Green Stores

As I have been traveling around I have been visiting "Green Stores" which range from personal/lifestyle items (clothing, water bottles, utensils, books, videos, bags, latest selection of organic cotton and hemp apparel, bedding, rugs, home furnishings, gifts, housewares, books, art from recycled materials, locally produced artisanal soaps, candles, stationary from recycled paper and more in addition to recycling bins, composting supplies, rain barrels) to green building supply stores (paint, stains, sealers, cleaners, countertops, tile, insulation, toilets, sheet goods, tubular skylights, flooring, landscaping) but none of them really focus' on energy or lifestyle changes.

My personal opinion on green: there is a craze going through the mainstream right now which is spreading awareness of Sustainability. While I believe that the growing consciousness of ecological and social sustainability is completely necessary in today's world, I also think that some of this craze is missing the point- we are still buying junk, only now they are organic or sustainable; we are still far too dependent on automobiles, only now we are buying fuel-efficient SUV's; we are still buying products shipped from countries far across the globe, only now we check to see if they are fair-trade, ...in short, I believe we need to focus on buying less, consuming less, and producing what we can with local materials. This is the green I support.

A list of some of the green stores I have visited in the last 2 weeks are in St Louis, Cincinnati, Lexington & Louisville Ky, and Champaign IL.

I hope to open up a sustainable energy general store soon.

Heartland Tour of Solar

On Saturday, October 4th from 10am to 4pm Southern Illinois people opened up their places to showcase solar energy & energy efficient technologies, even two off-the-grid homes! The tour is mostly on the Southern Illinois wine trail through the beauty of the National Forest.

It was a very beautiful cool but sunny fall day that reminds you of why someone would live in Southern Illinois.

We had people drive from as far as 2 hours away (Springfield, St Louis area and Mt Vernon). Two TV crews (WSIL 3 and KFVS 12 both had good coverage)came out and there was a detailed article in the Southern Illinoisan that had directions to most of the places on the tour.

Renewable Energy tops 10% in the USA

Just in time for October or "Energy Awareness Month".

According to the latest "Monthly Energy Review" issued by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, renewable energy accounted for more than 10 percent of the domestically-produced energy used in the United States in the first half of 2008.

For the period January, 1 to June 30, 2008, the United States consumed 50.673 quadrillion Btus (quads) of energy. Of that amount, 34.162 quads was from domestic sources and 16.511 quads was imported. Domestically-produced renewable energy (biomass/biofuels, geothermal, hydropower, solar, wind) totaled 3.606 quads, an amount equal to 10.56% of U.S. energy consumption that is domestically-produced.

This share is only slightly less than nuclear power's 11.98% contribution. And while consumption of nuclear power dropped to 4.091 quads, down from 4.119 quads during the first half of 2008, compared to the same period for 2007, renewable energy's share increased by 5% to 3.606 quads, up from 3.439 quads.

To read the full report go to http://www.eia.doe.gov/mer/

Cyclists Committed to a Cooler Climate

Wanted:

Cyclists Committed to a Cooler Climate

Aur 'Da Energy Mon, Keally, Lucy, Treesong
Keally & Lucy's blog about their visit to Treesong & I

Article in the Daily Egyptian about Keally & Lucy

This blog http://rideforaride.blogspot.com/ is where two UWC graduates, Keally Cieslik and Lucy Richards, record their adventure as they ride to Washington, DC. They plan to motivate and inspire others to join the fun next year in the Trek to Reenergize America. Believe us. If they can do it, you can too. Both Keally and Lucy ended up physically meeting at my place in Carbondale after Lucy biked from Colorado and Keally rode her bike from Madison.

Lucy Richards is the wandering nomad organizer for the Trek to Re-Energize America currently riding from Colorado to D.C. to spread the word on the Trek which will take place next summer.

http://www.trektoreenergize.org/

End the Dominance of Dirty Fuels

The Trek to Reenergize America is a call to action. In summer of 2009, riders from around the country will cycle to Washington, DC drawing media attention and grassroots support as they ride. In Washington, riders and supporters will rally together, demanding immediate action on climate change from the new administration.

About The Trek

We're running out of time. We need strong, immediate action from the new administration. The Trek To Re-Energize America was conceived of as a means to enact that change, to empower citizens to take action and push our leaders to make decisive steps to move our great country out of the old dirty energy economy and into a clean energy economy, spurring green job growth, changing our wasteful habits and reestablishing the United States as a leader and pioneer in the global economy.

I just finished doing three presentations of The Climate Project 'Inconvenient Truth' in Alton, Belleville, and Peoria with the Illinois Environmental Council.

See the press release below.

Environment Illinois Teams with IEC for Global Warming Forums in Belleville and Peoria; Emphasis on Energy Efficiency and Legislative Solutions

Chicago, Ill. – Environment Illinois, a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy group, will join the Illinois Environmental Council (IEC), a legislative watchdog for the state’s environmental community, for two town hall meetings at the end of August that are part of a statewide series of free public forums on global warming sponsored by IEC.

The latest climate change town hall meetings, which run from 6-7:30 p.m., will take place Aug. 27 at the Southwestern Illinois College’s PSOP building in Belleville; and Aug. 28 at the Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights. Aur J. Beck, an energy efficiency and renewable energy installer who is a global warming expert, will headline both meetings.

Beck operates Advanced Energy Solutions in Carbondale and is a founder and board member of the Illinois Renewable Energy Association and the Southern Illinois Center for a Sustainable Future. He is also a speaker trained by The Climate Project, the nonprofit, nonpartisan project founded by former Vice President Al Gore, who will discuss climate change’s impact on Illinois and alternative energy solutions that will help solve the problem.

Other speakers at the public forums include IEC Executive Director Jonathan Goldman who will outline global warming legislation and Environment Illinois Staff Attorney Brian Granahan who will discuss energy efficiency. The programs will also include representatives and information from local environmental groups that will co-host the events.

The Belleville and Peoria town hall meetings are the third and fourth in a statewide series of global warming public forums that debuted in Decatur June 24 and continues in Alton Aug. 12. A Carbondale event originally set for Aug. 26 has been postponed until Sept. 16.

The public forums convene local residents, elected officials and community groups to discuss how soaring gas prices and asthma rates as well as shifting gardening zones are related to climate change and how to address these problems. Legislative solutions including the Global Warming Response Act (SB2220/HB5254) and Illinois Clean Cars Act (HB 3424/SB 2238) will be presented, and local legislators will be invited to participate.

“We face a host of problems related to global warming, but most people haven’t made the connection,” said Goldman. “These public forums will help everyone better understand the links and how we can begin to change things with good legislation and prudent, long-term solutions.”

One solution is increased energy efficiency—getting more out of the energy we already generate, according to Granahan. The generation of electricity continues to be the greatest contributor to global warming, with the amount of this pollution produced by electricity up 80% in Illinois since 1990.

“Energy efficiency is the cleanest and most cost-effective means for addressing growing energy demand and its environmental impact,” said Granahan. “Demand for energy in Illinois has risen approximately 2% per year since 1990. Swift action is imperative, and increased energy efficiency is the solution we can get online and operating most quickly.”

A recent report by Architecture 2030, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group based in Santa Fe, found that increasing building efficiency in order to gain one quad of energy -- roughly 1% of our nation’s total consumption -- would cost $42.1 billion. At the same time, the report indicated that achieving this increase through new coal plants would cost three times as much ($122 billion) and at least five times ($222 billion) as much through new nuclear plants.

“With our economic growth stagnant, energy costs rising and families struggling to meet utility bills, it’s vital that Illinois take advantage of such a cost-effective solution as building efficiency,” said Granahan.

The Belleville and Peoria forums are also the third and fourth in a series of summer town hall events on energy efficiency sponsored by Environment Illinois, a non-profit environmental advocacy group with over 20,000 members statewide. This series began with an event in Bloomington on July 29 and includes a public meeting in Carbondale on August 26.

For more information about IEC’s global warming town hall series, call 217-544-5954 or visit www.ilenviro.org. For more information about Environment Illinois’ series, call 312-291-0696 or visit www.environmentillinois.org

My "New" Electric Car

So at the IL Renewable Energy Fair I bought an electric car at the silent auction. It is a 1974 Subaru front wheel drive.

Although it was parked running it sat for a few years and the batteries are completely done for. I haven't had time to replace them yet and am excited for the joy of driving around town.

It is a "unique" color; kind of a blend of 70s green and vomit and grass otherwise renamed by me as being Electric Green. Definitely an interesting looking car even without the electric part.

It is great looking out my window at it. Since I normally ride my bike around town I didn't think I really needed an around town car but I am finding myself driving a lot lately; needing to pick up this or that. I really NEED to find the time to work on the Electric Eel (that is what I have named it so far).

Electric Eel; ugly & shocking but fast & efficient.

Southern Energy & Environmental Expo (SEE Expo) Fletcher, NC

Here at the Southern Energy & Environmental Expo (SEE Expo) in Fletcher, NC near Asheville where I am working on signing up new installers for our G2ReSq (Green Geek Squad). I think G2ReSq stands for Green squared=RE (Renewable Energy) + S quantified but I haven't decided what S is? What is S? What is the meaning of S? Sexy or Solar or Sustainability or Special or Stupendous or Super or......

North Carolina has great incentives for RE and the kind that I like, production based incentives. With production based incentives there is a much better chance that both the installer & homeowner will make sure the system is always producing to its maximum output.

Just had an informal jaw session with a bunch of contracters on the Draft of NC's Registered Photovoltaic & Thermal Contractor requirements. As I just got a request on working on such a program for MO and I have been thinking of implementing such a program in IL this will help. Many states are requiring NABCEP (N. American Board of Certified Energy Professionals) certification to get state rebates.

On my way back to IL tomorrow I am going to stop by the Big Frog Mountain energy store and see if I can get or add any ideas to our business plan of opening a chain of energy stores. I would like to go see the Charlotte Energy Solutions store but need to get back to IL for the board meeting of the Southern IL Center for a Sustainable Future (Southern Sustainability or SICSF) so will visit at a later date.