by jboullion | Aug 24, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article on Wisconsin Ag Connection:
Several groups are joining forces to hold a homegrown renewable energy bus tour around Northern Wisconsin next month. The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Office of Energy Independence, Wisconsin Farmers Union, [RENEW Wisconsin], and other partners are sponsoring the daylong tour on September 8.
Organizers say stops will be made at four locations where exciting developments in renewable energy production are being made.
The tour includes visits at Cadott School District, where the district uses buses that run on natural gas and and has examples of electric and alternative fuel vehicles; Five Star Dairy near Elk Mound, uses a manure to energy digester system to generate electricity; Barron High School, which produced wood chips, instead of fossil fuels, to provide heat for the school; and Bioenergy Crop Research Site, where attendees can meet the people behind the cutting edge research into bioenergy crops.
The stops on the tour coincide with each policy item of the Homegrown Renewable Energy Campaign. All four policies will come before the state legislature this fall.
Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Cadott Junior/Senior High School. The tour will conclude at approximately 5 p.m. Lunch and snacks will be provided and the cost of the tour is $10.
For more information or to sign-up, call 715-723-5561.
by jboullion | Aug 17, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Peter Passi in the Superior Telegram:
When most viewers think of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” visions of lavish over-the-top houses spring to mind.
But the dwelling now being built for the Howard and Jessica Huber family in Wisconsin’s Oakland Township breaks the mold.
“This is going to be the greenest show they’ve ever done,” said Thad Whitesel, president of Builders Commonwealth, the Duluth cooperative overseeing the first “Extreme Makeover” project ever tackled in the Northland. “This also is the smallest house they’ve ever built, by quite a bit,” he said.
At 2,300 square feet, the Hubers’ new home won’t be small by most people’s standards, but the majority of residences built during other episodes of the show would dwarf it.
The home’s modest size will make it less expensive to heat. But the energy-efficient design of the residence also will have much to do with keeping its heating bills in check. The home is being built upon a super-insulated concrete slab and will incorporate high-efficiency 8-inch thick panel walls and triple-glazed windows.
Although Whitesel said there wasn’t sufficient lead time to procure solar panels for the home, Builders Commonwealth was able to incorporate passive solar heating into the design. The home will be heated with a combination of fuels, including wood, propane and electricity, allowing it to operate with off-peak electrical heat.
To help the home retain heat, it will feature a 6,000-pound heat sink and a thermal-storage wall behind its wood burner, according to Arno Kahn project manager and co-founder of Builders Commonwealth.
Plans also call for a wind turbine which should meet most of the home’s daytime electrical needs. Kahn explained that building in a fuel efficient manner is key to ensuring the longevity of the home, which he fully expects to exceed a century.
“Fuel is expensive now, but think of what it could cost in 40 or 50 years from now,” he said.
by jboullion | Aug 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a story on WQOW-TV, Eau Claire:
Eau Claire (WQOW) – A new program aims to teach area residents all about sustainable living.
The UW-Extension was recently awarded a $7,500 grant by the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board to help start eco-teams. Eco-teams are small groups of individuals or businesses that work together to lessen their impact on the environment.
When it comes to going green the options are endless.
“Hanging out your laundry, starting a compost bin, installing low-flow shower heads,” says Erin LaFaive, UW-Extension horticulture educator.
But figuring out what those options are might not always be easy. That’s why the UW-Extension is stepping in with a new program called EcoTeams.
“EcoTeams is a way to have an evironmentally sustainable lifestyle in a fun way. You get groups of people together at work or in your neighborhood or your faith organization and go through a workbook called the green living handbook,” adds LaFaive.
After completing each chapter you meet with your EcoTeam to discuss what you learned and ways to apply that to your everyday life. Topics in each chapter include things like water, electricity and garbage.
“In the workbook, it asks you what actions are you willing to take and you check those off, then when you’re done with the workbook it asks which ones you really did,” says LaFaive.
The book even helps you calculate things like energy bill savings and how much garbage you go through. And with cities going green, LaFaive says now is the perfect time for everyone to jump on board.
by jboullion | Aug 11, 2009 | Uncategorized
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Madison Gas & Electric followed Madison residences from when they boarded the bus in the capital city to the fair and back again.
by jboullion | Aug 5, 2009 | Uncategorized
From an article by Richard Thomas in Business North:
At least $100,000 in scholarships is available per year for students who enroll in the University of Wisconsin’s Sustainable Management bachelor program, the nation’s first such degree available online, Dean David Schejbal said July 29.
The program is using faculty and financial aid offices at UW campuses: Parkside, River Falls, Stout and Superior.
The Wisconsin Board of Commissioners of Public Lands provides the scholarship money. Proceeds from sale and forestry on these lands go to K-12 library systems, loans to municipalities, teaching colleges in Wisconsin, commonly referred to as the Normal Schools, and others.
Recently the Normal School fund began showing positive financial returns. The state constitution directed this money to go to the UW general fund.
The board asked Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona) for an amendment to direct these monies to three areas: a full-time position for Environmental Studies K-12 curriculum development, the Nelson Institute for need-based scholarships, and the Sustainable Management degree program.
Schejbel expects the scholarship fund to grow each year.
The two-year, 21-course (63 credits) degree aims to turn the theories of sustainability into tangible business strategies. The program teaches the fundamentals of “triple bottom line” — ecological, social and financial performance. . . .
For more information, go to sustain.wisconsin.edu.
