Solar PV developers may soon get the message that the Sunshine State is closed for business.
In an important proceeding at the Florida Public Service Commission in Tallahassee, approval of large-scale solar projects is in doubt. The key issue before the Commission is whether to approve a project with clear environmental benefits, yet its price tag exceeds “avoided cost”, and thus Commission staff has recommend against approval.
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A great opportunity crossed my path when Jamie Trahan from the USF Clean Energy Research Center called. As a local green builder, she thought I could help her search for homes to feature on the 14th annual ASES National Solar Tour being held across the country on October 3rd.
Sadly, I informed her although I researched installing solar on our super energy efficient homes, I couldn’t find a way to make it work. Our mission is to build sustainable and affordable. We went with a gas fired tankless hot water system. Yes, it is natural gas, not a renewable, but still better than a traditional water heater sapping electricity around the clock. I know everyone can relate to waiting for water to come from the tank to your shower and up to a comfortable temp, wasting gallons upon gallons of water in our already deprived region. Tankless saves money and almost more importantly, water. Would I have preferred solar? Damn straight I would, future homeowners of our Ec0-Craftsman would have benefited from a zero energy home, but solar is caught in a conundrum of sorts. There’s not the demand to spur mass production, which leads to lower costs while at the same time, there isn’t the mass production leading to lower cost which would spur demand.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:
Finding an emotional connection with our planet- Doing so allows us to look at what our needs are in life and what is of the highest and greatest importance to us and our environment.
Best of the Bay Readers’ Poll 2009: The race for Greenest Politician has Linda Saul-Sena in the lead- Who do you think should take the title of this year’s Greenest Politician in the Bay?
Clean energy and anti-offshore drilling rally in Ybor this Thursday- Thursday, August 27th, join Sierra Club, 1Sky Florida, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and other environmental groups for a real grassroots rally outside Big Oil’s staged gathering.
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Progress Energy announced that it applied for $200 million in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) federal infrastructure funds for the development of an electric Smart Grid in the Carolinas and Florida. The DOE grant would be shared equally between the two states.
A “Smart Grid” is a modernized digital electric transmission and distribution system that delivers detailed, real-time energy use information to customers. Read the rest of this entry »
What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:
Fixing sprawl and redesigning suburbia- Grant Rimbey CNU explores a possible strategy towards improving existing sprawl. Fixing the sprawl that we have, along with sprawl demolition and recycling, are strategies that could be employed in the future as a new green industry.
Nation’s largest solar facility to be in DeSoto County by next year- Florida Power and Light is currently building the nation’s largest photovoltaic plant in DeSoto County, a $173.5 million, 25 megawatt solar generating facility.
Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating screening – What’s wrong with the mega-industrial food industry- Struggling small farms, problems with food safety rules and the mega-industrial food industry, and a film about all of the above.
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Last month, I decided to unplug my clothes dryer and line dry – or over a rack, chair, or railing.
Every few years, the Pew Research Center asks about 1,000 Americans what they think about various appliances. Three years ago, 83 percent responded that a clothes dryer was a necessity. Now one in every three Americans sees this appliance as an unnecessary extravagance requiring a huge commitment of energy to run. In many households, the dryer is the third most energy-hungry appliance after the refrigerator and washer. Air-drying your clothes can reduce the average household’s carbon footprint by 2,400 pounds a year.
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The town of Arcadia in DeSoto County is currently building the nation’s largest photovoltaic plant.
According to Florida Power & Light (FPL) the $173.5 million, 25 megawatt solar generating facility should be operating by the second quarter of 2010.
In February, FPL broke ground on its DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center: Florida’s first commercial solar energy facility. The facility is projected to produce an average of 42,000 MWh of electricity annually. This enough to meet the needs of over 3,000 homes or over 7,000 people; nearly 20% of DeSoto County.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:
The Earth Charter: How ethics can change the world (video) – The Earth charter was created by thousands of people representing hundreds of countries aiming at a universal ethical code of conduct for human beings. How do we treat each other? How do we treat the world? These questions were raised and answered.
City of Tampa Green Business Designation Program- As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program. Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.
Why buying recycled, repurposed products is so important- Preserving the Earth’s natural resources is vital to the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants. Buying recycled and repurposed products is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment by cutting back on waste and the resources needed to make new items.
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Do you receive way too much junk mail? Here are some tips to lighten your junk mail load:
The issue:
-Every year, each of us receives almost 560 pieces of junk mail, accounting for 43% of all delivered mail!
-Every year, the US EPA estimates 44% of junk mail isn’t even opened, creating four tons of waste!
-Every year, junk mail uses as much energy as almost three million cars!
-Every year, junk mail consumes 100 million trees or approximately 550,000 tons of paper!
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:
TRA’shion Fashion and Art Show 2009 (photos) – The fabulous trashionistas were out in force for ARTpool’s annual TRA’shion Show, and photographer Chip Weiner caught all the recycled green glamour.
Letting go of addictions: Using alternative methods to release addictions of any type- Kelly Rothwell gives us alternative methods such as energetic healing, visualizations and affirmations, that can be used to not only cope with such addictions but to understand the reason behind the addiction and let it go for good.
Living sustainably in Tampa Bay: Dave Starman’s biodiesel fueled car and green lifestyle – The first in a series of profiles, by Jack B., of individuals who are living sustainably in Tampa Bay. This profiles Tampa Bay resident Dave Starman.
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Hi Dreammomma!!!
I had this dream last night. last night: I was in a car with a man and we were coming back from someplace–perhaps dinner together, looking at offices, and such. we were getting close to my place and altho i was feeling close to him, i noticed that i suddenly started talking about business, getting some distance and then i work up. Interested in your comments.
Glad to help. This dream suggests ambivalence about relationships, work, or both. Assuming the dreamer is a woman, it could be as routine as not liking some guy she works with, or possibly thinking about romance with an office mate, but it’s not. I’m going to beat the drum here about not taking dreams literally.
Let’s look at it archetypically, Read the rest of this entry »
They say the “greenest” watt of electricity is the one you never use. Here is an easy way to learn ways to reduce your energy consumption and beat the heat this summer. My colleagues at Progress Energy, calling themselves the EnergyAdvisors, are now sharing energy saving information through the social media microblog Twitter. Followers of the new Progress Energy EnergyAdvisors account will receive regular tweets throughout the summer that include practical ways they can save energy and save money on their energy bills. The program begins today and will run through Sept. 20.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:
Celebrating Independence Day or creating environmental disaster? – Kelly Rothwell looks at the littered aftermath of Fourth of July celebrations and wonder why, instead of giving back in celebration of their freedom, people decide to light off fireworks, leaving mass amounts of debris in the water and on the beach.
Local Food: Dinner in, and from, the garden at Gateway Organic Farm – Chef Gui Alinat gives information about Gateway Organic Farm’s next “Dinner in the Garden” event, an incredible local foods experience featuring nine Bay area chefs.
Back in 2007, when Congress passed a law setting more stringent rules on the manufacture of light bulbs, a lot of people sounded the death knell for Thomas Edison’s incandescent bulb. Australia got rid of them, along with a few other countries, and news articles and blog entries in the United States dubbed the planned phasing out as a full-on “ban.” Now, with President Obama’s most recent call to make lighting more efficient in homes and businesses, it again seems that the incandescent bulb will go the way of the dodo in the name of energy savings.
Or will it? It seems that some folks are instead using this governmental push for efficiency as the kick in the pants they needed to finally stop making outdated products. Read the rest of this entry »
As was widely reported, my family and I lost our home to a fire last year. In an effort to turn a bad situation into something really positive, to be environmentally conscious and energy efficient, and to save money and lead by example, we built our new home to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Many friends, colleagues, and constituents have inquired about my family’s new home and the green features, and so my staff and I decided to grab the video camera and record a tour to share with those interested.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:
Steps to becoming greener: Reducing your waste, reusing and recycling: Joshua Poll gives some useful tips for ways to start reducing, reusing, and recycling things you thought you could just throw away.
Genetically engineering cows that will produce less methane, reducing greenhouse gases: Geneticists in Canada are trying to engineer a cow that produces less methane, resulting in less greenhouse gases, reports Brian Roberts.
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This is the playlist for Chris Martenson’s “The Crash Course”. It is a brief rundown of the number of simultaneous issues affecting America in its energy, economy, and environmental areas. The road map that Chris Marteson presents is one that I will refer back to in coming blog posts. He does a wonderful job of tying together everything. Knowing what walls we’ve reached will allow us to determine a course of personal and community action that is most relevant to the future we will probably head towards. Will we truly see a great green energy investment bubble from cap and trade? Can we take on more debt to convert our livelihoods into a new energy transition?
Video after the jump.
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Below, is an interview I just conducted with Arlen Slobodow, a local filmmaker who just completed a documentary about air pollution caused by fossil fuels in the Tampa Bay area and how it affects our health and the health of our planet. Also, see my last post which goes more in depth about the film.
The following interview was conducted by phone on the evening of Tuesday, June 16, 2009.
Matt De Vlieger (M): How did you get involved in documentary filmmaking?
Arlen Slobodow (A): I have always been interested in social change work and have found mass media a good way to accomplish that. Read the rest of this entry »
Have fun while benefiting your health and the environment. You remember how to ride a bike, but do you remember how much fun it is to ride your bike? The feel of the wind as you ride down the hill as fast as you can, exploring all day through the neighborhood with your friends, or in college around campus in between class. Not only is biking fun for the whole family, all ages and skill levels, it is a great exercise and totally green.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money either for a good bike. With last Christmas’ bonus check, I purchased a used bike on craigslist of Tampa for $75, put new tires on for $30 and got a $50 tune up at Revolution Bikes; I now have a great bike I paid only $155 in total for what I have been told is worth $200-$300. It is a great and comfortable bike for cruising the Pinellas Trail or just riding through my neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »
Okay, if you were asked which local governments were early proponents of all things green, you may think: Sarasota with its early adoption of green ordinances; St. Petersburg, Florida’s first certified Green City; or Tampa with its initiatives and recent Green City designation. Yes, all good choices, but I bet it would surprise you that Hillsborough County led the pack. With little fanfare, one of the county’s employees has been quietly implementing energy saving strategies. It all started way back in 2000 when the county made the bold move of hiring Energy Manager Randy Klindworth. Back then, all he set out to do was curb expenses. Nine years ago, who would have thought that carbon footprint, sustainability, green, or Energy Star would be part of the vernacular?
On April 29th, in conjunction with USGBC’s Gulf Coast Chapter, County Administrator Pat Bean and Commissioner Rose Ferlita will host a tour of the Mr. Klindworth’s crowning achievement- a district cooling plant that provides chilled water for air conditioning for five county buildings downtown. The plant contains a thermal energy storage system that makes ice at night when utility rates are lower and are more efficient to operate, greatly reducing the carbon footprint of the county’s operations. This plant also collects condensate water from all five county buildings it serves, saving over 3 Million gallons of water each year. As a result of this program, the county has received the Energy Star Award for 3 of their downtown buildings. Thanks to the implementation Mr. Klindworth’s progressive programs, county taxpayers have saved over $1.2 million a year.
Preceding the tour, an overview of the county’s sustainability program will be presented.
When: Wednesday, April 29th (click to register)
Registration: 5:00pm – 5:30pm
Program: 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Where: Edgecomb Courthouse – 800 E. Twiggs Street
Cost: $10 for USGBC Gulf Coast Chapter members, $20 Non members
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