A Five Year Trend Towards Renewables They say that time flies when you’re having fun. If that’s true, then we’re having a ball, because it seems like only yesterday that the first issue of our Green Living Journal hit the streets of Portland in 2008. That’s right, we are five years old, we have published 360,000 copies of our Journal, and we are optimistic about the future because of the changes that have taken place in those five years. Optimistic? How can we, or anyone else, be optimistic, given the present state of affairs? With civilization on the brink of collapse, are we not all in the proverbial handbasket? Where…
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Remotely Monitor Your Home Energy Use
Dial In Your Home’s Temperature from Anywhere Whether your home’s heating and cooling system runs on natural gas, coal, nuclear power, geothermal, wind, or solar, maximizing the system’s efficiency will benefit both you and the environment. Of course, there is plenty that we can do to our homes to control their climate more effectively: Improving insulation and eliminating gaps around doors and windows is a good place to start. The biggest factor in lowering heating and cooling bills, however, often boils down to our own behavior. Fortunately, technology is making the control of building temperature far easier than ever before, and a lot more fun! Remotely programmable thermostats are quickly…
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Clean Energy Victory Bonds
Green America has, for several years, been promoting the idea of Clean Energy Victory Bonds which would make it possible for Americans to invest in clean energy . The problem has been that it takes an act of Congress before the U.S . Treasury can issue these bonds. According to the Green America blog, such a bill was introduced to the House of Representatives in August of 2012. From the Green America blog here’s a brief overview of this program: “Clean Energy Victory Bonds (CEVBs) are proposed U.S. Treasury bonds modeled after Victory Bonds sold during the First and Second World Wars. During World War II, 85 million Americans purchased…
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3rd Annual John Day or Bust at Solwest Fair
Drive your electric vehicle to John Day, OR. This a call to action for all electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts. Join in and support the vision of replacing the internal combustion engines that are now powering America’s fleet of personal vehicles with electric drive systems. It’s the quickest and cheapest path to breaking our addiction to oil, cleaning up our air, and stopping the flow of our dollars to OPEC.This adventure will coincide with the SolWest Fair that takes place July 27, 28, & 29, 2012.The goal is to promote the wide- spread adoption of the EV as a vehicle of utility and adventure as well as be- ing good for…
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John Day or Bust 2011
Editor’s prologue - Interstate 84 wasn’t exactly choked with electric vehicles leaving Portland for John Day to take part in the SolWest Fair and the John Day or Bust EV convergence that took place the last weekend in July. However, there were three hardy souls and two EVs that did strike out on Thursday, July 28, thereby keeping this event alive for another year.
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Behavior and the Human Dimensions of Energy Use
This is a growing area of research and activity for customer energy efficiency programs. Behavior is clearly a cornerstone of energy efficiency: it affects the purchases we make, the buildings and systems we design, and how we use energy-consuming equipment. To leverage technology and practices for greater savings, energy professionals can use social science to understand both how customers use energy and how programs can benefit customers. This goes beyond simply providing information. Understanding how customers think about their energy use can help programs select technology and engage participants in reducing their energy use through energy efficiency improvements. Considering energy users as members of communities and social networks suggests some…
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The Painted Hills Go Green
The Park Management Team at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument successfully pursued building an unconventional, state-of-the-art zero-energy home as a replacement for the ranger residence at the remote Painted Hills Unit The goal, which is to make the park’s Painted Hills Unit carbon neutral and energy self sufficient in housing, administration and transportation, was close to being realized with the completion of the new residence. This house, built at a cost comparable to standard construction, not only eliminates utility costs to the ranger in residence, but it also exposed local contractors and the public to a building method far more energy efficient than anything they were familiar with. The…
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Biomass Energy in John Day
Generations of sawlog harvesting can leave commercial forests choked with forestry leftovers: sapling-sized and un-merchantable trees, which need to be thinned to make way for healthy growth. In January 2009, Grant County government began an investigation to see whether there was enough of this type of woody biomass in the area to support a pellet plant, and what that plant might look like. The Grant County Fiber Utilization Study took more than 4 months and enlisted the help of several local, state and federal agency employees, foresters and business people. When complete, the study was shared with individuals, government agencies, legislators and congressional delegates. Because the county had a completed…
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Where were you in 1991?
Solar Energy International Was Just Getting Started Teaching the World About Renewable Energy Technologies. Solar Training and Renewable Energy Education – Celebrating 20 Years For 20 years, Solar Energy International has been dedicated to hands-on and online solar training and renewable energy education in wind, micro-hydro, sustainable building and developing world technologies. Solar Energy International also works with grassroots and development organizations to promote sustainability and improve quality of life worldwide through viable outreach programs. SEI Training Programs Through our Renewable Energy Education Program (REEP), SEI offers hands-on workshops and online courses in solar PV, wind, micro-hydro, solar hot water and natural home building. SEI Development Work SEI works cooperatively with grassroots and…
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Community Solar Farms
Here’s a great idea that makes so much sense you wonder why it hasn’t happened long before now. Community Solar Farms. Solar panels are appearing on more and more roofs. But what about people who rent, live in a condominium, have shaded roofs, who might move or live in a historic district or home owners association? This is the majority of Americans! In several states, people can own solar panels in a common array called a solar garden,supplying their homes through the existing power grid. The Solar Garden Institute out of Westminster, CO advocates for community based energy development through legislation in several states, and the federal SUN (Solar Uniting…
