the waist…I mean he is huge. When I walked in he looked pretty normal but when I got off to the side I was stunned. Then he made a joke about it. “I am so big”, he said, “When I asked my mom when I was born she said July 4rth….July 5th and July 6th”

http://www.spoke.com/info/pF0Rf1m/BobMurray

I just wanted to cry. They were giving away bright yellow Tshirts that read, “I will pass on $4 gas”. I wish now I would have grabbed one. There was even a sign that read, “RVer’s Against Waxman-Markey” and another sign that read, “Crap and Trade”. As I walked out Murray said, “The great thing about this country is that you can hold a meeting like this and then there is no one waiting for you in the parking lot to shoot your ass”. He then turned and launched into the Pledge of Allegiance.

WHAT a parking lot it was too. As I walked back to my car, past the hundreds of Lincoln Town cars, giant SUVs and the huge Chevys I noticed that they had filled up half of the parking lot with displays. There was a huge 16 head combine that had a Rural America Needs Affordable Energy banner slung across it. A huge semi trailer display for Illinois Crude Oil and Natural Gas. To add insult to injury the last display I walked by was 2 bucket trucks with their buckets up holding a banner that said Stop Cap and Trade. The trucks were owned by the Rural Electric Convenience Coop in Auburn that just put up a 1.2 million $$$ wind turbine.

It may take me years to get the images out of my head…..yuck

Oh and thanks to the college students who drove all the way from Chicago when we were thinking about disrupting this madness.

Energy Citizens Protest Rally In Springfield Was The Most Surreal Event I Have Ever Attended

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

I could add sick, disgusting, phony and funny to that list but why bother? I can show you how it was by example. But on the 150 aniversery of the first oil well..it is just plain sad. Oil guys used to be such roughnecks now they are kinda wussy.

The 2 most surreal events I had ever been to before was an Alice Cooper concert in 1969 and the Opening of Ticket Sales at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the English Opera Peter Grimes in Los Angeles in 1984. I know Alice doesn’t need any explanation (it does really), but the opening of ticket sales for an obscure opera?

But first a picture:

(thanks for the pictures Wes King)

It is in a BALLROOM. I have never been to a protest in one of the ritzyest ballrooms within a 100 miles of Springfield. This is the most senior citizens I have seen at a protest not sponsored by the AARP ever. There is no ethnic diversity in the room. I have been to plenty of protests, some where there were simultaneous counter protests and I have never seen this Caucasion of an audience since my last KKK rally. It is probably tough to see but the 2 black skinned men in the room are a waitstaff member at the bottom of the picture and way off in the distance there is a black camera man for the only news organization I saw that day, Channel 20 TV. Considering the cost of this rally that in itself was bizarre. But back to Alice Cooper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA-sjSkRM4M&feature=channel

This Alice Cooper concert was when I was 14, and it was my first rock concert ever. It was in Peoria in a place since torn down called the Cow Palace. Which it literally was. A barn like structure with a dirt floor where they sold cows (and other live stock). It was my 3rd acid trip…my first in public and I was with my fiance’ Denise and some other San Jose (Illinois) crazies. All the lights were on so it was real bright, and all of the sudden the Wedding March starts playing, these flowers POP up on the stage and simultaneously a man in a tux (stage left), a women in a wedding dress (stage right) and a minister (center stage) all walk to the center of the stage. The audience was stunned. The minister performs the wedding complete with “is there anyone here who may object to this union”? Stunned silence. Towards the end of the ceremony Alice Cooper and his band in their full make up started peering through the flowers. At the “kiss the bride” part the room goes to BLACK, the stage lights come on low and giant trash cans come hurtling over the flowers, followed by Alice and the band…In that 2 second period my life changed for ever.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUFO_04J1r4

My second most surreal moment could take some set up but I will try to make it as quick as possible. But first another picture of the event:

I mean really do these people look angry? Do they look passionate about preventing “cap and trade” in the area of carbon production because it has already worked for sulfur? NO these people look like people at the Republican Convention in Minnesota last year.

Anyway in 1984 I lived in Las Vegas with a woman who celebrated her 30 birthday. I had patiently gone to the Lyric Opera in Chicago for 2 seasons with her. Then I said enough! I am not going to another Opera unless it is in English and I was off the hook for a couple of years. BUT someone (probably her sister) told her that Peter Grimes was playing at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in LA. Yes the same place where the Academy Awards are occasionally given out. So we got a room in a South Central L.A., yes the place that burned down in the riots which was surreal enough as it was. We went for a driving tour of the LA area (Hollywood, Venice Beach, Malibu) and then we had Oriental Food downtown someplace. The next day we had to go pick up our tickets at the Pavilion. Yes I know that seems quaint now but you had to physically pick up your tickets. While we were waiting in this 500 person line we were subjected to a surprise Japanese Performance Art piece.

http://www.musiccenter.org/

http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/japan/pro-performing_arts.htm

http://outwestarts.blogspot.com/2008/03/attend-tale-of-peter-grimes.html

Nobody was looking up so I have no idea how it started, but suddenly you hear a huge horn sound…like a foghorn or something real deep and loud. I looked up and there on top of the Pavilion (4 stories maybe) was a long robed Japanese figure in an elongated paper masked, flanked on each side by 2 naked guys in diapers. He blew on this big horn again. It was about 8 ft. long and rested on the ground like an Alp Horn:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070905040636AAXDrTt

Then these 4 nearly naked Japanese guys rappelled down the front of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Australian style to some really weird Japanese music played through the Pavilion’s very small very tinny outdoor speakers:

swatman6.tripod.com/srt1.html

This rapel took forever. When they landed in front of us they did some short welcoming ritual (I am guessing). The guy on the roof blew the horn again. These naked guys jumped up and down once, turned and ran to the entrance way. They threw open the doors and ran inside the building and the guy on the roof was gone. People were so stunned nobody actually went through the door. Then people started clapping and several brave soldiers advanced into the que.

So there you have it. What I witnessed at the Energy Citizens protest rally yesterday was somewhere between an Alice Cooper Concert and a Japanese Performance Art piece on my surreal scale. WHOA

The Big State Agencies Love The Illinois State Fair As Much As I Do

Posted on August 26, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

*+ On a personal note..CES is a nonprofit organization and when you click on our google ads you make a donation to us. The more you click the more we get. Thanks for being so nice+*

Illinois State Fair

They show up with a vengeance. In all fairness (HAHA) I think some of them are mandated to show up. Again I was disappointed that I did not make it to the Illinois Building for Seniors day because IDENR puts on a great energy conservation display. I also did not make it to the Conservation area so I can not run a picture of the Oil Well like I do each year, nor did I get a chance to buy a TShirt from DENR if their stand was open this year. That said…The Governor had 2 tents and they covered the gambit:

http://bestofneworleans.com/gyrobase/index

First there was the U of I’s Sustainable Technology Center. They claim to have served Illinois since 1985. I got my doubts about that but….

at:

www.istc.illinois.edu

Then there was the

Illinois Community College Sustainability Network:

http://ilccsn.ectolearning.com/ecto2/partners/ilccsn/htmsite/pages/home.shtml

established in 2007 to take advantage of the Stimulus Package of 2009…

Eguimqunon was there too:

Sorry I meant Emiquon..I never can say that name..

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/illinois/preserves/art1112.html

Plus the GREEN House:

MEET THE GREENS: Now almost all these exhibits were for kids:

Then again aren’t we all KIDS at Heart?

http://www.meetthegreens.org/

Did I mention the Butter Cow:

Or the Mehan’s 75 years at the Fair?

I know I did..

Energy and the Illinois State Fair – Dancing inbetween the rain drops

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

Cathy

and I went to the Illinois State Fair

To see the Butter Cow.

This year’s fair was really weird weather wise. It rained when Cathy and I normally go on Monday and Tuesday – Senior’s Day and Agriculture Day respectively. So by the time we made it on Friday most everything was gone. Embarrassingly we did not make it to Conservation World where all the cool kids and our friends hang out. We did make it to the Expo Building where home efficiency seemed to be the order of the day:

We met this nice man from Energy Doctor. A business that offers to tighten your envelop and use other measures as a package to reduce your energy consumption. They started in Iowa but have 5 offices now. Please visit them at:

http://www.energydoctorinc.com/index.html

Then we saw the purdy little girl at the Anderson Windows booth:

http://www.andersenwindows.com/

And we saw the people from Peoria Siding:

http://www.peoriasiding.com/pages/siding.php

And the Four Seasons solar space:

http://www.fourseasons.com/?source=gaw09cxbrS13&kw=4+seasons&KW_ID=P161761933&creative=2879208154&type=search&keyword=4%20seasons&adid=2879208154&placement=&gclid=CMWmhMOxv5wCFQ7xDAodjGQnnw

OH I mean this Four Seasons:

http://www.fourseasonssunrooms.com/

Having exhausted ourselves we went across the street to Mehan’s food stand and got a corn dog and a lemon shake up. They are celebrating 75 years at the Illinois State Fair…Congratulations

Alternative Energy In Central Illinois – Progress in the heart of coal country

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

oh its jam band friday ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y54bFYwGr_Y )

Just for kicks and because it is Friday, I googled up Alternative Energy in Central Illinois and this is what I found:

http://www.ciree.net/

Welcome to Central Illinois Renewable Energy Expo

The Peoria County 4-H and Extension Foundation is proud to present the Central Illinois Renewable Energy Expo, May 2nd and 3rd at the Green Sports Complex in Mossville, Illinois near Peoria. This event is designed to be educational and informative with plenty of vendor displays, seminars, kids’ activities and information on renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable solutions, green lifestyles, and earth-friendly technology.

The event, the first one to be offered in Central Illinois, is designed to provide an opportunity for area residents and businesses to learn more about renewable energy and energy-efficiency products and services. “Every time your turn on your radio or TV you hear something about energy consumption. Many, if not all of us, would like to know more about how to save money on heating, fuel, electricity and so on, so we thought the Expo would be a great opportunity,” said Gary Sutton, Expo Coordinator and a member of the Peoria County 4-H and Extension Foundation. “We were amazed at how many people attended in 2008—it confirmed the need for an event like this. We are very grateful for our volunteer event partners and we think the Expo will continue to be a great experience for all in central Illinois.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT1mbxOQxHY&feature=related

I mean if it has gotten to the 4-H people well then it has become a tidal wave.

http://moleprogressive.blogspot.com/2009/07/illinois-focus-blogs-food-co-ops.html

ILLINOIS FOOD CO-OPS

It took nearly 7 years living within a few blocks of one of the biggest food co-ops in America before Joy and I joined it. We were definitely reluctant. But, in the end the lack of good produce and the decline of our local supermarkets led to us joining. And the result is a slighly more inconvenient shopping trip each week, but much healthier, higher quality and cheaper food. I recommend joining a co-op if there is one nearby. You will save money and eat healthier. So I will list some local food co-ops in Illinois:

West Central Illinois Food Cooperative
P.O. Box 677
Galesburg, Illinois 61402
wcifoodcoop@wcifoodcoop.com
http://www.wcifoodcoop.com

West Central Illinois Food Cooperative is a not for profit natural foods Co-op located in Galesburg, Illinois serving people in Knox and Warren County. We are affiliated with United Natural Foods. United Natural Foods has a warehouse in Iowa City.

We are a small food coop with about 20 to 30 families at any one time. Our monthly orders average about
$2,000 – $3, 000. We have been operating as a Co-op since 1982. We do not have any one that earns a salary. All of our work is performed by members who work the different jobs as part of their monthy obligation. Working Members pay a 1% mark up from the wholesale price in the Catalog. We have nonworking members. They pay a 10% mark up. Please explore the various links on our site for additional information about the Co-op and United Natural Foods. You can also get additional information at United Natural Foods Buying Clubs site at www.unitedbuyingclubs.com

Common Ground Food Co-op
610 E. Springfield
Champaign, Illinois 61820
Phone: (217) 352-3347
FAX: (217) 352-2214
comments@commonground.coop
http://www.commonground.coop/

Common Ground Food Co-op is a cooperatively owned grocery store that promotes local and organic production, fosters conscious consumerism, and builds community.

Though we are community-owned, membership is not required to shop in the store!

Common Ground Food Co-op carries a wide variety of groceries, produce, and health and beauty products.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SKFwtgUJHs&feature=related

http://www.windaction.org/news/16700

Finally from one of the best writers in Central Illinois, Tim Landis:

Wind farms sprouting up on central Illinois landscape

Three more wind farms – each a utility-scale project with the potential for 100 to 150 towers – are in the works for central Illinois. Trade Wind Energy, a Kansas-based alternative energy developer, confirmed the company has signed leases with landowners for two wind farms in DeWitt County and is in discussions for a third in Christian County. The first two sites are east and west of Clinton, about 45 miles northeast of Springfield, and the third is north of Pana, 45 miles southeast of Springfield. …Trade Wind Energy has held meetings with Farm Bureau and elected officials in both counties, and Enger said company executives understand it is important to be “open and transparent” about development plans.

July 7, 2008 by Tim Landis in Southtown Star

Three more wind farms – each a utility-scale project with the potential for 100 to 150 towers – are in the works for central Illinois.

Trade Wind Energy, a Kansas-based alternative energy developer, confirmed the company has signed leases with landowners for two wind farms in DeWitt County and is in discussions for a third in Christian County.

The first two sites are east and west of Clinton, about 45 miles northeast of Springfield, and the third is north of Pana, 45 miles southeast of Springfield.

“We are substantially into the leasing process. We already have enough land there for a wind farm,” Trade Wind Energy development manager Duane Enger said of the negotiations in DeWitt County.

Enger said lease negotiations have only just begun for the site north of Pana, and that it is too soon to discuss a construction schedule for any of the projects. But he said all eventually would produce 100 to 150 megawatts of electricity.

A megawatt typically would supply 250 to 300 homes, according to industry standards.

Enger said, in addition to open expanses of farmland, three major transmission lines that run through the counties, including to the Clinton nuclear reactor, would make it easier to get power to the grid.

The Trade Wind Energy projects come a little more than two months after Virginia-based Dominion Corp. announced plans for a 25,000-acre wind farm and 150 to 200 wind turbines in southern Christian and northern Macoupin counties.

Dominion also is negotiating for land leases estimated by the company at $3,000 to $4,000 per year, per turbine.

Christian County Farm Bureau manager Eric Johnson said the wind developers have been generally well received.

“As long as the wind company offers good compensation and a good contract — most farmers are pretty open minded about it,” Johnson said.

Brian Fesser is among Christian County farmers approached by Dominion, but he said he has not decided whether to allow wind turbines on a 1,200-acre grain farm south of Taylorville that has been in his family for more than 50 years.

Money, he added, is not the only factor.

“It’s having to farm around the wind towers themselves. It’s just like mowing your lawn, the more trees you have, the more time it takes,” he said.

Trade Wind Energy has held meetings with Farm Bureau and elected officials in both counties, and Enger said company executives understand it is important to be “open and transparent” about development plans.

He said the company plans to open offices in the area as soon as possible.

Enger said improvements in wind-turbine technology have made it possible to operate at lower wind speeds – Trade Wind looks for areas with consistent 10 to 18 mph winds – but that rising energy prices also are a factor.

“There has just been more demand for energy the last few years,” he said.

Trade Wind Energy

Founded: 2001
Corporate headquarters: Lenexa, Kan., suburb of Kansas City
Largest investor: Enel North America Inc., a subsidiary of Enel SpA, one of the world’s largest publicly held utility companies
Current projects: Kansas, Missouri and Illinois
On the Web:www.tradewindenergy.com

Web link: http://www.southtownstar.com/business/1040540,0707…

Things are starting to change aren’t they?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1-Sv-HMHqE&feature=related

Illinois Moves Ahead With Plans To Poison The Earth – Let’s inject toxins into our watershed

Posted on July 21, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

That sounds like a plan doesn’t it?

http://www.sj-r.com/news/x1264048039/House-revives-Taylorville-Energy-Center

House revives Taylorville Energy Center

OKs beginning of design work on clean-coal power plant

By DOUG FINKE (doug.finke@sj-r.com)

STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER

Posted Jul 16, 2008 @ 11:19 PM

Last update Jul 16, 2008 @ 11:44 PM

A $2.5 billion clean-coal power plant proposed for Taylorville got a new lease on life Wednesday when the Illinois House overwhelmingly approved a bill developers said is crucial to the project.By an 86-5 vote, the House passed Senate Bill 1987, which will allow design work to begin on the Taylorville Energy Center. It is similar to a bill that failed by 10 votes in the House in the closing hours of the spring session.Rep. Gary Hannig, D-Litchfield, said the latest version contains “some safeguards” to mollify utility giant Commonwealth Edison, which opposed the earlier bill. That includes more oversight of the project by the Illinois Commerce Commission.“They were concerned that some of the cost might be excessive,” Hannig said. “Now the Illinois Commerce Commission will have an opportunity to say yes or no to that. We have to prove to the power companies that we can produce this in Taylorville in a clean and economically feasible way.”The Taylorville Energy Center would use coal-gasification technology and Illinois coal to produce 525 megawatts of electricity while controlling carbon dioxide emissions

Or in their own words:

http://www.tenaska.com/newsItem.aspx?id=62

News

Tenaska’s Taylorville Energy Center Selected By U.S. DOE For Loan Guarantee Program; Illinois Electric Ratepayers Could Save Up To $60 Million Per Year With $2.5 Billion Guarantee – 07/13/09

TAYLORVILLE, Illinois – July 13, 2009 – Tenaska, managing partner for the $3.5 billion Taylorville Energy Center (TEC), announced today that, following a competitive six-month application process, it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to proceed into the term sheet negotiation phase under the DOE Loan Guarantee Program. The amount of the guarantee will be up to $2.579 billion, depending on the final project costs and capital structure.

Upon completion of due diligence and negotiations, the Taylorville project expects to receive a federal government guarantee of its debt, which will greatly reduce financing costs. Because TEC financing costs are included in electric rates under the recently enacted Illinois Clean Coal Portfolio Standard Law, the DOE loan guarantee results in savings of between $40 and $60 million per year to Illinois consumers.

“This is a very important step toward securing a clean coal facility in Taylorville. The federal loan guarantee would significantly reduce the cost of financing the construction of the facility,” said Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “That’s important because cost will be a critical factor when the General Assembly reviews this project next year.”

The DOE Loan Guarantee Program, instituted in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, is designed to spur technological innovation in fossil fuel energy development. It essentially gave the U.S. government the ability to back loans for advanced clean energy projects, thereby lowering financing costs.

If you want to read a load of crap:

http://www.cleancoalillinois.com/tec.html

Taylorville Energy Center
Taylorville Energy Center (TEC) is a proposed 500- to 525-megawatt clean coal power plant using an advanced technology called Hybrid Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle (Hybrid IGCC) to make it the cleanest coal-fired power plant in the world.

Located a mile northeast of Taylorville in central Illinois, the plant will convert Illinois coal into clean substitute natural gas (also known as methane) to generate enough electricity to power more than 500,000 area homes.

The benefits of TEC include:

• Millions saved annually on power costs
• Economic development for a job-starved region
• Creation of a new market for Illinois coal
• Protection of the environment and public
health through clean-coal technology

Plant rendering (high-res image)

Taylorville Energy Center is being developed by Christian County Generation, LLC, a joint venture between affiliates of Tenaska, an Omaha, Nebraska-based power development company, and MDL Holding Co. of Louisville, Kentucky. Tenaska is managing developer of the Taylorville project. Since its inception 21 years ago, Tenaska has built more than 9,000 megawatts of power generation. Forbes magazine ranks Tenaska as the 24th largest private U.S. corporation, based on 2007 gross revenues.

And if you want to listen to a load of crap:

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

For 3 years they have planned, and talked, and schemed….

Fundraiser For Community Energy Systems – I can’t believe I did not post yesterday

Posted on April 21, 2009 by Doug Nicodemus

It is true. I got so wrapped up in organizing CES’ first fundraiser that I forgot to post..

Springfield Scooter Club ANNOUNCES

A POKER SCOOT

(formerly know as a Poker Run)

TO Benefit

Community Energy Systems

FOR COMPLETE DETAILS AND AN INTERACTIVE ROUTE MAP

Please See the Club’s website:

WWW.SPRINGFIELDSCOOTER CLUB.COM

We will start at GRAB-A-JAVA at 2:00 pm on Sunday April 26th – to Celibrate Earth Day. Ride Stops include:

1. Overturf’s Powersports

2. Phillip 66 in Rochester

3. Alamo Bar and Grill in Chatham

4. Mike Carter’s Westside Automotive

5. The Hoogland Art Center

This is a fun ride that we encouraged to be group oriented. The path will run from GrabaJava to Lincoln Park and then Overturf’s. From there we will go through rural Riverton and Rochester to Phillips 66 gas station. From there we take some amazing rural roads to Lake Springfield and on to the Alamo. Then through the country side again to Westside Automotive. From there we will go by Washington Park and downtown to the Hoogland where prizes will be award.

Prizes include:

50$ Gift Certificate from Overturf’s PowerSports

Hats and Tshirts from Farm and Home Supply on Dirksen

There may be more – we are still trying – Sir.

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

LEAN Says Go Vote – So you better or the gators get your granny chomp chomp

Posted on November 4, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

Every State has different voting rules and it is up to you to know them.

Louisiana Environmental Action Network
Helping to Make Louisiana Safe for Future Generations

November 4, 2008

Go Vote!!

People died so you’d have the right to vote. Self government, voting to choose our own leaders, is the original American dream. We are heir to a centuries-long struggle for freedom: the American revolution, and the battles to extend the franchise to those without property, to women, to people of color, and to young people. For those of us who have that right, it’s precious. If we waste it, we dishonor those who fought for it and those who fight still.

Go vote today, and make sure you take your friends and family with you.

This is the day when we have to commit to doing everything we can. We can’t afford not to — for our families, our communities, and our future.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Bring one of the following:

Drivers Liscense
Louisiana Special ID Card
Generally recognized photo ID (passport, millitary ID, etc.)

(if you don’t have an ID you can still vote, but you will have to sign an affidavit and present a utility bill, payroll check or government document including your name and address.)Warning: apparel supporting a candidate may be prohibited in the polling place.

If you have any problems voting call Election Protection at 1-866-687-8683

If you are not sure where you polling place is you can go to GoVote.org and find out!

OK, now you have no excuses. Go vote. Right now. Come on go, do it now! Vote.

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