Green Racine

Eco One

2010-03-07T05:47:00.000-08:00

If you want to help with the effot and get great deals for Green Cleaning products
try Eco One get 10% off and know your helping Green Racine with getting the ED Clingman Experimental Organic Farm up and running. Use greenracine in the coupon code box

The Farm Part II

2010-03-07T05:39:00.000-08:00

Going this morning to meet Cindy's partner in the land. Interested in hearing his ideas and getting a contract going. Mr.Chun Lin I understand is very interested in the modle I talked to Cindy about hoping for the best I will need to get going on many phashes of this at once from getting the land plowed to obataning the seeds and starting them and of course fund raising. I am betting that my understanding the new now will help in Fund Raising and getting the word out.

Spring and News!!

2010-03-05T11:44:00.000-08:00

The winter sucks for doing much outside and I did do some Podcasting. Had Ms Mead on again from Victory Garden Initiative on again always a great interview.
Coming into Spring we have happy news! We may be renting up to 10 ac of land to go along with the 3 in Caledonia. I think this would make us one of the largest farms dedicated to growing food into the Farmers Markets East of I-94. The plan is to grow a range of food that one does not usually find in Farmer's Markets. A my Father would have said if everyone is growing Corn grow something else. there is a huge need in this area for good local products and I plan to help meet=t that need. If I must I will also create the distribution poit for the food as well
This will be a challenge but not one I can not overcome.
Nice thing is my Employer is helping me do this. I work for Pacific Sands as an outside sales and crazed Marketing guy. To say thinks to my Boss if you go to and use the code greenracine your save 10% and help me out too. Have great environmentally friendly products (End of plug.) Needed to say that as so many companies "do" green things Pacific Sands does. More very soon

Green Racine Products

2010-01-29T05:42:00.000-08:00

This year Green Racine will offer for sale:

Offering

55 Gal Rain Barrels
250 Gal Water Tanks
55 Gal Composting Drums

Also help in creating Raised Bed Gardens

Starting in Late 4/10 Composted Horse Manure

Contact for more information

wclingman@wi.rr.com

Bird Feeders

2010-01-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Got the birds coming to the feeders. No major issues with Squirrels. Receiving Seed Catalogs in the mail. DO NOT USE OLD SEEDS I did to try and save cash but 90% of those seeds did not grow. So yes it might cost more cash but please IMHO new seeds maybe not each year after say two or three years use new. Might have been how we stored them but why take chances?
Found that Detroit is doing cool things with Urban Gardens wish Racine would. Looks more like to me that our Mayor thinks IMHO that it is more critical to enrich his pals then it is to say help feed the hungry.

Wind Education

2009-12-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

Great use of funds to help educate for the fiels. One day I love to see this go on in Racine.

New Addition To Iowa Lakes C.C. Wind Studies Center Is Dedicated
in News Departments > New & Noteworthy
by NAW Staff on Wednesday 16 December 2009
email the content item print the content item

The new $550,000 addition to the Sustainable Energy Education Center/Wind Energy and Turbine Technology building on the Estherville, Iowa, campus of Iowa Lakes Community College has been officially dedicated.

KCUA-TV reports that the new 6,200 square-foot addition is ready for the spring semester, which begins on Jan. 14. Financing for the facility was paid, in part, with a $350,000 loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"This addition provides state-of-the-art technology for our wind energy students and allows them to learn necessary skills for the wind industry in a controlled environment prior to working on wind turbines," says Valerie Newhouse, college president. "The addition allowed the college to accept two more sections of students into the wind energy program."

SOURCE: KCUA-TV

UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen COP 15/CMP 5, 7 to 18 December 2009

2009-12-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen COP 15/CMP 5, 7 to 18 December 2009

Or is about the power and the cash not the Climate

Where do I begin? If any thinks this effort has anything to do with climate you should quit drinking.
Be it the UN The Government on the United States or ever the State of Wisconsin its all about the money and power.

1st example The bad cows are creating global warming so lets tax them http://businessandmedia.org/articles/2009/20081230165231.aspx effect raise milk prices Of course The states will follow more price increases. With State and the Feds running so much into debit who will vote no? Of course Milk consumption will go down because milk might become to costly for the poor to buy. They will then turn to suger favored drinks like Soda that will cause more obesity in the youth (another taxing opportunity tax soda so kids will not drink as much of it)

Then you have manure to worry about now used on many organic farms to fertilize crops crops to avoid the use of man made fertilizer manure could now be outlawed cause/forcing the use of more chemicals as inputs on your food. Of course this would cause food prices to go up too to pay for chemicals.
I love the fact that Al Gore is now worth 200 Million up from the 2 million after leaving the white house, thats a what 1000% growth I think? Must be nice consulting the companies that will grow very very rich if Cap and Trade goes down. Gee you do not think he getting paid to promote something that's not happening do you?? Not Al Gore inventor of the internet? I know that Gore has been invited to debate the FACTS behind Global Warning and he has yet to do so, he has had reporters mics shut off to stop the reporters from asking him questions. I believe Al Gore wants no debate on Global Warming (be easier to get his money??)

Renewable Engery is still a good idea

2009-12-08T12:12:00.001-08:00

Climategate will even if the MSM will not cover it puit an end the the global warming BS. WE may have to take years to fix the damage that The US Government under Obama and The State Government under Jim Doyle will do.
However as the focus shifts we should still create as much as we can renewable Energy as we can.
Why? Well bluntly every doller we spend here on energy we produce is one less doller scum lake Hugo Chavez get to spend on hating this country, or Iran gets to buy weapons or give to groups that would attack this country. As well IMHO I think Obama/EPA might have tipped us to the point of The Shit has hit the fan. so the more our homes can be powered by Wind/Solar etc the better off we can be.
I am very happy about the jobs starting to come to Wisconsin as this State puts up more wind turbans.

CLIMATEGATE.

2009-12-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

The leaked emails etc the lawsuit to force NASA to release data under the Freedom of Information Act is going to stop this silly Global Warming BS. Might take some time there are lots of money beuing made on this (Al Gore).
With Billions on the line The Global Warming wackos will not go quietly into the night

At the same time no one wants dirty water or air. We need to do more to support the Buy local food movement.
Lets not toss the baby with the bathwater

Falmouth MA In the News

2009-11-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Now Racine WI is on the lake and we have a browns field that would be great to place a good three turbines. Will we? I think not very poor thinking from the City Leadership

Mass. Town Installs Turbine

by NAW Staff on Monday 23 November 2009

The Town of Falmouth, Mass., has installed a single Vestas 1.65 MW wind turbine on an 80-meter tower at its wastewater treatment facility. According to the Falmouth Energy Committee, the project is the first in the state owned by a municipality (but not a municipal utility).

The turbine will provide about 33% of the municipal electrical load, and a second 1.5 MW turbine is scheduled to be installed in 2010, which will help the town generate more than half of its own electricity from wind.

A general obligation bond has been issued and the project revenue will cover the debt and operating costs.

In 2002, Falmouth joined the ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program and committed to reducing its dependence on fossil fuel and associated greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2010.

SOURCE: Town of Falmouth, Mass., Energy Committee

South Carolina sees win of Cost

2009-11-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

From North America Wind

Wind Turbine Visibility On The Coast
in News Departments > FYI
by NAW Staff on Monday 16 November 2009
email the content item print the content item

Residents of the South Carolina shoreline could see an offshore wind farm eight miles or more out in the Atlantic Ocean, according to a photo simulation conducted for utility company Santee Cooper by Clemson University's South Carolina Institute for Energy Studies (SCIES).

Typical summer haze would reduce the visibility by about half, according to the simulation. The photo simulation is part of Santee Cooper's ongoing research into the viability of a potential offshore wind farm that would generate renewable electricity for the state-owned utility system. Santee Cooper has set a goal of generating 40% of its electricity by 2020 from non-greenhouse gas emitting resources.

In addition to researching available wind, transmission capabilities, anticipated costs and other factors, Santee Cooper is considering visibility and how that will impact existing onshore land use and tourism considerations.

Offshore wind farms have proven to be tourist attractions in parts of Europe, fostering chartered boat tours to the farms, notes Marc Tye, Santee Cooper's vice president of conservation and renewable energy.

"Other experience does show that an offshore wind farm in South Carolina could complement existing tourism attractions in the area we are studying," he says.

In the simulation, SCIES photographed ocean views from various coastal points along Horry and Georgetown counties, roughly matching the two areas hosting an ongoing wind buoy study by Santee Cooper and Coastal Carolina University.

SOURCE: Santee Cooper

Green Racine

2009-11-17T05:33:00.000-08:00

Fact its not the City Government that is moving forward with real Green efforts. The City is far too busy IMHO destroying Farmer's Markets.
The real effort is by folks like you and me ideas like Racine County Compost Co-op, Racine Urban Gardening Network, and Eat Right Racine, are efforts of grassroots groups.

Sure some members of the groups might be looking to City Government for leadership (HA!)but they will soon find that the leadership does not care. When thay happens my thought is the groups will simply do it.

True change comes from the Grassroots. Be part of that change what can we do TODAY?

WTF

2009-11-15T16:16:00.000-08:00

New York like Racine WI would rather have lots gather garbage. IMHO Racine rather have kids live on snack food then support a Farmer's Market why? The Mayor can fight 2 million to have a new "program" for recycling, the one we have now works just but claim a City Composting( even when the cost be very very small.) site is too much. Update Myself and others have started to form a Composting site.
We have an alderman who hates the idea of a neighborhood taking ownership of a troubled area that would become a garden. Do not worry he should not be reelected.
The Mayor wants a spashpad in the inner city but not food gardens.
Why is so much hate and control focused on the inner city? I will explore this

Cuba we need to help NOW reprint of Reuters

2009-11-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

Cuba's energy situation termed "critical" * Some factories, workshops to be closed through December * Most other economic activities to be reduced By Marc Frank HAVANA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Cuba has ordered all state enterprises to adopt "extreme measures" to cut energy usage through the end of the year in hopes of avoiding the dreaded blackouts that plagued the country following the 1991 collapse of its then-top ally, the Soviet Union. In documents seen by Reuters, government officials have been warned that the island is facing a "critical" energy shortage that requires the closing of non-essential factories and workshops and the shutting down of air conditioners and refrigerators not needed to preserve food and medicine. Cuba has cut government spending and slashed imports after being hit hard by the global financial crisis and the cost of recovering from three hurricanes that struck last year. "The energy situation we face is critical and if we do not adopt extreme measures we will have to revert to planned blackouts affecting the population," said a recently circulated message from the Council of Ministers. "Company directors will analyze the activities that will be stopped and others reduced, leaving only those that guarantee exports, substitution of imports and basic services for the population," according to another distributed by the light industry sector. President Raul Castro is said to be intent on not repeating the experience of the 1990s, when the demise of the Soviet Union and the loss of its steady oil supply caused frequent electricity blackouts and hardship for the Cuban public. The directives follow government warnings in the summer that too much energy was being used and blackouts would follow if consumption was not reduced. All provincial governments and most state-run offices and factories, which encompasses 90 percent of Cuba's economic activity, were ordered in June to reduce energy use by a minimum of 12 percent or face mandatory electricity cuts. The measures appeared to resolve the crisis as state-run press published stories about the amount of energy that had been saved and the dire warnings died down. The only explanation given for the earlier warnings was that Cuba was consuming more fuel than the government had money to pay for. The situation is not as dire as in the 1990s because Cuba receives 93,000 barrels per day of crude oil, almost two-thirds of what it consumes, from Venezuela. It pays for the oil by providing its energy-rich ally with medical personnel and other professionals. Cuba has been grappling with the global economic downturn, which has slashed revenues from key exports, dried up credit and reduced foreign investment. The communist-run Caribbean nation also faces stiff U.S. sanctions that include cutting access to international lending institutions, and it is still rebuilding from last year's trio of hurricanes that caused an estimated $10 billion in damages. In response, the government has cut spending, slashed imports, suspended many debt payments and frozen bank accounts of foreign businesses. It reported last week that trade was down 36 percent so far this year due mainly to a more than 30 percent reduction in imports.(Editing by Jeff Franks and Eric Beech)

As you know I have called for the end of the embargo, thinking now that MTV and Coke would have a huge impact on Goverment change in Cuba and trade would help both counties. Big bunis do a number on Chavez in Venezuela. Please write/call/Email your reps in Washington

Thank you

Composting

2009-11-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

So far this week working with Racine County Composting Co-op. We have placed over 150 lbs of composted manure in area food gardens to include The Capt. Jones Victory Garden and the West 6th st Kids garden.
In the few days of this operation we have also reached out to others in the City of Racine to educate them on why composting rocks.

Racine County Compost Co-Op Green Racine Farmers Markert

2009-11-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=188183415768 Is the facebook group location.

THe idea is since The CAA of Racine and Kenosha County have no clue on how to get work done but love to have meeting to have meeting to plan idea that need more meetings.
I thought if this was going to happen it be up to me and other locals not government or NGO's are not going to do it. IMHO the goals that CAA about food networks can not be met with the silliness.

So that means I got to do it. Had one false start that I blame the Town of Mt. Pleasant for, either The town leadership is dumb (Organic crops cause run off) or My guy in Racine got to them to refuse my idea. Thank God that I was able to find a farmer in another area who believes in what I am trying to do. So at this time I have an acre for the composting pile and a few hundred squre yards for a truck garden.
So after the land is tilled we will be planing crops to over winter mostly Garlic. Will also use lots of dung on my truck garden area, best of all the truck garden is very close to good running water.
The crops grown in the Truck Garden will be sold at a Farmers Market that I will form to be located I hope at the school near my home or an area near a group of churches. The Market will run on Sundays.

We can do this

Horse + Worms = Love

2009-10-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

So I put about 20 lbs of horse poop in my compost about 5 days ago. Turned the pile as I do each week and blow me down I had a population explosion of Red Worms! Got more horse poop today and will be filling 55 Gal containers if Sweet Water/VGI wants some.
Boy so neat. Advice? Make friends with a farmer with horses.

When the shit hits the fan

2009-10-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Question being are you even remotely ready if the Shit hits the fan? I see so many who have no idea what is going on. Truly sad.
How hard is it to keep a few days of extra food/water? Extra blankets and medicine? Not only for you but your pets?
Be it a bad snow storm or a Katrena type event you could find yourself cut off from the local food stores or even cut off from power. Have a few days worth of stuff could be the difference from being inconvenienced to well much much worse.
Both FEMA and the Red Cross have information that can help get you started. The choise are be ready or be a sheep and hope that the magic elfs are coming.
Please please at least think about it

Wind in Cuba

2009-10-21T11:36:00.000-07:00

Havana – DTC -

Cuba

's economic authorities have taken actions to make better use of renewable energy to boost the island's development and save resources. As part of those initiatives, the company Industria Mecánica Caribe (IMECA) has built 280 windmills to be used in agriculture and cattle raising farms. The windmills, which supply water to farms, have become a major economic alternative. In addition, experts are designing a new windmill that works better when the wind is mild. IMECA's production is expected to increase in 2010, considering that several companies are interested in acquiring the windmills.

As you can see Cuba understands how even little efforts can go along way.

Racine Urban Garden Network.

2009-10-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

Racine Urban Garden Network, as you may know was formed in the early Spring of this year. A room full of folks from high school kids to retired elders met to talk about what could be done to start a network of Urban Gardens for many resions from to help improve diet to a fun hobby.
Well from a great start I must say in sadness nothing nothing has happened. Well not quite true the large group that met in May/June is down to 5 -7. Why? Well no mission, leadership from the hammer, a "goal" but no plan how to get there. Seams to me lots of meetings to have meetings.
Of course RUGN walks lock step with the Mayor/City so unsted of going for unused city land then RUGN waited until The City gave them 5 areas in Racine. At least one the City is back peddling on
perhaps because its near the Condos that I hear the Mayor has an interest in. I would think that have a place to garden would be a good thing, but I digress
Going to be a huge meeting about a food network in November but do nit know anything about it. Be nice to go but think I will have to crash it due to the fact that whats left of RUGN it pretty ellete the way I see them and not too willing to give out info.
A lot more to cover on this but need caffine

40,000 Wind turbines+

2009-10-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

40,000 Wind turbines be nice, need more a good start however.

From Pike Research:

According to a recent report from Pike Research, the North American market for wind turbines will continue to grow through 2015, driven by new generation additions, as well as replacements of smaller, older turbines with larger, more efficient turbines.

Pike Research's study, "Wind Energy Outlook for North America," analyzes the opportunities and challenges facing wind power in North America in the current economic and political climate.

Key players in the wind energy business are profiled. The report includes quantitative analysis for market sizing, segmentation, market share analysis of turbine vendors, and growth forecasts for the U.S. and Canada through 2015.

The cleantech market intelligence firm forecasts that the turbine market will resume its growth in 2011, following three years of stagnation. According to the report, cumulative wind turbine deployments will exceed 40,000 units during the period from 2010 to 2015.

In addition, Pike Research forecasts that 45% of all turbine installations in North America will be replacements

"The global economic crisis that began in late 2008 has thrown the industry into confusion, along with most global industries," says Clint Wheelock, managing director of Pike Research. "Still, we see cause for optimism in the longer term as capital markets recover and the regulatory environment improves for wind energy."

The report also examines how many turbines will be required to meet wind generation capacity goals, key industry growth drivers, challenges inhibiting the growth of wind power, and the economics of turbine manufacturing, installation, operations and maintenance.

Cuba gets Farming

2009-10-05T05:58:00.000-07:00

Even Cuba of all places gets why Urban Agriculture Farmers etc are critical. Can Racine WI , looks like a big NO!

From Cuba Weekly News

...Although he has stepped out of his brother's shadow since taking office, Raúl Castro told the Cuban National Assembly in August: "I was elected to defend, maintain and continue perfecting socialism, not destroy it. We are ready to talk about everything, but not to negotiate our political and social system." Those who hope that Cuba will crumble after "the death of Fidel and all of us," Castro said, "are doomed to failure." Brian Latell, a Cuba expert at the University of Miami and author of "After Fidel," said: "This farm reform is one of Raúl's highest priorities. He talks about it constantly. But the steps have been more reluctant, slower, more tentative than many Cubans would probably like."

The 78-year-old former brigadier general has signaled that the paternalistic Cuban system may include a little more tough love and a bit more free enterprise. The government is in the process of eliminating subsidized beer for weddings, holidays for exemplary workers, hotel rooms for newlyweds and free chocolate cakes for Mother's Day. In one of the most watched pilot programs, Cuba is beginning to shutter state-run cafeterias and instead give workers 15 pesos, or about 65 cents, to buy lunch from state-run cafes or private food stalls. The average monthly salary in Cuba is about $20.

Out in the countryside, Castro's farm reform has set the villages buzzing. Chewing on an unlit cigar, Fuentes took a visitor on a tour of his new domain. Last year, he worked nine acres of land, mostly for self-consumption, "plus a little left over to sell." This year he applied for and was quickly granted another 20 acres. The plot is his to farm for 10 years, and the only requirement is that he plant crops. Fuentes pointed to his new fields of sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes, cassava and beans. He's also growing flowers to sell. Chickens were running around, and trees bore monster avocados. The future looks better. "This is big change," he said. "Everyone wants in." His adult daughter Marta works for the local farm cooperative, where Fuentes and other private farmers sell their crops. The state still sets the price -- but the more the farmers produce, the more they sell. They also try to grow better-quality produce, which fetches a higher price. They are paid in cash, which Fuentes appreciates, and they are not told what to plant. "Right now, there are shortages of everything," Fuentes said, "so there is no risk of overproduction."

Marta Fuentes said the local cooperative now has 44 farms as members, up from 31 a year ago. "And not only are there more farmers, the farms themselves, like ours, are bigger," she said. There are more fresh fruits and vegetables available in local markets, she said, and a recent report from the Associated Press said that some commodities appear more abundant in Havana these days. So depressed is the Cuban economy that the government is pushing farmers to use oxen to plow the fields. "Let's forget about tractors and fuels for this program, even if we had them," Castro said. The Fuentes family uses a couple of oxen. "Not having any machinery might seem backward, but in some ways the oxen are better," Fuentes said. He can borrow a tractor from the cooperative if he needs one. But the fuel costs are prohibitive.

One of the challenges facing private farmers is the lack of credit and investment. They can work their new farms, but they often don't have enough fertilizer, seed or fuel. There's not enough electricity to run water pumps, Fuentes said, and no one has pesticides. "This a big problem," said Alvarez, the University of Florida professor. "The government gives the farmers some land, which is good, but they don't give them any inputs. So they tell them, 'Take your old machete and go and fight the sun and weather and save us.' " "It's not much extra money, but believe me, every little bit helps us," said Marta Bobadilla, a retired shop clerk who was given the use of 1.5 acres behind her house on the outskirts of Havana, which she has transformed into an urban garden filled with bananas, okra, sweet potatoes and leafy vegetables to feed her rabbits. Asked if the cute little white bunnies might be sold as pets, Bobadilla thought that funny. This is Cuba. "These are to eat," she said.

West Racine Farmer's Market Spot

2009-10-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

A short spot I did for the West Racine Farmer's Market to help fight the effort to end that and build a Gas Station.
Why oh why does this city feel that tax base is more critical then anything else all the time?
We have study after study that shows why good food has everyone.

On the shores of Lake Erie

2009-09-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

A great first step! Good for everyone.

Giant conglomerate Samsung is apparently pondering a wind farm comprising 200 turbines on the north shore of Lake Erie but the Ontario government would only confirm Sunday that talks with the Korean-based company are in advanced stages.

The proposed wind farm, part of Samsung's new push into renewable energy, would stretch about 25 kilometres from Port Maitland toward Nanticoke, an area considered to have excellent wind potential.

The Ontario government said the two parties have been involved in "months of extraordinarily co-operative effort" toward an agreement that would involve billions of new investment, including in manufacturing facilities.

"Both Samsung C&T Corporation and the government of Ontario are pleased to confirm that efforts are progressing well toward the signing of a historic framework agreement," the government said in a statement.

"While the contents of the proposed agreement remain commercially sensitive, both parties can confirm that Samsung, one of the world's leading companies, proposes to establish a new renewable-energy business in Ontario."

Part of the plan calls for the erection of about 50 of the 200 turbines on sparsely populated forest and scrub lands belonging to Six Nations, near Dunnville, Ont., Chief Bill Montour said Sunday.

There has been "nothing substantive" since Samsung and Ontario government representatives toured his area in late July but the project could be a huge boon under the right circumstances, Montour said.

"We're not interested in one or two per cent of the royalties; we want to have a play in the project," he said.

The chief said Six Nations has a reputation in steel erection, a facility for steel fabrication, and could possibly do some of the electronics assembly and maintenance on the towers and turbines.

Samsung would first put up six, 80-metre measuring towers to see whether a wind farm would be economically viable, he said. The plan was to put those up some time this fall.

Samsung could not be reached for comment Sunday and the Ontario government said further information would only be made available "once a framework agreement has been completed."

To encourage large-and small-scale renewable energy production, Ontario's new Green Energy and Economy Act includes a "feed-in" tariff program - the amount paid to producers of green power.

Wind-turbine developers can earn about 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, roughly double the amount consumers now pay for electricity.

Earlier this year, Samsung Heavy Industries Co., the world's second-largest shipyard, announced ambitious plans to enter the global wind-turbine market in 2010.

The company said it planned to make turbines with capacities of 2.5 megawatts and five megawatts for a market it estimated would be worth US$74 billion by 2020.

Samsung has already gained a toe-hold in the U.S. with a winning bid to supply Cielo Windpower with three of its new 2.5 MW turbines. It recently sought to recruit a senior project manager in Ontario for "early-stage development" of wind projects.

The company has also entered the solar-panel business, and both solar-panel and wind-turbine manufacturing in Ontario are reported to be part of the talks with the province.

Ontario's manufacturing sector, particularly its hard-hit auto sector, has shed hundreds of thousands of jobs in recent years .

While Premier Dalton McGuinty called the act a significant move to attract green investment to the province, the United Steelworkers criticized regulations that require wind-power facilities in the province to have 25 per cent Ontario content for the next three years.

"Setting the domestic content so low will not spur the creation of a manufacturing base to support this industry and will limit domestic job creation," the union's Ken Neumann said last week.

Choices

2009-09-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

Choices

What would you rather see in your neighborhood. A Farmers Market or A Gas Station? A place when friends gather to buy fresh food and talk about the events of the day or place to stop and full up grab a 6 pack then drive off?
Is a building that adds to tax base the best every time or does quality of life meaningful?
How do we educate the powers that be that is is something we the City of Racine need to talk about?

Strange Thoughts

2009-09-25T06:21:00.000-07:00

Watching a show on the Green network this morning. The host is bitching about Ford selling cars and trucks that are poor in MPG, and by doing so Ford is evil.
Hate to say this but if the cars and trucks were not selling Ford would not be making them.
The show went on to talk about how bad untilies are for using Coal. Excuse me what should they be using?
Lastly I love the way they use the word environmentalist like saying that everone agrees with their experts. Why do I think this show is a lot of hot air. Be so much better if the message was more in line of this is an issue this is what Mr/Group x thinks sort of thing.

PSA for Garden of Eating

2009-09-24T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here a short PSA I did for the Garden of Eating in Racine

Acciona Energy North America Dedicates EcoGrove Wind Farm In Illinois

2009-09-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

What can we do in Wisconsin to get wind moving forward?

Lena, Ill.-based Acciona Energy North America dedicated its first wind farm in Illinois with a ceremony and luncheon. The company also presented superintendents from Lena-Winslow and Warren school districts each with a $5,000 annual scholarship fund for deserving high school seniors planning to pursue a secondary education leading to a career contributing to sustainability.

The 100.5 MW EcoGrove Wind Farm, located in Stephenson County, Ill., uses 67 Acciona Windpower 1.5 MW wind turbines and is spread across approximately 7,000 rural acres. With the exception of the small footprint made by the 67 turbines, at less than one acre each, land use is dominated by farming, which coexists with the wind energy production, according to the company.

Stephenson County made an investment in the EcoGrove project earlier this year, when 14 taxing districts unanimously approved a tax abatement for the project. This tax abatement, a sales/use tax exemption and other incentives were part of the state of Illinois Enterprise Zone Act for which the EcoGrove project met the criteria.

The wind turbines used at EcoGrove were produced at Acciona's West Branch, Iowa, manufacturing facility. The project itself was constructed by 125 local trades people and numerous local and regional suppliers and service providers. Nine of the 10 service technicians filling the project's newly created jobs are from the local area and include volunteer firefighters, retired military personnel, welders, machinists and a racecar driver.

Construction of the wind farm, including turbine erection, was managed by The Morse Group. The project was acquired by Acciona from EcoEnergy LLC, which continued to serve the project in a development and consultative capacity through the completion of the project.

SOURCE: Acciona Energy

Action Plan Market Garden and Farmers Market

2009-09-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

The more I look into the idea of the farm the more I know its the right thing to do. The Farm can in fact grow and sell produce at a Farmers market we ourselves set up in the inner city.
But why?

This is a untapped market there is a huge food desert and those living there would like the same opportunities to provide good food to their families just as much as we do ours.
With NO food stores no one to compete with we would be the only ones. When we then sell for less then the stores our base can get to our base will grow and become our fans.
We would also grow and sell what the ethic community wants to eat and can not find in the stores.

More to come

Ed Clingman Organic Experimental Farm

2009-09-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Ed Clingman Organic Experimental Farm exists so now what is the plan?

1) Grow crops to sell into stores and Farmer's Markets
2) Create a Composing operation using Worms selling both the end compost and surplus worms
3) Explore squire foot gardening efforts
4) Provide educational opportunities
5) Provide food to area food banks
6) Set aside an area for rental garden plots allow low income to receive plots for exchange for labor
7) Provide opportunities for Ex cons to get work experience
8) Bring Green Jobs to Racine County
9) Have fun

Ed Clingman Experimental Organic Farm

2009-09-18T06:18:00.000-07:00

Ed Clingman Experimental Organic Farm well looks like this just get going. This Spring at the First Racine Urban Garden Network(RUGAN) meeting May 09. A local business owner came and told the group that he had 5 ac in the county he would be willing to rent for the cost of $1.00 and a sigh thanking the University of Wisconsin Parkside an easy thing one would think. Without getting into the politics of RUGAN no one ever called him to follow up. When it was made clear to me from CAA if I had no space for a composting area I could not get a job with CAA working on there ideas about a food network, I obtained the land owners phone number and called him.
Today I and Mr. Robert Beezat will be seeing this land with the aim to rent it.

The goal of the Farm is to create a site for composting using rows and European Earth Worms. The rest of the land will be used to do small scale organic farming to sell into area Farmers Markets and restaurants Some land to be used to help support area food banks and the rest small 10*10 plots one could rent. Latter I will expand on my idea and how I will overcome obstacles

My fear is that after all my work that at the last minuet I will get pushed aside and others will run the operation.
I put that fear in God's hands and take power over this issue.

Whole Foods

2009-09-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

This is good news sure mosly PR but the investment helps get a Wind Farm going

AUSTIN, TX (Sept. 15, 2009) — Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFMI) today announced the completion of its 2009 landmark 776 million-kilowatt-hour purchase of renewable energy credits (RECs) from wind farms. The RECs are equal to 100 percent of the Company’s electricity use in its North American locations, and nearly 90 percent of this year’s purchase is helping to fund E.ON Climate & Renewables’ (EC&R) recently-completed Texas-based Panther Creek wind farm.

“Whole Foods Market is working hard to be a leader in environmental stewardship and to make sure that our investment drives new wind power growth for the country. Buying nearly all of our 2009 renewable energy credits from Panther Creek to help bring new power from the wind farm to the grid is a great example of that,” said Lee Matecko, Whole Foods Market global vice president of Construction and Store Development. “And as a Texas-based company, it also feels great to support a Texas-based wind farm. We appreciate Renewable Choice Energy for bringing this partnership together.”

Continuing its commitment to clean energy, nearly 90 percent of the RECs Whole Foods Market has purchased for 2009 came from a Big Spring, Texas-based wind farm, which is 50 miles east of Midland. The project is built and operated by EC&R North America, a renewable energy developer headquartered in Chicago, with development offices in Austin and Denver. The remaining RECs come from a number of different wind farms in locations across the U.S. and Canada. The total purchase of 776,115,000 kilowatt hours, the largest to date by a U.S. retailer, was made in partnership with Boulder, Colo.-based Renewable Choice Energy.

The Panther Creek wind farm began operating in its first phase in 2008, and its final phase of construction was recently completed. Whole Foods Market’s purchase of RECs from Panther Creek wind farm has provided valuable additional financing to the project to support its 2009 completion.

“Support from companies like Whole Foods Market with partners like Renewable Choice Energy creates a valuable revenue stream for us that helps make new wind farms like Panther Creek possible,” said Dean Tuel, vice president of Energy Marketing for E.ON Climate & Renewables North America. “EC&R is developing a number of large scale wind projects in the U.S. over the coming years. Extra funding from renewable energy credit sales will play a crucial role in this growth.”

Whole Foods Market has been a leading supporter of renewable energy development since 2006, when it became the first Fortune 500 Company to offset 100 percent of its electricity use with RECs from wind farms provided by Renewable Choice Energy. The continued purchase of RECs is part of the Company’s comprehensive energy commitment, which also includes plans to more than triple the number of stores with solar panels and to invest in energy-reduction opportunities while retrofitting existing stores with energy-efficient lighting, equipment and mechanical components.

“The Environmental Protection Agency commends Whole Foods Market for their continued commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by purchasing green power,” said Kathleen Hogan, director of the Climate Protection Partnerships Division at EPA. “As a partner in EPA’s Green Power Partnership, and by supporting renewable energy, Whole Foods Market is helping to move our nation into a clean energy future.”

The 2009 Whole Foods Market wind power purchase will help avoid up to 868 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution. This has an environmental benefit that’s similar to taking more than 72,000 cars off of the roads for a year, or planting nearly 3.6 million mature trees.

“Our work with Whole Foods Market and E.ON Climate & Renewables North America is an example of how corporate responsibility initiatives are directly driving clean solutions to today’s energy and environmental challenges,” said Quayle Hodek, CEO of Renewable Choice Energy. “We’re excited to connect our forward-thinking customers with meaningful renewable energy projects across the country to help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and create a new energy economy in the U.S.”

Learn more about environmental initiatives at Whole Foods Market at blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/category/green-action or download high resolution photos from the press room: wholefoodsmarket.com Read more about how RECs work at renewablechoice.com/business-about-renewable-energy.

# # #

Status of Urban Gardens in Racine

2009-09-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Wish I had better news.
RUGN seams to be existing to plan meetings for more meetings. Just last Friday planed to go forward with a 501 (c) 3 in some form. Will use UW Parkside as a fiscal agenit and pay the 10% fee.
Took RUGN two months to understand that The City did have 5 places for Garden plots. I think RUGN be quite upset when The City tells them The City will not donate water to them to use nor can RUGN use water out of Lake Michagan.
Communty Action Agency will donate liabity coverage in some cases to garden groups CAA is also working on a county wide meeting on a wide range of issues. I will do another post on CAA plans very interesting stuff.
My thought is that RUGN is too disorganized to get much done we will see what Winter brings.
WE need to be acting not holding meetings

Back and bad.

2009-09-13T11:20:00.000-07:00

I am back with my tail beween my legs. WordPress hates me.
So I thought I would restart this Blog and hook it to my Google site page http://sites.google.com/site/greenracineproject/home/links
So I hope to do a better job in keeping this updated. To help that along I fully plan to use the full power of Goggle.
The focus will be the same I think Green Teck Urban Gardening politics of that.
Note my writting sucks. You have been warned.

Great Lakes Wind Council

2009-02-09T06:43:00.000-08:00

www.michigan.gov (To Print: use your browser's print function)	Release Date: February 06, 2009 Last Update: February 06, 2009
Contact: Megan Brown 517-335-6397
Governor Granholm Signs Executive Order Creating Great Lakes Wind Council
February 6, 2009 LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed Executive Order 2009-1, creating the Great Lakes Wind Council, an advisory body within the Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth that will provide citizens with a public forum to begin to identify where, in the Great Lakes, wind energy systems may be prudently sited. "The Great Lakes are Michigan's most precious natural resource, and they provide tremendous economic value to the citizens of Michigan," Granholm said. "The availability, consistency, and velocity of wind in the Great Lakes make their waters uniquely attractive to wind energy developers seeking to build offshore wind energy systems - but we want to make sure we are prudent in this process of approval." In addition to looking at ways to best engage the people of Michigan in a public dialogue about offshore wind so that statewide interests are considered, the council will identify criteria that can be used to review applications for offshore wind development. The council will also identify criteria for mapping areas that should be excluded from offshore wind development and those areas that are most favorable for such development, providing a full report to the governor by September 1, 2009. The governor announced the following appointments to the Great Lakes Wind Council: Adesoji O. Adelaja, Ph.D. of Okemos, director and founder of the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute and John A. Hannah distinguished professor in land policy, is appointed to represent other residents of this state for a term expiring September 1, 2009. James P. Clift of Lansing, policy director of the Michigan Environmental Council, is appointed to represent statewide environmental organizations for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Frank D. Ettawageshik of Harbor Springs, chair of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, is appointed to represent Native American tribal governments for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Dennis L. Grinold of Lansing, member of the Michigan Charter Boat Association, is appointed to represent the charter fishing industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Curtis A. Hertel, Sr. of Grosse Pointe Woods, executive director of the Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority, is appointed to represent the commercial shipping industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Thomas L. Hickner of Bay City, Bay County executive, is appointed to represent local government officials for a term expiring September 1, 2009. M. Jack Knowles, III of Ann Arbor, vice president of Dietrich, Bailey and Associates, P.C., is appointed to represent other residents of this state for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Steven E. Kurmas of Shelby Township, president and chief operating officer of Detroit Edison, one of three major business units of DTE, is appointed to represent electric utilities for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Marty G. Lagina of Traverse City, chief executive officer of Heritage Sustainable Energy, LLC, is appointed to represent the wind energy development industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. James D. MacInnes of Beulah, chief executive officer and co-owner of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa, is appointed to represent the tourism industry for a term expiring September 1, 2009. John G. Russell of East Lansing, president and chief operating officer of Consumers Energy, is appointed to represent electric utilities for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Richard F. Vander Veen, III of Lowell, president of Mackinaw Power, is appointed to represent other residents of this state for a term expiring September 1, 2009. Joseph L. Welch of Monroe, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ITC Holdings Corp., is appointed to represent independent electric transmission companies for a term expiring September 1, 2009. These appointments are not subject to disapproval by the Michigan Senate. Executive Order 2009-1 is attached. # # #
Copyright © 2009 State of Michigan

Farmer's Markets

2009-02-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

The inner city of Racine sure could use a Farmer's market if only to help folks have a source of good
food better the the chips and soda found in the slums.
I know Racine has two that I know of and the one at Case HQ is on the edge of the inner city area (Tracks 1-5) this one must receive some traffic from these tracks but how much no one knows.
The one in West Racine just started and gets great traffic from the West Racine area I am unsure
how much if any traffic comes from the inner city. Note This Farmer's Market is credical for the West Racine area to prevent a urban desert from forming for those who live in West Racine, the nearest full service groercy story being about 4-5 miles away and diffacult to get to if you do not own a car. Public Transport being for Shit in the City. (Our green Mayor Becker did IMHO everything he could to gut the Bus system) so I am very happy that the West Racine Farmers market is there.
The question being how can Green Racine help bring a market to the tracks 1-5? and is it too late to get one going for this year?

Oil Companies get it

2009-02-04T11:16:00.000-08:00

Independence, Kan.-based Allenergy Inc., an oil and natural gas development and production company, is expanding its business to include wind power.

Because of revenue and federal tax breaks, many landowners in the region are seeking to use their land for wind power generation, according to the company. Allenergy is taking the necessary steps to sell, service and install wind power generation. It can also benefit from wind power revenues on its current leases and on additional land leases.

"Though our core focus remains oil and natural gas production and well services, it has been a part of our long-term strategic plan to diversify," says CEO Larry Sanford. "With the incredible rise and fall of oil prices recently, it seems even more prudent to open up additional revenue streams."

Rex Horning, Allenergy's vice president of operations, has been leading the strategic planning for the company's diversification.

SOURCE: Allenergy Inc.

Goals

2009-01-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

Food Co-Op
Garden Tool/Seed Co-Op
Working to end the Cuban Embargo
Bringing investment via Wind Power to Southeastern Wisconsin
Stopping KRM

Capt Jones Victory Garden and Rev Brg

2009-01-31T10:31:00.000-08:00

We are working with Capt Jones Victory Garden to create a Gardening tool lending Co-Op when neiboors could get help and some small tools to start a garden.
Needs right now is a little cash and used tools you may not want anymore.
God willing we can get this up and running by Earth Day.
Ping us if you would like to help.
wclingman@gmail.com

Food Co-Ops

2009-01-31T10:15:00.000-08:00

Might Racine WI take to a basic food Co-op? Cheaper food better food set it up in a central location or perhaps a place downtown.
Just basic food Milk Eggs bread vegs. No beer, wine, or candy. Do workshops on food prep and gardening.
Neighbors working with neighbors
Thoughts? Ideas?

Brownfields to Renewable Energy

2009-01-30T14:38:00.000-08:00

Michigan State University

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dr. Soji Adelaja
January 27, 2009 517.432.8800

Heidi Charron
517.432.8800 Ext. 109

REDEVELOPING MICHIGAN BROWNFIELDS TO GENERATE RENEWABLE ENERGY COULD LAND THOUSANDS OF JOBS, BILLIONS IN INVESTMENTS

East Lansing, MI--Connecting the redevelopment of brownfields in Michigan to renewable energy offers great potential for the state, according to a new case study released by the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University. The study estimates the renewable energy potential of brownfield sites in Michigan, concluding that an estimated 4,320 megawatts (Mw) of plate capacity could be generated and another 1,535 Mw if photovoltaic solar arrays are placed on the brownfield lands. The combined estimate of 5,855 Mw of plate capacity is equivalent to what it would take to power 1.8 million homes, or almost 50 percent of Michigan homes. Estimated positive economic impacts include the creation of over 17,500 construction, maintenance and operation jobs and more than $15 billion in new investment dollars.

Michigan, which ranks high in its potential to generate renewable energy, adopted a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) last year. The RPS calls for 10 percent of Michigan's energy to come from a combination of efficiency gains in energy use (1 percent) and renewable energy sources (9 percent) by the year 2015.

"The large number of brownfield sites, combined with the state's generous incentives for brownfields redevelopment, create a prime opportunity to expand Michigan's renewable energy capacity," said Dr. Soji Adelaja, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and director of the Institute. "Adapting such sites to renewable energy development does not require the costly environmental remediation necessary for other uses."

The report, titled "Potential Application of Renewable Energy on Brownfield Sites: A Case Study of Michigan," is the outcome of a joint project between the Land Policy Institute and the National Center for Neighborhood and Brownfields Redevelopment at Rutgers University in New Jersey. The project was supported by funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation under the People and Land Program and by the Hannah Professor Research Endowment at MSU. It is intended to inform policy in the state about Michigan's wind and solar power potential from brownfields and offers recommendations on guidelines, training, education and technical assistance for economic development officials and brownfield authorities.

Download the report from the Land Policy Institute website. Click on Downloadable Research for publications on Renewable Energy, Green Infrastructure, New Economy, Viable Agriculture and other studies, or learn more about the Institute at www.landpolicy.msu.edu.

The MSU Land Policy Institute focuses on research and outreach related to land use and strategic growth in the New Economy. The Institute delivers innovative solutions, transitioning knowledge from land use experts to the community. The Institute was founded in 2006.

###

Green-e Marketplace program in 2008.

2009-01-30T14:32:00.000-08:00

San Francisco-based Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) says there were a record number of voluntary purchases of Green-e Energy certified renewable energy by businesses in the Green-e Marketplace program in 2008. These purchases were led by Intel Corp., PepsiCo and Mohawk Paper. Intel made the largest purchase of renewable energy, with a 1.3 MWh purchase in January 2008.

The growth in the overall voluntary market for renewable energy has been driven by large commercial purchases of renewable energy certificates (RECs). Green power sales increased over 50% in 2007 over the previous year, with REC sales up 55%, according to the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The third-party nonprofit certification program Green-e Energy certified 69% of the overall voluntary renewable energy market in 2007, and companies that buy a qualifying amount of certified renewable energy are eligible to join Green-e Marketplace and display the logo. These organizations voluntarily support energy generated from renewable sources, which displace other non-renewable sources from the electric grid. Total purchases by Green-e Marketplace participants exceeded 2.8 million MWh in 2008.

SOURCE: Center for Resource Solutions

Green Economy

2009-01-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

McKinsey and Co. has issued a report that outlines a path toward creating a green economy by showing how current technology, if fully deployed, could dramatically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Many of the technologies identified in the report would provide savings to consumers and create thousands of new, green-collar jobs.

"If the policies were in place to force the broader deployment of the technologies highlighted in this report, thousands of new jobs would be created across the country," says Richard Moss, vice president for climate change at World Wildlife Fund.

The report, "Pathways to a Low Carbon Economy," lists more than 200 opportunities, across 10 sectors and 21 geographical regions, that have the potential to cut global GHG emissions by 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 - a reduction of 70% from the business as usual scenario. The study was supported by 10 sponsors, including WWF and energy, automotive and technology companies.

By 2030, wind, solar and other sustainable renewable energy sources could be rapidly scaled up, while energy efficiency could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than a quarter. The report states that deforestation in developing countries, the source of nearly 20% of global emissions and a major threat to sustainable development, could be almost fully halted.

McKinsey concludes that the total cost of implementing all of the measures contained in the report would be less than one half of 1% of global gross domestic product. However, the report does not include the economic costs that would result from escalating climate change impacts if emissions are not reduced.

The McKinsey study has been extensively peer-reviewed by scientists, economists and expert bodies, including WWF.

SOURCE: World Wildlife Fund

Jobs

2009-01-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

The renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries represented more than 9 million jobs and over $1 billion in U.S. revenue in 2007, according to the American Solar Energy Society's Green Collar Jobs report.

According to the report, the renewable energy industry grew three times as fast as the U.S. economy, with the solar thermal, photovoltaic, biodiesel and ethanol sectors leading the way, each with more than 25% annual revenue growth.

Key steps include a national renewable portfolio standard, long-term extension of the production tax credit, effective net-metering policies and improved access to electric transmission infrastructure.

According to the advanced scenario in the report, which represents the upper limit of what is technologically and economically feasible, RE&EE would generate about 37 million jobs and $4.29 billion in annual revenue by 2030, which is one of three forecast scenarios highlighted in this report.

But while there is tremendous opportunity, there is also a real sense of urgency. Every year's delay by policy-makers has a highly disproportionate and negative impact on long-range growth, according to the report. The longer that policy-makers delay in implementing ambitious renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs, the more difficult it will be to achieve the report's goals by 2030.

SOURCE: American Solar Energy Society

Massachusetts wind power

2009-01-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., has set a goal of developing 2,000 MW of wind power capacity by 2020. Citing new mandates that require greater use of renewable energy and sharp reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, Massachusetts can only fulfill these obligations with a significant commitment to wind power, according to the governor.

"With the growing interest in wind turbines we see in communities across the commonwealth and the abundant wind resource we have off our coast, wind power is going to be a centerpiece of the clean energy economy we are creating for Massachusetts," says Patrick.

Massachusetts has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to house one of two wind technology testing centers in the U.S.

Patrick has directed Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles to use the 2,000 MW wind goal, as well as the mandates and incentives provided in the package of clean energy legislation enacted last year, to guide the state's efforts to dramatically increase the development and deployment of wind power in the coming years.

There are currently nine wind turbines with capacity of 100 kW or greater installed in Massachusetts, for a total generating capacity of 6.6 MW. There are also more than 300 wind turbines at various stages of planning and permitting that represent a generating capacity of 800 MW.

Installing wind capacity of 2,000 MW would meet an estimated 10% of the state's current electric load with wind power.

SOURCE: Office of Gov. Deval Patrick

I am a bad man

2009-01-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

sorry I just find it hard time to time to write anything or even cut and paste.

Upset

2008-12-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

I love folks who want to help the Green movement in a awy that makes jobs for others as the project moves forward. The New North in Wisconsin is a good example of this.
However in the last few day I have ran across far to many folks who have an idea to do X, but no plan or even money to get the basic beginning steps of forming a business done.
To cap it off then expect everyone to work for free because well it's for the Earth. I will tell that to my bank when the next mortgage is due, I am working for The Earth or when I go to buy food.

Why in God's name do they think if they can not pay for a domain name or even a LLC that they can demand others to work for them at no pay?

Trains

2008-12-21T07:52:00.000-08:00

I love trains, like I have said before here and on air. Trains are 1000% more effective in moving freight then anything else.
We need to and it looks like maybe Obama may invest the money to bring the rail lines the repairs needed. My ideal is to truck goods from factory to rail head ship then load back on trucks from rail head to stores etc.
As a short distance people mover (50 mi) it is a joke. Few ride and the taxes needed to keep them running could be used better. Yet the left is all about foolish things like KRM here in Wisconsin but will not touch WORKING transit systems like Amtrack.
Amtrack works and works well.
Any time I can I take Amtrack I enjoy the ride and comfort offered.

Note

IMHO the studies that show KRM to work are slanted work and are designed to be so.
I do not think KRM will get 25% of the ridershttp://www.letstalktrains.us/main.asphip thouse in surport claim and will cost millions more then KRM saids.

Here is a great site with further train info.

Will Allen Hero

2008-12-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

Will Allen is an urban farmer who is transforming the cultivation, production, and delivery of healthy foods to underserved, urban populations. In 1995, while assisting neighborhood children with a gardening project, Allen began developing the farming methods and educational programs that are now the hallmark of the non-profit organization Growing Power, which he directs and co-founded. Guiding all is his efforts is the recognition that the unhealthy diets of low-income, urban populations, and such related health problems as obesity and diabetes, largely are attributable to limited access to safe and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables. Rather than embracing the “back to the land” approach promoted by many within the sustainable agriculture movement, Allen’s holistic farming model incorporates both cultivating foodstuffs and designing food distribution networks in an urban setting. Through a novel synthesis of a variety of low-cost farming technologies – including use of raised beds, aquaculture, vermiculture, and heating greenhouses through composting – Growing Power produces vast amounts of food year-round at its main farming site, two acres of land located within Milwaukee’s city limits. Recently, cultivation of produce and livestock has begun at other urban and rural sites in and around Milwaukee and Chicago. Over the last decade, Allen has expanded Growing Power’s initiatives through partnerships with local organizations and activities such as the Farm-City Market Basket Program, which provides a weekly basket of fresh produce grown by members of the Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative to low-income urban residents at a reduced cost. The internships and workshops hosted by Growing Power engage teenagers and young adults, often minorities and immigrants, in producing healthy foods for their communities and provide intensive, hands-on training to those interested in establishing similar farming initiatives in other urban settings. Through these and other programs still in development, Allen is experimenting with new and creative ways to improve the diet and health of the urban poor.

Will Allen received a B.A. (1971) from the University of Miami. After a brief career in professional basketball and a number of years in corporate marketing at Procter and Gamble, he returned to his roots as a farmer. He has served as the founder and CEO of Growing Power, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, since 1995 and has taught workshops to aspiring urban farmers across the United States and abroad.

Obama Names Energy Team

2008-12-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

President-elect Barack Obama has named key members of his energy and environment team, which includes Steven Chu as secretary of energy, Lisa Jackson as Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, Nancy Sutley as chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, Carol Browner as assistant to the president for energy and climate change and Heather Zichal as deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate change.

"In the 21st century, we know that the future of our economy and national security is inextricably linked to one challenge: energy," says Obama. "The team that I have assembled here today is uniquely suited to meet the great challenges of this defining moment."

Chu is director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and professor of physics and molecular and cellular biology at University of California, Berkeley (UC-Berkeley). He won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1997 and has a degree in physics from the University of Rochester and a Ph.D. from UC-Berkeley.

Jackson became the head of New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection in 2006. She currently serves as chief of staff for Gov. Jon Corzine, D-N.J. She is a professional engineer, having received her master's degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University and her undergraduate degree from Tulane University in her hometown of New Orleans.

Sutley currently serves as the deputy mayor for energy and environment for Los Angeles. She received her master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and an undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

Browner is principal of the Albright Group LLC, where she provides strategic counsel in the critical areas of environmental protection, climate change, and energy conservation and security. Prior to her current position, she served as administrator of the EPA.

Zichal currently serves as the co-chair for the energy and environment policy team for the Obama transition team. Zichal served as the policy director for energy, environment and agriculture for Obama's presidential campaign. She is a graduate of Rutgers University.

SOURCE: The Office of the President-elect

NOTE

AS much as I think Obama is wrong for this country and will mess up our energy policy like no tomorrow I wish him and his Government the best. WE all must rember that the Government does work for us and they do want our imput (well maybe not Democrats)

End The Embargo on Cuba

2008-12-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

The best way to beat the shit of of our guy Hugo in Venezuela and his game playing then by taking away one of his toys.
Right now Cuba is being used by Hugo to cause trouble for us and our allies in that area. Cuba after the end of the USSR is a country that has little or no resorse and even with the oil and gas found there has to import oil gas and other fuels ( Note to the left in USA, Cuba is building the roads refineries and pipelines needed to use the fuels please tell me why are you not protesting?)
This coutry NOT the PRC NOT Venezuela this country needs to be working with Cuba to bring those resorses to be used.
We need the gas/oil and could use the jobs that come with that work.

Cuba can use the food we could be exporting to Cuba and we sure could use the sugar they grow.
Doing so allows more Cubans to feed them selfs and their kin, a good thing. As you may know Cuba becuse of Castro can not feed themself's a true shame. Helping folks feed themself is a great way to make great freinds.

Are there issues with this yes. Perhaps we tie aid to the release of political prisoners a fine goal we should seek but should not be a deal killer since we did not do so with the PRC.
Perhas we need to get a deal where folks who left in the 60's could get paid for the land that Castro took again not a deal killer.
Cuba has a great deal more to offer us as an ally then an embargoed country lets remove that today!

The New North of Wisconsin

2008-12-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

In The State of Wisconsin we have a group of Counties north of Fond do Lac working together formed The New North. One of the goals is to bring investments this area via getting more wind working as manufacturing/jobs creating cheep clean power.
This has been very very good for everyone in this area. New jobs investment in manufacturing has brought this to the New North. Good going !
Why can't the rest of the State get this going too?

KRM vs Amtrack

2008-12-15T12:18:00.000-08:00

Amtrack moves 500K from Milwaukee to Chicago, is all ready built, connects to the Milwaukee airport is making money.
KRM is not built, no one know how many will ride or if any will ride, will not connect to the Milwaukee airport, will require millions a year in tax money in order to run.
So why do we not invest more into Amtrack?

Scholarships!

2008-12-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

FYI.

In August, the Utility Wind Integration Group (UWIG) Board of Directors voted to support the education of students enrolled in accredited college or vocational schools in programs related to power engineering, wind energy, or the maintenance of wind turbines. To this end, UWIG announced a scholarship program. To be eligible for scholarship assistance, a student must be currently enrolled at an accredited trade school or college in the United States or Canada in a field of study that could lead to a career related to utility power engineering or operation and maintenance of utility-scale wind equipment. These scholarships and stipends are intended to encourage completion of a college education or vocational degrees and programs, as well as to further the education of students, UWIG said.

UWIG may award up to three scholarships each year. Up to two $2,000 scholarships will be granted to students enrolled in an accredited engineering school who are pursuing a career in power engineering with a focus or major on wind generation, and up to one $1,000 scholarship to a student enrolled in an accredited wind technician program. The scholarships cover a single academic year and are not renewable. The $2,000 scholarships for the 2009-2010 academic term will be targeted toward students enrolled in undergraduate programs.

Application instructions and the application form can be found on the UWIG Web site at http://www.uwig.org/scholarshipprogram.html

The application deadline is February 16.

Green Job Training in Mass!

2008-12-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

Authorized by the Green Jobs Act signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., the Energy and Environmental Affairs' new Pathways Out of Poverty grants are designed to jump-start training in clean energy careers for low- and moderate-income residents.

EEA will award five grants of $100,000 to $300,000 to each program that serves workers with incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level ($63,600 for family of four). Grants will target programs in the commonwealth's gateway communities of Brockton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, New Bedford, Pittsfield, Springfield and Worcester.

Grant applications are due to EEA by Jan. 15 for the programs that are expected to begin in February and last through June 2010.

"These grants will fund programs that prepare workers for good-paying jobs in this growing sector of the Massachusetts economy, giving low- and moderate-income individuals a path to self-sufficiency while building the skilled workforce our clean energy industry needs in order to thrive," says EEA Secretary Ian A. Bowles.

Projects eligible for Pathways Out of Poverty grants include job training and apprenticeship programs, relevant education, career coaching, and outreach and recruitment of unemployed participants. While grant applicants are not required to provide matching funds, EEA will give more weight in the selection process to projects that leverage funding from additional sources.

In addition to authorizing Pathways Out of Poverty grants, the Green Jobs Act created a new Clean Energy Technology Center that will support workforce development, university partnerships, R&D and clean energy entrepreneurship.

For more information, visit mass.gov.

SOURCE: Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

So much

2008-12-08T19:06:00.000-08:00

Green Racine focus will be no focus! After days if not weeks of thought and refection on what to talk about. Why limit the writing at all? As long as it is about green living and/or improving how we do so.
So come along on the trip for as I keep hearing it's the journey should be a wild one.
Feel free to join in the only think I ask is to be respectful when writing some even I need to remember from time to time.

Bring the oil sands!

2008-12-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

Let us go forward and bring the Oil Sands to Wisconsin! Oh that is right we can not do this makes sense for both jobs and energy needs. Call the Energy Elf!

Vestas Expands

2008-12-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

Danish wind turbine supplier Vestas is seeking to consolidate its presence in Portland, Ore., by building a new headquarters for Vestas Americas, the company's business unit responsible for wind turbine sales, installation, and service and maintenance in North America.

Vestas Americas has been headquartered in Portland since 2002. In addition to the headquarters, Portland is home to one of Vestas' regional IT centers, a tools warehouse and the Vestas Business Academy training facility.

The proposed new headquarters, which is expected to be over 500,000 square feet in size and LEED Platinum certified, will consolidate Vestas' presence in Portland, as well as allow for future growth.

As negotiations are in process, Vestas cannot, at this point, confirm the sites it is considering for development. The company is currently working with the state of Oregon and city of Portland to leverage development, tax and financing options.

"The decision by Vestas to recommend building their new North American headquarters here sends a strong message that even in these difficult economic times, Portland has the confidence of companies willing to bring family wage jobs to the city," says Portland Mayor Tom Potter. "It also provides further validation of Portland's international reputation as a leading green city."

As the American wind industry continues to grow, Vestas Americas' desire to expand its headquarters in Portland also means further opportunities to form partnerships with Oregon's community colleges and universities to increase collaboration on wind energy programs and build a talented workforce for the company.

In addition, Vestas has just opened a new research and development hub in Boston. In 2009, the company will open a research center in Houston.

SOURCE: Vestas

Green Racine Reflections My Errors

2008-12-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Errors, I have made a few with Green Racine not looking for a pity party or forgiveness just the good that comes from saying I made mistakes and must overcome them.
No one's perfect not happening. The mistakes I have comes with not having a focus and well fear.
So I list them
1) Not putting names to groups who I feel are nothing more then blood sucking lobbyists. They are not playing nice now what more are they going to do?
2) Not updating this blog because few look at it. Know I do this for me and should care less about leading. If folks like the info I put out great if not OK
3) Do the products to support Green Racine the Coffee Cups and shirts.
4) Call out the Green Groups that have no clue and point out errors.
5) Having faith
6) Not doing more with The REC.

refections part 1

2008-12-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

As I look back at Green Racine in the past year I find interesting refections:
How nice WE Energy is to work with
How cute baby Falcons are
The number of "Green" folks that have no clue
The fact that many inner city kids have no idea where food come from
The wealth of knowledge our elders have that is being lost
What a great place the Racine Environmental Center is and how wonderful Ben the Director is. In the same vain the impact that one place like the REC can have. Praise God for this. Praise God for Ben. BTW if you do not like my praise of God too bad. :)

Cuba

2008-11-30T18:25:00.000-08:00

We need to end the Embargo now. I am not some left wing Obama kinda guy but a right wing free trade America is #1.
And that why I think we need to do this. As we all know Cuba as found a great deal of Oil/Gas off there shores. At this time we can not sell them goods or serves that Cuba needs to explote this, so who is? The PRC and Venezuela both not our friends both seeking to harm us. Yes they are investing millions and able to get resources they need as we just sit here.
Cuba will of course have a great deal of money to spend it would be great if they could spend it here in America.

Castro is well not long for this world and when he goes would be a great opening for this Country to obtain influence not by sending troops or the CIA no. By sending Coke and MTV, get the Cuban to want the same things we have, the est will follow. When the Average Cuban sees that the Ave American has so much more and opertunties are all around the Cuban people will put paid to their Marxist government.
With Cuba out of the Orbit of Venezuela our guy Hugo will be seeing the writing on the wall.

Winter

2008-11-30T14:56:00.000-08:00

As we go into the Winter of 08-09 tonight Racine WI is going to get 8" of snow. (Grrr) I am taking the time to think of what I can do to improve our Recycle-Reduce-Reuse goals.
With out first heating bill of the season coming any day, I am very glad that my wife thought of getting our attic better insulated. The $600+ we will spend should pay for itself quickly and help reduce our use of NG.
The Garden is put to bed and we are planing on expanding it and hopefully starting another plot Green Racine is a firm believer in growing one own food to insure quality and supply.
Check out our Amazon Store and if you can please pick out a book or two for someone this Xmas.

Michels at 50 years!

2008-11-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Brownsville, Wis.-based Michels, a balance-of-plant construction firm, is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.

"When all this began, it was mainly a pipeline company, and now we are proficient in so many different areas, including wind energy, directional drilling and power," says Pat Michels, president of Michels.

According to Michels, the company ranks 64th among the top 400 contractors. Michels plans to begin its anniversary celebrations in January at the Michels' annual leadership conference in Madison, Wis.

A battery for Wind Power

2008-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

Xcel looks to harness wind energy for use even when there's no wind

The project, which also includes the state and a tech firm, is installing a battery that is the first U.S. device that can store wind power.

By DEE DePASS, Star Tribune

Last update: November 12, 2008 - 10:20 PM

Next spring Xcel Energy Inc., the state of Minnesota and a Virginia-based technology firm will test the first battery in the country capable of storing wind energy.

The breakthrough technology, which is the size of two semitrailer trucks stacked atop each other, was built in Japan and shipped to Luverne, Minn., where it will store electricity generated by the nearby Minwind Energy wind turbines. S&C Electric Co. expects the equipment will be completely installed by April.

The battery consists of a score of 50-kilowatt modules. When it is fully charged, the massive sodium-sulfur battery -- which weighs about 80 tons -- can store 7.2 megawatt-hours of electricity. That's enough to power 500 homes for about seven hours. It will cost more than $5.4 million to buy and install the battery and analyze its performance.

The technology could help allay critics of wind energy, who lament that no electricity is produced when there's no wind. If successful, the battery will store wind energy and release its power onto the electrical grid when the air is still.

"Energy storage is key to expanding the use of renewable energy," Xcel Chairman and CEO Dick Kelly said. "This technology has the potential to reduce the impact caused by the variability and limited predictability of wind-energy generation."

Xcel, which invested $3.6 million in the project, expects the battery "to become very important to both us and our customers," Kelly said.

Xcel, the largest wind-energy producer in the country, is working to make it easier to integrate renewable energy onto the electrical grid as part of its "Smart Grid" strategy. It has a mandate to generate 30 percent of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Xcel bought the battery from Japan's NGK Insulators Ltd. The batteries are used in Japan to store wind energy, and are used in a few nonwind applications in the United States.

"But this is the first U.S. application of the battery as a direct wind-energy storage device," Kelly said.

In addition to Xcel, the Minnesota Renewable Development Fund is contributing $1 million to the project. GridPoint, a power grid management firm based in Arlington, Va., kicked in $750,000. The University of Minnesota will analyze the battery system and grid connections. Other participants in the project include the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Great Plains Institute.

Xcel announced this month that it will develop 351 megawatts of new wind-energy production by December 2011 -- enough to power about 110,000 homes. The company said it plans to increase its current wind resources by more than 10 percent. The $900 million expansion includes a 201-megawatt project in southwest Minnesota's Nobles County, and a 150-megawatt project in Dickey and McIntosh Counties in so

Rail Freight

2008-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

Did you know that using trains for transport of freight is 100 times more effective then using trucks.
But not very good at moving people short distances (50 MI) so then tell me why so many experts
are all about light rail that does not break even and requires massive tax dollars.
The same experts do not support what has been proven to work and helps reduce hwy travel and amount of fuel used.
In Racine WI those in power are trying to force a lt rail system on Southeast Wisconsin well IMHO is just that nifty P/C cool thing that they can play with while the real benefits that a Freight System could bring to the entire area not just a few rich folks wanting something to feel good about

More Wind Power

2008-11-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has placed an order for 22 wind turbine generators with Vestas for the proposed expansion of the utility's Wild Horse wind and solar facility. Delivery of the turbines and initial construction, after all approvals are received, is slated for mid-2009, with entry into commercial service by later that year. The turbine order accounts for the major portion of the proposed $100 million project.

"The turbines have proven themselves at our Wild Horse and Hopkins Ridge facilities in providing a reliable source of clean, renewable energy," says Kimberly Harris, executive vice president and chief resource officer for PSE. "Building on the success of Wild Horse makes sense for our customers and for the economy of the Kittitas Valley."

Vestas is the current supplier to Wild Horse and the utility's Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility in Dayton.

In addition to the turbine order, the Kittitas County board of commissioners voted at a public hearing to approve the expansion plan as a modification to the original 2005 site development agreement with the county. The planned expansion will result in 149 turbines and a capacity of 269 MW at Wild Horse – well within the original development agreement limits of 158 turbines and 312 MW. Currently, the wind facility has 127 turbines capable of producing 229 MW of electricity.

An environmental impact study for the project will be completed later this year, with final approval of the expansion plan expected by the state Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council in early 2009.

Rhiode Island goes with off shore wind

2008-10-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

R.I. Governor Names Developer For Offshore Wind Farm

in News Departments > New & Noteworthy

by NAW staff on Friday 26 September 2008

Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, R-R.I., has announced that Deepwater Wind was chosen as the developer to construct a wind energy project off the shores of Rhode Island that will provide 1.3 million MWh per year of renewable energy annually - 15% of all electricity used in the state. It is expected that the project will cost in excess of $1 billion to construct, and the funds will come from private investment sources. A team of experts spent several months evaluating the detailed proposals submitted by seven development groups.

Deepwater Wind was established to develop utility-scale offshore wind projects in the northeastern part of the U.S. The company's major investors are FirstWind, a major developer of onshore wind projects in the U.S.; D.E. Shaw & Co., a capital investment firm with deep experience in the energy sector, and Ospraie Management, an asset management firm with a focus on alternative energy markets.

"This is much more than an energy project," says Carcieri. "This is about creating a new industry in Rhode Island - an industry that puts Rhode Island at the epicenter of the emerging alternative energy market. Deepwater Wind will help bring new economic activity, jobs and opportunity to Rhode Island. From construction through operation, Deepwater Wind projects will provide high-quality, green collar jobs. Further, Deepwater Wind's jacket foundations are the ideal cost-effective solution for the deeper waters in our region."

Deepwater Wind has pledged a significant private investment in Rhode Island of approximately $1.5 billion with the construction of a regional manufacturing facility in Quonset, and creating up to 800 direct jobs, with annual wages of $60 million. The Quonset facility will manufacture support structures upon which the turbine and its tower are based.

The exact location of the wind project will be determined from the results of the Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) permitting process led by the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council in partnership with URI's Graduate School of Oceanography.

The state and Deepwater Wind will now enter a 90-day period to negotiate a formal development agreement. The final agreement will include the total commitment to Rhode Island made by Deepwater Wind, including the establishment of a manufacturing headquarters in the state and the reimbursement of the cost of the SAMP to the Renewable Energy Fund. In addition, the agreement will outline the preferred developer status for Deepwater Wind in the permitting process.

Final approval of the project is contingent on multiple regulatory approvals from both the state and federal governments.

SOURCE: Office of Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, Providence Plantations

Virtual Fair Report

2008-09-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

9/26/08

Green Racine after looking at resources needed to do the very best job that the Virtual fairs would need made the difficult choice to end further planing of the Fairs until Green Racine obtains those resources.
We are in the debit of those who have volunteered to help with the planing and the project teams for the guidance given and work done.
As we network and find more assets to put to the virtual fairs we will then start again.

Thank you

Wayne Clingman
Green Racine

Kettle Foods Gets it

2008-09-19T05:42:00.001-07:00

Salem, Ore.-based Kettle Foods says that it has yielded environmental and economic benefits by adopting measures that include offsetting all of the electricity used to operate both its Salem and Beloit factories with wind power. Additionally, the Beloit plant is home to 18 rooftop wind turbines.

"When we decided to go for green - or in this case, gold - with LEED certification of our new factory, we knew it was the right thing to do," says Tim Fallon, president of Kettle Foods' North American division.

The company also recycles of 2,300 gallons of waste oil with conversion to biodiesel used to power a company fleet of diesel-engine cars called BioBeetles, and reduces more than three million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions annually resulting from the elimination of shipping lines between Oregon and the Midwest.

Cindy S is NUTS!

2008-09-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Crazy Cindy hasn't had an actual job, you know, something that you do and get paid for in many, many years.

She tried writing books:

Her first book, published in December of 2005 is at Amazon.com Sales Rank: #841,307. Amazon.com Sales Rank: #841,308 is : The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Pancreatitis".

Her second book was published on April Fool's Day of 2006 is at Amazon.com Sales Rank: #468,712, just beating out "Practical HPLC Method Development, 2nd Edition" published in 1997.

Her put recent effort, published in September 2006, is currently showing Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,303,398. I haven't been able to find out which book is #1,303,399, but I'll bet it's a pip!

Surprisingly, ALL these books are in-stock!

Sheehan tried making paid speeches:

Read the "Breaking News" item below to see how that's working out lately.

What to do? What to do?

Why not run for Congress? Against political powerhouse Nancy Pelosi?

It meets all Cindy's needs: it brings in the dollars and keeps Crazy Cindy in the spotlight. It's a rather faint spotlight, though. The mainstream media began losing interest in her when the public got tired of hearing the same old rants, over and over and over. She screeched "No blood for oil!" So where's the oil? She demanded the troops be brought home. Instead of listening to her, Congress sent in still more troops and now even the far-left New York Times admits that the troop surge has worked and things in Iraq are improving. Again and again this slogan-chanting paste-eater has been proven wrong. Aside from a handful of anti-American socialist ass-hats, no one finds her lunatic ravings entertaining any more.

When Cindy began attacking the Democrats in office, The MSM dropped her like a hot potato. Now only the extreme fringe media covers her campaign. It's more of a flashlight with tired batteries and a spotlight on a stage. Cindy needs attention, so she has entered a race she knows she can't win. The upside is that it's bringing in the dollars.

According to the Huffington post, Sheehan claims she has raised more than $300,000 in campaign donations source. Where did the money go? Not for radio and TV ads. Not for ad space in magazines and newspapers. She lists her campaign headquarters as her residence address (many candidates do this, in all fairness).

When Sheehan announced her retirement from the anti-war movement, she said:

"I have spent every available cent I got from the money a "grateful" country gave me when they killed my son and every penny that I have received in speaking or book fees since then."

"...my hospital bills from last summer (when I almost died) are in collection because I have used all my energy trying to stop this country from slaughtering innocent human beings."

The hospital bills she mentions were for having her uterus removed. She buried it under a bush in Crawford, Texas."

Between Casey's private life insurance policy and the government death benefit, we're looking at a minimum of $300,000. She used part of that money to buy land in Texas that she later sold for a $34,000 profit!

Then there's the money she got from speaking engagements. Her fees ranged as high as $11,000 per appearance source, and her minimum was $600. She spoke at least 30 times between August of 2005 and August of 2006. That's a minimum of $28,400.

The books probably brought in at least another $50,000.

Grand total - $412,400!!!

For a long time she lived rent-free, first at a friend's apartment in Berkeley and then at "Camp Casey" in Crawford. It's clear that she doesn't spend a lot on clothes or make-up. And she didn't spend it on her medical bills, that much we know.

Assuming that she had absolutely ZERO income after August 2006, she blew about $137,000 per year! WHERE'S THE MONEY, CINDY???

So now, here's Cindy, broke, by her own admission, asking for money, to run in an election she cannot possibly win. Maybe she learned something after watching Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton run for the White House? Hmmmmmm...

Wind Heros

2008-09-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Wind Coalition has announced the recipients of its first annual Wind Champions awards, recognizing policy-makers in Texas who have had an impact on growing the burgeoning wind energy industry in the state.

The coalition issued several awards, including a legacy award for policy-makers that demonstrated vision and were principally responsible for the state policy that allowed for the growth of the wind industry; a champion award for policy-makers who took a leadership role during the renewable energy debate and/or filed key legislation to expand the wind energy marketplace; and an outstanding supporter award to recognize the dozens of policy makers who not only voted favorable on wind energy issues, but who took an advocacy role in encouraging the industry's growth - such as supporting CREZ and issuing public comments in support of wind energy, and economic and environmental policies conducive to the growth of the industry.

Recipients of the award are:

Legacy supporters: Gov. Rick Perry, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, PUC Chairman Barry Smitherman, former PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson, Senator Troy Fraser, Senator Kim Brimer, Representative David Swinford, Representative Phil King, and Representative Mark Strama.

Champion supporters: Sens. Kip Averitt, Kel Seliger, Leticia Van de Putte, Judith Zaffirini, Kirk Watson and Rep. Warren Chisum.

Outstanding supporters: Sens. Robert Duncan, Craig Estes, Rodney Ellis, Kevin Eltife and Carlos Uresti. Representatives Alma Allen, Rafael Anchia, Doc Anderson, Dan Barrett, Leo Berman, Dwayne Bohac, Valinda Bolton, Dan Branch, Lon Burnam, Joaquin Castro, Wayne Christian, Ellen Cohen, Garnet Coleman, Drew Darby, Yvonne Davis, Joe Deshotel, Dawnna Dukes, Jim Dunnam, Harold Dutton, Kirk England, David Farabee, Dan Flynn, Stephen Frost, Pete Gallego, Juan Garcia, Ryan Guillen, Rick Hardcastle, Linda Harper-Brown, Joe Heflin, Ana Hernandez, Scott Hochberg, Donna Howard, Carl Isett, Delwin Jones, Ruth Jones McClendon, Susan King, David Leibowitz, Eddie Lucio, III, Jerry Madden, Trey Martinez-Fischer, Brian McCall, Jose Menendez, Elliott Naishtat, Rene Oliveira, Dora Olivo, Solomon Ortiz, Ken Paxton, Paula Pierson, Jim Pitts, Eddie Rodriguez, Patrick Rose, John Smithee, Joe Straus, Larry Taylor, Sylvester Turner, Corbin Van Arsdale, Allen Vaught, Marc Veasey, Mike Villarreal, Hubert Vo and Bill Zedler.

SOURCE: Wind Coalition

Pennsylvania moves forward!

2008-09-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Wind Energy Supply Chain Initiative (WESCI), a new wind energy initiative, will create jobs, grow Pennsylvania's manufacturing base and produce environmentally friendly, home-grown energy, says Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Dennis Yablonsky.

"Pennsylvania has a growing base of wind energy providers already here," Yablonsky says. "Companies like Gamesa in Cambria and Bucks counties; GE Wind in Erie; and Iberdrola, with operations in Somerset, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties, already have a significant presence in Pennsylvania, and they need hundreds of manufactured components to build, maintain and expand their operations. Wind and alternative energy providers need suppliers, and this initiative will help providers and suppliers find and connect with one another. WESCI will help attract wind energy providers and help more Pennsylvania manufacturers to transition and enter the growing alternative energy market."

As examples of wind industry supply needs, Yablonsky cited electrical equipment, power transmission devices, turbine generators, fabricated parts, gearboxes and bearings.

Key to the WESCI initiative will be the commonwealth's industrial resource center network - seven regional centers that provide comprehensive process improvement and strategic consulting services to Pennsylvania's small- and medium-sized manufacturers. Under the WESCI initiative, the centers will help identify supply chain gaps, gather provider requirements and find qualified suppliers.

SOURCE: Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development

20,000 MW Baby!

2008-09-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

The U.S. wind industry has raced past the 20,000 MW installed capacity milestone, achieving in two years what had previously taken more than two decades, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) reports.

Wind now provides 20,152 MW of electricity generating capacity in the U.S. But a delay in extending the production tax credit (PTC) could place 2009 projects on hold and discourage manufacturing investment, according to AWEA. The PTC is currently set to expire at the end of the year.

"Wind energy installations are well ahead of the curve for contributing 20% of the U.S. electric power supply by 2030 as envisioned by the U.S. Department of Energy," says Randall Swisher, executive director of AWEA. "However, the looming expiration of the federal renewable energy PTC less than four months from now threatens this spectacular progress. The PTC has been a critical factor in wind's very rapid growth as a part of the nation's power portfolio."

While Germany has more generating capacity installed - about 23,000 MW- the U.S. is producing more electricity from wind because of its much stronger winds. AWEA expects over 7,500 MW of new wind capacity to be added this year, expanding the U.S.'s wind energy fleet by 45% and bringing total capacity to 24,300 MW.

SOURCE: American Wind Energy Association

Bats Death near Wind Towers

2008-08-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

The mystery of why large numbers of migratory bats are killed by certain turbines of southern Alberta’s wind farms every year may have been solved by a comprehensive University of Calgary research project that has yielded answers to the problem.

A bat mortality study supervised by U of C biology professor Robert Barclay that began in 2006 has determined that the vast majority of bats found dead below turbines near Pincher Creek suffered severe injuries to their respiratory systems consistent with a sudden drop in air pressure – called barotrauma – that occurs when the animals get close to turbine blades. The results will be published in the August 26 online edition of Current Biology. The study shows that 90 per cent the bats examined after death showed signs of internal hemorrhaging consistent with barotraumas while only about half of the bats showed any evidence of direct contact with the blades.

"Because bats can detect objects with echolocation, they seldom collide with man-made structures," said PhD candidate and project leader Erin Baerwald. "An atmospheric-pressure drop at wind-turbine blades is an undetectable—and potentially unforeseeable—hazard for bats, thus partially explaining the large number of bat fatalities at these specific structures,” Baerwald explains. "Given that bats are more susceptible to barotrauma than birds, and that bat fatalities at wind turbines far outnumber bird fatalities at most sites, wildlife fatalities at wind turbines are now a bat issue, not a bird issue."

The respiratory systems of bats and birds differ in important ways, in terms of both their structure and their function. Bats' lungs, like those of other mammals, are balloon-like, with two-way airflow ending in thin flexible sacs surrounded by capillaries, the researchers explained. When outside pressure drops, those sacs can over-expand, bursting the capillaries around them. Bird lungs, on the other hand, are more rigid and tube-like, with one-way circular airflow passing over and around capillaries. That rigid system can better withstand sudden drops in air pressure.

Nine species of bats are found in Alberta, three of which migrate through the province each year. The majority of bats killed at wind turbines are the migratory bats that roost in trees, including hoary bats, eastern red bats, and silver-haired bats. While little is known about their population sizes, the researchers said their deaths could have far-reaching consequences. Bats typically live for many years, in some cases reaching ages of 30 or more. Most also have just one or two pups at a time, and not necessarily every year.

"Slow reproductive rates can limit a population's ability to recover from crashes and thereby increase the risk of endangerment or extinction," said Barclay, noting that migrating animals tend to be more vulnerable in the first place.

All three species of migratory bats killed by wind turbines fly at night, eating thousands of insects—including many crop pests—per day as they go. Therefore, bat losses in one area could have very real effects on ecosystems miles away, along the bats' migration routes.

Baerwald said there is no obvious way to reduce the pressure drop at wind turbines without severely limiting their use. Because bats are more active when wind speeds are low, one strategy may be to increase the wind speed at which turbine blades begin to rotate during the bats' fall migration period.

The study was initiated by TransAlta after the company’s wind farm operators noticed bat carcasses below turbines and approached Barclay, an internationally-recognized bat expert, for advice.

“It was important for us to determine as much as we could about this issue,” said Jason Edworthy, Director, Stakeholder Relations for TransAlta. “Ultimately, it’s a situation we’re working hard to alleviate. Ongoing research with the University is seeing some real results in terms of mitigation of collisions.”

The paper “Barotrauma is a significant cause of bat fatalities at wind turbines” by Erin F. Baerwald, Genevieve H. D'Amours, Brandon J. Klug and Robert M.R. Barclay will be available online at: www.current-biology.com

American Energy Act

2008-08-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.govtrack.us/data/us/bills.text/110/h/h6566.pdf

Above you will find the link to the Bill that the Democratic party fears so much.
All the GOP wants is an up or down vote. So why is Nancy so worried about this bill?

The Time is now!

2008-08-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

Myself I am done waiting for the right person and the right time to move renewable energy forward!
As the GOP has done on the floor of the House Deeds not words are the call!
They are fighting for the American Energy we must join the effort.
The call is out join this fight!

Yes I have been lax in keeping up this blog but that has changed as of now! I will be writing about two very exciting projects that myself and a handful of crew will be moving on.
These two project are just a sample of what is to come

Check the web site out

2008-08-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.alternativeenergy.com/

Check the site out it is a Ning site interesting what the owner did with it.
The Redhead on Girls Gone Green is great.

Interesting site

2008-06-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

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

Any reading in the press will tell you that we need to be prepared to take care of ourself when events like flooding occur.
This site will help you prepare for those times.
Also everyone of us should have basic first aid training, do you?

Report from Windpower 2008 (Vickerman)

2008-06-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Please read this very interesting report from Windpower 2008 @ Houston TX

Report from Windpower 2008 and the
Wind Powering America Summit
Houston, Texas

Michael Vickerman
RENEW/Wisconsin Wind Working Group
June 11, 2008

General impressions: AWEA's 2008 conference was an unceasing hive of
activity, especially on the trade show floor. RENEW was one of 15 Wisconsin
firms and organizations that participated in the Wisconsin Wind Works
exhibit space. Other participants were: Aarowcast (Shawano), Ambassador
Steel (Auburn, IN), Badger Transport (Clintonville), Bassett Mechanical
(Kaukauna), EcoEnergy (Madison), Lakeshore Technical College (Cleveland),
Lapham-Hickey Steel (Oshkosh), Lindquist Machine Corporation (Green Bay),
Merit Gear (Antigo), Natural Resources Consulting (Cottage Grove), Oscar
Boldt Construction (Appleton), Orion Construction Group (Appleton),
Trace-A-Matic (Brookfield), and Wausaukee Composites (Wausaukee). By pooling
our resources, we were able to secure a centrally located and highly visible
space on the trade show floor. Jerry Murphy and his team at The New North
did a fantastic job of organizing this pavilion and scheduling the staffing.
With all of our materials displayed under one sign we succeeded in
projecting a sense that Wisconsin companies are comfortable doing business
with each other. I hope we do it again next year in Minneapolis.

Plenty of Wisconsin companies had their own exhibit booths, including
Johnson Controls (Milwaukee), Michels Wind Energy (Brownsville), Tower Tech
at the Broadwind booth (Manitowoc), Manitowoc Crane (Manitowoc), Foley and
Lardner (Milwaukee), Michael Best and Friedrich (Madison), Shuttlelift
(Sturgeon Bay), Snap-on (Kenosha) and Trachte (Oregon). No doubt there were
other Wisconsin companies displaying at the exhibit hall.

I did not see any representatives from the State of Wisconsin at the
conference/trade show. The absence of an official state presence was
heightened by the profusion of other state pavilions--Iowa, Minnesota,
Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas--which were staffed by agency
employees and funded with public dollars. Nor did I see any representatives
of Wisconsin ports. I soon learned the reason why.

*********************************************************************

Transportation: My visit with Lone Star Transportation was eye-opening to
the say the least. Lone Star is Vestas' preferred heavy-hauler. The
exhibitors there described the difficulties they endured in dealing with the
restrictions state DOT placed on the transportation of oversized equipment
to We Energies' Blue Sky Green Field project. State DOT imposed a
prohibition on transporting oversize loads during the day, which made it
impossible to truck the blades, nacelles and tower sections directly to the
erection sites. We Energies had to expand the laydown area behind its
operations center in order to accommodate deliveries of the equipment. Some
792 pieces of equipment had to be offloaded in the yard and then reloaded on
separate vehicles and taken to the 88 turbine sites. Double-handling this
equipment is expensive. WE estimates that the restrictions on transportation
added nearly $4 million to the cost of constructing Blue Sky Green Field. No
doubt they resulted in costs to other companies. The same restrictions also
applied to the Forward project, which was going up at the same time.
According to Lone Star, Wisconsin is very much the outlier when it comes to
regulating transportation of oversize wind energy equipment.

In regards to the Cedar Ridge project now under construction, state DOT will
allow limited daytime transportation of oversize equipment. However, in
order to reduce the cost of transporting turbines, nacelles and blades
through Wisconsin, Vestas decided to ship that equipment down to the Port of
Beaumont in Texas, and transport it by rail to Green Bay. Much of it has
already arrived, sitting in a rail yard waiting to be transported down to
Fond du Lac County. These loads could have been shipped to either Milwaukee
or Marinette-Menominee. No wonder I didn't see any Wisconsin port
representatives at the conference!

Wisconsin also requires haulers to obtain an individual permit for each load
carried along a surveyed route. Contrast that requirement with Iowa's
practice of issuing a permit that covers all trips on that route for six
(could be 12) months. Iowa's DOT does not place limits on the time of day
when oversize wind equipment can be legally transported.

Between the extra costs incurred by heavy haulers and the lost port traffic,
Wisconsin's transportation policies have imposed a heavy economic cost on
in-state wind development in Wisconsin. The economic damage could spread to
other states if turbine manufacturers continue to avoid Wisconsin ports in
favor of less convenient locations that require more truck or rail travel
after the equipment is unloaded.

************************************

Project Outlook for 2008 and 2009: Babcock and Brown, which bought two
permitted projects in Wisconsin, will begin constructing the 36-turbine
Butler Ridge project this month. RES Americas is the general contractor. The
project, located in southeast Dodge County, should be on-line by the end of
December. I have no information about the transportation arrangements for
that installation, but I can't help but observe that the project site is
less than 60 miles from the Port of Milwaukee.

Babcock and Brown also intends to build its second permitted Wisconsin
project in 2009. The installation would go up in Manitowoc County not far
from Point Beach. B&B's permit lasts through the end of next year. If it
were to expire before the wind project is completed, B&B would have to
obtain an extension or seek a brand new permit under the county's revised
wind ordinance, which, as you know, was essentially written by the WINDCOWs.

***********************************

Wind Powering America Summit: This was a much more interactive and engaging
meeting than last year's gathering. I took part in a role-playing exercise
in which the most common knocks against windpower were voiced by one group
of people (myself included) and then rebutted by another group. As my
group's designated NIMBY, I channeled my inner Dave Korinek and spewed forth
one Internet myth after another about safety (exploding turbines and
collapsing towers), health impacts (stray voltage, "wind turbine syndrome"),
and quality of life complaints (shadow flicker, aesthetics). Judging from
their tinny and wonkish responses, the pro-wind people would benefit greatly
from increased exposure to real-life NIMBY's and attending Mick Sagrillo's
"How to Deal with Wind Opposition" workshop.

It's worth mentioning that the Ohio Legislature recently took steps to
reduce the likelihood of stalled wind projects due to permitting hassles.
The Legislature voted to lower the threshold for state review of wind
projects from 50 MW to 5 MW. If approved, Ohio's threshold would be even
lower than the one in Minnesota (25 MW). That change was incorporated in a
budget repair bill that is now sitting on the Governor's desk. The Governor
supports the provision, I'm told.

The most memorable line of the meeting came out of Randy Udall's talk. After
his meditation on the energy resource constraints that are converging
directly in front of us, he referenced the AWEA/DOE 20% by 2030 report by
saying: "we should be planting wind turbines like trees." Of all the fossil
fuel supply problems that are hard-wired into our future, the biggest shapes
up to be maintaining natural gas supply given current depletion rates. In
Randy's view (and mine), substituting wind for fossil generation is even
more valuable as an energy security strategy than as a carbon reduction
measure.

Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
Wisconsin Wind Working Group

We MUST act now to move Windpower forward!

Wayne Clingman
Green Racine

Wind Power as econmoic tool

2008-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Check this out, if you want to see what a HUGE impact Wind Power can have for an area.
Much more then a renewable energy source.

http://www.nrel.gov/analysis/jedi/

Can Racine get on board this idea?

2008-05-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Wind turbines turn $2.3 million in profits for Duluth Seaway Port Authority
Peter Passi Duluth News Tribune
Published Friday, May 23, 2008

Fiscal year 2007 will go down as the most profitable ever for the Duluth
Seaway Port Authority. The authority closed its fiscal books March 31 this
year, more than $2.3 million in the black, according to Chief Financial
Officer John Kubow.

The port authority's previous financial best had been fiscal year 2001, when
it reported a net profit of $837,000.

So what made fiscal year 2007 so special?

Kubow's simple explanation: "Sales of wind turbine components."

The port authority gets a cut of all revenues generated by the Clure Marine
Terminal's operator, Lake Superior Warehousing Co. Inc. And the company
handled lots of wind power equipment last shipping season, both inbound from
overseas and outbound to destinations on the East Coast and Europe.

In 2007, the American Wind Energy Association estimated between $8 billion
and $10 billion was being invested in wind power annually, much of it in the
nation's heartland, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and
Iowa.

Initially, the port was seeing large shipments of wind farm equipment
imported from Germany, Denmark and Spain.

As wind farms proliferate, domestic production of wind turbine and tower
equipment has been climbing, expanding the outbound component of the port's
business. Duluth also has become a conduit for North Dakota-built wind power
equipment bound for domestic and export markets.

This rapidly changing scene is fraught with opportunities and challenges,
according to Ron Johnson, the port authority's trade development director.

"It's more than a moving target," he said. "Right now, it's a blurred
target."

Jonathan Lamb, general manager of Lake Superior Warehousing, said the
current shipping season is off to a more modest start, but based on recent
inquiries and several large wind power projects in the works, including
Minnesota Power's plans to bring 500 to 700 megawatts of wind power online
in North Dakota in the next few years, he believes the port may be able to
equal the volume of equipment it handled last year.

To handle the massive wind turbines, blades, nacelles and towers the port
has been receiving, the laydown area around the terminal has been greatly
expanded. The port authority invested about $400,000 last year to ready more
than six acres of land for the equipment. Lake Superior Warehousing also
prepared an additional 25 acres of land at the Garfield C and D docks to use
as a laydown area.

Kubow said those types of investments wouldn't be made if the port authority
and Lake Superior Warehousing weren't confident about the future.

Part of that confidence is inspired by government mandates, such as
Minnesota's requirement that utilities in the state derive 25 percent of
their power from renewable resources by 2025.

"That's what I call government-impelled cargo," Kubow said.

PETER PASSI covers business and development. He can be reached weekdays at
(218) 279-5526 or by e-mail at ppassi@duluthnews.com.

Blue Sky on Line

2008-05-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

From: Barry McNulty
May 19, 2008
We Energies wind project begins commercial operation
Largest wind farm to date in Wisconsin is on time and on budget
MILWAUKEE - We Energies’ Blue Sky Green Field wind project was placed into commercial service today. The 88 turbines have a demonstrated capacity of 145 megawatts and are expected to generate more than 328 million emission-free kilowatt hours annually - enough to power 36,000 homes.
“Blue Sky Green Field is one of several targeted efforts we’re undertaking to generate more energy from renewable resources,” said Rick Kuester, executive vice president of Wisconsin Energy Corporation, the parent of We Energies. “We appreciate the support we have received from our customers and from the communities of Calumet and Marshfield and northeast Fond du Lac County in making the project a reality.”
At a cost of approximately $300 million, the Blue Sky Green Field project consists of 88 Vestas Wind Systems turbines spread across 10,600 acres. Each turbine is capable of producing 1.65 megawatts of electricity. The V82 turbines have a hub height of approximately 262 feet and a blade length of 134 feet. From the foundation to the tip, each tower has a height 397 feet.
We Energies continues to pursue the development of additional renewable energy to meet customer demand and to meet the state of Wisconsin’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires utilities across the state to generate 10 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2015. “While the Blue Sky Green Field project is an important contributor to our renewable goals, We Energies will need to add several more renewable projects to meet the state mandate,” said Kuester.
Construction of Blue Sky Green Field began in June 2007. The project was built largely with the talents of Wisconsin companies and craft labor. Collectively, more than 400,000 labor hours were devoted to completing the project. Although the turbines are now in operation, We Energies will be working with the landowners in the area to ensure that proper restoration from construction activity is completed.
- more -
We Energies
Page 2
We Energies serves more than 1.1 million electric customers in Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and more than 1 million natural gas customers in Wisconsin. Its electricity prices are approximately seven percent below the national average. We Energies is the trade name of Wisconsin Electric Power Company and Wisconsin Gas LLC, the principal utility subsidiaries of Wisconsin Energy Corporation (NYSE: WEC). Visit the We Energies Web site at www.we-energies.com. Learn more about Wisconsin Energy Corporation by visiting www.wisconsinenergy.com.
# # #

Billions in Economic Growth via Wind Power Why not in Racine WI

2008-05-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 29, 2008

Contact:
Christine Real de Azua (202) 383-2508

OVER 600 INDUSTRY LEADERS SEE POTENTIAL FOR NEW JOBS,
BILLIONS IN ECONOMIC GROWTH IN WIND POWER SUPPLY CHAIN

AWEA Holds Supply Chain Workshop in Des Moines, April 29-30

Representatives from a diverse range of industries, including foundries, tooling companies, gearbox manufacturers, railroads and other transportation providers, electronics manufacturers and metal fabricators, as well as state economic development officers, will gather at the American Wind Energy Association’s (AWEA) Wind Power Supply Chain Workshop in Des Moines, Iowa, April 29-30.

Drawing attention to Iowa as a growing hub for wind power-related job creation, the Iowa Department of Economic Development is co-sponsoring the workshop.

“I'm honored to welcome AWEA to our state,” said Iowa Governor Chet Culver (D). “It is our responsibility to tap clean, renewable energy resources to spur investment and create new, green-collar jobs in Iowa. Communities across Iowa that have experienced real economic challenges, like Keokuk, Fort Madison and Newton, have recently seen a new rebirth by tapping into our booming wind industry. While each of these cities is in the process of adding hundreds of new wind-generation manufacturing jobs, this is only the beginning of what is possible.”

“Wind energy has not only helped power many parts of Iowa, but it has provided millions of dollars in economic activity to struggling communities,” added Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). “Wind is an affordable and inexhaustible source of domestically produced energy. We must do everything possible to capture and grow this renewable source of energy all the way up the supply chain."

AWEA expects about 600 attendees, making the workshop the trade group’s largest ever as well as the first aimed at expanding the industry’s “supply chain,” or range of component suppliers.

“The U.S. wind power industry is a bright spot in our economy,” said AWEA Executive Director Randall Swisher. “Every megawatt of installed wind power creates employment in manufacturing, construction and operations as well as jobs in advertising, office support, environmental assessment and other related professions. America’s vast wind resources have barely been tapped, and we have only just begun to see wind’s potential to generate broad economic growth.”

Encouraged by the stability of the federal production tax credit (PTC), U.S. wind industry manufacturing has surged from a very small base in 2005 to more than 100 facilities in 2007.

In 2005, the average wind turbine contained less than 30% American-made components. Today, domestically manufactured content is approaching 50%. (A wind turbine is composed of some 8,000 components, ranging from towers and blades to gearboxes, generators, castings, ball bearings, and electronic components.) New facilities were opened or announced last year in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, New York, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. These facilities are expected to create more than 6,000 permanent, well-paying jobs. Many of the fastest-growing wind industry suppliers in the U.S. are slated to attend the workshop this week.

“While the wind industry’s strong growth is encouraging, the PTC is in danger of lapsing at the end of this year,” said Swisher. “It is vitally important for Congress and the President to quickly extend the PTC—the primary U.S. incentive for wind power—as part of a long-term policy for renewable energy to foster investment in wind installations, manufacturing capacity and thousands of new jobs.”

At the workshop, industry leaders will discuss the need to ramp up U.S.-based manufacturing and state incentives that encourage such investments as well as projections for growth—which will be determined largely by whether the U.S. government puts in place a strong, supportive, stable policy for renewable energy, starting with a quick extension of the PTC.

For more information, contact Christine Real de Azua, crealdeazua@awea.org.

________________________________

Racine needs to move on this!

2008-05-17T05:53:00.000-07:00

From The Cleavland Business News

Akron - The nation's No. 2 wind turbine manufacturer spent most of this week in the state looking for parts makers.

California-based Clipper Windpower's search culminated Thursday at a luncheon at the University of Akron attended by about 50 Ohio companies with the know-how to turn out the myriad precision parts that go into the behemoth turbines.

Read more of The Plain Dealer's energy coverage.

"If we can find suppliers we can partner with, we'll do it," Todd Windeknecht, Clipper' s strategic commodity leader, told a crowd of about 80 at the Martin University Center on the UA campus. "We are looking for long-term agreements, at least five years."

Clipper built its first wind turbine in 2005, six in 2006 and 125 this year. It has already taken orders through 2011, said Windeknecht, describing the rate of increase as "vertical."

The company has built a turbine works in Iowa, where the requirement that utilities generate a portion of their power from renewable sources like wind has created a boom in wind farms. The turbine works employs 350. "We are hiring 30 to 40 people a week," Windeknecht said.

The industry is facing critical shortages in gears, bearings, towers and turbine blades, he said. Clipper on its own already has contracts with about a dozen Ohio firms. Windeknecht and two colleagues spent most of Thursday afternoon in one-on-one interviews with interested parts makers.

The event was the brainchild of the Cleveland-based WIRE-Net, a manufacturing advocacy organization that has created the Great Lakes Wind Network to help companies such as Clipper, General Electric and a bevy of foreign turbine makers see what Ohio has to offer.

Ed Weston, director of the network, said U.S. wind turbine production is expected to grow by 913 percent over the next four years.

The market potential for turbine supply chain companies has been estimated at $22 billion, he said.

Weston also invited Ohio Department of Development experts on wind and other renewable energies to the conference. The department has about $1 million to assist renewable energy development, and the staffers were meeting privately with interested companies.

Gov. Ted Strickland's electricity reform bill includes a provision that the state's utilities, by 2025, generate at least 25 percent of the power they sell here from renewable and other advanced technologies - a strategy he hopes will land an assembly plant in the state and generate thousands of new jobs, not only in turbine assembly but in the supply chain.

Utilities oppose or only marginally support the governor's bill. After six weeks of hearings, the Senate amended the bill in a way that wind advocates argue means wind farms will not be built here.

The Ohio House leadership expects to spend the entire winter considering the bill.

Wind powered City

2008-05-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

ROCK PORT - It wasn't a ribbon cutting ceremony, it wasn't a ground breaking-- it was all about throwing a switch.

Welcome to Rock Port on Thursday, where the temperature was 44 degrees and the wind was blowing like crazy.

"What's interesting is my husband is in the oil business but that's alright, we're thrilled to have wind energy here. As Americans we need to get more independent," Rock Port resident Kim Bunton said.

"It's a big deal," Project Director Eric Chamberlain said. "It's a big deal for renewable energy and it's a big deal to be energy independent."

Chamberlain was born and raised in Rock Port.

"What we're celebrating is that the wind farm in Rock Port can produce more energy each year than what this community uses, and that has never been done before," Chamberlain said.

And that's why everyone showed up. From the celebration and speeches downtown to the city's power plant, the guy who made it all happen explained what it is all about.

"What we're showing here is the city is producing 2 megawatts more than they need, so in essence, this meter is running backwards," Chamberlain said.

That doesn't mean free electricity.

"I assume it will be lower because we're going to eliminate the transmission charges incurred," Rock Port Mayor Jo Stevens said.

So by putting these 250-foot tall turbines up on the hilltops...

"We live on a dead-end road and we've had more traffic the past year," wind farm landowner Mick Lewis said.

Lewis owns the property here, and he knows other Missouri farmers are watching.

"What's my message? Check out the people you're working with and do your research," Lewis said. "What I felt comfortable with was John Deere; I'll call it the big gun behind this."

Lewis said he also felt comfortable with Tom Carnahan, president of the Wind Capital Group.

"We have a nice windy day. I drove around, all the turbines were spinning and it just feels good," Carnahan said.

Coming from a political family, Carnahan can talk from a soap-box.

"The No. 1 thing we need to have is a national policy that says we encourage renewable energy," Carnahan said. "Right now we have a hodge podge policy. What we do consistently is help the oil and coal companies."

So who would have thought!

"Thanks for coming all the way from Columbia," Stevens said.

Rock Port only has a population of 1,316 but last week they threw the switch as America's first ever community completely powered by the wind.

"With wind you need a windy area. Fortunately for northwest Missouri, the bulk of it is here, but there are other places where this can be done, " Carnahan said.

Yes, northwest Missouri is windier than central Missouri. It takes winds of up to 9-miles per hour to get those blades spinning. Rock Port is now powered by four wind turbines. In all, 79 turbines are operational in northwest Missouri.

An Idea for Racine?

Wind Power

2008-04-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

*
New Study Highlights State Experience in Supporting Renewable Energy
through Increasingly Popular Renewables Portfolio Standards

Berkeley, California (April 9, 2008) -* A growing number of states are
supporting renewable electricity through the creation of renewables
portfolio standards (RPS), according to a report released today by
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report provides a
comprehensive overview of early experience with these state-level RPS
policies.

"State RPS policies require utilities to buy a certain amount of
renewable energy, and these programs have emerged as one of the most
important drivers of renewable energy deployment in the US," notes
report author Ryan Wiser, of Berkeley Lab. "But, as the popularity and
importance of these RPS' has increased, so too has the need to keep up
with the design, early experience, and projected impacts of these
programs...Our report is designed to meet that need."

Collectively, the RPS policies that are in place today in 25 states and
Washington D.C. apply to nearly 50% of U.S. electricity load, and four
new states joined the RPS roster in 2007. "Many of these policies have
been established recently and each is designed differently," says
co-author Galen Barbose, "As a result, experience is decidedly mixed."

Some of the key findings of the study include:

* Over 50% of non-hydro renewable capacity additions in the U.S.
from 1998 through 2007 occurred in states with RPS policies, and
93% of these additions came from wind power
* Existing state RPS policies, if fully achieved, would require
roughly 60 GW of new renewable capacity by 2025, equivalent to 15%
of projected electricity demand growth from 2000 through 2025
* Solar set-asides in state RPS policies are becoming more common,
and these policies have supported over 165 MW of new solar
capacity so far; a total of roughly 6,700 MW of solar capacity
would be needed by 2025 to fully meet these set-asides
* The early-year renewable energy purchase targets in the majority
of state RPS policies have been fully or almost-fully achieved,
with overall average compliance at 94% in 2006
* Nonetheless, a number of states have struggled to meet even their
early-year RPS targets, and many states have been reluctant to
penalize non-compliance
* Renewable energy certificate (REC) tracking systems continue to
expand, and all but four states allow unbundled RECs to count
towards RPS compliance
* The cost of RPS policies varies by state, but in most states,
these programs have, so far, increased electricity rates by 1% or
less; in several states, the renewable electricity required by RPS
policies appears competitive with fossil generation

The market for renewable energy is changing rapidly, and states are
increasingly hoping to support that growth. "Given the major role that
state RPS policies are playing, we hope that this report will help
improve the next generation of these programs," concludes Wiser.

The report "Renewables Portfolio Standards in the United States: A
Status Report with Data through 2007," can be downloaded from
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/re-pubs.html. A PowerPoint presentation
summarizing key findings from the study can be found at:
http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/emp-ppt.html. For more information on the
report, contact Ryan Wiser (RHWiser@lbl.gov, 510-486-5474).

Election Update

2008-03-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

With this post I would like to encourage all to also vote for the two following for RUSD Board.
I am sorry not to endorsed them before.

John Leiber and Karen Norton

St Jude/St Barbara

2008-03-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

Might be off the Topic in some minds but it is My Blog!

So Thank You St Jude for Favors Received!

Thank You St Barbara for your compassion!

Earth Hour!

2008-03-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

Tonight millions of people around the world are joining together to make a
statement about climate change by turning their lights off for an hour. It's
called Earth Hour and I just signed-up to participate, maybe you will be
interested in doing it also. Earth Hour is on March 29 from 8 - 9 p.m. local
time, and it looks like it's going to be really big. So far 25 cities around
the world are taking part, including Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San
Francisco in the U.S. Downtown Chicago is turning off the lights, what an
amazing sight thought should be!

Sign up for Earth Hour by visiting www.earthhour.org/sign-up and join the
movement with me.

Green Racine Mission

2008-03-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

After talking to supporters of Green Racine the following changes will take place:
1) Each Green Racine show will have a segment on Cuban Agriculture
2) Green Racine will move to also having a segment on Agriculture in an African County we will also attempt to find a group of farmers in this country for information exchange. This country has yet to be picked.
Green Racine is doing this to help show the power of agriculture in economic development.

Cuba

2008-03-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

Green Racine would like to see an end to the US Embargo on Cuba. We have a great opportunely to create markets for U.S. Goods and services as well as obtain the same from Cuba.
Green Racine believes that the day of the embargo is over and to continue this would be a failure of U.S. Policy.
I further call on the State of Wisconsin to organize a Agriculture( This is the only group of goods that can be sold to Cuba) Trade Mission to Cuba as soon as possible, one of our goals should be to establish working relationships with local farming Co-Ops and other such groups.
Cuba has the potential to be a great friend and Ally of this county.

Green Racine endorsements

2008-03-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

Green Racine Endorsements for The Spring 2008 City of and County of Racine:

Racine City Council

District 2 Robert Anderson
District 4 James E. Kaplan
District 9 Terrance A. McCarthy
District 12 Aron Wisneski

Racine County Board
District 2 Gaynell Dyess
District 3 Lou D'Abbraccio
District 4 James E. Kaplan
District 15 Brian Dey

Racine School Board

The only one we can support
Carly-Anne Ravnikar

Racine School maintenance referendum

Vote NO!

No matter your views please vote on the 1st!

Racine's new Farmer's Market!

2008-03-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

Racine makes a great move in working to create more sustainable food.

Buy Local! Buy Wisconsin!

From the Racine Journal Times

RACINE — When no new business is sprouting, do the next best thing: Have farmers sell what they raise.

That is the present philosophy of the West Racine Business and Professional Association. On Wednesday, the group will ask the Racine Redevelopment Authority if it can host a weekly farmers market on the city-owned 3100 block of Washington Avenue, near West Boulevard.

The city acquired the block in 2005 and cleared away the former, mostly dilapidated buildings. But since then, the block has stayed barren.

The most recent stumble in a string of failures there was when an Illinois developer with a contract to develop the block lost interest. That leaves West Racine without either a developer or a renewal plan for the block.

Getting permission from the city for a market should be a snap. "We have let the association use the space for special events in the past," City Development Director Brian O’Connell said Thursday. "I expect that we will let them use it for this."

West Racine businessman and Alderman Jim Spangenberg said the idea is for a farmers market there one or two days a week throughout harvest season.

"It’s a top 10 intersection in the City of Racine," he said. And so far, farmers have been receptive to the idea.

"They were excited," Spangenberg said, but added: "It’s just in the formation stage. We’re going to keep working to still get

somebody."

He said the association will ask the city to add gravel in some areas so farmers can drive in, and plant grass on other parts of the block.

Another source of money could be the West Racine Business Improvement District, which is funded by assessments on district properties.

This is a great idea. Helping to get folks closer to the source of their food! Helping small farmers!

Why not Wisconsin?

2008-03-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

From an article by in the Green Bay Press-Gazette:

Wisconsin Public Service Corp. plans to build a wind farm in Minnesota that could help it achieve its renewable energy requirements. WPS said Friday it signed a letter of intent with High Country Energy LLC to acquire a portion of a wind project in Dodge and Olmsted counties, just west of Rochester, Minn.

Wisconsin utilities are required by state law to increase their renewable energy portfolio 2 percentage points by 2010 and to have 10 percent of their electricity supplied from renewable sources by 2015.

The agreement Friday could provide WPS with up to 150 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, about half of the planned park’s capacity.

The Green Bay-based utility is also in negotiations for 99 megawatts of electricity from an Iowa wind farm.

“Assuming Iowa comes to fruition, this would enable us to be nicely prepared for the next step-up in 2015,” said Charles Severance, WPS general manager for renewable resources.

Mayor Barrett and Milwaukee Bio-Diesel CO-OP

2008-03-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

Mayor Tom Barrett spoke at the Wisconsin Renewable Energy Summit interesting speech I like how he talked about having Bio-Diesel to sell at Jones Island and how he was so much pro renewable energy.
Great!
Please then Explain Mayor Barrett why after the City of Milwaukee shut down The Milwaukee Bio-Diesel CO-OP why your office has not returned any of their phone calls asking for your help in finding a better place to set up shop?
How can the City of Milwaukee shut the CO-OP down when they where following the City’s guidelines?
Here is a great opportunity for the City of Milwaukee to prove that actions speak loader then words.

Jobs in Cuba City, why not Racine?

2008-03-14T15:42:00.000-07:00

CUBA CITY, Wis. — Operating in what was once the Cuba City Machine building, now known as the Wausaukee Composites building, the burgeoning wind energy industry sounds a clarion call in the city of 2,000.

“Wausaukee Composites is excited to play a contributing role in the rapidly developing wind energy industry in North America,” said David Lisle, president and CEO of Wausaukee Composites Inc. “We have been actively developing new manufacturing opportunities in this emerging market segment for more than two years.”

That opportunity includes Cuba City. Wind turbine nacelle cover assemblies are being manufactured in the 42,000-square-foot facility located on the city’s south end. Production began on Feb. 18 with about 12 employees.

“The Cuba City plant will be a dedicated facility to the wind energy industry,” Lisle said, explaining the facility has the capacity to produce up to 800 wind turbine nacelles a year.

Idea for Racine City Hall?

2008-03-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Photo by Tom Romundstad courtesy of St. Louis County)

In January St. Louis County added wind power to the roof of the Government Services Center at 320 W. 2nd St. in Duluth.

The St. Louis County pilot project will use six turbines, each six feet in diameter and producing an output of one thousand watts. They will perch on the east edge of the rooftop to catch wind off Lake Superior. Being placed at the parapet enables the turbines to take advantage of the “chimney effect” of wind hitting the side of the building and traveling upwards at increased speed.

Rooftop micro wind turbines for urban and suburban settings are a fledgling technology.

They are still in the demonstration phase, used mainly by government buildings and large companies interested in green technology, said spokesman Stan Michelson for AeroVironment Inc., the company that provided the turbines for St. Louis County.

Founded in 1971 and based in Monrovia, CA, AeroVironment is perhaps best known for creating the first human-powered airplane, the Gossamer Condor. It has since developed solar-powered and fuel-cell powered cars and planes. It also makes unmanned aircraft for NASA and the military.

In 2007 the company installed 18 wind turbines on the roof of the Kettle Foods manufacturing plant in Beloit, WI. AeroVironment also has turbines on five other buildings in California, Texas, and New Jersey.

Meanwhile, Chicago-based Aerotecture International has placed rooftop systems in the Windy City on Mercy Housing Lakefront Near North Apartments, a new homeless shelter built with green design; on the law office of Magee, Negele & Associates; and on the new green-designed headquarters of Christy Webber Landscapes. Plans are in the works to install turbines atop the Daley Center.

Johnson Controls Inc. plans to include wind turbines, green roofs, and solar panels in the $54 million upgrade of its headquarters in Glendale, WI. The facility management company announced Jan. 18 that its fiscal first quarter profit rose 45 percent in part because of its offering to improve energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions on commercial buildings.

Construction on the St. Louis County project began Jan. 17, when a crane lifted sections of a 40-foot infrastructure support I-beam onto the roof. On the same day Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced the state will offer up to $20 million in low-interest loans for businesses and homeowners to use renewable energy sources, including wind power.

A day later on Jan. 18, the American Wind Energy Association ranked Minnesota No. 3 in the nation for existing wind capacity and No. 9 for potential capacity. Minnesota produces 657 billion kilowatts per year through wind power and has 46 wind energy projects under construction.

The county hopes the turbines will shave costs from its $11,000-$12,000 per month electric bill. If it doesn’t produce results in the first year, the county has the option to move it to another county building, for instance, in Pike Lake or Hibbing, where it may be more productive, said Tony Mancuso, St. Louis County property management director.

Unlike residential electrical rates, commercial rates include a “peak demand” charge to meet the customer’s maximum 24/7 load requirement. “We pay $4.36 per kilowatt hour while a homeowner pays eight cents,” Mancuso said, noting the turbines should help reduce the peak demand charge.

The entire project will cost $51,100. Minnesota Power will provide an energy rebate of $6,000. The county also is applying for a rebate of up to $12,000 from the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

St. Louis County purchased the Government Services Center from the state in 2002. “The energy consumption for the facility due to the poor condition, design, and age of the electrical and HVAC systems is very high,” wrote Tom Romundstad, project manager for county property management, in a December 2007 letter to Minnesota Power.

County administration considered a larger scale wind energy project, but the cost, requirements, and permits proved “daunting,” Romundstad wrote. Instead, the county opted for the pilot project.

“We don’t know if it’s a good idea or a bad idea,” Mancuso said. It’s unknown how long it will take for the turbines to pay for themselves through savings. Romundstad conservatively projects the turbines will reduce costs $1,200 a year, but expects rising energy costs to reduce the payback period. He also projects they will reduce carbon dioxide output by 23,600 pounds annually.

The turbines’ power output will be monitored with data fed to the property management department’s Web site. A weather station also will be installed on the roof with conditions posted on the Web site.

Large windmills have raised debate over whether they kill birds. The issue is less of a concern for micro turbines. “In the six year operational history of these units there has been no reported or documented bird kills,” Romundstad wrote. The turbines on the county building have canopies to keep birds away from the blades.

Wind turbines are among numerous ways St. Louis County has turned to renewable energy for its buildings. The county’s goal is to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent per square foot of building space from year 2000 to year 2010.

The county already has solar panels on its motor pool building and its parking ramp. Repainting the garage white and using solar panels has reduced the ramp’s lighting bill from $960 per month to $200, Mancuso said.

This spring the county will add a “green roof” to the motor pool building, adding three inches of soil and alpine plants. In addition to reducing storm runoff, the greenery extends the life of the roof to 60 years, whereas standard rubberized roofs have a lifespan of 10-15 years due to weathering by sunlight, Mancuso said.

The county annex building in Hibbing uses a solar water heater for its public restrooms, photovoltaic panels on the roof, and a perforated solar wall to keep fresh air circulating.

Mr Fury Fur Fur

2008-03-07T17:26:00.000-08:00

Mr Fury Fur Fur a kids puppet show out of Chicago is showing how to bring great Green education to kids of all ages. (I love this show!) Good idea from some great folks.
Please check it out if you can send them a few bucks.

http://www.friendlyearthfriends.com/

Calumet County board is made up of silly folks

2008-03-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Clean energy advocates expressed frustration over the Calumet County board’s adoption of a 70-day moratorium on issuing permits for wind turbines. The action leaves wind developers wondering whether the County, which has among the best wind resources in the state, is effectively off-limits to commercial-scale projects.
State law requires utilities to get 10 percent of the electricity they sell from renewable sources by 2015, but local restrictions have paralyzed wind developers from moving ahead with project to help meet the goal.

"As far as the wind industry is concerned, countywide limits and delays speak louder than the state’s renewable energy goals,” said Katie Nekola, energy program director for Clean Wisconsin.

“What's the point of state government promoting renewable energy development in Wisconsin when it’s practically impossible to obtain permits for wind turbines?" asked Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin, a statewide nonprofit group that promotes renewable energy.

"This marks the third moratorium on wind development adopted by Calumet County 2005. It seems that every time the Board considers changes to its ordinance regulating wind turbines, it moves farther and farther away from resolving the controversy and allowing projects to move ahead. What a morass Calumet County has become!" Vickerman said.

Between the moratorium in Calumet County and a restrictive ordinance in Manitowoc County, four wind projects totaling 200 megawatts (enough to power 60,000 Wisconsin homes) have ground to a halt, Vickerman added.

RENEW and Clean Wisconsin back a proposal being considered by the Governor’s Global Warming Task Force that would allow wind developers to seek approval from the Public Service Commission, the state agency that regulates utilities and large wind projects (over 100 megawatts), instead of local authorities.

“Wisconsin cannot afford to lose clean energy opportunities at a time when our Governor and others in the region have made a commitment to stopping global warming,” said Nekola.

END

Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin's clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and corporations accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin's Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. Phone: 608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: info@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.

RENEW Wisconsin is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that acts as a catalyst to advance a sustainable energy future through public policy and private sector initiatives. More information on RENEW’s Web site at www.renewwisconsin.org.

Got Kids?

2008-03-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

If you have young kids or knowing (or maybe act like one) check out:
http://www.friendlyearthfriends.com/
A lot of fun good teaching tool.