by jboullion | Jan 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From the home page of the Western Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Communities:
There have been a myriad of TNS [The Natural Step] study circles (approximately 15 to date) in the St. Croix River Valley, from River Falls to Hudson, Spring Valley, Amery, Osceola, St. Croix Falls, and beyond. We now have a TNS study circle umbrella and advocacy group emerging in the form of the Western Wisconsin Initiative for Sustainable Communities (WWISC) that has been developing in partnership with the SCISCD.
In mid-November 2008, the WWISC leadership group (Rainbow Barry, Stew Erickson, Peter Henry, Timm Johnson, John Kalmon, Tracey Mofle, Cader Olive, Jeff Peterson, and Rob Peterson, Chair) developed a mission of “Facilitating regional adoption of the TNS framework for sustainable communities through the exchange of information and the sharing of resources.”
The WWISC site includes a link to a summary table of western Wisconsin organizations and their activities.
by jboullion | Jan 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
The connection between gardening and energy might seem weak at first glance, but growing your own food can cut the energy needed for food production and transportation, especially if the food comes from far away.
From a news brief in the Onalaska-Holmen Life-Courier:
Get Sustainable Trempealeau County will present “Starting From Seed: Everything You Need to Know to Begin Your Spring Garden Now” on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 7 p.m. at the Trempealeau Village Hall, 24455 Third St.
“Starting From Seed” is the first Talking Sustainability Forum of 2009, with several more to come. The program will feature area gardener Mary Graziano, who will demonstrate simple ways to start this year’s vegetables and other plants indoors.
The workshop will cover everything people need to know for starting their own garden seeds including:
+ Equipment and lighting;
+ Correct soil conditions;
+ Temperature;
+ Types of seeds (including heirloom varieties);
+ Caring for seedlings;
+ Other resources for finding seeds and equipment.
Graziano has been gardening for more than 30 years and has been starting her own plants for 15. She has a solar-heated, all-season greenhouse where she starts plants for her garden and to sell locally.
In the past five years, Graziano has begun growing heirloom varieties and also has grown native prairie plants and grasses.
by jboullion | Jan 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article on the Web site of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council:
How do you build a local renewable energy workforce and new homes at the same time?
Recognizing a need for more NABCEP certified installers in its service territory, We Energies and other partners teamed up with the Habitat for Humanity (H4H) chapter in Milwaukee to develop a solar training program that would benefit the local industry as well as the H4H chapter and its members.
“It was a natural confluence of events,” said Carl Siegrist, Solar Programs Manager. “Last year, I had a number of calls from the local H4H chapter saying they wanted to solarize some of their houses. Around the same time, I’d been talking with our local IBEW and NECA about training opportunities for solar here in Wisconsin. Somewhere between those two conversations, we talked internally about the lack of NABCEP certified solar installers here in the Milwaukee area and in our We Energies service territory. We’ve got lots of solar work going on here in Milwaukee, but the installers come from Madison or central Wisconsin (where MREA is located). It seemed to us that if there were local installers, maybe the prices would be a bit less because the installers wouldn’t be coming from other places in Wisconsin, and we’d be building our own local workforce.”
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA), long-known for its renewable energy training opportunities, used newly-constructed homes which H4H provided as training roofs for individuals who had prior training, but needed to be the lead on a solar installation in order to qualify for state incentives and to sit for the NABCEP exam.
“We had one of those ‘aha’ moments,” said Siegrist, “when we saw We Energies, NABCEP and IBEW playing together to meet multiple goals: education, training, certification, building our workforce. It was an especially good outcome for NABCEP.”
by jboullion | Jan 19, 2009 | Uncategorized
Presented by the Energy Center of Wisconsin
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Lodge at Cedar Creek
805 Creske Avenue
Rothschild, WI 54474
715.241.6300
Agenda
11:30 am—Registration & Lunch
12:00 noon—Presentation
1:00 pm—Question & Answer
1:30 pm—Adjourn
Media coverage around energy and environmental issues exploded over the past year. Sustainability considerations factor into more business decisions as companies green their supply chains and roll out new, eco-friendly products. Major policy initiatives at the federal and state level in Wisconsin will help push what has been called “the green industrial revolution.” What does all this mean for economic development here in Wisconsin? What opportunities should you be considering in your business planning? What are the benefits of greener choices at work and at home? Join us for a lively look at top trends in sustainable business-and discuss cost savings, brand enhancement and the policy climate to help you position your company for new opportunity.
Register here.
by jboullion | Jan 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an announcement issued by the Wisconsin Farmers Union:
(January 16, 2009) – Grain and livestock farmers, agriculture professionals, government offices, policy makers, educators and bioenergy enthusiasts are invited to attend the Sustainable Bioenergy and Local Climate Change Solutions workshop at UW-River Falls Dairy Learning Center Classroom on January 30, 2009, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
The seminar is hosted by Wisconsin Farmers Union, Great Lakes Ag Energy, the Consortium for Education in Renewable Energy Technology (CERET), and UW-River Falls. Experts and leaders in the bioenergy field will present information on how to make and use biofuels in today’s changing global climate.
Featured presenters include: Sue Beitlich, WFU president, Jamie Derr of Kombi-Crush, LLC; Maria Redmond, biofuels specialist with the Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence; Dr. Ken Walz, chemistry instructor at Madison Area Technical College; Mike Clark past president of Prairiefire Biofuels Cooperative and current secretary of the Wisconsin Biodiesel Association; Robert Brylski, renewable energy instructor at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College; and Mark Toddy of Pepin Biotech, LLC.
More details in the workshop brochure.
by jboullion | Jan 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Members of the Wausau School Board on Monday approved a $400,000 donation for the Wausau East High School wind turbine project.
Members voted 5-0 in favor of accepting the donation, which came from the Walter Alexander Foundation. It will cover most of the estimated $575,000 in project costs.
District officials plan to install two wind turbines on the southeast corner of the Wausau East campus.
The turbines will stand more than 150 feet high and could be operational by next summer, East science teacher Lauren Ebbecke said.
