Fresh Energy Blog

Midwest energy news - November 9, 2009

wade@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

What to do? A personal look at needing a new car

bly@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

The wonderful, heart-calming news was that my daughter was okay, with only a bruise. The bad news? My car was totaled. When your work is to advocate for clean transportation choices, what's your next step?

It's not as though you have a leisurely window to assess all possible choices or wait for release of intriguing new models in 2011 - you have only a few days to choose. I vacillated between a 3-year-old used vehicle in a model I once desired [...]

The cheapest, cleanest, fastest form of energy

ellis@fresh-energy.org — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

It seems pretty simple: we should use energy as efficiently as possible. It saves money and avoids negative environmental consequences and costs next to nothing. Why waste electricity to get the same results?

Yesterday, Fresh Energy - together with the Izaak Walton League - hosted a factory tour of AmeriStar Manufacturing in Mankato, Minnesota. The tour featured the work of The Retrofit Companies, who completely replaced AmeriStar's lighting in thei [...]

Economists and climate change: consensus and open questions

hamilton@fresh-energy.org — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

The Institute for Policy Integrity at the New York University School of Law surveyed top economic experts on climate change and summarized their findings in a new report.

To quote from the report's executive summary:

"84% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that 'the environmental effects of greenhouse gas emissions, as described by leading scientific experts, create significant risks to important sectors of the Unit [...]

Midwest energy news - November 2, 2009

wade@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

The scientific consensus on global warming

hamilton@fresh-energy.org — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0100

As Congress debates clean energy jobs and emissions reduction policy to address climate change and grow a clean energy economy, 18 leading scientific organizations have sent a letter to U.S. senators stating the consensus scientific view on climate change. Read the letter and view the signatory organizations.

The scientific organizations state:

"Observations throughout the world make it clear that climate change is occ [...]

You're invited: See the benefits of energy efficiency firsthand

ellis@fresh-energy.org — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Want to learn how energy efficiency can save money, create jobs, and fight global warming in Minnesota? On November 3, why not see for yourself how a local company has reaped the benefits.

In 2007, AmeriStar Manufacturing-located in Mankato-hired an Owatonna-based lighting company called The Retrofit Companies to swap out the old lighting system in its 45,000 square-foot factory with energy-efficient lighting. The company hoped the upgrade woul [...]

Midwest energy news - October 26, 2009

wade@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Latinos are new allies in climate fight

fuentes@fresh-energy.org — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Seems everybody's trying to make a run for the border these days. With Latinos becoming the fastest-growing ethnic demographic in America, everyone wants them as customers, and yes, voters. Latinos (or Hispanics or Chicanos) are fiercely brand-loyal, credit averse, and proudly patriotic. If Latinos take up the cause of climate change and climate mitigation, they'll be formidable allies.

Read this from Brent Wilkes, Executive Director of League [...]

Midwest energy news - October 19, 2009

wade@fresh-energy.org — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Midwest energy news - October 12, 2009

wade@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Scientists say CO2 higher than in 15 million years

noble@fresh-energy.org — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Scientists have not had good success explaining what they know about the climate and why they know it. They have a good story, and it would be refreshing to hear it told more often.

Here's an example. The story behind this data is the story of the Earth's climate history, and the story of the scientists who reconstructed it. As you can see, Earth's temperature history is closely correlated with CO2.

On Climate, Pawlenty Steps Back--Graham Steps Up

noble@fresh-energy.org — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

At Fresh Energy, we focus on solutions to create clean energy jobs, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and protect the environment. We have a record of meticulous non-partisanship, and we know that we cannot fix our energy challenges with only one political party on board.

We feel proud that we helped to forge political consensus here in Minnesota, especially during the 2007 legislature, when 90% of the politicians voted for sweeping changes in energy and environmental protection, sign [...]

A faith perspective on solar

ellis@fresh-energy.org — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Yesterday I drove 1.5 hours north to attend the groundbreaking for the Upper Midwest's largest PV solar facility. The facility, on four acres of Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, MN, will produce 575 megawatt hours annually and will offset about 20 percent of Saint John's peak energy needs during the summer months and approximately 4 percent of the campus's overall energy needs on an annual basis. The farm will consist of approximately 1,800 solar modules and is 4 times [...]

The forward-thinking French

bly@fresh-energy.org — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

If electric vehicles (EVs) are about to be the next big change in how we get around, they have to be available in quantities that meet market demand AND the infrastructure to easily recharge them needs to be widespread. The French have figured it out.

In addition to providing incentives for French automakers to produce EVs, a national $2.2 billion investment in recharging facilities has been announced. In addition, all new apartment development [...]

Midwest energy news - October 5, 2009

wade@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Apple joins businesses supporting strong clean energy and climate legislation

hamilton@fresh-energy.org — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Something caught my eye on the front page of the Wall Street Journal today: an article about the flurry of companies resigning from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because the companies disagree with the Chamber's lack of support for legislation to reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change. Yesterday, Apple announced that it has resigned its membership because "the Chamber's position differs so sharply from Apple's" on addressing climate change. According to a l [...]

The importance of 350

noble@fresh-energy.org — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

Bill McKibben has been the clarion voice of the climate movement for 20 years, long before it identified itself as a movement. His 1989 The End of Nature was the first popular book to outline the basic reality of the global warming problem. His current passion is to raise the awareness that science is now telling us that we must reduce atmospheric concentrations below their current levels of 390ppm. Today, at Yale360, Bill McKibben writes "A Ti [...]

Young leaders honor Fresh Energy with donation

patton@fresh-energy.org — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

St. Paul's Amherst H. Wilder Foundation does great work - you've probably heard of the organization's impact on affordable housing and on the health and well-being of older adults. Another main focus is of the foundation is programs and services for youth, including the Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI). Fresh Energy got to experience first-hand the rewards of the YLI's efforts.

This year, the youth in the YLI environmental service learning grou [...]

Focusing on the biggest emitters of global warming pollution

hamilton@fresh-energy.org — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:00:00 +0100

The EPA announced a proposed rule on September 30 that would require the use of best technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from large facilities. Under the rule, about 14,000 very large sources of greenhouse gases, those emitting more than 25,000 tons per year, would need to obtain operating permits that include global warming emissions. Those large facilities include power plants, refineries, and some large factories, but exclude farms and small businesses.

[...]