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 15, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Governor Doyle:
MADISON – Governor Doyle announced today a major investment in Wisconsin communities working toward energy independence and a clean energy future. To assist local efforts, Governor Doyle awarded over $400,000 in grants to 23 community groups working to create a “25×25” Plan to meet the Governor’s goal of generating 25 percent of the state’s electricity and transportation fuels from renewable resources by the year 2025.
“Wisconsin Energy Independent Communities are critical leaders in the state’s efforts to clean our air and water, create jobs, and save money for our communities,” Governor Doyle said. “I am confident that this investment will help create a clean energy roadmap that will boost energy efficiency, expand renewable energy use, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and save taxpayers money.”
The Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership is the first of its kind in the nation and is an integral part of Governor Doyle’s ambitious goal for the state to become the nation’s leader in the drive toward energy independence. The partnership includes counties, cities, villages, towns, tribes, and schools in the state that have committed to Governor Doyle’s “25×25” challenge. Currently, there are over 70 communities committed to Governor Doyle’s challenge, with over 250 more communities interested in participating.
The 2009 Wisconsin Energy Independent Community Partnership pilot communities are: Brown County, Oneida Tribe, City of Washburn, City of Ashland, City of Bayfield, Town of La Pointe, Town of Bayfield, Ashland County, Bayfield County, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Village of Osceola, Osceola School District, City of Marshfield, City of Columbus, City of Evansville, City of Platteville, City of Lancaster, the City of Oconomowoc, Town of Fairfield, Village of Spring Green, Town of Spring Green, and the River Valley School District.
More from an article by Kyle Weaver in the Country Messenger (Scandia, MN):
“I think it’s recognition of where we’ve been and where we’re going with the school,” said Osceola School Board President Timm Johnson during a short interview. “It just puts us in a really good position to address our energy use.”
Johnson said the grant should allow both the Village and the school system access to professional services to audit their energy consumption in publicly-owned buildings as well as opportunities to explore new programs, such as encouraging production and consumption of more locally grown foods.
by jboullion | Jan 12, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Focus on Energy:
MERCER, Wis. (Jan. 6, 2009) – With the help of Focus on Energy, Action Floor Systems, LLC, a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of sport facility wood floors, recently installed a wood-fired boiler system at the company’s headquarters in Mercer, Wis. The boiler system, which was completed in November 2008, eliminates the need for natural gas in the company’s manufacturing process and also meets the space heating needs of the facility.
“The installation of the system made sense for our company, as it replaced an outdated system that was becoming increasingly inefficient and required a lot of maintenance,” said Karl Anderson, plant manager for Action Floor Systems. “More importantly it helped us comply with environmental codes, and will save the company a significant amount of money in operating cost down the road.”
The completion of the wood-fired boiler system is due in part to technical assistance and a $200,000 Implementation Grant from Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative. The project represents a total investment of $1,055,000, and has a projected payback period of about three and a half years when compared to the alternative of using natural gas to meet facility needs. The wood-fired boiler system will offset 658,300 therms of natural gas, enough energy to heat nearly 700 homes.
According to Anderson, the new wood-fired boiler system is used to produce steam for the wood-drying kilns and the buildings’ heating systems. Residual waste wood left from their manufacturing process is used to power the system. Previously the company was using two boiler systems. One was a natural gas-fired system and the other a 50-year-old wood-fired boiler. Due to limited steam generating capabilities and breakdowns of the wood-fired system, operation of the gas-fired boiler was routinely required to satisfy a portion or all of the steam demand. Because of obvious inefficiencies of the previous system, Action Floor Systems decided a new wood-fired boiler that satisfied the entire facility’s steam demand was a smart investment.
by jboullion | Jan 9, 2009 | Uncategorized
Solar installer Shawn Young (H&H Solar), RENEW’s Michael Vickerman, and the City of Madison’s Kay Schindel (left to right) inspect the solar hot water system on Station No. 1 with the downtown Madison skyline in the background.
From an article by Julian Emerson and Andrew Dowd in the Leader-Telegram:
Eau Claire city officials have outlined 58 infrastructure projects totaling $70.58 million that could be started this year if they receive money.
The proposed city projects span a range of infrastructure improvement initiatives and have not been prioritized. Besides the Hobbs remodeling, other big-ticket items on the list include a $6.8 million L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library upgrade, $6 million to relocate the Police Department, a $5 million North Barstow Redevelopment District parking ramp and a $4 million city bus transit center.
The list includes some less costly endeavors too, such as City Hall heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements costing $117,000 and a $23,200 rooftop solar water heating system for City Hall and fire station No. 2.
by jboullion | Jan 7, 2009 | Uncategorized
From a media release issued by Northland College and posted on BusinessNorth.com:
ASHLAND, Wis. – Northland College is taking another step to reduce its environmental impact by no longer offering trays in its cafeteria.
In the fall semester, the College began Tray-less Tuesdays, an initiative that saved 138 gallons of water each Tuesday by not offering trays to students. Now, Northland is extending the policy for the other six days of the week.
“We estimate we ran 828 fewer trays through the dish machine on Tuesdays” said Jeff Spangenberg, the director of food service at Northland. Because a tray takes twice as much space in the dishwashing machines as a plate, eliminating them is a simple but effective way to reduce the environmental impact of food service.
In addition to saving water, energy, dish soap and time, the policy also will cut down on food waste. By only using a plate, and going back to the buffet for seconds if necessary, students are less likely to over-estimate their appetites and take food they won’t eat. When Viterbo University went tray-less in 2007, they eliminated nearly three tons of food waste in two semesters. While Northland has fewer mouths to feed, the results are still expected to be significant.
