by jboullion | Nov 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
Tom Stolp
November 16, 2010 at 12:46pm
Subject: November’s Green Drinks – Thanksgiving Edition – Tomorrow at 5:00pm
Hi All,
I hope to see you tomorrow (WED) at 5:00PM at Harmony Corner Cafe for drinks and conversation. We’ll be joined by Nik Novak from Just Local Food Cooperative who will be sharing some ideas on making our Holidays greener.
Bring your ideas on greener gifts, sustainable recipes, and earth-friendly activities for this year’s holiday season.
Please send me a quick RSVP if you plan on attending.
See you tomorrow at 5:00pm
-Tom
by jboullion | Nov 16, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in BizTimes Daily:
The Obama administration plans to quickly reallocate money designated for high-speed rail if states granted the funds reject them, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
LaHood made the announcement Monday night to hundreds of politicians, businesspeople, urban planners and rail enthusiasts gathered in New York City to assess the state of high-speed rail in the United States. The three-day conference was presented by the U.S. High Speed Rail Association (USHSR).
Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker, a Republican, has called a planned $810 million high-speed rail line between Milwaukee and Madison a “boondoggle” and is vowing to stop the project.
Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich, also a Republican, has called a planned $400 million high-speed rail line to connect Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland a “dead train.”
LaHood said Wisconsin and Ohio will forfeit those federal funds if their governors reject the rail lines.
When the state funds are rejected, LaHood said Monday night, they will be redistributed “in a professional way in places where the money can be well spent,” according to The Washington Post.
by jboullion | Nov 15, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
We need jobs; this would provide some. We need economic development; this would link the state to those networks. Think of it as state money coming home.
Governor-elect Scott Walker wants to stop a fast rail line from Milwaukee to Madison essentially because he thinks it would be a waste of taxpayer money. But what’s really in danger of being wasted here is opportunity: opportunity for jobs, for economic growth, for a modern balanced transportation system.
Walker ran on a campaign that emphasized the need for jobs, jobs and more jobs. He has promised to call a special session as soon as he’s sworn into office aimed at creating a more business-friendly atmosphere in Wisconsin. He has promised to create 250,000 jobs in his first term. His approach is right on target.
What he and other critics of rail miss is that creating a network of fast trains to connect Midwestern cities can play an essential role in helping businesses connect and in creating jobs. Providing another option to traffic-jammed freeways and hassle-plagued airports could attract new companies and young workers who prefer working on a train to sitting in traffic or being body-scanned in an airport. Add in gas prices that are bound to go up and Wisconsin’s occasionally traffic-killing weather, and traveling by rail becomes even more attractive.
Fast rail probably works best for medium-range traveling, say in the 100- to 400-mile range, which is exactly what’s being discussed here. And while speeds won’t reach the true high-speed standards of Europe and Japan, they are expected to be up to 110 mph by 2015 and will still provide a convenient service that avoids the hassles of driving and flying and allows passengers to rest or work while they’re traveling. Using rail to connect business centers and research parks in Chicago to such centers in Milwaukee, Madison and Minneapolis could help those centers interact and feed off each other for growth.
If that network isn’t built here, companies and young workers will go to places such as Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle and Salt Lake City that embrace transit, as Steve Hiniker of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin told us.
A report released earlier this year by the U.S. Conference of Mayors looked at the potential benefits of high-speed rail for four “hub” cities: Albany, Chicago, Orlando and Los Angeles. Chicago would be the center of a network that would connect the city to St. Louis, Detroit and Minneapolis (with stops in Milwaukee and Madison). The report projected “as much as $6.1 billion a year in new business sales, producing up to 42,000 jobs and $2.5 billion in new wages.”
by jboullion | Nov 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Nick Paulson in the Stevens Point Journal:
AMHERST — Since 1971, Marguerite Ramlow and her husband, Bob, have renovated their rural property seven miles south of the village of Amherst, making it more sustainable and eco-friendly with every step.
And since they opened Artha Bed and Breakfast almost four years ago, that process has accelerated.
Solar panels provide electricity and heat water. The wood paneling comes from maple trees felled in a windstorm. Even the sheets, towels and cleaning products are organic.
“We want to show people they can live sustainably and be very comfortable,” said Marguerite, who, along with Bob, runs the Artha Sustainable Living Center, which includes the bed and breakfast.
This week, the couple were rewarded for their commitment. Artha, 9784 County Road K, was named honorable mention on a list of the top “eco-elegant” B&Bs by the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.
The department’s Travel Green program showcases top destinations for ecotourism, and being featured so prominently should be a boon to an already sound business.
“Just having our name out there will make people aware there is a place like this nearby,” Marguerite said.
A blurb by Travel Green describing the center mentioned the renovated farmhouse, solar heat and other information the center offers B&B guests.
“Guests come for the hands-on workshops and retreats on solar water heating, gardening and yoga,” the blurb states.
by jboullion | Nov 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a blog post by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin’s leadership in installing solar power compared with other Midwest states has made this source of alternative energy a bright spot on the employment front.
That’s the finding of the National Solar Jobs Census report, which ranks fifth in the nation in the number of jobs linked to solar energy.
The census was conducted by The Solar Foundation and Green LMI Consulting with technical assistance from Cornell University.
The census found Wisconsin has 2,885 solar jobs at contractors installing solar panels, as well as wholesalers and manufacturers. Wisconsin trails California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan.
The census is also forecasting job growth of 9%, or about 250 jobs, at Wisconsin solar employers, in 2011.
“Over the next 12 months, over 50% of solar firms expect to add jobs, while only 2% expect to cut workers,” the report said.
“This is the first time anyone has tried to quantify solar jobs along the entire value chain by speaking directly with employers or projected with any certainty solar job growth over the next 12 months,” said Andrea Luecke, acting executive director of The Solar Foundation. “The fact that a national census is needed to examine the size and nature of the workforce signals that the solar industry is having a substantial and positive impact on the U.S. Economy.”
Luecke joined the Solar Foundation this year after serving as program manager for the Milwaukee Shines solar initiative. The report was released locally by the environmental group Wisconsin Environment and Planet Earth Solar of La Crosse.
by jboullion | Nov 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Larry Sanders in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A Spanish-owned train company would seriously consider moving its plant from Milwaukee to Illinois in 2012 if Governor-elect Scott Walker follows through on his vow to kill a planned high-speed rail line, a company executive said Wednesday night.
Also Wednesday, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn sent Talgo Inc. a letter inviting the company to move to his state and promising to do whatever he could to lure it there.
Talgo has built a manufacturing plant at the former Tower Automotive property on Milwaukee’s north side, with employment projected to reach 125 by next year. It has initial contracts to build two trains for Amtrak’s existing Milwaukee-to-Chicago Hiawatha line and two trains for Oregon. Fulfilling those contracts will keep the plant in business through the spring of 2012.
The company also was hoping to build trains for a new Hiawatha extension from Milwaukee to Madison. But Walker, the Milwaukee County executive, has promised to halt work on the federally financed $810 million high-speed rail line, saying he doesn’t want Wisconsin taxpayers to pick up $7.5 million a year in operating costs.
“If Wisconsin is losing its enthusiasm for its rail program and others are not, we could go to Illinois and manufacture world-class trains there,” said Nora Friend, Talgo vice president for public affairs and business development. “We certainly appreciate Gov. Quinn reaching out to us. We will consider very seriously states that want to grow their rail program.”
Friend emphasized that Talgo had no plans to move immediately and hopes it can stay in Milwaukee. But Walker’s transition office issued a statement Wednesday reiterating the Republican governor-elect’s determination to end the rail project.
