by jboullion | Dec 21, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in The Tomah Journal:
SPARTA – A dam that hasn’t produced power in about 40 years could be fired up again to provide alternative electricity and education for Western Technical College.
“It is a diamond in the rough that has been overlooked for a long time,” said Stephen Doret, a hydroelectric consultant and chief engineer for Mill Road Engineering in Westborough, Mass.
Doret detailed plans for the Angelo Pond dam on the La Crosse River at a public hearing Monday at Western’s Sparta campus.
The dam would generate electricity for the Sparta campus and help train students about emerging technology fields, said Mike Pieper, Western’s vice president of finance and operations.
The re-powered dam is expected to crank out about 1 million kilowatt hours a year, far more than the 250,000 kilowatt hours the Sparta campus annually uses, said Doret.
by jboullion | Dec 18, 2009 | Uncategorized
Each year citizens from across Wisconsin descend on the Capitol to share their conservation values with their Legislators. Since the first Conservation Lobby Day in 2005, it has grown from just 100 citizens to more than 600! As we head into the 6th annual Conservation Lobby Day, there is one thing we can guarantee-when citizens come together to make their conservation values known, legislators listen, and conservation victories soon follow!
The reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund and the passage of the Strong Great Lakes Compact are two great examples of how citizen lobbying resulted in ground-breaking conservation laws.
Conservation Lobby Day is a unique opportunity to share your conservation stories and experiences with legislators and have a huge impact on conservation policies affecting all of Wisconsin.
This Conservation Lobby Day, you can help to:
* Preserve Groundwater: Wisconsin’s Buried Treasure: manage Wisconsin’s groundwater resources to preserve lakes, streams, wetlands and drinking water supplies.
* Stop Global Warming in Wisconsin: address the threats of global warming in Wisconsin through clean, renewable energy jobs and energy conservation.
* Restore Conservation Integrity: return Wisconsin to an Independent DNR Secretary and a timely appointment of Natural Resource Board members.
* Protect Wisconsin’s Drinking Water: protect Wisconsin’s drinking water supplies by making sure we safely spread agricultural, municipal, and industrial waste.
For a 1-page brief on each of these issues and more information about Conservation Lobby Day 2010, go to: http://www.conservationvoters.org/Public/index.php?custID=110
Registration starts at 9:00am on the day of the event, but you MUST REGISTER BEFORE JANUARY 19th by visiting http://www.conservationvoters.org/Public/index.php?custID=110 and signing up. There you can learn more about the issues in order to better prepare you for the day’s events.
by jboullion | Dec 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Fond du Lac Reporter:
MADISON, WI – December 16, 2009 – If you are considering replacing the older appliances in your home, 2010 may be the year to do it. Alliant Energy is encouraging its Wisconsin customers to take advantage of the new State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program (SEEARP) next year to receive Cash-Back Rewards to purchase new ENERGY STAR® qualified or high efficiency appliances and equipment when they replace their used ones.
Starting January 1, 2010, as part of funding awarded to the state under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – widely known as the federal stimulus package – all Wisconsin residents will have the opportunity to become more energy efficient while saving money through the State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. The initiative is being administered by Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy.
“If homeowners have been considering purchasing new appliances at some point, it’s an ideal time to do so in 2010 under this program,” said Linda Mattes, Alliant Energy Director of Energy Efficiency and Renewables. “Appliances, water heaters, and heating and cooling equipment are among the largest energy users in a home and replacing them with newer, more efficient models will save families money in the long run.”
by jboullion | Dec 16, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Better Environmental Solutions and the Wisconsin Grocers Association:
Tomah, WI – With state and world leaders gathered in Copenhagen to talk about climate change, Burnstad’s European Market is one of the first grocery stores in the state to achieve the ‘Green Grocer’ certification, which assists grocery stores in achieving energy savings, sustainability and environmental standards.
“Burnstad’s Tomah European Market and the WGA’s Green Grocer Program show that businesses can reduce their costs, emissions and improve service with energy efficiency,” said Governor Jim Doyle. “This shows one concrete way for Wisconsin to be a leader to create green jobs and a green economy.”
The WGA Green Grocer Program recently won the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency.
Burnstad’s Market upgraded their lighting and refrigerator compressor efficiency saving $17,703 and 228,446 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. This is enough electricity to power 21 homes and the equivalent to taking 31 cars off the road. They will reduce CO2 emissions by 408,795 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions next year. Burnstad’s received a DOE Rebuild Grant to help upgrade food service equipment with Energy Star appliances.
“We are pleased to be one of the first grocery stores in the Wisconsin to be Green Grocer certified,” said Kent Burnstad, chair of Burnstad’s Markets. “We took many steps like more efficient refrigerators, lights, and motors to save energy and reduce our energy bills and carbon emissions. We save money that we can pass onto our customers and pass a better community onto our children.”
Offered by the Wisconsin Grocers Association (WGA) to its members, the program is administered by Better Environmental Solutions, a Madison, Wisconsin-based environmental consulting firm. ‘Green Grocers’ also received energy efficiency and conservation programming support from Wisconsin Power and Light (WPL), an Alliant Energy company. The seven Green Grocer stores taking action will reduce 3,986,000 pounds of CO2 emissions and save 2,389,010 kilowatt hours of electricity next year, equal to taking 328 cars off the road.
by jboullion | Dec 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by RENEW Wisconsin:
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2009
MORE INFORMATION
Michael Vickerman
RENEW Wisconsin
608.255.4044
mvickerman@renewwisconsin.org
Report: Wind Turbines Cause No Human Harm
Consistent with 10-plus years of commercial wind generation operations in Wisconsin, a national report issued today concluded that the sounds produced by wind turbines are not harmful to human health, according to the state’s leading renewable energy advocacy group.
Comprised of medical doctors, audiologists, and acoustical professionals from the United States, Canada, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, the panel of reviewers undertook extensive analysis and discussion of the large body of peer-reviewed literature, specifically with regard to sound coming from wind turbines.
The panel was established by the American Wind Energy Association and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA).
“This report corroborates testimony that RENEW presented in the ongoing Glacier Hills Wind Park hearings at the Wisconsin Public Service Commission,” according to Michael Vickerman, executive director of RENEW Wisconsin. In that proceeding, We Energies is seeking approval to construct a 90-turbine 162 megawatt wind park in northeast Columbia County.
