Archive for March, 2009
Reuse the news
Like your coffee and paper Sunday morning? What do you do with the paper once you’ve looked it over? Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week. Double check before tossing these newspapers into the recycling bin if you can re-use it for wrapping paper, pet bedding, pass on to your neighbor or use as packing materials.
Meeting minutes: March 19
Just like you got them emailed from Ardy, here are the March 19 minutes and list of tasks.
Also, take a look at the draft green tidbits and comment with any changes we should make to them before they go to the Mesabi Daily News. FYI, I’ve just scheduled these five to show up on the website in the next week or two, but I can change them at any time (even after they “publish”).
Wash it cold
Check your washing machine water temperature! If all households in the U.S. switched from hot-hot cycle to a warm-cold, we could save the energy equivalent to 100,000 barrels of oil per day. Compare washing machine detergents to find one that works best with cold water or pre-soak heavily soiled items so that stains will still come out with a cold water wash. Since the rinse cycle doesn’t affect the cleanliness of your clothes, always rinse with cold water.
Visit us at the Virginia Home Show!
The Virginia Sustainability Task Force will be presenting at the Virginia Home Show this Thursday through Sunday, March 25-29. Come by to chat with us about what sustainability means, share sustainable-living ideas, and enter our drawing for a free compact fluorescent light bulb!
We’ll see you there!
Renewable Energy: Three Conferences
Thanks to Mary McReynolds at St Louis County for sending along the information about these three events:
Renewable Energy Merger & Acquisition Summit
April 15 – 17, 2009 | Almas Temple Club, Washington, DC
Meet players from the wind, solar, biomass and geothermal industries, plus equity investors, investment bankers, lenders and regulatory experts and learn:
- What the current market is for renewable energy M&A deals
- What strategic players are looking for in acquisition targets
- What regulatory changes can be expected in 2009
- Investment bankers perspectives on the deal market
- How renewable energy project developers view the marketover the next year
- The type of deals equity investors are seeking
- How to navigate through a transaction from a case study
- The type of terms being offered by financiers
Learn more by visiting: http://www.infocastinc.com/renew09
Renewables and the Grid Conference
May 13-14, 2009 | Almas Temple Club, Washington, DC
The Renewables and the Grid Conference will bring together utilities, regulators, ISOs and renewable energy developers to discuss how to overcome regulatory and operational challenges to facilitate the delivery of renewable energy. Key industry players discuss bringing renewable energy to the grid, covering:
- Updates on Queue Reform
- WREZ, CREZ and RETI
- Green Grid Initiatives
- Status and Update for Megaprojects
- Power Storage and Advanced Batteries
- Transmission Siting Reform
- Cost Allocation for Transmission Projects
- Smart Grid Commercialization
- Advanced Batteries and Energy Storage Commercialization
Learn more by visiting: http://www.infocastinc.com/grid09
Post-Stimulus Renewable Finance Summit
May 27-29, 2009 | Harrah’s New Orleans Hotel, New Orleans, LA
The Summit will also provide an excellent chance for renewable developers and the financial community to reengage in the wake of the unprecedented burst of federal governmental support for renewables and explore anew the opportunities for deal-making opportunities. Learn about:
- The Renewable Energy Loan Guaranty Program
- The Tax-Subsidy Grant Program
- Next-Gen Deal Structures: Leverage Leases, Flip, Public-Private, MLPs
- The Equity Market Response to the Stimulus Bill
- Lenders Response to the Stimulus Bill
- The Role Utilities Will Play in the Post-Stimulus Renewables Development and Financing Market
- The Federal Energy and Climate Bill
- Tax Credit Bonds, Public-Private Partnerships, and More
Learn more by visiting: http://www.infocastinc.com/renewablefinance09
Home Show talking points
Rob put together some talking points for the Home Show this week. As he emphasized last Thursday, we’re all going to have our own ways of describing what “sustainability” is and means – these are meant as ways to help make connections between our own ideas and the ideas people already have. Look through them and leave a comment with any feedback or additions to these points.
Air-dry your clothes
Get a clothesline or a clothing rack to dry your clothes by air. There are many benefits for using a more natural way of drying your clothes; your clothes will maintain color, clothing fibers won’t stretch, your clothes will smell better and you’ll save wear and tear on your clothes drier or quarters at the laundromat.
If you need to dry clothes quickly, try to dry clothing types that are similar together and dry multiple loads in a row to take advantage of the heat from the previous loads. Don’t forget to check the dryer filter and clean it before or after every dryer load; a clogged filter can reduce drying times.
Please Comment Draft 3–
Above is the logo to comment on
Would we want to use the people from this one on the wing of the loon in the logo at the top instead of stick people? Do We even want people in the logo?
Conserve Energy to Protect the Ocean!
The burning of fossil fuels helps to contaminate the ocean in many ways. Air pollution particles drop onto the ocean in raindrops, and carbon dioxide causes global warming and rising ocean temperatures. How can you help reverse these trends?
Bicycle or walk more often to get where you’re going- these methods of transportation use no fossil fuels and don’t pollute the air and the ocean.
When these methods aren’t practical, use transit or carpools, which cause much less pollution per person per mile.
Consider purchasing a hybrid gas/ electric vehicle. It can cut your carbon dioxide emissions in half.
Send a letter to your electric company requesting that they use clean energy sources such as wind power. IF you have the choice, choose to purchase clean power rather than power generated by fossil fuels.
