Clean Energy Is Made
in the USA
by Stephanie Burns, Roll Call
America is at the dawn of a new energy
era — a transformation that will provide us with more clean
energy-producing options such as solar, wind and other renewable
energy sources.
This transformation could bring with it whole new industries,
hundreds of thousands of new jobs, a sustainable source of economic
growth and a reduced carbon footprint that is good for our country
and for our global environment. As the CEO of one of the world’s
only producers of the silicon-based technology that powers the solar
industry, I know firsthand that America’s energy transformation is
inexorably linked to our nation’s economic and manufacturing future...
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here for the rest of the story.
Wind Industry Expects
Its Slowdown To Be Only Temporary
by Renee Schoof, McClatchy
Newspapers
WALLED LAKE, Mich. Michael and Sharon
Medwid did what other family businesses are trying around the
country: They invested in a new shop and machinery to build parts
for wind turbines and to reap the benefits of America's expansion of
wind energy. Then the recession clobbered them.
Now they're running lean to survive until credit flows again and
they can be part of a wind energy initiative to reach a national
goal of doubling renewable energy in three years.
The recession has slowed down the whole wind industry this year,
from materials to final assembly of turbines. Experts say that
getting it up to speed to produce the number of turbines needed to
generate large amounts of renewable energy will require more
government support and innovation to make the parts lighter,
stronger and cheaper...
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here for the rest of the story.
Green Wedding Ideas
Green Parent
If you are planning a wedding to
reflect your ethics we have lots of ideas to help you. Here are a
few of our favorite things to create a really special green wedding;
from a towering organic chocolate cake to a beautiful hemp and
organic cotton wedding dress. For the perfect natural nuptials, read
on to find out more.
VENUE More travel means a greater impact on the environment. Choose
a venue that is easily accessible. Send out information about public
transport with your invites and consider organizing a coach or
minibus to collect guests from the nearest train station. Penrhos
Court is an old manor farm nestled in the countryside between
England and Wales. It offers organic and environmentally friendly
weddings with services including a green wedding list; seasonal
organic food and a hotel run on environmental principles. Ryton
Organic Gardens offer a large conservation area with native trees
and a wildflower meadow, a bee garden and living willow sculptures.
This is a fabulous place to have a wedding if there are a lot of
children involved as the 10 acres of land provide plenty of play
space...
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here for the rest of the story.
Install solar and wind
electricity for a secure and sustainable future
by Rex Ewing, Countryside Journal
What is the hidden value of a
renewable-energy dollar? Ten years ago, when my wife and I hauled
all of our animals and belongings to the mountains to begin a new
life beyond the power grid, I would have answered, not much. The
renewable energy (RE) landscape was a very different place then.
Most utilities looked upon renewable energy as a fly in the
ointment; a passing fad embraced by a few diehard ex-hippies and
back-to-the-land fanatics. Following the utilities' lead, state
governments, by and large, offered nothing in the way of incentive
programs, and the feds and most financial institutions turned a
blind eye to the whole residential RE issue.
But times change, often quickly and sometimes for the better. In 10
short years, solar and wind energy have emerged as the new
clean-energy juggernauts, amidst growing concerns of national
security, environmental degradation, and deleterious climate change,
all related to our stubborn dependence on non-renewable fossil
fuels.
Suddenly the government wants you to want solar panels on your roof.
And if you haven't already, the time to oblige them has arrived. The
only question is: how sweet of a deal can you expect?..
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here for the rest of the story.
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