Eco One

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

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.

Green Racine Products

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

Whole Foods

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.

# # #

Food Co-Ops

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?

I am a bad man

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

So much

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.

Green Racine Reflections My Errors

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

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. :)

Virtual Fair Report

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

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

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.

________________________________

Earth Hour!

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

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.

Idea for Racine City Hall?

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.

Got Kids?

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.

Green Racine to Renewable Energy Summit!

I will be attending the 2008 Renewable Energy Summit. in Millwaukee next week! I am realy looking forward to the trip.
We are looking to make connections and find great resources to share.
This is just HUGE! Our sponsor wishes to be unnamed but I have thanked him off the record.
Sigh If I only had a host this would be a great opening show for Green Racine CATV show.

http://renewableenergysummit.org/EventOverview/tabid/54/Default.aspx

Old School Miller in Wisconsin

Interesting story about a Wisconsin old style Miller. Please check it out.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716208

Goes to show that Organic Farming and Manufacturing can and does make money for those who invest in that type of business.

Green Racine Blog Talk Raido show!

Green Racine BTR show #2 will be on at 11:00 AM today at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Green-Racine/2008/02/09/Green-Racine-2 please check out the show and give me your feedback.
Today I will talk about Bio-Diesel Wind Power in The State of Wisconsin and the NIMBY attack on Wind Power.
I am still looking for a host for the CATV show.

Thanks

Green Racine

PS
Expect lots of great news on this page during the weekend.

Outrage! Call your congressman!

New Study: Delay in Extending Renewable Energy Incentives
Risks Loss of Over 116,000 American Jobs

A new economic study by Navigant Consulting finds that over 116,000 U.S. jobs and nearly $19 billion in U.S. investment could be lost in just one year if renewable energy tax credits are not renewed by Congress, according to preliminary results released today by the American Wind Energy Association and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

The study finds that over 76,000 jobs are put at risk in the wind industry, and approximately 40,000 jobs in the solar industry. The states that could lose the most jobs include: Texas, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Minnesota, Washington, Iowa, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and California. The lion’s share of these states would lose more than 1,000 jobs.

“This study confirms the huge economic stimulative impact of extending the tax credits for renewable energy,” commented Gregory Wetstone, Senior Director for Public and Government Affairs of the American Wind Energy Association. “At risk are many thousands of construction jobs, operations and maintenance jobs, and a major shot in the arm for the ailing U.S. manufacturing sector. Shuttered facilities that once provided steel, railcars, trucks, submarines, and household appliances are now being converted to manufacture renewable energy components. Today, however, investors are holding back because of Congress’s delay in extending renewable energy tax credits, undermining one of the brightest and fasting growing areas of the American economy.”

“Solar energy is an economic engine that creates high-quality jobs and attracts commercial investment,” said Rhone Resch, President of the Solar Energy Industries Association. “If the investment tax credit is not renewed in early 2008, it will disrupt this high-growth sector, impact tens of thousands of U.S. jobs, and undermine advances in clean energy production.”

The Navigant study is released just as the U.S. Department of Labor reports an economy-wide job loss for the first time since 2003. Some 17,000 pink slips were issued in January, with construction and factory workers especially hard hit, according to DOL.

The strong growth in the renewable energy industries combated some of this loss by creating thousands of jobs, particularly where they are needed most, in construction and manufacturing: in 2007, wind turbine installations employed thousands of workers in construction, and at least 14 new manufacturing facilities have been opened or announced across the nation to make wind turbines and wind turbine components.

For more information please contact:
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA): Christine Real de Azua 202-383-2508
Navigant Consulting: Laverne Gosling 202-481-7336
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): Monique Hanis 202-682-0556, ext 4.


Note:

Doing the right thing by investing in Green Engery brings good jobs. Please call your congressman today and tell them to extend the tax credits!

Earth Day

Is it too early to start thinking about projects for Earth Day?
I am looking for folks to help clean up two Community Gardens. The Capt Jones Victory Garden at the 200 blk of Jones St in Racine and the Gardens at the John Bryant Center on 21st in Racine.
After a full days work the event would be capped off with pizza and soda. Alsio looking for donations for gardening tools for the John Bryant center.
Please contact me at wclingman@wi.rr.com if interested