ReNewable Now

Enjoy the show and tour 21012

2012-03-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

Good to go Green'

2012-03-02T04:48:00.000-08:00

Nice piece on a great regional company and their efforts to go "completely" green. Great goal:

BY JUDEE COSENTINO FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE

Sunday, February 19, 2012 2:01 AM EST

Willow Tree's goal to cut back on resource use

"From their high-efficiency diesel vans to their gas-powered inline cooker, there is only the fraction of a carbon footprint from Willow Tree Chicken Farm.

From a business perspective, it's good to go green," said President Wally Cekala. "This is the tip of the iceberg, I feel."

Although Willow Tree has always prided themselves on doing its part to be environmentally friendly, the company's goal to go completely "green" has almost been reached, he said.

Cekala says no idea is off the table, and that his 90 employees are happy to take their own steps to be green...."

Here's the link to the rest of the story: http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2012/03/01/business/10947885.txt

We'll have them on a future show. We love the statement "From a business perspective, it's good to go green". At Arpin Group, we've experienced the same ROI, in branding, new business, operational efficiency, as we've invested heavily in transforming our company. It is, in fact, very good to go green.

More this weekend.

Great picture from Earth Sky

2012-03-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

What a crack in a glacier looks like

Image Credit: NASA

You read and hear about glaciers cracking. Here’s what one of those cracks looks like. This is a rift in Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier.

The crack happened in October 2011, and scientists think that part of the glacier will break off and become an enormous iceberg – though they aren’t exactly sure when it will happen.

Pine Island glacier has cracked and will spawn a giant iceberg

In October 2011, researchers flying in NASA’s Operation IceBridge campaign made the first-ever detailed, airborne measurements of a major iceberg calving event while it was in progress. The above image is a still frame captured from a three-dimensional, virtual flight through the new rift in the Pine Island Glacier.

Four months later, the IceBridge team has mapped the crack in Antarctica’s Pine Island Glacier in a way that allows glaciologists and the rest of us to fly through the icy canyon. The animation (below) was created by draping aerial photographs from the Digital Mapping System—a still camera with very precise geolocation ability—over data from the Airborne Topographic Mapper—a scanning laser altimeter that measures changes in the surface elevation of the ice.

The world is changing.

President Obama's New Budget Includes $10,000 EV Rebate

2012-02-29T15:51:00.000-08:00

From EcoGeek:

Written by Megan Treacy on 16/02/12

President Obama's recently released new budget plan includes lots of incentives for cleantech industries and reportedly an exciting $10,000 rebate for electric vehicle purchases.

Currently, if you purchase an all-electric vehicle, you are eligible for a $7,500 tax credit that you receive when you file your taxes for that year, but this new rebate program would allow consumers to slash $10,000 off the top of the cost of an electric car, right at the time of purchase. That's a huge incentive for drivers who are on the fence and would likely support some large gains in sales of those vehicles.

Many of the first crop of mass market EVs are still in a price range that is just beyond what most consumers want to pay for a sedan or compact car, but with this rebate, the Chevy Volt would go from $41,000 to $31,000; the Nissan LEAFwould go from $36,000 to $26,000 and the newest to hit the market, the Mitsubishi i, would drop to under $20,000. Those are prices that would be much more appealing to a wider base of consumers.

The rebate would apply to other alternativ-fuel vehicles, too, like natural gas, hydrogen fuel cell or other high-tech green vehicles.

Though it's hard to hold out hope for things like this to make it through a very tough Congress, it's pretty exciting to think of the impact a rebate would have on the EV market.

Time to take a look at EV's.

Sustainability in the Boardroom and Classroom

2012-02-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to an interesting video that profiles Enid Cardinal, Senior Sustainability Advisor to the President at Rochester Institute of Technology, ash she explores the role of sustainability in today’s society. The discussion ends with a look at sustainability in higher education: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/27/sustainability-in-the-boardroom-and-classroom/

We had a number of classrooms logged into our daylong broadcast yesterday, from the Compost Conference, and we'd love to have thousands more. Help us get the word out to our next generation, and let them live a sustainable life.

Here's the URL on the video. Enjoy and send us your comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mJMXf2r5idA

Great Day tomorrow

2012-02-26T18:09:00.000-08:00

First, we will broadcast the 3rd Annual RI Compost Conference and Trade Show. The show is sold out, so make sure you watch on the Arpin Broadcast Network, courtesy, of course, of Renewable Now and our fantastic sponsors, including Arpin Group, Cardi's, Atrion and RI College. The broadcast will run from 9:30a to about 3p.

Here's the link with all of the information: http://www.environmentcouncilri.org/compost2012.html

And the link to watch us broadcast the event: http://www.arpinbroadcastnetwork.com/Arpin-RenewableNow.html

Then we will tape our first four shows on our Green America Hometown Tour. Those shows will start airing next weekend on radio and TV. Again, use the same link--http://www.arpinbroadcastnetwork.com/Arpin-RenewableNow.html--for information on the tour.

As we embark on our tour, and look back on our first year of broadcasting and blogging, it is with deep appreciation that we recognize the amazing effort put forth by so many unsung heroes in creating a better world. Though you sometimes work alone and feel isolated in your fight, the truth is there's thousands, millions of people just like you bringing about positive change, sometimes very small, but taking definite steps in cleaning our environment and preserving our natural resources.

We commend you and hope to highlight your story, and success, some day on Renewable Now.

Germany is Powering Cars on Food Scraps

2012-02-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

As we broadcast live from a Compost Conference on Monday, right before we film our opening four shows on our Green America Hometown Tour, which starts in RI, it is interesting to find and publish this very interesting use of food scrap in Germany. Hopefully, this same possibility of converting scrap to energy will be discussed at the sold-out conference:

A pilot project in Germany is collecting food waste from wholesale fruit and vegetable markets and cafeterias to ferment and make methane, which will then be used to power vehicles that have been converted to run on natural gas.

The pilot plant has been developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology and is located next to Stuttgart's wholesale produce market for easy access to food waste. The plant will make methane from the waste by using microorganisms to break down the food in a two-stage digestion process over a few days.

Because the food waste being fermented on any given day can be more or less acidic depending on what was tossed out, the pH levels have to be constantly monitored in order for the microorganisms to best do their thing. The waste is held in several tanks that feature a management system that monitors many parameters, including pH level. The software then calculates how many liters of which waste should be mixed together to feed to the microorganisms.

The plant produces about two-thirds methane and one-third carbon dioxide from the process, but nothing goes unused: the filtrate water which contains nitrogen and phosphorous, and the carbon dioxide produced from the fermentation are both used to cultivate algae for another project, while the sludge left behind from the fermentation is sent to other institutes that are capable of making methane from it.

The pilot project has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and has partnerships with energy company Energie Baden-Württemberg, which is processing the biogas, and with Daimler, which is supplying natural gas-converted vehicles to run on the fuel.

Our thanks to Eco Geek for a great story.

Remember to watch us this Saturday on ABC 6, 2:30p, EST, and live on arpin.tv.com/renewablenow for the live broadcast on Monday, and to watch all of our many shows and specials on demand.

Enjoy the show

2012-02-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

So Begins our tour

2012-02-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

From Bloomberg Business Week

2012-02-20T13:01:00.000-08:00

Good news from Spain (who needs it, as does much of Southern Europe):

FEATURED BLOG

Spain's grid hits 30% renewables... Thanks to a windy and wet winter, Spanish windmills and dams cranked out so much juice that renewables supplied more than 30% of the country’s power in the past year. With GDP of about $1,500 billion and a population of 41 million, Spain is on par with California. But by comparison the Golden State--though one of the greenest in the US--met 23.5% of its electricity demand with renewables in 2007. President Obama has pointed to Spain as a role model for the US to follow. He wants the nation to to hit 10% renewables by 2010 and 25% by 2025, up from about 8% today.

Congratulations to Spain on a great renewable performance. We believe, despite the current setbacks and struggles, they are setting the stage for a bright future.

Japanese Solar Panel Owners Sold $1.2 Billion Worth of Surplus Power Back to Grid Last Year

2012-02-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

This from EcoGeek:

"Japanese home and business owners with solar power installations sold 2,150 GWh of electricity back to their power utilities last year, a huge 50 percent increase over the amount sold back to the grid in 2010. The sellers collectively made a nice $1.2 billion off their surplus electricity.

The Japanese government has a feed-in-tariff scheme that requires the utilities to purchase the extra power which was small beans compared to the average 884,000 GWh of electricity that those utilities sell to customers per year.

The government is set to introduce even more subsidies for domestic renewable energy power developers. The new scheme will include electricity from solar, wind, small hydroelectric, biomass and geothermal plants, but only solar panel owners with systems of 10 kW or less will still be able to sell their excess power."

We would love to see our neighborhood look like that. How about you?

Don't forget our show today at 2:30p on ABC 6.

Enjoy the show on Saturday at 2:30p, EST on ABC 6 and on line

2012-02-17T05:37:00.001-08:00

Take a look at the new video we just posted...

2012-02-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

On the perfect city car. Amazing.

A Cloudy Outlook for First Solar

2012-02-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

Interesting article this month in Kiplinger's Magazine on difficulties faced by one of our leaders in renewable energy. Here's part of it:

An alternative-energy leader comes under pressure as government subsidies shrink.

By Kathy Kristof, Contributing Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

t was once one of the brightest lights in alternative energy. But the future has dimmed for First Solar (symbol FSLR), the nation’s largest producer of photovoltaic equipment.

The once-hot stock, which traded for as much as $317 a share in May 2008, fetched just $35 on January 6. Its descent accelerated in 2011 after the Tempe, Ariz., company ousted its CEO and started cutting earnings forecasts late in the year. It now sees a profit of $3.75 to $4.25 per share this year—roughly half of what it was expected to have made in 2011. The stock (which we recommended in our June 2009 issue at $142) now trades at just 9 times the midpoint of the forecasted-earnings range.

Yet even at this seemingly bargain-basement price, few analysts are bullish. There are just too many uncertainties facing the industry and the company, says Citi Investment Research analyst Timothy Arcuri, who rates the stock a “hold.”

“Developing solar projects is very capital-intensive, and the payback is a little unclear,” he says..."

And, so , we face the end of government subsidies. Many would say that is a good thing, the industry should stand on its own. But, I'm not sure I agree. We know, long-term, renewable energy helps us in many ways, economic, bringing money back home from reduced imports, to cleaner air. Isn't that worth subsidizing?

Why should the oil companies and other traditional energy companies continue to get propped up the government with tax credits, grants for R & D, legal limits and protection? Should we stand by while they risk our environmental future by digging aggressively into sands and rock while clean energy companies fade away?

No, we should not. To do so is folly.

Are gas prices going to sink the recovery?/WARL show today 12-1p

2012-02-15T03:34:00.000-08:00

Take a look at the video we posted last night and send us your comments.

Don't forget to listen in to our radio show today on WARL 1320 AM, 12-1p, EST.

More later.

Thanks to Mark Learn

2012-02-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

For another great article and for being a major contributor to Renewable Now:

Concentrated Solar Startup Sets a New Efficiency Record

Semprius makes solar modules using tiny cells that need less cooling

"Semprius, a startup that makes miniscule solar cells capable of capturing concentrated sunlight without costly cooling systems, announced this week that it had made the world's most efficient solar panel.

The company's solar panels use tiny solar cells made of gallium arsenide—the record-breaking solar module contains hundreds of such solar cells, each about the width of a line drawn by a ball-point pen, arranged under lenses that concentrate sunlight 1,100 times.

Gallium arsenide is far better at absorbing sunlight than silicon, the material used in most solar cells, but it's also more expensive. Furthermore, although concentrated solar modules use less semiconducting material, they usually require expensive optics, cooling systems, and tracking systems to keep them aimed at the sun. Semprius's microscaled solar cells are inherently much better at dissipating heat, making them cheaper..."

There's plenty more--here's the link: http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/39624/page1/

Solar prices, as you probably know, have plummeted. Yet, their production continues to spiral. We just commissioned our 175kw solar array, and the energy produced, in the middle of winter on the East Coast of the US, has been terrific. Our ROI is already ahead of schedule.

Imagine what is possible with solar cells that concentrate sunlight 1100 times and don't need expensive cooling systems to maintain their high production. We we will get is amazing levels of energy at bargain prices.

Kudos to Semprius and other great innovators of the world.

Our newest sponsor. Thank you

2012-02-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

Rhode Island College Speaker Series

New show this weekend on ABC 6

2012-02-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Love this article

2012-02-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the essence, looking at the consumer side, of the business side of green...the investment and return of branding green.

This from Environmental Leader:

Will Customers Pay More for ‘Green?’

"Will people pay to go green? That’s a key question – maybe the question – for any company committed to sustainability. At Walmart, we’ve learned that the answer is a bit nuanced: Basically, usually not – but it depends.

Some customers will pay more for certain products that are better for the environment, and their top purchases include chicken, milk, fruits and vegetables, household cleaners and laundry/dish care. The environmentally responsible products they are less likely to pay more for? TVs, cell phones, computers, beer, pork, mops and sponges and printers.

The economy remains a far more pressing concern. More than 70 percent of consumers say they worry more about price than whether a product is good for the environment or socially responsible, according to an October 2010 study by the Harrison Group.

What does that mean for us? Our approach to sustainability must be nuanced as well.

We’ve found that there is a group of shoppers who are fans of items such as free-range eggs and green cleaning products like Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyer’s. We stock a full offering of those products in many of our stores. They can be more expensive but some people will pay more because they feel good about them.

But many shoppers cannot or will not pay more. That’s where we are getting creative and using our size and scale – and partnerships with suppliers – to drive down prices. We can do a lot of good by helping to make the products people are already buying more sustainable so they don’t have to make changes to what they buy to make a difference.

For instance: televisions, lettuce and laundry detergent.

Flat-panel TVs can use a lot of energy, but this is a category where many people don’t want to pay a premium for a more sustainable option. We committed to stocking only more energy-efficient panels, and because of our scale, the cost of the technology came down as did the prices for our customers..."

Here's the link for the rest: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/02/07/will-customers-pay-more-for-green/

Our company has worked to brand as the greenest moving company in the world, and it has brought us new business, no doubt. However, we live it, breath it and invest heavily to make sure it is true.

The bottom line is passion for what you do, what goods or services you deliver, and giving customers, regardless of whether your product or service is green, the very best value they can fine.

With that, you will get a very good ROI on your investment in being a sustainable company.

China Set to Vigorously Develop Green Economy

2012-02-06T17:51:00.000-08:00

BEIJING -- "Due to growing urbanization and resulting environmental threats, China has invested nearly US$50 billion annually into its renewable energy sector since 2009. China's five-year investment in environmental protection is on track to reach 3.1 trillion yuan (US$454 billion). By 2015, its environmental protection industry is expected to top 2 trillion yuan (US$317 billion).

China will introduce favorable tax and financial policies to support the development of its green economy, according to its 12th five-year plan, which started last year. A strong “green” policy is essential if China is to maintain its rapid and sustainable growth. "China will build a good fund raising environment for companies to develop green technologies by establishing green technology investment and related equity funds," said Wang Yuqing, deputy director of the Committee of Population, Resources and Environment of the CPPCC National Committee.

The transition to a global green economy may generate a large market exceeding US$1 trillion. During the 12th five-year plan period, the Chinese government will invest US$468 billion in green sectors compared to US$211 billion over the previous five-year period, with a focus on three sectors: waste recycling and re-utilization; clean technologies; and renewable energy. With this amount of public investment, China's environmental protection industry is expected to continue growing at an average of 15 to 20 percent per year, and its industrial output is expected to reach US$743 billion, up from US$166 billion in 2010. The multiplier effect of this emerging sector is estimated to be 8 to 10 times larger than other industry sectors..."

Is this a challenge to the rest of the world? Is China the only country able and willing to invest these kinds of funds into a green economy? What will China look like in five years after investing US$50 billion per year into its renewable energy sector?

We hope that it will look less polluted, less noisy, less dependent on outside oil and energy reserves, and leaner with costs having been driven way down, particularly on energy costs.

Not a bad place to be in 5 years. What about you, your company, your state, country? Falling behind should not be an option.

Super Bowl/Weekend Edition

2012-02-04T18:57:00.000-08:00

Kudos to the NFL for working towards a greener event: A Pleasant Surprise: Super Bowl XLVI Goes Green!

Tom Szaky
Business / Corporate Responsibility
February 1, 2012

"When I went to check out the eco-cred of the Super Bowl, I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised.

I learned about how the NFL is partnering with Green Mountain Energy Company, the nation’s longest serving provider of clean energy, to the Super Bowl this year.

That means that Green Mountain will provide 15,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy certificates (RECs) that will power everything at the Super Bowl: the lights, the computers, the scoreboard, everything. The company is also providing carbon offsets to balance out the greenhouse gas emissions created from the the Patriots' and Giants’ air and ground travel.

I was, admittedly, surprised and impressed.

This is a positive step in the right direction for an event and a business that don’t really need to market themselves. Everyone knows what the Super Bowl is, what the NFL is, and if they love football, they’re going to watch. The Super Bowl and NFL don’t really need to convert people to being football fans.

The point I’m trying to make here is that generally, as a consumer, I am an eco-skeptic, but I couldn’t help thinking to myself that this is something the NFL probably isn’t doing to gain new viewers. I suspect they’re doing it out of a larger sense of corporate responsibility. I then started thinking about other major events, including the campaigning events that stretch across small towns all over the country and culminate in the National Conventions for each political party. Super Bowl like events in their own respect!

I’m wondering what political parties and other corporations that stand to gain more than the Super Bowl are doing to offset their impact and make their event and cause more sustainable. The Super Bowl and NFL’s efforts deserve applause and respect, and I’m looking forward to seeing other corporations embrace sustainability efforts like the NFL has and work with solution providers like Green Mountain Energy.

What events, corporations or businesses have you spotted doing the “right-thing” recently? Frito Lay has partnered with TerraCycle and the NFL has partnered with Green Mountain Energy. Who else?

And what about you – what activities are you doing to lower your carbon footprint? The first step can come during this weekend’s Super Bowl – Green Mountain Energy offers a few tips on greening your Super Bowl party, but we’d love for you to go further."

Enjoy the game.

Kodak Switching from Camera Film to Thin-Film Solar Cells

2012-02-03T17:29:00.000-08:00

Interesting that a company that just fell into bankruptcy, Kodak, is aspiring to a better future with a better, more eco-friendly product.

This from Eco-Geek:

Written by Megan Treacy on 20/01/12

"Kodak may be in the middle of some financial trouble -- it just filed for bankruptcy yesterday and has shut down almost all of its camera film production -- but they're looking at solar energy as a way to a fresh start. The camera and film maker is hoping to use its already existing manufacturing processes to produce thin-film solar cells.

Kodak is working with Natcore Technology to develop and produce flexible, thin-film solar cells made of nanotubes that could match the efficiency of conventional silicon cells. Thin-film cells haven't made as much of a splash in the market yet mainly because of the efficiency lag between them and silicon cells, but thin-film is catching up.

If Kodak can make a major improvement in efficiency, they have two major advantages compared to other manufacturers: cost and experience. Kodak could use its existing and proven film production equipment to produce the solar cells, potentially cutting costs in half.

It will likely be tricky transition for the company, but we'll be interested to see if Kodak can make this work and improve on the thin-film technology available today."

We've been using thin-film on the solar application to our trucks, and it has worked great. We look forward to testing the Kodak product. Good luck to them in their transition. Let's hope they, and they jobs they hold, stay in our economy.

Don'forget, if you are in RI, MA, CT, watch our show tomorrow at 1:30pEST as we move to ABC 6, then watch each Saturday at 3pEST. Also, look for us soon on the Living Well channel.

We'll have a report this weekend. Enjoy the game on Sunday.

Nice site to visit

2012-02-02T11:09:00.000-08:00

There are some great stories and videos on here: http://www.planetforward.com/.

Here is a story that caught our eye: City Trees Help Combat Urban Heat Islands
by American Society of Landscape Architects | 10:45 am February 2nd, 2012

"Nature provides solutions. Increasing the tree canopy in cities is one way to fight both poor air quality and urban heat islands. Research shows significant short-term improvements in air quality in urban areas with 100 percent tree cover. There, trees can reduce hourly ozone by up to 15 percent, sulfur dioxide by 14 percent, and particulate matter by 13 percent.

U.S. trees remove some 784,000 tons of pollution annually, providing $3.8 billion in value. Furthermore, a single large healthy tree can remove greater than 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year. In fact, New York City’s urban forest alone removes 154,000 tons of CO2 annually. Through their leaves, trees also provide evaporative cooling, which increases air humidity. Shaded surfaces may be 20-45 degrees cooler, and evapotranspiration can reduce peak summer temperatures by 2-9 degrees."

There's a nice video on the site that accompanies the story. Take a look. Interesting number to think about: U.S trees remove carbon at an equivalent value of 3.8 billion. You can imagine the economic value, in terms of reduced medical costs, this process represents.

We look forward to covering more stories on Planet Forward.com.

Good work from our UK office

2012-02-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

The Arpin Group is, we believe, the greenest moving company in the world. Not only have we remodeled our headquarters into an efficient space, powered mostly by solar energy, but we've extended the transformation to every corner of the world through the help of our global offices.

Here's the most recent work done by our staff located in Kent: "ENVIRONMENTAL

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 (sec. 34) places a duty of care on businesses, companies and other organisations who produce waste to be responsible for the safe disposal or recycling of their waste.
Organisations must:
§ Ensure that the waste they produce is suitably contained while awaiting collection, ensuring it does not get blown away causing litter.
§ Ensure that the waste they produce is collected by a registered waste carrier and disposed of at a licensed site (you can check if a collection company is registered or a disposal site is licensed with the Environment Agency by telephoning 0845 933 3111). This system of licensing is designed to prevent waste being fly tipped in areas such as country lay-bys.
www.tmbc.gov.uk

UK OFFICE ACHIEVEMENTS - TONER RECYCING – We now donate all our empty toners to Infotone. We receive £10 credit for each toner recycled. At the end of each month we donate our credit to charity ‘Action for Sick Children’. We receive a certificate once per year.

PAPER AND CARDBOARD RECYCLING – We have enlisted Veolia Environmental Services (UK) Plc to assist with the disposal of our commercial waste. Twice a month pick ups inorder to recycle all our used paper and cardboard.

CSR:

We have donated a Playstation console with games to the Comard Mondello Nursery in Uganda Raffle taking place at The 2012 Corporate Relocation Conference & Exhibition on Monday 6th February at Hotel Russell, Russell Square –"

Small steps, we know, but multiplied times ten, times a thousand times...adds up to a significant impact on the world, and is the foundation for building a sustainable company.

Our thanks to Natalie, Phil, John and our team in the UK. We welcome Natalie as a member of our green team, and look forward to teaming with her on a cleaner, brighter future in the moving industry.

Thank you

2012-01-31T18:16:00.000-08:00

To everyone who has posted a positive comment on our blog. So much of finding a better future is embodied in positive energy and optimism. It is always about seeing past the clouds to the next sunny horizon. You help us do that, and we hope we help you do the same.

Also, we shot five new shows this week, and we are excited, in New England, about moving to ABC 6 on Saturdays at 3p, EST (this week, because of network commitments, 1:30p, EST). Watch for us as we add many new media outlets, and keep listening each Weds, from 12-1p, EST, to our show on WARL 1320 and their related, worldwide stream.

Nice piece on Ebay: How eBay Uses its Website to Drive Sustainability and Innovation
By Annie Lescroart
Published January 26, 2012

Here's the link:

http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2012/01/26/how-ebay-uses-its-website-drive-sustainability-and-innovation

Thanks to Mark Learn

2012-01-30T17:36:00.000-08:00

For the good news out of CA: California air board to vote on landmark electric-car rules

By Paul Rogers
progers@mercurynews.com
Posted: 01/25/2012 04:48:58 PM PST
Updated: 01/26/2012 09:39:09 AM PST

Link to the news story: http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=8519707

Part of the story: "In a move that could reshape the American automobile industry, California regulators Thursday are expected to approve sweeping new rules requiring that 15 percent of new cars sold in California by 2025 run on electricity, hydrogen or other systems producing little or no smog.

The regulations by the California Air Resources Board, dubbed the "advanced clean car rules," would start in 2018, ramping up each year and ultimately resulting in 1.4 million "zero emission" vehicles on California roads by 2025. Today there are only about 10,000 such vehicles in the state.

This is a really large step. It's transformational," said Tom Cackette, an engineer and chief deputy director of the air board. "Ten years from now, the market is going to look quite a bit different..."

How about this part: "The air board estimates that those regulations will add $1,900 to the price of a new car by 2025 -- but will save $5,900 in gasoline costs over the life of the average vehicle."

That is a significant savings over the added costs of the car, and could get better--hopefully, not worse--as gas prices rise.

We applaud CA for again taking the lead in reducing air pollution. We now have great technology and great cars for moving away from carbon-spewing, imported oil vehicles. The economics work long-term, and the benefits to our country, financial, political, environmental, are staggering.

Starting at 15% is a good place to begin. Ending at 1005 would be nirvana.

Plug in, America, and thank you, CA, for teeing up the newest, greatest industrial revolution.

Just a reminder of what we are fighting for

2012-01-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

As we search for the very best reasons why we should invest in a brighter, cleaner future, as we contemplate investments and ROI's in sustainability, as we seek to balance ecological prudence with economic gain, it is important to stand back and remember, on a much larger scale, why there is no choice, no dispute, no other road to go down.

Here's a beautiful new picture of our incredible planet from one of our newest satellites:

Beautiful.

Enjoy the weekend.

Get Ready for a Great Conference

2012-01-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

Renewable Now is honored to be the media partner to the RI Compost Conference, being held next month at the Hope Artist Village in RI. Take a look below:

This is a very important conference and they've brought some terrific experts together to tackle the hurdles but benefits of getting this State to separate out food scraps and get the compo-stables out of the landfill.

Other states and cities, including San Francisco, have done a great job of single-stream recycling with pick up of compost. RI needs to do the same.

Get in touch if you have ideas, information on other states or want to be a part of the conference.

We'll have a weekend edition.

Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World index

2012-01-26T05:54:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Novo Nordisk for grabbing the number one slot in the World rankings of sustainable companies.

Have you thought about what it takes to get to that level? Have you thought about the positive impact on profits, operations and company image such a sustainable level brings? We have and we hope to be in that same list and, eventually, garner that same top spot.

How about you and your company?

Here's the story. Our best wishes, again, to Novo and everyone else on this very prestigious list:

(3BL Media / theCSRfeed) January 25, 2012 - Today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Novo Nordisk was ranked number one in the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World index. The index is published annually since 2005 by Corporate Knights – a Canadian and North American business magazine.

Lise Kingo, executive vice president of Novo Nordisk, is proud of the acknowledgment and emphasises Novo Nordisk’s commitment to continue the sustainable growth path that the company has pursued for more than two decades.

“This is a wonderful recognition of our Triple Bottom Line approach and a clear indication that Novo Nordisk is poised for long-term business success. But most importantly it is an encouragement to continue to find new ways of growing our business in a way that is profitable, responsible and valuable for patients, employees and society”, Lise Kingo says.

The aim of the Global 100 is to highlight the global companies, which are most proactive in managing environmental, social and corporate governance issues. Out of the 11 key performance indicators, Novo Nordisk is rated among the best in energy productivity, greenhouse gas productivity, CEO to Average Employee Pay ratio, employee turnover and linking the remuneration of senior executives with the achievement of sustainability targets.

Corporate Knights selects the Global 100 from a base of 4,000 developed and emerging market stocks, based on their sustainability ratings from the world’s largest sustainability research consortium, The Global Sustainability Research Alliance which integrates research from 10 leading firms across the globe including Goldman Sachs | GS SUSTAIN, Société Générale, EIRIS, and RiskMetrics Group.

Number two and three on the list are Natura Cosmeticos SA and Statoil, respectively. Novo Nordisk’s sister company, Novozymes is rated number four."

For more information about Global 100: www.global100.org

Some interesting updates from The Better World Club

2012-01-25T13:17:00.000-08:00

BP Axes Solar Power Business

by Terry Macalister, guardian.co.uk

BP has taken the axe to its solar power business, saying it "can't make any money" from selling panels at a time when it continues to spend $20bn annually on oil and gas developments.
The energy group, which once promised to move "beyond petroleum", was an important player in solar but has over the last three years gradually closed its panel factories and made around 1,750 workers redundant.

At the same time, the company has gradually retreated from other areas such as carbon capture and storage and shut down its separate London headquarters for BP Alternative Energy.

Ford C-MAX Hybrid

by Larry E. Hall, hybridcars.com

In a move to chip away at Toyota's market dominance of hybrid cars, Ford will roll out two new hybrid models in 2012. The no-plug C-Max Hybrid and plug-in C-Max Energi are based on the five-passenger C-Max sold in Europe. In an announcement in June to expand production of the two C-Max hybrids, Ford said it had changed its mind about the seven-passenger gasoline-only version of the Grand C-Max in the U.S and the C-Max will be a dedicated hybrid vehicle. The C-Max Hybrid will arrive in the first half of 2012 followed by the C-Max Energi. "This is our Prius fighter," said Ford's head of global marketing, Jim Farley, during a recent press announcement.

US Looks Ahead After Ethanol Subsidy Expires

by Rob Lever (AFP)

After a series of bitter political fights, the US Congress allowed a subsidy for ethanol fuel to expire at the end of 2011, ending a program harshly criticized by environmentalists and others.

By taking no action, US lawmakers ended the credit of 45 cents per gallon refiners get for blending ethanol, which in the US market is made mostly from corn, into gasoline. Also terminated was a tariff on imports of 54 cents per gallon which was criticized by Brazil, a producer of sugar cane-based ethanol.

The programs were in place since the 1980s as a means of curbing US use of imported petroleum.

But over time, criticism grew that growing ethanol use diverted too much corn from food to fuel, and led to environmental and land use problems, by adding to incentives to plant more corn. The program also cost taxpayers some $6 billion annually.

That is very disappointing news on BP. For a company that was heavily promoting their investment in green, clearly they have abandoned many of those efforts. Of course, the business side, as we've talked about, always drives these decisions, but it is very disappointing to see BP falling back from a transformation to "beyond petroleum" company.

Aquaponics Could Signal Future of Food/From Voice of America

2012-01-24T17:26:00.000-08:00

Technique combines fish farming, soil-less plants

"Imagine growing vegetables and fish in the same space. That’s the idea behind aquaponics, a marriage of fish farming and soil-less plant cultivation in a single, sustainable closed system.

Supporters believe aquaponics can play a key role in alleviating food insecurity, addressing the problems of climate change, ground water pollution and overfishing.
Recirculating wetlands system

Aquaponics is really as old as nature itself.

“Aquaponics is really a recirculating wetlands system, so it’s happening right on the banks of our lakes," says Sylvia Bernstein.
Bernstein was a hydroponic gardener for years - growing plants without soil using a water-soluble chemical fertilizer - before discovering she could use the waste water from fish to grow organic vegetables and fruits.

“Honestly, I was very skeptical and just couldn’t believe that something as simple as fish waste could become a complete fertilizer," she recalls. "So I had to actually see a system that was in a friend’s basement. But when I did, it changed my life.”

That was three years ago. Bernstein built her first aquaponics system with her 15-year-old son on a concrete pad outside her home in Boulder, Colorado. In her greenhouse today, she mainly raises tilapia and trout - feeding them once a day.
There are no weeds in her aquaponics garden, and she doesn’t have to worry about watering. The plants are growing in containers at a table height for easy access.

“I, just this morning, pulled four radishes and some lettuce for lunch," Bernstein says. "In my greenhouse right now, I grow all sorts of herbs, tomatoes, peppers.”

Bernstein started her own business, The Aquaponics Source, with an online store, her own YouTube channel and a blog. She teaches aquaponics at the Denver Botanic Gardens and recently published a book about how to set up an aquaponic garden at home.

According to Berstein, a growing number of people in the U.S. and around the world are doing it, and enjoying the results: a year-round supply of healthful, safe and delicious food..."

We'll take a closer look on a future show.

Good news on the Chevy Volt

2012-01-23T12:08:00.000-08:00

We've been following the government's safety investigation into the Chevy Volt after a fire had broken out three weeks after it had crashed in a safety test. Here's the good news from the Washington Post:

Government closes investigation into Chevy Volt, says car is safe

By Associated Press, Published: January 20

DETROIT — The government ended its safety investigation into the Chevrolet Volt on Friday after concluding that the Volt and other electric cars don’t pose a greater fire risk than gasoline-powered cars.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began studying the Volt last June after a fire broke out in one of the cars three weeks after it was crashed as part of safety testing. Two other fires occurred later related to separate safety tests, and NHTSA opened an official investigation into the vehicle on Nov. 25.

The agency and General Motors Co. know of no fires in real-world crashes.

GM and federal safety officials say they believe the fires were caused by coolant leaking from damaged plastic casing around the batteries after side-impact collisions. The coolant caused an electrical short, which sparked battery fires seven days to three weeks after the crashes.

GM announced earlier this month that it will add steel plates to about 12,000 existing Volts to protect the batteries in the event of a crash. The company has sold around 8,000 Volts and 4,000 are still for sale. GM is repairing the vehicles for free. NHTSA didn’t order the recall, as it sometimes does after a safety investigation.

GM said Friday that NHTSA’s decision to close the investigation is consistent with the results of its own internal testing. It said the steel plates will provide additional protection and minimize fire risk in the days and weeks after a crash.

NHTSA said Friday that it “continues to believe that electric vehicles show great promise as a safe and fuel-efficient option,” and that based on available data, electric cars don’t appear to be riskier than gas-powered ones.

But the agency said electric cars do have some specialized components, and the agency has developed guidelines for firefighters and other responders on how to handle electric cars after a crash."

As we are big believers in EV's and transitioning to Volt's and other electrical vehicles, this came as great news and, hopefully, clears the way for their sales to get back on track.

Story from ProJo/Weekend Edition

2012-01-22T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting story as you watch two states share a resource, in this case, the Blackstone River, but very much disagree on how to control the level of discharge and pollution going into that very historic, very important, to both tourism, river.

"R.I. A.G. criticizes Mass. environmental officials over river sewage; Mass. responds

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Attorney General Peter Kilmartin is criticizing Massachusetts environmental officials for supporting a wastewater-treatment plant seeking less stringent limits on phosphorous and nitrogen discharge to the Blackstone River.

Kilmartin said in a letter released Friday that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has taken an "anti-environmental position" by supporting a push by the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District for less stringent limits.

Assistant Attorney General Michael Rubin says the district's wastewater-treatment plant is discharging seven times more phosphorous and three times more nitrogen than is allowed in Rhode Island under federal limits imposed in 2008. He says the district is operating under 2001 standards while fighting the new limits in court.

Massachusetts officials had no immediate comment."

Our first city on this year's tour for the show is in Pawtucket, a city very much contemplating the river as an integral part of their past, and vital to their future. We just filmed a new show with a designer from the Pawtucket Foundation who talked eloquently about the City's development plans centered around the growing beauty of the Blackstone.

At the heart of the story is the economics of investing or not investing in cleaning up and preserving the quality of the river, and what happens if you can't get everyone to agree on the importance of the river as an asset to the area.

We'll hear lots more about this on tour this year.

Which States Added the Most LEED-Certified Buildings in 2011?

2012-01-20T03:51:00.000-08:00

Very nice article from Sustainable Business.com that gives some insight into the changing landscape of commercial buildings.

We've had real state guests on the shows who have confirmed that efficient commercial buildings are the hot market in leasing.

Take a look: "SustainableBusiness.com News

Which states added the most LEED-certified square footage in 2011?

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its 2011 list of top 10 states for LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita, based on the U.S. 2010 Census information.

If you're looking at the amount of LEED-certified space added per person, the District of Columbia (not really a state) comes first, followed by Colorado, Illinois and the State of Washington.

The District of Columbia leads the nation, with more than 31 square feet of LEED-certified space per person in 2011, with
Colorado being the leading state, with 2.74 square feet per person in 2011.

However, in terms of pure square footage added, California leads by a wide margin, followed by Texas, New York, and Illinois.

In December 2011, USGBC announced that LEED-certified existing buildings outpaced their newly built counterparts by 15 million square feet on a cumulative basis.

The USGBC gives credit to its 79 local chapters as instrumental in accelerating the adoption of green building policies and initiatives.

Top 10 States: square footage to earn LEED certification in 2011

District of Columbia: 18,954,022 sf; 31.50 per capita
Colorado: 13,803,113 sf; 2.74
Illinois: 34,567,585; 2.69
Washington: 19,358,193; 2.42
Maryland: 11,970,869; 2.07
Massachusetts: 13,087,625; 2.0
Texas: 50,001,476; 1.99
California: 71,551,296; 1.92
New York: 36,538,981; 1.89
Minnesota: 9,591,445; 1.81

Notable projects that got certified in 2011:

Washington DC: US Treasury Building - the
oldest LEED-certified project in the world
Boulder, CO: Casey Middle School, LEED-Platinum
Chicago, IL: the iconic Wrigley Building
Lynchburg, VA: Frito-Lay, LEED-Gold for operations and maintenance of an existing building
Seattle, WA: Hard Rock Café, LEED-Silver
Annapolis, MD: Anne Arundel Medical Center
Boston, MA: Yawkey Distribution Center of The Greater Boston Food Bank
Austin, TX: Austin Convention Center, LEED-Gold
San Francisco, CA: SFO's LEED Gold Terminal 2
Syracuse, NY: Hotel Skylar, LEED-Platinum
Minneapolis, MN: Marquette Plaza, LEED-Platinum

LEED is the internationally recognized mark of green building excellence, with more than 44,000 projects commercial projects participating, comprising over 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and 120 countries. In addition, more than 16,000 homes have been certified under the LEED for Homes rating system, with more than 67,000 more homes registered.

The USGBC has nearly 16,000 member organizations, and more
than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders.

The green building industry is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. GDP from 2009-2013."

Notable, of course, is green building's contribution--554b--to the US GDP. That is good for the green economy and growing jobs while reducing our future energy use and pollution levels.

Enjoy the show Sunday morning

2012-01-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

Tell the FDA to Label Genetically Engineered Food!

2012-01-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

We just did an interesting TV show with Pat Beck who talked about grass-fed beef and the proper way to raise cattle and other livestock.

Co-incidentally, we found this effort, being shepherded by Green America, to bring proper labeling to food. Take a look and either jump in and participate or sends us your comments on why this would be a bad idea (such as, possibly, the fallout from too much government regulation):

"Unlike many countries, in the United States, we don’t know if the food we’re eating has been genetically engineered. The vast majority of Americans would like to know what’s in their food, but so far the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has refused to require labeling.

Green America and its allies are working to change that. A legal petition (Docket # FDA-2011-P-0723-0001/CP) has been filed with the FDA calling on the FDA to label genetically engineered (GE) foods.

Now is our opportunity to be heard. We’re working with our allies to get hundreds of thousands of people to let the government know they want to know what’s in their food.

Let’s flood the FDA with comments so they know that the public wants labeling of GE foods!"

The link, if you'd like to sign and send in the petition, is: http://www.greenamerica.org/takeaction/GMO2011/

Thanks to Green America for their efforts.

EarthSky on WARL 1320 AM

2012-01-17T05:11:00.000-08:00

We get some great reports from EarthSky on our radio partner, WARL 1320 AM.

Here's a recent story on ocean acidification and how it will continue to deplete one of our great natural resources, one that pumps billions into the economy, ocean waters.

Here's the link: http://earthsky.org/water/joan-kleypas-on-ocean-acidification

Part of the story: "...Dr. Kleypas told us that excess CO2 from the atmosphere makes the oceans more acid – and reduces the amount of carbonate available for some ocean creatures to form their shells. She said:

When we think about a lot of marine organisms – things like corals, clams, oysters, things like hard shells, those shells are made of calcium carbonate. If you reduce the amount of carbonate in the ocean, you reduce the ability of the organisms to secrete their shells.

We often refer to it as being similar to osteoporosis. There are just fewer of the building blocks to build those shells..."

Another telling reminder that we need to balance industrial and commercial growth with preserving resources that are the true, irreplaceable assets of our economic platform. Excess pollution and waste erode, at a serious rate, our ecological foundation.

We will report more on this later.

In the meantime, take at a look at the EarthSky site for more great reading.

Enjoy the show tomorrow morning 9a, EST

2012-01-14T19:35:00.000-08:00

Misc items this weekend/Weekend Edition

2012-01-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

We will be reporting on various updates this weekend as we get closer to going on tour in 2012. We also have a new TV premiering tomorrow at 9.

First, USA Today reported this week that 72% of our greenhouse gases in the US come from coal-fired power plants. EPA also cataloged, in this report, more than 6700 of the largest sources of greenhouse gases, making up 80% of the US total emissions.

Just more evidence that many of the environmental groups have it right when they call for switching all power plants away from coal. We will do a story on this soon.

Also, a great report this week from the American Cancer Society, which you can read on their site, on the health costs to any and all towns, cities and countries on living in a decaying environment. There is no doubt, of course, that our investments in cleaning air, water and other resources will lead us to healthier futures.

More later.

Updated TV show schedule

2012-01-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our newest sponsor, Atrion Networking Corporation

2012-01-11T18:00:00.000-08:00

Atrion is a great company and now a great sponsor and partner. We are honored to have them as part of the Renewable Now family.

Here is a little bit about them:

Let’s face it, the world is changing.

Fast.

Competition is global, business is 24/7 and economic pressure is rising. Traditional business practices – such as productivity, efficiency and customer satisfaction – are more important than ever. But newer challenges – virtual workforces, network security, mobility, quick and Unified Communications - are now demanding our attention. It is no longer acceptable for IT to simply exist within a business environment - IT must drive the business – its process, applications, communications and its success. And it must drive business in a secure, reliable manor available to employees and clients alike anytime, anyplace.

It’s not an easy task. But success never is. And we’re here to help.

Established in 1987, Atrion specializes in the fusion of business and technology. Through building relationships with and focusing on our clients’ business goals, we accelerate business productivity and satisfaction with full-scale customized technology solutions including consultation, project management, manufacturer-certified training, carrier services, telephony, software and application services, equipment procurement, local and wide area networks, managed services and digital, interactive and mobile media design.

Our trusted partnerships and industry-recognized affiliations offer our clients the widest breadth of technology solutions and expertise. Our AlwaysOn Imperative focuses on IT as a core business utility, driving strategic business productivity and customer satisfaction. Our personal and professional focused workshops, industry publications and diverse awards and recognitions exemplify our passion and commitment to ourselves, our industry and our clients.

We used them for a 1.0m upgrade to our computer/network backbone, and drove down the highway, full speed, without losing a wheel as they moved us from our old system to the new one. We also installed a VOIP phone system that is amazing.

You will hear a lot more about them as we go on tour and produce this year's crop of shows.

Also, how cool is this: Turn the Eiffel Tower Green?

"A concept to turn the Eiffel Tower into a giant green wall has been proposed as a symbolic statement of "the reconciliation of nature and mankind."The plan calls for 600,000 plants to be attached to the structure using hemp sacks filled with soil as the growth media. An irrigation system comprising 12 tons of tubing would be used to provide water for the plants."

Thanks to Mark Learn

2012-01-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

For our most recent story out of Germany. We will move around the world a lot this year profiling similar global investments.

Germany Sets Aside $130B for Renewable Energy

From WordPress

Part of the story: "German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on May 30 that Germany, the world's fourth-largest economy and Europe's biggest, would shutter all of its 17 nuclear power plants between 2015 and 2022, an extraordinary commitment, given that the plants currently produce about 28 percent of the country's electricity.

Underlining the government's seriousness in changing the country's energy matrix, Germany's Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau (German Development Bank) is to underwrite renewable energy and energy efficiency investments in Germany with $137.3 billion over the next five years, Germany Trade and Invest reported. Overall, the German government's 6th Energy Research Program has made an extraordinary $274.6 billion available for joint funding initiatives in energy-storage research over the next three years.

It is by any yardstick an extraordinary (and expensive) commitment that may well have the collateral benefit of unlocking similar funding worldwide for renewable energy projects..."

Here's, to us, the key element in this: "Germany is already the world's strongest photovoltaic market and also accounts for Europe's largest share of installed wind capacity. Moving resolutely into the field of renewable energy, by 2020 renewable energy sources are expected to account for 35 percent of Germany's energy output, soaring to 80 percent by 2050. Germany now produces 20 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources, up from just 6 percent in 2000. The effort is in turn creating thousands of jobs and new industries..."

Critical is the last sentence: "The effort is in turn creating thousands of jobs and new industries." So, Germany combines energy efficiency, reduction in use of nuclear power with creation of new jobs. Perfect.

Let us hear from you, anywhere in the world, with your success story.

Renewable Now on demand 24 X 7

2012-01-09T16:56:00.000-08:00

Click on and watch:

We can't wait to see everyone on the tour.

Environmental update on RI College

2012-01-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

As you have seen, our next show is with the president of RI College (RIC), Nancy Carriuolo. It is a great show, and she is a terrific guest.

As a preview, we want to share with you some of the school's green success stories:

"The recycling program at RIC started in 2003 and has experienced continued growth especially the past few years under the Carriuolo administration. Since 2003 there has been a steady increase in the savings from our trash disposal expenses, approximately $40,000 average at the beginning to $60,000 today with this year due to get even more return with the President’s support of equipping each main building with a recycling collection center to enhance collection. These will be further enhanced when anticipated resources become available during the next FY.

Additionally, we are saving disposal fees again by providing local non profits with our e-waste, this savings just started recently but should be significant while helping local organizations.

This administration has made a major effort as it relates to saving valuable resources, energy and water, with a commitment to the repair and replacement of the college’s antiquated steam and condensate system. Projected savings could be as high as $500,000 when all the repairs are complete and the system is working at an increased efficiency.

Additionally, the college, under the President’s direction continues to use all sustainable materials as it relates to plantings, etc. which save on annual labor and the cost of plants, and shrubs."

And more: "It is almost inconceivable, but we have saved 12,000 pages of photocopies per month by putting our curriculum committee materials online. The committee operates over the academic year of nine months, so we’re talking about 100,000 pages of paper being saved per year by launching a single webpage (http://www.ric.edu/curriculum_Committee/CCDTS/index.php).

And, finally: "In keeping with the goals of your initiative, I would like to highlight some of the changes implemented by IT:
1. the use of power monitoring and control in computer labs and classrooms (as you mention on RIC's sustainability web site). I anticipate that with the completion of the Windows 7 campus rollout, USS will have extended this cost savings to all campus computers.
2. print conversation in the computer labs (http://www.ric.edu/studenttoolbox/technology_services/print_conservation.htm). USS actively encourages students and faculty to use PDFs and other electronic document formats as alternative to printing hard copies.
3. energy-efficient purchases - USS has purchased computers and monitors which meet the EPEAT gold standard http://www.epeat.net/
4. recycling - older less energy efficient equipment has been recycled to schools and non-profits which require less computing power. Recycling keeps computing equipment out of the State landfill.
5. RIC operates an energy-efficient data center which has implemented changes resulting in a significant reduction in power usage. Henk Sonder can provide details on these efficiencies.

One initiative that I was not able to introduce, but hope to see at RIC in the near future, is the replacement of disposal whiteboard markers with AusPen refillable markers http://www.auspen.com/pages/about-us. I'm sure that this weekend broadcasts will spark many such suggestions."

Pretty impressive stuff. Now, let's hear from the other schools. We'll tell your success story as well.

Watch this weekend as Nancy recalls growing up on a farm, and how those simple, humble beginnings not only helped share her passion for sustainability, but an entire campus as well.

We will have a weekend edition of the blog for you as well.

Enjoy and thanks for being part of the Renewable Now family.

Get ready for a great show

2012-01-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

A look back and ahead from our partner/EcoRI News/Part 2

2012-01-04T04:26:00.000-08:00

Before we get into part 2 of the look behind and ahead from EcoRINews, just a reminder to listen to us today live on the air on WARL 1320AM, 12-1p, EST, as we bring you the business side of green.

You can listen on line, of course, from anywhere in the world, at: http://1320warlradio.com. And, feel free to call, email or tweet and Facebook in your comments and questions.

Now, Part 2 of a great summary and prediction of some future events:

"The Narragansett Bay Watershed. Despite the stress of tourist and lawn-watering season, it seems the health of Narragansett Bay is trending upward. Divers who recently worked to remove a sunken barge from under the Newport Bridge commented that the bay looked good, aside from the sunken barge. The Combined Sewer Overflow project can be credited with a lot of that positive impact. Without it, stormwater and raw sewage would be ejected untreated into the bay during heavy rain events. The adoption of the Low Impact Development Stormwater Manual will guarantee that future development in Rhode Island addresses the rates and volumes of stormwater runoff and groundwater infiltration.

The removal of the Pawtuxet Falls dam as a major victory that appeared in most of the responses that we received. Dam removal is an essential component to returning native species of fish to their natural spawning waters. Dolphins were also spotted in the upper bay in October.

Predictions: The bays’ health will continue to improve in 2012, but climate change could nullify those improvements. Thank the new low-impact design manual for decreasing non-point source pollution in our rivers and bay. The trend for dam removal will be met with some resistance 2012 from proponents of hydroelectric power and private owners of dams.

Renewable Energy and Efficiency. While Deepwater Wind plods along, land-based renewables got a shot in the arm last year due to a trio of laws designed to facilitate the quick implementation of small renewable energy projects in Rhode Island. A number of renewable projects were approved for state and federal funding in 2011. Fortunately, they haven’t all created the furor that wind turbine proposals in Charlestown and North Kingstown have.

Despite resistance to a commercial turbine in Charlestown, another renewable project in town is becoming a success story. The green design and geothermal heating and cooling at Charlestown Wine and Spirits are saving the store’s owners a ton of money in operating costs.

Rhode Island continued an upward trend in efficiency this year and is now rated as the fifth most efficient state in the nation despite a virtual monopoly on the business of efficiency upgrades in Rhode Island.

Predictions: Advances in solar technology will begin to lower costs dramatically while boosting efficiency. This will make solar power much more accessible and cost efficient to homeowners and businesses. More homeowner and business associations will pop up to facilitate larger renewable projects and Rhode Island cities and towns will begin to explore multi-municipality agreements for purchasing green power and funding projects..."

Our view: These are the essential building blocks, restoration of natural resources, in particular, that any town, city, state, province, country must make to preserve and grow their economy. These are the investments, we believe, that will have the highest ROI as we look back on these changes 10 and 20 years from now.

More on this on today's show and tomorrow's blog.

A look back and ahead from our partner/EcoRI News

2012-01-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012. We look forward to sharing many great moments and shows with you.

Much of this week, we will be sharing an article from EcoNewsRI that offered a great retrospective, and look ahead, for RI that touched on many of the salient points of the business side of green we focus on, and has elements that touch every state and every country (from waste management to restoring farms to renewable energy issues).

Here's the first part of the story. We'd appreciate your feedback and comments:

2011 in Retrospect, and a Look Ahead
By ecoRI News staf

"Environmental Winners

Food and Agriculture. It’s no news that agriculture is big news in Rhode Island, and it looks like that trend will continue. There are now five winter farmers’ markets and more than 50 summertime markets in Rhode Island. The Rhody Ag project is up and running and shaping future farm policy from the farmers' perspective. Urban agriculture stalwart Southside Community Land Trust continues to spread seeds in Providence and environs while relative upstart New Urban Farmers has begun an interesting year-round farming operation in Pawtucket.

Another trend is the shifting face of America’s farmers. In Rhode Island, more young people and women are turning to agriculture as a means of sustenance and support. The bonus here is that those women and youngsters tend to gravitate toward more sustainable farming methods. For some, fertilizer-free food was a major reason to grow one’s own.

While turfgrass continues to be the state's top crop, the down economy is causing some sod farmers to diversify into fruit and vegetable production. The Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association and the Rhode Island Farm Bureau — organizations that have in the past butted heads on agriculture policy — have come together to facilitate the transition from turf to turnips.

Local seafood had a banner year in 2011, despite the continued friction over catch shares. Community-supported fisheries such as The Local Catch in Narragansett and Ocean State Fresh in Newport are popping up at farmers' markets and supplying more and more local restaurants. Aquaculture is booming as well.

Nationally, the upcoming Farm Bill has been of great concern to Rhode Island’s farmers. The bill historically has favored large producers, like farms the size of Rhode Island, and makes agriculture in Rhode Island a difficult proposition. The high value and cost of land in Rhode Island keeps taxes high and profits low for farms. Small farmers would like to see more flexibility and equity in where and when the Department of Agriculture spends federal dollars.

Predictions: 2012 will still see agriculture growing in Rhode Island. You may not see as many farmers’ markets, but per market sales will go up. 2012 will also see more farm-to-school programs. The capacity for processing food locally will be the next big hurdle for the state's farms and farmers."

10 Predictions for Cleantech and Sustainability in 2012

2011-12-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone. We can't wait to go on tour this year with you and our partners.

Here's a good article to contemplate as you walk into the new year:

By Michael Kanellos
Published December 28, 2011

Was 2011 good or bad for sustainability and green technology?

"First, the bad news. Three solar manufacturers trying to push the technological edge -- Solyndra, SpectraWatt and Evergreen Solar -- all went down in messy, public spectacles. Governments around the world, terrified about deficits, began to pull back on programs designed to promote renewable energy and sustainability. Electric cars like the FIsker Karma, Mitsubishi I and the sedan from Coda Automotive were delayed. The UN Talks in Durban, South Africa ended where they always do: with agreements to meet again.

Meanwhile, natural gas seemed to gain a reputation as the miracle fuel of the future. It's cheap! it's efficient! It's in your backyard!

But then there is the bright side. Environmental organizations won a battle to delay the Keystone XL pipeline: the fight isn't over, but this first round demonstrated that the environment remains a rallying cry for a large bloc of committed voters. Poll after poll shows that the public general supports renewable power and wants to reduce fossil fuels.
And guess what? Skeptics of hydraulic fracking have become more vociferous. If you had to put numbers on it, you could say renewables one, 52 to 48.

2012 will be another tight year. Here are ten trends and companies to watch:

1. Renewables Will Start to Win Over the Jobs Argument. The 2012 Presidential election will be only about one thing: jobs. In the energy and sustainability context, the debate boils down to whether you think more jobs can be created through by pipelines and offshore drilling or through erecting solar farms and retrofitting buildings. In the end, it's more of an emotional argument than a logical one: people tend to choose their side first and then build their argument around it.

But here is where renewables win: they don't take years. The U.S. will install 1.7 gigawatts worth of solar by the time 2011 ends, nearly double the 887 megawatts last year. Total new nuclear in the U.S. the past two years: zero megawatts. New York University and Yale professors have recently found that you're more likely to get solar if your neighbor does. SolarCity will hire veterans to install 160,000 rooftop installations for its SolarStrong project: you can't beat that photo op.

Many fossil projects, meanwhile, are bogged down in land use hearings.

Despite what you hear on talk radio, Americans vote pragmatically. If renewables get results quicker, they become the better solution.

2. Mom Becomes the Most Important Name in Green. This trend may only seem like simmer in 2012 but it will build. Judging from the dinner party conversations I've had over the last year, moms are paying attention to household chemicals and food ingredients and are they angry! The level of understanding about the dangers of BPA and other industrial chemicals in the modern suburban household is astounding. Women are going to insist on better products and men will go along.
So who wins? Biofuel and biochem companies -- LS9, Gevo, Genomatica, Solazyme, etc.--will see an uptick in business and partnerships with the Dows and DuPonts of the world. But more
immediately, expect to see companies like Revolution Foods (healthy school lunches), NuturMe (baby food) and Nest Collective (healthy snacks) to zoom. They can sell to customers directly.

3. Car Sharing Becomes the Future in Transportation. Lee Iacocca made a name for himself at Ford in the 60s with the Mustang. He saw a big wave of consumers coming to market that didn't want to drive stodgy cars and capitalized on it.
Car sharing plays off a similar demographic shift. Younger consumers don't have a love affair with the auto and want to live in cities. Young adults raised in suburbia moving to cities actually like trains. Car sharing gives them freedom without the hassles.
Just as important, it lets them taste test somewhat expensive options like EVs. The inevitability and implications of the trend may only emerge -- and the business models are far from established -- but 2012 in retrospect may look like 1978 or 1979 did in computing.

4. Commodity Prices Become An Ally. Thieves are swiping copper from train yards. Wheat and other cereal crops are undergoing wrenching price gyrations. In Iowa, farmland is bringing in premium prices at auction. Although natural gas sits an unnaturally low prices oil dances around $100 a barrel. Prolonged uncertainly will continue to unnerve people, and force them to think in a sustained fashion about sustainability.

5. Efficiency Pays For Itself. Efficiency: the Al Gore of green technology segments. It is good for you. It is logical. And it is near impossible to get excited about. Despite years of studies and commentaries from experts like Art Rosenfeld and Amory Lovins about the power of negawatts, businesses and homeowners still get more excited about fuel cells, solar panels and electric cars than cutting their utility bills..."

Kudos to Alex and Anni

2011-12-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

A local company, a very environmentally aware company, and a potential sponsor, for donating money to Bryant College to support their international business training.

Here's the story: "Local company donates $1M to Bryant U.
Donation to benefit International Business Program

By Shaun Towne
CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) - A local company has donated $1 million to Bryant University.

The gift from Cranston-based Alex and Ani, Inc. is to benefit the University's International Business (IB) Program.

According to a news release, Bryant will receive $100,000 a year over 10 years.

A working relationship between the company and the university began in 2010 when Alex and Ani were looking to expand into Spain, and sought guidance from Bryant faculty and students.

"Corporate partnerships like this one with Alex and Ani give our students opportunities to practice what they learn in the classroom as they prepare to lead in a global context," said Jose-Marie Griffiths, vice president for academic affairs in a statement. "In addition, the company is an especially relevant corporate role model. Its domestic success is turning into an international success in front of our students' eyes, and its commitment to corporate philanthropy offers Bryant students and example to follow..."

Let's hope Bryant's continuing training of kids focuses some attention on company's striking the right balance between ecological respect and economic growth.

UK’s discarded Christmas paper and cards could fuel 20 moon trips

2011-12-28T05:23:00.000-08:00

As we look to clean up from Christmas, and start fresh on 2012, here's a great story from Earth/Sky.org that will help us recycle this year and go electronic with our cards and letters next year:

The link: http://earthsky.org/energy/uks-discarded-christmas-paper-and-cards-could-fuel-20-moon-trips

Part of the story: "Don’t stop recycling just yet, but if the technology were more developed, your Christmas waste could become biofuel to power motor vehicles.
Scientists at Imperial College London have figured out that if all the UK’s discarded Christmas wrapping paper and cards were collected and fermented, they could make enough biofuel to run a double-decker bus the distance to the moon and back more than 20 times.

These scientists say this demonstrates that industrial quantities of waste paper could be turned into high grade biofuel, to power motor vehicles, by fermenting the paper using microorganisms..."

Clearly, the environmental impact is equally significant worldwide. Time to change.

Recycle Christmas Trees, Wreaths for Farm Project

2011-12-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

From EcoRINews good article on recycling your Christmas Trees and Wreaths:

The story: By ecoRI News staff

"Bring us your Christmas tree Saturday, Jan. 7, at the Pawtucket Wintertime Farmers' Market from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
PAWTUCKET — Christmas tree or holiday tree, the name doesn’t matter. New Urban Farmers and ecoRI News will take your withering evergreen trees and wreaths for use as mulch in an urban garden.

Drop off your unneeded trees and wreaths at the Jan. 7 Wintertime Farmers’ Market, outside of Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St., from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Your old evergreens will be used for soil remediation for innovative agricultural projects going on right here in Pawtucket. New Urban Farmers is a community growing and garden project for inner-city families living in the Galego Court public housing facility.

For more information, call New Urban farmer Bleu Grijalva at 401-338-8163, or ecoRI News staffer Tim Faulkner at 401-330-6276."

For those of you in other states, please find similar site for recycling. Be a great way to start the New Year, and support local agricultural projects. The business side of green....

Good News for Companies that Support a Cause During the Holidays

2011-12-26T12:02:00.000-08:00

Do you support a cause, specifically an environmental one? If not, know is the time to jump on board and enjoy not only the altruistic benefits, but, as per the below article, economic as well. Another good investment to think about over the holidays:

Link to story: http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Good-News-Companies-Support-Cause-During-Holidays

Some of the story and link to video: TWEET MEGood News for Companies that Support a #Cause During the #Holidays http://3bl.me/r4k43v via @ConeLLC #causemarketing #coneresearch

Good news for companies that support a cause during the holidays! CBS WBZ Radio interviewed Cone Communications' own executive vice president of cause branding and nonprofit marketing, Craig Bida, to reveal that consumers are shopping with a cause in mind. In fact, 91 percent of consumers state they would buy a product associated with a cause, and 62 percent say they already have.
To listen to the full interview, click here.http://ctv4.criticalmention.com/playerpage/player?shareid=14984&partnerToken=8a808369344b470901346b43b79e4d70&clientId=0

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Cone Communications
http://www.coneinc.com
Whitney Dailey
wdailey@coneinc.com
617-939-8376

Enjoy the show every Sunday morning.

2011-12-25T05:07:00.000-08:00

Enjoy the new show

10 shades of green Christmas trees

2011-12-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

This will give everyone ideas for recycling this year and buying smarter next year. I love some of these choices, and by buying a tree and enjoying Christmas, you are adding to the local economy, supporting local businesses without further damaging the environment you live in:

"I’ve immersed myself in discussions about green Christmas trees over the past few days, and I’m amazed by the wide array of options. There’s no official green meter to gauge which one is the greenest. But here’s a quick list of the various shades of green, along with some of the environmental benefits and potential drawbacks:

A fake tree rescued from a dumpster or purchased from a thrift store (much of the environmental damage is done, but you can still keep it out of the landfill). One study found a new fake tree would have to be used for 20 years to match the environmental impacts of natural trees.

A living tree that you replant after the holiday (avoids killing a tree … as long as it survives the shift from indoors to outdoors).

Any potted tree that would already be indoors for the winter; maybe something aromatic like rosemary (You can keep it year-round and even use its branches in holiday dishes).
In Oregon and California, you can rent a live tree (That way trained professionals will make sure the tree lives after Christmas).

In Portland, you can have a tree delivered by bike (removing the carbon footprint of driving to get a tree).

Cut your own wild tree from a national forest with a $5 permit (I just gone mine from Mt. Hood, so I burned some gas in the process).

Cut a nearby invasive species (Be careful how you dispose of it so you don’t spread seeds).
A fresh-cut tree from a nearby farm (keeps a constant rotation of trees that absorb carbon dioxide, and you can recycle it to keep it out of the landfill).

A certified eco-friendly fresh-cut tree (So you know what the farmer is doing to minimize erosion, chemical inputs and other impacts).

An organic fresh-cut tree (pesticide and herbicide free, but still a rare commodity).

So … how green is your Christmas tree?"

Damon Claus for a Cause - Water.Org/Holiday Green notes

2011-12-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

We hope everyone is enjoying a slow down for the holidays, and getting geared up for a great, green 2012. We will be running some simple, seasonal updates as we move towards a huge year for us, including our 12 city tour.

Enjoy today's update:

2011’s Water.Org campaign is raising awareness of the water crisis this holiday season with our 2nd annual “You’ve Got” featuring Matt Damon. Matt Damon co-founded this organization alongside Gary White.

The link to the story: http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Campaign/Damon-Claus-Cause-WaterOrg

The link to the video: http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Watch-Matt-Damon-and-Support-WaterOrg-Holiday-Season

Water conservation is one of our most critical, life-threatening issues. Please help conserve.

Our holiday cheers to Matt Damon.

Giving Voice to Poor, Minorities on Climate Change/New Show today

2011-12-21T04:22:00.000-08:00

This is a great article from EcoRINews that makes the direct connection between good environmental policy tied with solid economics, in this case focused on one state's effort to craft an urban policy that benefits the underserved as well.

By DAVE FISHER/ecoRI News staff

PROVIDENCE

Here's the opening: "PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island is one of a handful of states that is taking a proactive approach to climate change. The Rhode Island Climate Commission, a 28-member board consisting of representatives from a bevy of governmental and non-governmental organizations, recently convened for the first time and is tasked with developing a plan for adapting and mitigating the inevitable effects of climate change on the Ocean State..."

We love this part..."The project has already drafted several recommendations to the Climate Commission intended to protect marginalized communities:

Develop a master plan that ensures proper upgrades and maintenance to access roads, bridges, storm drains and public buildings within and near dense and low-income communities for disaster preparedness and response measures.

Promote green space, permeable surfaces and trees in all planning for future land use and roads in urban centers, especially those in watersheds and near the coast.

Implement a plan for the clean up of sites with high concentrations of toxics and waste, where flooding could exacerbate the problem to nearby properties.

Establish and improve access to cooling centers that can provide sanctuary and shelter to the indigent during extreme heat.

Promote urban and regional agriculture by making unused public land, including school grounds, city land and park land, accessible for long-term use for personal, nonprofit and micro-enterprise organic and sustainable food production, prioritizing projects that are culturally appropriate, create green-collar jobs for low-income residents and direct food produced to low-income communities through retail, food banks and schools. Require and supply assistance in soil testing and remediation.

Improve the accessibility of energy-efficiency programs for low-income residents, and allow tenants who receive Low Income Home Energy assistance (LIHEAP) to live in affordable housing and/or pay their own energy bills to make energy-efficiency upgrades with greater sovereignty from landlords.

Promote energy-efficiency upgrades with owners of property in urban centers.

“We believe that the communities that will be the most adversely affected by climate change will come up with the best solutions,” Roles said. “The conversation about climate change has been almost exclusively framed for the middle and upper class, but low-income communities need solutions that are not based on consumerism...”

We applaud this proposed plan that focuses on sound assets within an urban plan, including reducing toxins that sicken people and destroy our health care system, build an efficient infrastructure for sustaining growth, carving out green spaces to make a city more livable, bringing balance to citizen's lives, and allowing urban agriculture to bring food sources close by. All the while reducing the city's use of resources, and moving quickly to renewable energy.

This is the essence of our focus--the business side of green. The investments, production of those assets and a reasonable ROI to citizens, government and private enterprise. This is a well thought out plan.

Timing is great as their is clearly a renewed emphasis on building an economy that bridges the differences in income and wealth, not exasperates them. We'd welcome feedback and comparable plans from other cities around the world.

Listen to use today on WARL 1320, live, as we discuss solutions to a stinky landfill in RI.

Seattle officials vote to ban plastic bags

2011-12-20T04:05:00.000-08:00

This is great news from the Seattle Times. It is a simple, tangible step towards using less energy, fossil fuel and reducing dangerous waste. Coupled with adding an additional fee for paper, and promoting people bringing their own bags, Seattle jumps into the lead in transforming retail into a cleaner future without adversely impacting the retailers ability to sell and make money.

We applaud Seatle and other cities who have banned the harmful use of plastic bags. We will do a show on this, and help lead the charge to implement the same changes across the nation.

Send us your comments.

Please listen in tomorrow (WARL 1320AM), 12-1p, as we tackle the stink coming out of a local landfill and bring on the experts who can help solve the problem.

Controversy in RI/Thanks to Greg Gerritt

2011-12-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

Lots of talk, meetings, unrest in RI about the stench floating across the State from the Landfill.

We are going to focus on this issue the next couple of shows (and there are some good, possible solutions which would benefit our local ecological system, too), but here's a good starting point on an essay sent to us by the head of the RI Environment Council, Greg Gerritt:

"The smell from the landfill is primarily the result of the decay of organic matter buried in it. If we stopped burying food scrap and other organics, and instead composted them, the smell from the landfill would be greatly diminished over time, and we would be producing compost that can be used to revitalize agricultural soils in Rhode Island, improve the economy in our communities, and increase our community resilience in the face of climate change. More and more communities all over the world are composting every day.

Unfortunately in Rhode Island it is so cheap to just pick up everything and dump it on the hill at the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation’s Central Landfill in Johnston. The legislature has artifically set a very low tip fee, which totally skews the conomics of trash and recycling. Now they are holding hearings and pounding tables about the inability of RIRRC to fix the problem without looking at themselves in the mirror and realizing they are the ones who caused the problem in the first place by setting up such an off balance system. The report in the paper on the legislative hearing reminds me of the hearings in Providence by the City Council after the City started the no bin, no barrel policy of mandatory recycling. There was a three week shakeout period in which there were some problems. There is always a shakeout period, but the City Council, knowing in advance there were problems with the roll out, did nothing until the stench rose. Then they pounded on tables yelling pick up the garbage. I went to the hearing, and some of the Councillorsx acknowledged it was all for show. They knew the problems were getting solved, but they had to look good, partly to make up for the fact that they did nothing at the times when they could actually have made a difference.

"Reading about the legislative hearing about the stench I saw nothing about anyone pointing out the real long term solutions. Yes there is a need for short term resolution of the stench, but ultimately we have to stop burying food scrap and use it as the valuable resource it is. Taking proper care of the materials we are disposing of, including those that are critical to growing food, costs a little more than just tossing trash on the hill and burying it. But if we take proper care, we dramatically over time reduce the smells and the high emissions of greenhouse gases such as methane that are 21 times as effective at reflecting heat waves back to earth as carbon dioxide. Yes, in these hard times no one can afford to pay more to dispose of things, but we can not afford to keep throwing valuable resources away and polluting at the same time.

Landfills are one of the largest sources of methane emissions in the United States and the simple solution is the one that creates the most value for the community. Compost all food scrap instead of burying it.

For many years I lived near paper mills, and when the weather was right, it was enough to make you gag, so I have some idea what the folks near the landfill are experiencing. In fact the releases are mostly the same sulfur containing compounds. We need some short term solutions to reduce the smell today, but we also need the long term solution of collecting and composting food scrap. I am asking all of our policy leaders to join in the discussion of how best to remove the structural impediments that prevent us from taking advantage of a valuable resource and fully develop our compost industry. We will all breathe and eat better."

Greg Gerritt
Coordinator RI Compost Initiative A project of the Environment Council of RI and the Greater Providence Urban Agriculture Task Force

Let us know your thoughts on this, and we'd love to get comments from people living in other states who are either dealing with the same or have fixed this same problem.

Good news from Ford

2011-12-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

This in from Environmental Leader:

Ford Focus Electric to Boast 100 Mpg Equivalency

"Ford says that its Ford Focus Electric is to be the first five-passenger electric vehicle to achieve a 100 mpg equivalent rating. The automaker announced this week that production of the car is to begin at a Michigan assembly plant.

The Focus Electric (pictured) should also be able to fully recharge in three-to-four hours – half the time of Nissan Leaf, according to Ford. This technology can help double the car’s range during a busy day of driving and recharging multiple times, Ford says. Ford announced a solar powered home charging option for the car in August.

The company began taking orders for the 2012 Focus Electric in November through dealers in the California and New York/New Jersey markets. Deliveries to other U.S. markets are expected later in the year as production ramps up."

How cool that they are introducing a solar powered home charging option for the car. What a perfect combination: Clean renewable energy powering clean-burning cars. Now if we can get the public recharging units to work off of renewable energy sources....

Have a good weekend. We will be back with a story Sat or Sunday.

Show yesterday

2011-12-15T14:26:00.000-08:00

Good shows yesterday on radio station WARL 1320.

Our special thanks to our special guest, Leland from: Boston Green Realty, LLC.
229 Berkeley Street
Suite 201
Boston, Ma. 02116
office: 617.262.3075
fax: 617.249.0434
mobile: 617.966.2475
web: www.bostongreenrealty.com

Great job, Leland. We will have you on again.

Brown University/Arpin Group

2011-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:00

Through one of our companies, Arpin Renewable Energy Company, we have been testing solar applications to trucks and transportation. We've outfitted some of our trucks, and had spectacular results with eliminating conventional use of energy and reducing emissions.

Through our partnership with TransSolar company, we are about to significantly expand our testing to many fleets, and should be launching new, solar products next year.

Concurrently, we've mentored students at Brown University to not only help with this effort, but expand the potential use of solar on trucks. The results are award winning as you can see from this story: Congratulations to the Arpin team at Brown for a job well done:

Arpin Renewable Energy Mentors Brown University Students to Shape Future of Transportation Industry

December 13, 2011
Arpin Renewable Energy has formed a partnership with Brown University’s entrepreneurship program to expand the use of solar energy in the transportation industry.

“I am very excited to be mentoring Brown University student entrepreneurs to shape the future of energy in the moving and transportation industry,” said Peter Arpin, president and CEO of Arpin Renewable Energy. “So far, their presentations on the subject of lowering costs and reducing our impact on the environment have demonstrated exceptional promise and I’m looking forward to seeing the students’ conclusions at the end of the semester.”

Three Brown students from this year's Entrepreneurship I class (ENGN1930G) are working with their class mentor, Peter Arpin, to lower operating costs at Arpin Van Lines by applying green technologies which also will reduce the company’s impact on the environment. Arpin Renewable Energy is currently engaged in a project to retrofit a moving truck with solar technology.

The Brown student team is also looking to increase revenues per truck by applying solar powered electronic advertising displays on a select number of trucks to help offset the costs of the solar retrofit. The student team is in the process of identifying appropriate technologies and developing a business plan for these applications.

To satisfy the requirements of the class, students must create a credible business plan based on the best solution that evolves from the mentor-posed problem. This business plan must take into account sales and marketing, patents, and opportunities to protect novel product features as well as a product requirements document. Students must present this plan to Peter Arpin at the end of the semester.

The Arpin entrepreneur team recently competed and placed in the finals of the RICIE 90-second elevator pitch competition. There were 58 individuals/teams in competition and nine finalists were chosen. Both the Arpin (Han Lee of GLS Mobile) and Hall (JCD Wind Energy) teams from Entrepreneurship I (ENGN1930G) finished in the top nine, winning $50 each.
About Renewable Energy:

Arpin Renewable Energy is a research and development company, which explores and produces green alternatives that can be applied to the moving industry. It is also responsible for the implementation and management of “Green Initiatives” across all Arpin Group subsidiaries to help reduce their carbon footprint. Learn more about these green initiatives at http://www.arpingroup.com/index.php/about/green_initiatives/.

Canada to withdraw from Kyoto Protocol

2011-12-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

Some interesting and disappointing news delivered by the BBC. Here it is:

"Canada will formally withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, the minister of the environment has said.

Peter Kent said the protocol "does not represent a way forward for Canada" and the country would face crippling fines for failing to meet its targets.

The move, which is legal and was expected, makes it the first nation to pull out of the global treaty.

The protocol, initially adopted in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997, is aimed at fighting global warming.

"Kyoto, for Canada, is in the past, and as such we are invoking our legal right to withdraw from Kyoto," Mr Kent said in Toronto.

He said he would be formally advising the United Nations of his country's intention to pull out.

He said meeting Canada's obligations under Kyoto would cost $13.6bn (10.3bn euros; £8.7bn): "That's $1,600 from every Canadian family - that's the Kyoto cost to Canadians, that was the legacy of an incompetent Liberal government..."

Here is the link to read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16151310

Here is the kicker on the deal: "He said that despite this cost, greenhouse emissions would continue to rise as two of the world's largest polluters - the US and China - were not covered by the Kyoto agreement.

"We believe that a new agreement that will allow us to generate jobs and economic growth represents the way forward," he said."

Can you blame Canada for pulling out of an ineffective agreement that fails to halt emissions yet costs them billions. As we've been saying, the only programs that will sustain long-term are those that have a reasonable ROI on investments. This one, at least for Canada, does not.

We'd love to hear your comments as well.

Geen economies: UNEP praises efforts to shift to green economies

2011-12-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

Great story today from the United Nation's Conference on Sustainable Development. Take a look:

"Nairobi, Kenya - Poor countries across the world are engaging with the rich countries to reduce emissions from forests and fast track transitions to a low carbon, resource efficient Green Economy, the UN Environmental Programme (UNEPP) said Thursday. The multiple benefits of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD ) were discussed at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.

“In the same way that the Green Economy promotes sustainable, low carbon and resource-efficient economic growth, REDD also explicitly addresses the need for a balance between income growth, jobs and social equity,” UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

“With just over six months until the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio 20) in Brazil, countries ranging from Indonesia to Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo are recognizing that REDD investments can offer myriad opportunities to boost green development,' Steiner said.

He said utilising the investments and enhancing ecosystem services, tackling climate change, improving water security and promoting green jobs is important.

'Mobilizing more partnerships such as that between Norway and Indonesia, or private sector funding is vital if the full potential of forests to contribute to a Green Economy is to be realized,” Steiner said.

“A green economy transition is worth pursuing, not only because it is the best way forward but also for what it does to bring millions of people out of poverty, while conserving their ecosystems, improving their lives and enhancing their livelihood opportunities,” said Dr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Head of the Indonesian President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight."

What a perfect last paragraph. With your help, we will pursue "bringing millions of people out of poverty, while conserving their ecosystems, improving their lives and enhancing their livelihood opportunities". The green economy, the global green economy, is alive and well.

Let's make 2012 a great year.

Solar City/CA/Weekend Edition

2011-12-11T11:11:00.000-08:00

Nice USA Today story on Solar City's huge expansion in CA:

$1B-plus solar power project gets private funding

"A California-based solar company announced Wednesday that it has lined up enough private financing to begin what it says will be the largest residential solar photovoltaic project in U.S. history -- powering as many as 120,000 military housing units.

SolarCity sought a loan guarantee last year from the U.S. Department of Energy to finance part of its five-year, $1 billion-plus plan to install, own and operate rooftop solar panels for privatized U.S. military housing communities nationwide. DOE offered a conditional commitment Sept. 7 but couldn't finalize the loan before its 1705 program expired Sept. 30. The DOE program has been scrutinized after lending a half-billion dollars to now bankrupt solar manufacturer Solyndra.

SolarCity, based in San Mateo, Calif., didn't give up. It continued to work with the Bank of America Merrill Lynch to attract private investors for its SolarStrong project, receiving advice from equity firm US Renewables Group.

"This is uncharted territory for residential solar. The fact that SolarStrong can move forward without a federal loan guarantee is a clear indication that long-term incentives such as the investment tax credit are working," said Lyndon Rive, CEO of SolarCity, in co-announcing the terms of the financing with BofA Merrill."

Very important the statement that "this project can move forward without a federal loan guarantee". Big renewable energy projects should not depend solely on credits and grants. The economics need to work on purely a commercial model. We are glad this one does.

New Shows/Late Post

2011-12-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

We shot 4 great new shows today, all of which should premier in January. Then, of course, we go on the road with our 12-City tour and film everything the rest of the year on location. It will be a great year for the show.

Also, we've reported a lot of good things about the Chevy Volt, including the overwhelming praise when we set up daylong test drives at a recent Farmer's Market. However, since then, the news has not been great, including this update:

Second Chevy Volt fire sparks official investigation

Safety administrators to examine lithium ion battery packs after another plug-in hybrid catches fire during crash testing

By BusinessGreen staff 29 Nov 2011

"The US road safety authority has announced an official investigation into the risk of fires breaking out in General Motors' flagship plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt car.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it decided to take the action after a Volt burst into flames in a repeat of an incident earlier this year, which saw the car's lithium ion battery catch fire three weeks after a side-impact test."

"While the NHTSA said it is not aware of any crashes involving lithium ion batteries that have resulted in fires outside of testing, its experiment on three battery packs saw one emit sparks and smoke shortly after it was crash tested while another caught fire seven days afterwards.

"The agency is concerned that damage to the Volt's batteries as part of three tests that are explicitly designed to replicate real-world crash scenarios have resulted in fire," said a statement on the NHTSA website. "NHTSA is therefore opening a safety defect investigation of Chevy Volts, which could experience a battery-related fire following a crash.

"While it is too soon to tell whether the investigation will lead to a recall of any vehicles or parts, if NHTSA identifies an unreasonable risk to safety, the agency will take immediate action to notify consumers and ensure that GM communicates with current vehicle owners.

The agency added that it would be working with the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and experts from General Motors during the investigation into the Volt, which was awarded a top five-star rating by the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) earlier this month.

The Volt is safe and does not present undue risk as part of normal operation or immediately after a severe crash," Jim Federico, GM's chief engineer for electric vehicles, said in a statement.

GM said yesterday it will offer 5,000 customers loan vehicles and delay the European release of the Volt, where it is known as the Ampera, until the investigation is concluded..."

One of our guests today talked about getting into an accident a few years ago with a Prius and, because the car is very light, taking the worst of the collision with a standard gas-powered car. For that reason, she will not go back to a hybrid or electric.

It saddens us to write and report on this, but there has to be balanced information and reporting. We stand by our endorsement of EV's, and believe it is our vehicle to a cleaner, more secure world. Like anything, there are challenges and setbacks. We still believe the Volt and others are great cars, and will stand on their own.

Now, let's hear your comments.

Have a great weekend.

Filming new shows tomorrow

2011-12-08T18:34:00.000-08:00

We will be in the studio doing 5 new shows tomorrow, all of which will have their premier in Jan. We hope you are watching and listening on WARL 1320.

In the meantime, here's some good news on one of the new EV's sweeping across the US:

Nissan Leaf Rolling out to 50 States by March

The story: "Nissan is rolling out its all-electric Leaf to seven more states, with plans for availability in all 50 states and the District of Columbia by March, Fleet Owner reports.

The company is now taking orders in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana and Nevada, taking to 30 the current number of states where the Leaf is available.

Originally Nissan had predicted availability in all markets by the end of 2011."

Also, more good news on the electric front: "In other green fleet news, Coulomb Technologies today introduced its latest ChargePoint application for Blackberry smart phones. The free, updated app provides electric vehicle drivers new features including the ability to locate and check occupancy status, make reservations for a charging station, and obtain more detailed station information including pricing."

We will be setting up an event to allow test drives of the Leaf, as we did with the Volt (and made GM's Facebook page for the car). We'll let you know the schedule as soon as it is set. In the meantime, if you own one or drove one, send us your comments.

Arctic Cup

2011-12-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

Arpin International Group is proud to be one of the major sponsors of this hockey event in St. Pete, Russia. The intent, of course, is to bring unity on the future treatment, and division, of the Arctic Lands, and make sure they are preserved as a valuable asset.

Here's the story in today's Herald on our sponsorship and on two of our employees who are there playing and networking on behalf of the Arpin Group:

Mover’s ‘hockey diplomacy’

Execs play charity game in bid for Russian clients

By Darren Garnick / The Working Stiff
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 -

"When teenage buddies Bob Sullivan and Mark Dearborn sweated out their summers lugging furniture for a moving company, they couldn’t have imagined it would lead to their own personal “Miracle.”

More than 25 years later, the former Chelmsford High School hockey teammates find themselves in St. Petersburg, Russia, this week to explore business prospects as vice presidents for the Arpin International Group, a global relocation firm serving corporate, government and military clients.

Sullivan and Dearborn are lacing up their skates for the inaugural Arctic Cup, a tournament between the eight nations with real estate near the North Pole: Canada, Denmark (which rules Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the U.S.A.

Organized to promote environmental conservation issues, the Dec. 8-11 competition is comprised of retired hockey pros, business leaders, entertainers and politicians — similar to the composition of an American Pro-Am charity golf tournament.

“In Russia, they call it ‘hockey diplomacy’ when business leaders bond on the ice. It’s very similar to how CEOs connect on the golf course here,” says Dearborn, who oversees Arpin’s customer care department out of its Tyngsboro office.

You can forgive Dearborn, who played two years of pro hockey in France and Austria in the 1990s, for giddily thinking about the famous “Miracle on Ice” USA Hockey team that upset Russia. He and his co-worker will be teammates with 1980 Olympic hero (and former Boston Bruin) Dave Christian.

“I’ve seen the Kurt Russell movie at least 15 times. I assure you that Bob and I will be quoting from it all the time,” Dearborn says.

Sullivan — who’s been in charge of opening Arpin’s offices in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Frankfurt — hopes the Arctic Cup paves the way for a future Moscow branch. But his mind is temporarily on the puck, too.

“I’m an out-of-shape father of three working a desk job and on Friday, I’ll be playing for the USA against the Russians. The hockey part is totally surreal, but I’m also extremely proud to be involved with the cause,” Sullivan says.

Headquartered in East Greenwich, R.I., Arpin International Group is a major corporate sponsor of the Arctic Cup. Co-owner Peter Arpin, who hosts a weekly AM radio show about renewable energy, says the tournament is a natural fit with his goal to become “the greenest moving company in the world.”

Selected Arpin moving trucks are now testing solar panels that allow vehicles to use the heaters or air conditioners without running the engine, he says, adding that he hopes to eventually retrofit their entire domestic fleet of 800-1,000, which includes contractors."

This event is the true "business side of green': Bringing together countries, companies and leaders to raise money, awareness and find ways of doing the right kinds of business around the world.

We are proud to be a part of this historic event.

We hope you will follow this on Facebook and spread the word.

Listen to Positive Energy Moving Forward WARL - 1320 AM Providence, RI

2011-12-07T06:55:00.001-08:00

We will be live in the studio today, on 1320 AM, and their web site, with some interesting guests.

Please call in. We'd love to hear from you.

More stories on the blog later today.

Thanks to Gina at SIerra Club

2011-12-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

For sending us this great article which we wanted to share with you:

Big Solar Plans for Military Families

Link: http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/2011/12/solarcity-merrill-lynch-military-solar.html

Part of the article: "How do you double the number of houses that have rooftop solar? Ask SolarCity, which is moving ahead with its ambitious 5-year plan to provide 300 megawatts worth of solar for military families.

SolarCity announced yesterday a partnership with Bank of America Merrill Lynch that will help finance the project that clocks in at more than $1 billion. Amid the rocky political climate, the project became uncertain after a loan guarantee from the Department of Energy fell through earlier this year. But this private financing should nudge the project -- named SolarStrong -- toward meeting its goal of powering 120,000 military housing units with clean, renewable (and safe) energy.

If that goal is met, "this could effectively double the total number of residential solar rooftops in the U.S.," reports greentechmedia. SolarStrong will likely be the largest residential PV project in the U.S.

"This is uncharted territory for residential solar," SolarCity's CEO Lyndon Rive said in a statement. "The fact that SolarStrong can move forward without a federal loan guarantee is a clear indication that long-term incentives such as the investment tax credit are working."

It's also great news for an industry that continues to defy today's economy. The solar sector encompasses more than 100,000 American jobs. SolarCity in particular has added an average of more than one job each workday since 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research..."

The really good news in here is the 100,000 jobs created. Let's keep it going.

From Eco News RI

2011-12-05T16:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our radio partners for sharing this story with us:

Renewable Energy Must Replace Dirty Fossil Fuels

The link: http://www.ecori.org/green-opinions/2011/11/28/renewable-energy-must-replace-dirty-fossil-fuels.html

Part of the story: "Much of the fossil-fuel industry claims we shouldn’t invest in electricity from wind and solar energy because the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. True, but wind farms and solar panels in different locations all interconnected and monitored with a smart grid can send power where and when it is needed.

The United States also has sufficient clean biofuels and bio-waste that can be used to generate base-load power when wind and solar power isn’t available. In fact, the Northeast is rich in biofuels and should be using more of this cheap, abundant, renewable energy to displace foreign oil. This fuel doesn’t have to be transported thousand of miles by rail or boat and it supports local job creation.

A smart grid powered by a hybrid renewable energy system is the cleanest, most-efficient and economical way of producing power in the United States.

Much of the fossil-fuel industry also claims electricity from wind and solar power is too expensive and will cost the nation jobs. These industry leaders also claim that if the United States converts to renewable energy we will not be able to compete in the global marketplace.

However, the burning of fossil fuels and the use of nuclear power to produce electricity represents two of greatest threats to mankind in the 21st century. There is no such thing as clean coal. Climate scientists have repeatedly warned governments around the world about the risk associated with the continued use of fossil fuels..."

Part of our shows that will be shot on tour next year will focus on early renewable energy, including hydro from our rivers in RI, and how we got away from renewable energy and, more importantly, how we get back to it.

Stay tuned.

Sorry the show did not run today

2011-12-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

For those of you who usually watch us on News Channel 5, we are sorry it did not run as scheduled. We are waiting for an explanation from ABC 6/News Channel 5, but they think it was a failed up load to their system on Friday, so it was not in their system today, at master control, to run.

We'll get a written explanation and share it with you.

Also, Terra Pass sent this to us and we are happy to share it with everyone. Send us a Christmas card:

How do we fight climate change?
Reminding our friends that we care:
about them, our planet, and our future.
Get the message across. Send an e-card today!

http://store.terrapass.com/store/p/97-TerraPass-carbon-offsets-e-cards.html?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Send+an+e-card+today%21&utm_content=peterarpin%40msn.com&utm_campaign=Holiday+promo+email+-+11%2F28%2F2011

It's not just an e-card; it's an e-card with carbon offsets, which capture greenhouse gases that are harming our planet. Do your part for your friends.

Send an e-card today. 97-TerraPass-carbon-offsets-e-cards.html.

http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=6429&id=kqcrkf6cu909h8wfnnh5w41bng37r&id2=f83xaq9ealnx23y1mafpj9om0p6c5&subscriber_id=bmhlubydfmvlnumvsqszpyzgwlexbbf&delivery_id=axtdnqwfehfpguyyhouhhiwowhrcbfc&tid=3.GR0.AsG5Rw.Dru9.UhkM..kHYZ.b..l.BJYF.a.TtOwAA.TtQukA.eFWrjw

Sweeten your message with some climate change chocolate!
Spread the word!

To avoid receiving future messages from us, please click here.

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© TerraPass 2004 - 2011.

Renewable power trumps fossil fuels for first time

2011-12-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mark Learn for sending us this great story and great news:

Bloomberg
November 25, 2011, 12:29 p.m.
Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks.

"Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal, according to calculations by Bloomberg New Energy Finance using the latest data. Accelerating installations of solar- and wind-power plants led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal.

"The progress of renewables has been nothing short of remarkable," United Nations Environment Program Executive Secretary Achim Steiner said in an interview. "You have record investment in the midst of an economic and financial crisis."

The findings indicate the world is shifting toward consuming more renewable energy even without a global agreement on limiting greenhouse gases. Delegates from more than 190 nations converge in Durban, South Africa, on Nov. 28 to discuss new measures for limiting emissions damaging the climate.

The renewables boom, spurred by about $66 billion of subsidies last year, intensified competition between wind- turbine and solar-panel manufacturers, gutting margins from the biggest producers led by Vestas Wind Systems A/S and First Solar Inc. The 95-member WilderHill New Energy Index of renewable- energy stocks has tumbled 40 percent this year, steeper than the 14 percent drop in the MSCI World Index.

The zeal to replace fossil fuels, which take millions of years to form from dead organic matter, belies the failed efforts at the UN talks to broker a deal that would limit carbon dioxide emissions from coal and oil blamed for global warming. Without a deal, existing pollution caps under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol expire next year..."

We will be following this story closely, and will keep you updated.

Part of the concern is whether such projects will continue to get funded without, if they go away, federal and state tax credits and grants. Here in RI we are seeing the final negotiations with National Grid on a revised renewable energy bill that is alleged to be strong enough to kick off many pending projects. We'll see.

Jay Leno Has Logged 11,000 Gas-Free Miles in His Chevy Volt Written by Megan Treacy on 22/11/11

2011-12-01T05:11:00.000-08:00

How cool is this story: Jay Leno, car lover, has logged 11,000 miles on his Volt with no refill on gas. 11,000 emission-free miles. Thank you to EcoGeek for sending this story to us.

"We've heard a lot about sales numbers and predictions since the Chevy Volt's release, but we haven't heard as many real-world driving stories. What kind of range are people getting? Are they enjoying the car?

Jay Leno, probably the most famous Volt driver so far, has raved about his experience with the vehicle and reported that he's racked up 11,000 miles in the car without ever having to fill up the gas tank.

Leno drives his Volt from his home to the studio and back every day -- a 35-mile trip each way. With the Volt's battery range of 40 miles, he's able to make the drive to work, plug in to recharge and then drive home again at the end of the day all without using any gas. In fact, the half tank of gas that was in the vehicle when it was delivered to him is still there, untouched.

The big idea behind the range-extended vehicle was just this scenario: people could make their regular commutes on battery power only, but have the option of filling up on gas for longer trips where EV chargers weren't as easily accessible. Jay Leno has basically just proven that the idea totally works."

Good news on all fronts as we look to transform our transportation system to a sustainable model. Take a look at the video on this blog to see the Volt in action and listen to the positive feedback from our test group.

We realize there are still issues and challenges to overcome, including the recent electrical fire that ignited on a Volt weeks after an accident. However, no car is full proof or risk free, and to think the electrics would be any different is unrealistic. The world is hard at work to recognize those risk, and learn how to deal with them.

As our show goes on tour next year, we will have electrics on display so people can get a first-hand look at the new generation of cars. The cars that will allow us to stop the dangerous flow of imported oil into the US and many other crowded countries sitting vulnerable to the disruption of that steady flow of expensive crude.

Radio Show today on WARL 1320 and a new charging station in RI

2011-11-30T04:29:00.000-08:00

As you know, we are live each Weds from 12-p, EST on WARL 1320 and on their worldwide stream.

Today's show is focusing on the economic vale of mass transit, and the return on investment seen by city's that invest heavily in mass transit.. In studio with me is Frank from EcoNewsRI, a writer for their great, on-line newspaper. We will have other expert guests with us from RI and MA.

Please call in with your comments and questions. Here are the numbers:
(401)273-1555, -6734 & (508)967-6817.

Feel free to listen on line and email, Tweet or send us a note through Facebook. No matter what, we will get it and get your comments and questions on the air.

The like to their web site: http://1320warlradio.com/gs/

Also, great news from Anchor Subaru on a new charging station in RI. This from Tina at Anchor:

"If all goes well it looks like our charging station will be up and running by the end of today. Yippee!!!"

Tina Freches

Internet Manager
Anchor Nissan / Subaru
1041 Eddie Dowling Highway
North Smithfield, RI 02896
401 767 5000 - Office
401 524 6256 - Cell
http://www.anchor-nissan.com/
Follow us on Twitter - @anchornissan
Read/write reviews on www.dealerrater.com

Yipee is right. Congratulations, Anchor. Welcome to the plug-in world.

Who is next?

Miracle Rice Uses Less Water to Grow, Emits Less Methane

2011-11-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

Great story from Eco Geek on the work being done at the University of Agriculture at Bangalore, India to cultivate rice that uses much less water, emits less methane and is packed with significantly more protein. What a potential innovation to bring to our global food supply.

The story:

"A new type of rice being cultivated by the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India has many advantages over typical rice varieties -- it requires less water to grow, it's higher in protein and it emits less methane over its life cycle.

This rice, which is not genetically modified but a hybrid crop, uses 60 percent less water than conventional rice crops. It only needs to be watered once a week even in arid climates and can go as long as 15 days without water.

From a nutritional standpoint, the rice has 14 to 15 percent protein compared to seven to eight percent in conventional rice. It also can be harvested more quickly with a similar yield to conventional rice, making it ideal for feeding the world's growing population.

So far, only about five percent of rice fields are using this new type of cultivation, but researchers are hopeful that as word spreads about this approach to rice, it will spread to more areas."

Also, our thanks to Occupational Medicine for their kind comments on our blog. Please feel free to send us your comments and suggestions. Also, be listening live on WARL 1320, and on their worldwide stream, on Weds, 12-1p when we will be discussing, with our guests, the economic impact mass transit has to a local and national economy. Please call or write in if you can.

Renewable Energy Projects Around the World: How Much is Installed and Where

2011-11-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

Interesting article and graph from Eco Geek on renewable energy projects getting built around the world. Let us know if any of these stats surprise you:

Written by Megan Treacy on 14/11/11

The Economist has put together a nice graphic using data from Enel showing exactly how many gigawatts of each type of renewable energy were installed as of 2010 and where that power was located. As of the end of last year, the world had a total of 1,313 GW of installed renewable energy projects.

As of 2010, hydropower was still the global leader of renewable energy sources with 1,005 GW installed, but that could change in the coming years. Hydropower only increased in installed power by 3 percent from 2009, but solar power had the biggest year over year increase with a jump of 70 percent from 2009 to 40 GW.

Wind power also added a nice 24 percent in installed capacity from 2009 to 2010 and comes in second place globally, albeit a pretty distant second. If those trends continue, solar and wind power could catch up in the near future.

The greatest concentration of renewable energy projects are located in Europe, which accounts for 433 of the 1,313 GW. Asia is a close second with 420 GW and will likely eclipse Europe soon. Asia had the biggest growth in renewable energy installations with a 30 percent increase from 2009.

North America had 251 GW of renewable energy projects installed at the end of 2010.

Recent story in USA Today

2011-11-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

USA Today just did a great study of stimulus funding into different companies, and the news, despite some set backs, was pretty good.

Here's the headline: Stimulus funds helped some stocks soar

Opening paragraph: "As Congress and the White House launch investigations into renewable-energy loan guarantees made to companies such as Solyndra under the 2009 stimulus bill and related legislation, a USA TODAY analysis shows that a series of public companies that got help have soundly beaten the stock market and most venture-capital funds raised in 2008."

Even more impressive, and encouraging as far as the government's investment and growing ROI coming from these companies, is this chart:

'Stimulus' stocks in USA TODAY's analysis

The companies below were major beneficiaries of a $100 billion pot of federal money to stimulate emerging technology industries, targeted by the 2009 stimulus bill and related legislation. Stocks in most of the targeted sectors, including smart grids and electronic medical records, have outperformed the broader stock market. This chart compares their stock prices on President Obama's inauguration day, or the date of a company's initial public stock offering, and on Nov. 18. Companies listed without stock trading information have filed for IPOs but have not yet begun trading.

Category Company Symbol 1/20/2009 or IPO Date 11/18/2011 Change

Energy efficiency Comverge COMV $4 $1.42 -65%

Energy efficiency Enernoc ENOC $8.23 $9.76 19%

Energy efficiency Honeywell HON $29.04 $52.75 82%

Energy efficiency Johnson Controls JCI $13.98 $29.76 113%

Smart Grid Accenture ACN $30.09 $55.1 83%

Smart Grid Cooper Industries CBE $25.95 $52.14 101%

Smart Grid Cisco Systems CSCO $14.84 $18.42 24%

Smart Grid Esco ESE $35.10 $27.75 -21%

Smart Grid Echelon ELON $6.92 $5.49 -21%

Smart Grid General Electric GE $11.68 $15.65 34%

Smart Grid IBM IBM $77.87 $185.24 138%

Smart Grid Itron ITRI $58 $35.01 -40%

Smart Grid Oracle ORCL $15.74 $30.60 94

Electronic Medical Records Accenture ACN $30.09 $55.10 83%

Electronic Medical Records Athenahealth ATHN $33.84 $52.61 55%

Electronic Medical Records Cerner CERN $19.68 $57.95 194%

Electronic Medical Records Computer Programs & Systems CPSI $22.17 $45.35 105%

Electronic Medical Records Dell DELL $9.85 $14.91 51%

Electronic Medical Records General Electric GE $11.68 $15.65 34%

Electronic Medical Records McKesson MCK $39.09 $80.01 105%

Electronic Medical Records Allscripts Healthcare Solutions MDRX $8.18 $19.14 134%

Electronic Medical Records Quality Systems QSII $37.20 $36.25 -3%

Electronic Medical Records Siemens AG SI $49.55 $97.04 96%

Electronic Medical Records UnitedHealth Group UNH $23.61 $44.55 89%

Green Cars Ford F $2.13 $10.10 374%

Green Cars Nissan NSANY $6.93 $17.44 152%

Green Cars Tesla* TSLA $7.53 $32.60 333%

Renewables A123 Systems AONE $13.50 $2.32 -83

Renewables Beacon Power BCON.PK $3.70 $0.08 -98%

Renewables First Solar FSLR $137.76 $45.44 -67%

Renewables Satcon Technology SATC $1.46 $0.78 -47%

Renewables Sunpower SPWR $30.85 $6.87 -78%

Stimulus-related IPO Ameresco AMRC $10 $11.07 11%

Stimulus-related IPO Amyris AMRS $16 $11.70 -27%

Stimulus-related IPO A123 Systems AONE $13.50 $2.32 -83%

Stimulus-related IPO Calix CALX $13 $8.41 -35%

Stimulus-related IPO Kior KIOR $15 $15.21 1%

Stimulus-related IPO Neophotonics NPTN $11 $4.43 -60%

Stimulus-related IPO Smart Technologies SMT $17 $4.92 -71%

Stimulus-related IPO Solazyme SZYM $18 $11.61 -36%

Stimulus-related IPO Tesla Motors* TSLA $17 $32.60 92%

Pending IPO BrightSource Energy

Pending IPO Ceres

Pending IPO Elevance Renewable Sciences

Pending IPO Fulcrum Bioenergy

Pending IPO Genomatica

Pending IPO Greenway Technologies

Pending IPO Myriant

Pending IPO Silver Spring Networks

Pending IPO Vocera

* = Tesla's initial valuation of $7.53 a share is derived from the round of venture capital raised closest to when it received its federal loan guarantee. It went public at $17 a share.
Source: International Data Corp., USA TODAY research

From a business side of green, a pretty encouraging report. We love seeing Telsa growing.

Enjoy a great holiday and weekend.

New Book

2011-11-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

Thought everyone might be interested in this:

The Power of Green - How Greener Products Can Help You Meet Customers’ Needs & Build Brand Loyalty

SUMMARY:

Excellent book! Sheds new and important light on the business case for why companies must provide greener and more sustainable products, as well as best practices for marketing greener products. Al Iannuzzi’s book will be of interest to corporations that desire to present new insights on how best to make greener products and for those of us in higher education, who seek to prepare the next generation of business leadership on now to make and market sustainable brands as part of a comprehensive strategy to achieve competitive advantage.
—Robert L. Lattimer, Senior Fellow, Diversity Studies, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, Rutgers University; Chair, Board of Directors, American Society for Competitiveness (ASC)

PS: Thanks for a great show today. We'll be with you next Weds on WARl 1320AM.

Additional information on tomorrow's show

2011-11-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow's show will be jam packed with Frank calling in from CA, Al updating us from Project Get Ready and Gina from Boston talking to us about her recent test drive with the Chevy Volt.

See our earlier post on how you can tune in and call in tomorrow.

Feel free to post any comments here you want talked about on the show as well.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Radio Show tomorrow on WARL 1320 AM

2011-11-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

As you know, we are live each Weds from 12-p, EST on WARL 1320 and on their worldwide stream.

Tomorrow's show is focusing on electric vehicles. In studio with me is Tim from EcoNewsRI, a writer for their great, on-line newspaper, and an expert on EV's. We will have other guests calling in.

Please call in with your comments and questions. Here are the numbers:
(401)273-1555, -6734 & (508)967-6817.

Feel free to listen on line and email, Tweet or send us a note through Facebook. No matter what, we will get it and get your comments and questions on the air.

The like to their web site: http://1320warlradio.com/gs/

We will have more news for you later today.

Motorola, Deutsche Bank, Bloomberg Sign up to Windmade Label

2011-11-21T14:34:00.001-08:00

Major global companies including Motorola Mobility, Deutsche Bank and Bloomberg have produced or have pledged to procure at least 25 percent of their operations’ power consumption from wind energy.

The companies will display this achievement using the “WindMade” badge – the world’s first wind power consumer label.

Firms using the label can source the wind powered portion of their electricity through a company-owned wind power generation facility, a long-term power purchase agreement for wind power, or the purchase of high quality renewable energy certificates approved by WindMade.

The exact percentage of the company’s wind energy share will be stated on the WindMade label.

WindMade’s founder companies are:

Motorola Mobility (mobile device and set-top manufacturer)
Deutsche Bank (financial services provider)
BD (medical technology)
Method (maker of home and personal care products)
Better Place (electric car infrastructure)
Widex (hearing aid manufacturer)
Droga5 (independent advertising agency)
G24 Innovation (solar energy)
Engraw (textile producer)
RenewAire (energy recovery ventilator firm)
TTTech (supplier of communication and control platforms)
Vestas Wind Systems (wind turbine manufacturer)
PwC DK (professional services)
Bloomberg (financial news and data service)
LEGO Group (toy manufacturer)

Mrs Green's World and the Chevy Volt

2011-11-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

I will be interview at 2p, EST today for an hour on Mrs. Green's World, a wonderful, informative, vibrant show that is hosted by Mrs. Green each Saturday from Tuscon, AZ. If you miss it today, it will be on demand on her site for weeks to come.

Here's the link: http://www.mrsgreensworld.com/

Please call in as well.

More News:

As you know, we spent last Saturday running test drives of the Chevy Volt at a sold out Farmer's Market. We sold out test drives that day as well.

Here's the link to the finished video, which we produced in conjunction with Eco News: https://snt130.mail.live.com/default.aspx?id=64855#fid=219b095b129941ef991819566136fe5d&n=702911449&mid=edeb3f15-11f8-11e1-b3db-002264c17d7c&fv=1

Also, we will be putting it up on our player on this page soon.

Al Cerrone, the owner of the dealer who let us take the car for three days (thanks very much), got a call yesterday from GM asking him how he has generated so much positive PR for the Volt in the last week. He told them it was us, Renewable Now, so we are very proud of that.

I look forward to your calls today on the show.

Miners turn to renewable energy to cut costs

2011-11-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

We were up in Toronto this week and found this great article in the Globe and Mail, which is a great newspaper:

"Mining companies are gluttons when it comes to energy use as they haul, grind and process ore, but soaring costs and environmental concerns have many turning to cleaner alternatives.

With energy now representing about 25 per cent of production costs, more companies are making huge long-term investments in wind, solar and other renewable energy projects to cut expenses and clean up their operations.

Companies such as Barrick Gold Corp., Teck Resources Ltd. and Rio Tinto PLC have ambitious wind-farm projects under way that will reduce energy costs and provide the much-needed social benefit of showing the communities where they work that progress is being made to reduce their environmental footprint.

The investments are being made even as governments are still trying to figure out ways to reduce carbon emissions and regulate the industry through measures such as carbon taxes and credits.

Barrick Gold Corp, the world’s largest gold miner, is pushing ahead with alternative energy projects, and this week will inaugurate its $70-million Punta Colorada wind operation, the firstwind farm built by a mining company in Chile."

So, interesting contrast of a mining company, certainly not well liked by an environmentalist, but a very profitable industry that employees many people, investing heavily in renewable energy thereby reducing their carbon footprint. Given that they are energy gluttons, as noted in the article, and 25% of their operating costs is energy related, this will be, at least, as marked improvement in their overall environmental performance while increasing their earnings.

Again, an example of a win-win in which a company invest in better managing their ecological discharge while getting more efficient and generating additional cash flow.

Thanks to the Globe and Mail for a great article.

Thanks, again, to Mark Learn for the following good news on solar

2011-11-16T14:35:00.000-08:00

Major Solar Cell Breakthrough About to Rock the Photovoltaic Industry

Written by Science Progress

Wednesday, 02 November 2011 13:44

Message :
Investors: Get a free copy of our latest investment report: The Biggest Upside Stock in the Bakken Oil Formation. This junior company already has great operational success on its huge Bakken land position… and could very well be the next "Bakken Buyout."
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"Too often, when talking about research and innovation on clean energy technologies, policymakers, pundits, and the media tend to assume that the biggest breakthrough will come from a completely novel technology. The discovery of some new and sexy clean energy technology will suddenly change the game and make clean energy abundant and affordable overnight.

In practice that rarely happens. A more likely scenario is that humble, behind-the-scenes “process innovations” will continue to increase the efficiency and drive down the costs of manufacturing the technologies we already know work.
The Department of Energy has recently completed testing on just such a humble breakthrough. TheOptical Cavity Furnace is a new piece of equipment for making solar cells that is about to rock the photovoltaic industry by slashing costs and increasing efficiency. The news should not just excite tech nerds—by reducing the cost of producing solar cells by nearly three-quarters, this new technology represents another big step on the path to making clean energy the cheap kind of energy.

Here’s how it works. By using optics to more efficiently focus visible and infrared light, the Optical Cavity Furnace can heat silicon wafers used in solar cell production much more precisely and uniformly than previous forms of solar cell manufacture. The resulting solar cells are stronger, more efficient, and have fewer impurities. The National Renewable Energy Lab, or NREL, the DOE office responsible for the research, and a corporate partner AOS Inc. are now working to bring this technology to scale. The partners plan to build an industrial-scale Optical Cavity Furnace capable of producing 1,200 highly efficient solar cells per hour. NREL has cooperative research agreements with many of the country’s biggest solar cell producers.
Even better, in addition to producing solar cells more reliably, quickly, and therefore cheaply, the Optical Cavity Furnace itself is cheaper than traditional equipment used to produce cells. As the cost of manufacturing solar cells goes down, elementary economics suggests the accessibility of solar cells will soar. Then it’s a matter of harnessing their power in a myriad of other industries in a clean energy domino effect."

Driving north of Toronto, we are seeing massive wind turbines on working farms. The utility is paying the famer's $1500cdn a month for a lease per turbine, and they get free electricity to run the farm. It is a perpetual lease unless the utility agrees to a termination.

The economics appear very good on this program...great use of land, that does not disturb their ability to continue farming, reasonable lease rates and, we'd assume, reasonable renewable energy rates coming out of those turbines.

We're not sure how much kw is generated per turbine, but they are big units that have come in from Germany and are spinning constantly.

And, it does not disturb the gentleness of the landscape. In fact, the turbines look majestic against the green fields and open skies.

In Toronto

2011-11-15T03:36:00.000-08:00

We are up here this week and will be focusing on some of this city's efforts to craft a cleaner, brighter future. In fact, tomorrow I will be calling into our weekly radio show (WARL 1320 AM, Weds, 12-1p, EST) from Toronto.

Here's the first of our stories this week:

Toronto's Sustainable Energy Plan

Toronto is facing a growing number of challenges caused by our increasing energy use. Some of these challenges are:

poor air quality and climate change caused by coal and fossil fuels
potential rotating power losses (brownouts or blackouts)
increasing energy costs, equalling almost $4.5 billion annually spent on energy purchases

We listened to Torontonians and created the Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Plan. The plan has been approved by the Parks & Environment Committee and Executive Committee. In July 2007, the plan was also approved by City Council.

Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan
Learn more about how we created the Energy Plan.

Thanks to Mark Learn

2011-11-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

For providing this story:

Nissan to Market D.C. Fast Charger for Under $10,000

By JIM MOTAVALLI

"Nissan North America, with its partner Sumitomo, will market a 480-volt D.C. fast charger in the United States next year, the automaker announced Thursday night. The charger will sell for less than $10,000, a precipitous drop compared to units now on the market, which cost as much as $50,000.

The charger, capable of 480 volts, was developed in tandem with the Sumitomo Corporation.

Brendan Jones, the director of Leaf marketing and sales strategy at Nissan, said in an interview that large gas station chains were “a very big interested party.” He also said that deployment of the chargers would not be subsidized through the federally supported EV Project.

Technical breakthroughs enabled the low price, Mr. Jones said.

The charger, priced at $9,900, will use the Japanese plug design and charging protocol developed by Tokyo Electric Power, known as Chademo. The 2012 Leaf is equipped for fast charging and uses this protocol, although a new American standard developed by SAE International is expected early next year. Mr. Jones said Nissan could not wait for the SAE standard to be commercialized before bringing the low-price charger to market..."

We are on the road this week, but will try to post each day. If not, we will definitely be posting again on Thursday.

Update on today's test drives at Farmer's Market

2011-11-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

We had a great turnout today. We spent over two hours satisfying everyone's quest to test drive the Chevy Volt. Included in the crowd was Senator Miller, whose show with us will be on News 5 tomorrow morning at 9a (please tune in), and who is an important cog in finalizing RI's newest legislation aimed at pushing the State to the top of the sustainability heap. He loved it and is ready to trade in his 12-year old car.

Our thanks to everyone who packed the Farmer's Market and our back parking lot on a beautiful, sunny day. It could not have been a better day for driving a brand new, very fun EV.

Even more interesting, when we returned the car to Cerrone, we were told that the car, the one we had for 3 days, had sold to the Farelly brothers, and was shipping out right away for an appearance in a new movie. A star is born.

We are on the road next week, up in sustainable Toronto, but will try hard to post a blog each day. Also, I will be calling into our live radio show on Weds, 12-1p EST, and will give an update from that great city.

Please watch our TV show tomorrow, and listen in, and call-in, to us this Weds.

Please post any comments you may have on the Volt right here, and feel free to offer advise on other EV's as well.

Come to a great Farmer's Market and test drive the Volt at the same time

2011-11-11T05:11:00.000-08:00

What a great combination: Strolling around the best, indoor Farmer's Market in the state, which is held every Sat at the Hope Artiste Village and, this Saturday, testing driving the Volt in between shopping.

Make sure you click below on the link to reserve your spot. The first 20 get a test drive, and we are getting close to hitting that number. You can still come by and see the car, of course, but you can test drive only if you have a reservation.

If you come, please post your comments on our blog, and also call into our live radio show next Weds, 12p-1p, on WARL 1320 (listen over the air or on line) and tell us how you like the car.

Also, take a look at our video on this blog as I test drive the Volt and offer some comments as well.

It is going to be a great weekend. See you Sat.

And, watch our show on the Cox Cable system this Sunday, News Channel 5, at 9a.

Thank you to Al Cerrone and GM for letting us test drive the Volt

2011-11-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

Interesting day yesterday. We did our first live, call-in show (and thank you to those of you who contacted us during the show), and Al Cerrone called in and offered to let us take a Chevy Volt for three days to test drive and report back to our readers and viewers. Thank you so much, Al and GM, for this opportunity.

Funny that Sierra Club just reported on their test drive as well. In a word, if you ask us about the Volt: GREAT.

It is easy to use, charge (I plugged it in last night, into my normal outside outlet, running at 120, and it was charged this morning), very comfortable, great creature comforts, including free satellite radio and free On Star, fantastic information systems on the mile range of both electric and gas, and flawless in switching back and forth.

So wonderful to drive and see an average mpg of 77-78 mpg. No worries about range, recharging or refueling since you can easily do both...quiet, clean, high-tech, well built and faster, more responsive, more fun than many of the comparable small-medium cars. Take a test drive and your anxiety about switching to an electric vehicle will melt away. In fact, you will hate to give it up and get back into your noisy, dirty and run-of-the mill gas-powered car.

Congratulations to GM, and their dealers, for driving us into a clean, brighter more profitable future. We love it. Let's make sure GM, Nissan, all of them sell lots of electric cars and sees a great ROI on their investments.

We are live today from 12-1p EST on WARL 1320 AM

2011-11-09T04:24:00.000-08:00

Today, we do our first live, call-in radio show, and look forward to having you call in , tweet us or email us directly or off of Facebook. Go to: http://www.ecori.org/ and click on the banner ad for the show which will bring you to a video that will profile the new radio show. You can reach us right through EcoRInews or through the radio station at: http://1320warlradio.com/gs/ or call us at: (401)273-1555, -(401) 273-6734 & (508)967-6817.

You can listen over the air on WARL 1320 AM, or listen on the stations stream at: http://1320warlradio.com/gs/

The show will run live every Weds, same time, and from 1-2p the station will be carrying the audio from the TV shows that you can see on the Arpin Broadcast Network (arpin.tv.com) or on News Channel 5 in RI.

We look forward to expanding our radio and TV outlets, and hope to be broadcasting from some of the national internet TV sites soon as well.

Please call, write and tweet us. We expect it to be a great first show.

United Launching Biofuel Flight Today, with Alaska on Its Heels

2011-11-08T03:16:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to United and Alaska Air for starting to fly on a mix of bio-fuels. Such a transformation, across the aviation industry, including regional and private fleets, would help clean our skys and make it easier for us to offset our travel carbon footprint.

Even better, the mix is a use of algae-based bio-fuel, which puts less pressure on the food supply, not using corn, and helps grow a new product that has amazing uses and potential. The perfect win-win, we think, between helping the global economy and protecting the envirnonment.

Take a look and let the airlines know you endorse and support this transition to bio-fuels: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/11/07/united-alaska-biofuel-flights-taking-off-this-week/

Part of the story: " United Airlines and Alaska Airlines are both launching commercial flights powered by biofuel this week.

United, the world’s largest airline, will use algae-based biofuel for a Boeing 737-800 flying today from Houston to Chicago, Reuters reports. The fuel blend from Solazyme uses 60 percent traditional jet fuel and 40 percent biofuel.Meanwhile Alaska Airlines says it will power 75 commercial passenger flights by a 20 percent biofuel blend, made from used cooking oil, starting this Wednesday. It will use the blend on flights originating in Seattle, going to Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C..."

It is worth reading the rest of the story, and we'd love your feedback, particularly if you are in the industry, as we move towards a show profiling this and other aviation eco changes that can help fly us towards a brighter future.

Andy Rooney

2011-11-07T05:02:00.000-08:00

We note, with sadness, the passing of Andy Rooney.

Couple of interesting quotes that Andy left behind that offer insight and value here: "Making duplicate copies and computer printouts of things no one wanted even one of in the first place is giving America a new sense of purpose."
Andy Rooney

"Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done."
Andy Rooney

Despite the large-scale projects and changes that we, many times, focus on there, it is very much all of us, collectively, doing small things to reduce our footprint, that will be the heart of soul of transforming the world to a cleaner, more sustainable planet.

Innovations, like computers, and as Mr. Rooney pointed out, bring a two-edged sword...some amazing efficiency, but some waste and high-energy use baggage, too. It is our proper use of this technology that tips the scales in favor of benefit versus liability.

That scale also tips financially in our favor when we save paper, electricity, gas, etc, on our everyday use of computer, phones cars and lots more.

Andy, we hope to honor you, and many others, in guiding our lives and the lives of future generations into a zero-waste but highly profitable economic and environmental world.

RIP.

Enjoy the show every Sunday morning.

2011-11-06T05:43:00.001-08:00

? Click here

The sweetest, greenest spot on the planet

2011-11-04T04:23:00.000-07:00

Interesting article from Terra Pass on one US city's tremendous work in reducing emissions. On the surface, a great model for all cities, in every part of the world.

That ciity is...San Francisco. How is this for some progress: "On October 19, Mayor Ed Lee announced that San Francisco has already achieved a 12 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels, amidst an increasing population and an increase in electricity consumption. This is an extraordinary accomplishment - it surpasses the Kyoto target of 7 percent reduction by 2012 as well as the recently passed AB 32 measure calling for a return to 1990 levels. If you’re more numbers-inclined, check out these pretty bar charts (.pdf) and graphs (.pdf)."

Now, the article does a great job of going past the basic stats and looks at how they did it, and how easy would it be for other cities to replicate their success. The answers, in fact, are not so easy and predictable. Here's more: "But a small concern. I can’t help but wonder, does San Francisco (and California) have an unfair advantage over other cities? To answer that, we should take a look at how SF got where it has...
1. “The largest contributing factor to the carbon reductions was the closure of the City’s two remaining inefficient natural gas power plants at Hunter’s Point in 2006 and Potrero last year.”
Getting rid of dirty power. It’s certainly not an easy step, and like everything else, comes with a price - so the economics will vary from city to city. But this isn’t unique to SF.
2. “San Francisco’s electricity mix is growing increasingly cleaner. Electricity for the City’s municipal operations comes primarily from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s carbon-free Hetch Hetchy hydroelectric system in the Sierras, and approximately seven megawatts of solar projects on municipal facilities around the City.”
To read more, go to: http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/the-sweetest-greenest-spot-on-the-planet?utm_source=bronto&utm_medium=email&utm_term=The+sweetest%2C+greenest+spot+on+the+planet&utm_content=peterarpin%40msn.com&utm_campaign=Newsletter+11%2F03%2F2011

Thank you Terra Pass for a great article that merits lots of thought. We applaud San Francisco's leadership while maintaining a vibrant, solid economy. To us, that is the trick...that is "the business
side of green".

Later today or tomorrow we will be back with some more interesting graphs and data, as promised yesterday.

U.S. Residential Renewable Energy Consumption, by Source 1990-2010

2011-11-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

Some interesting charts/graphs in Environmental Leader this week. Here's the first: We publish a second one tomorrow:

U.S. Residential Renewable Energy Consumption, by Source 1990-2010

E-Mail this chart

Bring on the Electric Cars

2011-11-02T06:09:00.000-07:00

Before we get to today's blog, we want to thank Pick Up America and Greenopolis for offering positive comments on our blogs. We love the feedback and look forward to having them both on a radio or TV show of ours. Please keep the feedback coming and, of course, ideas for stories and shows.

Now, on to today's post. As you know, we are huge believers in the ecological and economic nirvana of transforming to EV's. We've done shows and blogs on this, and will continue to do so.

So, we're glad to share news of a great new documentary, sent to us by Sierra Club, called "Revenge of the Electric Car". It looks great. Here is the link to the trailer--take a look: http://sierraclub.typepad.com/compass/2011/10/revenge-of-the-electric-car.html

Part of the story: "If you're lucky enough to live near one of the 30+ cities where the film Revenge of the Electric Car will be showing now and in the coming weeks, don't miss the chance. And if you're even luckier to live near San Francisco, Ann Arbor, Cambridge, Portland (OR), or Chicago, you are cordially invited to walk the green carpet to a special viewing of the film. Tickets are going fast, so I recommend you order them online where available.

Not only is Revenge a really fun and fast-paced documentary (yes, even a documentary can be fun), but it's an important look into an industry that is both a big part of the climate change problem and can be a big part of the innovative solutions we need. A switch to electric vehicles (EVs) offers us one essential way to reduce emissions and our dependence on oil –- even on today's electricity sources..."

Some of the Chevy Volts are now getting into Northeast cities and showing up on car dealer lots and showrooms. The Leaf and others will follow soon. Please, take a look and give long and careful consideration to an EV when you get ready to buy a new car.

Let's stop importing 20 million barrels of oil a day, and use domestically produced energy, recapturing those dollars and jobs.

EarthSky on WARL 1320 AM

2011-11-01T05:45:00.000-07:00

EarthSky is a great site is a great site, titled the "Clear Voice for Science", and they also have some fantastic radio updates, mostly five minutes in length, which you can hear on WARL 1320 AM, one of our media partners, and the home of our new, live-call in show that will debut next Weds, 12-1p, EST.

Here's a recent piece from them on the expanded use of satellites to monitor our earth's environmental and climate changes, how to best manage those changes, and how to better use our resources, while still allowing economic growth, as we race towards a world population of 9b.

Here's the link: http://earthsky.org/

The story:

"Satellites let scientists collect data from places and perspectives that were previously impossible, and give scientists an accurate and detailed picture of what’s happening across our whole planet. The Aqua and Terra satellite missions – both part of NASA’s Earth Observing System – gather data about Earth to help unravel the mysteries of climate and environmental change."

This is a great use of technology as we find news ways of accurately measuring our ecological impact, and find better ways to balance man's use of the planet, and its resources, with sustaining a global future of sustainable economic growth.

Enjoy.

Terra Pass Program

2011-10-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

IF you have never used an offset program, here is a chance to balance some of you environmental impact and celebrate Halloween.

We like offset groups like Terra Pass. By using their calculations and contributing to them based on your carbon emissions, combing your car travel, home and pleasure/business travel, you can easily do your part in pushing renewable energy projects, and can move us all to a more sustainable future.

So, we share the below announcement with you and encourage you to join in on the promotion...and, of course, enjoy your candy bar.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Today ONLY: Get a FREE chocolate bar when you offset your car for a year*

If you don't own a car, offset your mummy's!
PLUS an even sweeter deal for our Prius drivers - email us atinfo@terrapass.com for details.

Spread the word!

Save our planet. It's the only one with chocolate on it...

*CO2 emissions and offset equivalent calculated based on average sized vehicle with 10,000 annual driving miles. Limited-time offer expires October 31, 2011 at midnight EST. Offer good while supplies last. Limited to one chocolate bar per custome

RI renewable energy projects receive $2.7 million in stimulus funds/Weekend Edition

2011-10-29T12:04:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Providence Journal for providing an update on the most recent EDC, stimulus grants on renewable energy projects.

These projects have very quick completion dates--they must be finished by March of next year. That, of course, reduced the potential candidates for funding.

However, EDC made some good choices, including investing additional money in one of their company success stories, Newport Bio diesel (who, by the way, is a past guest on our show). This allows Newport Bio Diesel to expand again and, of course, create more job.

Send us updates from your states on similar funding and projects.

Here's the link to the story: http://news.providencejournal.com/business/2011/10/ri-renewable-energy-projects-receive-27-million-in-stimulus-funds.html#.TqxNDJuseI0

Part of the story: "The state has awarded $2.7 million in grants from the federal stimulus program that will fund 16 renewable energy projects across Rhode Island.

The Economic Development Corporation and Governor Chafee announced the awards Thursday morning. The grants are being distributed through the state Renewable Energy Fund, which is managed by the EDC, but the money originally came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The awards include $500,000 to the West Broadway Neighborhood Association for the installation of residential solar power systems in Providence; $365,775 to Newport Biodiesel for the expansion of their manufacturing and processing facility; and $339,870 to the Economic Development Foundation of Rhode Island for the installation of a 108-kilowatt solar system on an office building in Cumberland."

We also did a news report on the West Broadway Neighborhood Association's collective investment in solar. Great story, great group. Shows the range of projects backed by the State.

If you are on the upper East Coast this weekend, drive safely.

Pick Up America Takes Zero Waste Message Coast-To-Coast

2011-10-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

How sweet when you get kids involved in a global effort to get to zero waste. Zero waste brings financial gain on every level: Local communities, states, regions and, equally important, individually as well. We all pay a significant price for excess waste that we can not properly recycle back into the economy.

As we have been saying for months now, this is a key component of the business side of green.

So, to the story:

Here's the link: http://greenopolis.com/goblog/litegreen/pick-america-takes-zero-waste-message-coast-coast

Part of the story: "I don't think I've ever heard of anything like this...a group of young people who have banded together to go from Maryland to San Francisco, picking up trash and spreading the word about conservation and living a zero waste lifestyle. They call their group Pick up America, and so far they have collected about 132,035 lbs of roadside litter.

...The group travels in a re-purposed diesel bus dubbed Due West. The bus was converted to run partly on vegetable oil, and fitted with bunk beds and a small kitchen. The bus is both home and office as the group collects trash, works with schools and municipalities, and creates local reuse art projects across 13 states."

We'll profile them on a future show. In the meantime if you are a teacher, school official or community leader, getting your city or town involved would be a wonderful boost to this group.