Enjoy the show and tour 21012

Great radio show this week

As we welcomed guests from the Rocky Mountain Institute.  Here's some information on the show:

On ReNewable Now, this week was  Albert Chan of the Rocky Mountain Institute. We’ll be discovering what the Rocky Mountain Institute is all about, as well as focusing on one of their special projects and visions called “Reinventing Fire

Take a listen to this show, and our others, at:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/renewable-now/2012/09/12/reinventing-fire

Also, listen live each Wed's, 12-1p, EST on WARL 1320 (and their stream: http://1320warlradio.com)

Listen 24/7 at Blog Talk radio to all of our archived show on the Renewable Now channel.

Great reminders from Terra Pass

From the most recent electronic newsletter from Terra Pass.  We are glad to share their good advice:

The ‘Too Cool for School’ Newsletter

September 13, 2012

As the new school year begins...

• Take a look at what the country’s greenest universities are doing
• Get some handy, easy-to-implement tips that you can use on and off campus
• And don't forget to provide your feedback on our latest project

Universities go green

 

The Sierra Club put together a list of the Top 10 Coolest Schools. Check out the innovative solutions that administrators and students are implementing for tangible, sustainable change.

 

Did you know that a typical dorm room uses enough energy during an academic year to generate 6,678 lbs of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions? —that's about the same as the amount of emissions generated by driving a small car. Offset your energy use (or your students') with dorm offsets from TerraPass.

Get an apple from your teacher

 

From primary school to college, here are some tips to green the school year and have fun doing it. Pretty soon your teacher will be the one giving you an apple.

Pack your lunch in style:

• Give a stainless steel lunchbox a try. 

 • Learn to pack a trash-free lunch.

Carpool, walk or bike to school:
• If public transportation isn't available where you live, consider joining a carpool.

Raleigh County Solid Waste Authority

 

We’ve extended the public comment period for those who were a little late to return from summer vacation. Share your feedback on this landfill gas capture project in Beckley, West Virginia.

 

Pope Benedict XVI goes green with fuel efficient cars

We applaud the Pope's progress in reducing the Vatican's carbon footprint, with many positive changes, and his terrific attitude about get sustainable.  We need this type of leadership, across the globe, from our key players in every sector; including religion and other non-profits..

We have no doubt Jesus led a natural life with great respect for our base resources.  The Vatican, like all of us, got away from some of those early lessons, but thanks to the Pope and his personal commitment to simplify and streamline, we are coming full circle back to humbler beginnings.

The story:

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

"Green Pope” Pope Benedict XVI has gotten some new wheels.

It’s not a new tricked-out Popemobile, but the electric cars he has received as gifts fall in line with the environmental issues that have marked Benedict’s papacy.

A Daily Caller story on Yahoo! News reported that French car manufacturer Renault presented Pope Benedict XVI with a white Renault Kangoo, to be used at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. Another car was donated for use by Benedict’s security force.

The 85-year-old Benedict has written and spoken of the need to protect the environment during his time at the Vatican.According to businessgreen.com, the Vatican has added solar panels and a solar cooling unit, and has offset carbon dioxide emissions through reforestation since the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI.

According to The Daily Beast, shortly after being elected pope, Pope Benedict said that "the earth's treasures have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction" and called on Catholics to take better care of God's creation.

The Kangoo Maxi Z.E. retails at about $20,000, according to Renault. They say the electric cars both have 60 horsepower, and can drive about 106 miles on a single charge.

Mercedes-Benz makes the customized Popemobile that the pope uses on trips away from the Vatican, according to Boulder Daily Camera. The company is researching a hybrid, energy-saving version.

Great News in RI

Rhode Island Top 50 Project: Electric Vehicle Charging Stations for Rhode Island

The TOP 50 project intends to implement a network of 50 charging stations that will allow Rhode Islanders to drive and re-charge electric vehicles throughout the state. We need your support to find locations that will best serve Rhode Island. If there is a location that you think would be great for electric vehicle charging, please suggest it by clicking the link below: Suggest a Charging Station location! More Information Why Electric Vehicles in Rhode Island?    Small State = less range anxiety: The small size of Rhode Island make it the ideal location for electric vehicles with a limited range. Energy Security: Using hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles instead of conventional vehicles can help reduce U.S. reliance on imported petroleum and take advantage of renewable energy sources in Rhode Island. Better Fuel Economy = Lower Operating Costs: PHEVs and EVs can reduce fuel costs dramatically because of the low cost of electricity relative to conventional fuel. Most EVs operate at an MPGe (Miles per Gallon Equivalent) of  90-110! Zero Emissions = Improved Air Quality: Hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles can have significant emissions benefits over conventional vehicles, including zero tailpipe emissions during all-electric operation for better air quality.  Electric Drive Vehicles:

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)

Is a great organization, who we've highlighted before, whose mission is "engage leaders to design and build a brighter energy future".  Very simple, very nice, so needed now and going forward.

Albert Chan, from RMI will be our guest on Wed's live show, on WARL 1320 (use their stream) and we'll focus on RMI's contribution of the book, Reinventing Fire, an amazing look at what our energy policy is today, and would it should be going forward.  One of our presidential candidates in the US, we don't care if it's O'bama or Romney, should adopt this energy policy as their own and run with it.

Here's a link to a preview of a great book and concept for moving to a cleaner, more efficient energy system--across the world:  http://www.rmi.org/rfexecutivesummary

Tune in live on Weds, then listen 24/7 on the Renewable Now channel where you can find our past radio shows on-demand as well.

A site and and Institute we've been watching

It is hard to overstate the importance of leading educational centers in the US.  They attract the brightest from around the world, they give bricks and mortar to innovation and learning, and they offer roads in which those students can take their ideas and turn them into real companies...companies that will change the world and change it quickly.

One such leader is MIT.  In 2006 they established an energy institute that has made remarkable progress in a very short time.  If you have not read about MITEI, here's your chance. The link to their site:http://web.mit.edu

Here's the background:

About MITEI

MITEI Overview Brochure (pdf)

The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI), established in September 2006, is an Institute-wide initiative designed to help transform the global energy system to meet the needs of the future and to help build a bridge to that future by improving today's energy systems.

MIT President Susan Hockfield first announced an MIT energy initiative at her inauguration in May 2005. She said, "[It is] our institutional responsibility to address the challenges of energy and the environment....Tackling the problems that energy and the environment present will require contributions from all our departments and schools...bringing scientists, engineers and social scientists together to envision the best energy policies for the future."

Here's a little more:  

MITEI's research program

The MITEI interdisciplinary research program focuses on the following:

• Innovative technologies and underlying policy analysis that will improve how we produce, distribute and consume conventional energy.
• Transformational technologies to develop alternative energy sources that can supplement and displace fossil fuels, including the economic, management, social science and policy dimensions needed for this transformation.
• Global systems to meet energy and environmental challenges through a multidisciplinary systems approach that integrates policy design and technology development.
• Tools to enable innovation, transformation and simulation of global energy systems through strategic basic research.