by jboullion | Jun 5, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kathleen Gallagher in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A year ago, Erik Lindberg rented a boom lift with a bucket and hoisted 15 cubic yards of dirt to the roof of his north side remodeling business. In the process, he planted himself firmly in the middle of a growing urban agriculture movement.
Lindberg, owner of Community Building & Restoration, turned to rooftop gardening in the belief that his actions might encourage people to grow their own food or buy locally grown produce.
And by selling the vegetables he grows to subscribers and a nearby Outpost Natural Foods store, he may have become Milwaukee’s first commercial rooftop farmer.
“It’s an experiment,” said Lindberg, 42. “Can you develop a business plan out of something like this? The answer is, I don’t know yet.”
Rooftop farming is in its infancy, but the potential is enormous, said Steven Peck, founder and president of Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, a 10-year-old Toronto-based association that claims more than 5,000 members.
“We have probably a handful of projects. A lot of the rooftop gardening we do may have a commercial or selling component, but it’s often set up because of the social benefits it provides,” Peck said. Those benefits include improved health, less stress, a sense of community among tenants of a building, better caretakers and lower crime rates, he said.
Green evolution
Restaurants such as Frontera Grill and Uncommon Groundin Chicago were among the pioneers of rooftop gardening.
Milwaukee is an evolving “green roof” community, Peck said.
Among the local buildings featuring rooftop gardens are a City of Milwaukee building at 809 Broadway; the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District building at 260 W. Seeboth St.; the Highland Gardens Public Housing Facility; the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Great Lakes WATER Institute; the Karen Peck Katz Conservation Education Center at the Milwaukee County Zoo; the Urban Ecology Center next to Riverside University High School; and the Grohmann Museum at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.
by jboullion | Jun 4, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Wisconsin Environment:
Green Bay, WI –Reducing dependence on fossil fuels, creating new jobs and protecting the environment for future generations are all benefits resulting from the clean energy policies adopted in Wisconsin in recent years, according to a new report released today at events in Madison, Milwaukee and Green Bay by Wisconsin Environment. The group cited the report’s findings as clear evidence the state legislature should take the next steps toward a clean energy economy.
“This report shows that we can repower Wisconsin and revitalize our economy with homegrown clean energy solutions,” said Wisconsin Environment Director Dan Kohler. “With our abundant natural resources and strong manufacturing and agricultural base, we have the perfect combination of assets to be a national leader.”
Wisconsin Environment’s new report comes as state lawmakers are gearing up to consider new commitments to renewable energy and efficiency programs. Last August, Governor Doyle’s Global Warming Task Force recommended increasing the state’s renewable energy commitment from 10% by 2015 up to 25% by 2025, as well as using energy more wisely. Legislation stemming from the task force is expected to be announced later this summer.
by jboullion | Jun 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wind turbine prices have fallen significantly in recent months amid the economic slowdown, and that, in turn, has brought down the projected cost to build the state’s largest wind farm.
The Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County is now projected to cost a maximum of $413.5 million, down from a projection of $525.6 million when We Energies announced the project last year.
The Milwaukee utility is seeking to build the project in the next several years to comply with a state law that requires 10% of Wisconsin’s electricity be supplied by wind turbines and other renewable energy sources by 2015.
“Market conditions for the procurement of wind turbine equipment have changed considerably” since the utility first submitted its proposal to the state Public Service Commission, We Energies said in a filing with state regulators.
We Energies is proposing a 90-turbine wind power project, the Glacier Hills Wind Park, northeast of Madison. It would be the largest wind farm in the state, slightly bigger than the 88-turbine Blue Sky Green Field wind farm We Energies began operating near Fond du Lac last year.
Glacier Hills would generate enough power over a year to supply 45,000 typical homes, the utility says.
The utility also said it has reached an agreement with Vestas to supply turbines for the wind project, if the development is given the go-ahead by state regulators.
The drop in prices for wind turbines is linked to the recession and a slowdown in wind power development caused by both the economy and tight credit markets.
by jboullion | May 22, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kathleen Gallagher in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
A California couple has pledged $5 million to endow a chair at Marquette University’s engineering school.
The Thomas H. and Suzanne M. Werner Chair in Secure and Renewable Energy Systems will lead a multidisciplinary research cluster of four to six faculty members and develop an advanced curriculum, said Stan Jaskolski, Marquette’s dean of engineering.
Marquette is working with the Milwaukee School of Engineering and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to create a major research cluster for sustainable energy, Jaskolski said.
“Gifts like this are just tremendous momentum builders,” he said.
Thomas Werner said his vision for the program is that it “trains new technologists in a new field and primes the pump for America to be the innovator in renewable energy.”
“Our hope is that we see tangible accomplishments in a field that’s important to the planet,” Werner said.
The gift will position Marquette as a leader in southeastern Wisconsin in this academic area, where students will work with faculty to pursue fields such as solar electric energy generation, modern electric drives and the design of products that make energy consumption more efficient, said Jaskolski, who was previously Eaton Corp.’s chief technology officer.
It also will help strengthen Wisconsin’s growing “clean tech” sector, which includes water, wind, solar, geothermal and biofuel technologies spread across many areas of the state, said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council.
by jboullion | May 21, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by the Urban Economic Development Association, NAACP Milwaukee, Spotted Eagle, Inc., ACLU of Wisconsin Foundation, Midwest Environmental Advocates, Citizens Allied for Sane Highways, Transit Matters, WISPIRG, Sierra Club – John Muir Chapter:
A coalition of community and environmental groups is urging Governor Doyle and the Department of Transportation to devote economic stimulus money to expand and improve Wisconsin’s public transportation system. In a letter to WisDOT Secretary, Busalacchi the coalition urged that money allocated to Wisconsin by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009’s Surface Transportation Program (ARRA STP) go to projects that will deliver the highest return on investment.
“Particularly in light of Wisconsin’s $6.6 billion current budget deficit, it is especially important that we invest these funds wisely in areas where they will have the greatest impact in our economic recovery,” said Megan Carr, Project Coordinator with the Urban Economic Development Association. “Recent studies show that mass transit projects generate more in terms of jobs and economic growth in comparison to new roads and bridges.”
The coalition particularly urged that funds be spent to improve transit in low income communities. The letter states that “Sustained economic development depends on engaging as many people as possible in the economy. For the broader economy it is better for someone who is unemployed to get a job than for someone who is already employed to switch jobs. Putting or keeping transit in communities with high unemployment produces up to 2.5 times more jobs than putting transit in communities with low unemployment.”
