Green Tallahassee

Simplified Residential Solar Hot Water System Calculator

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Developed by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC), this calculator provides consumer information on the energy, cost and environmental savings potential of residential solar hot water systems in Florida.

The calculations and assumptions were modeled on the solar system calculator tool (SHW-calculator_simple.xls, 204k) available for Microsoft Excel and developed by FSEC's Deputy Director, Philip Fairey.

To use the calculator, answer basic questions and decide if you would like to change any of the pre-selected assumptions. It also calculates payback costs over time.

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:27:00 +0000

Florida's solar grid power plant will temporarily be the largest in the US, generating an estimated 25 megawatts, until Austin Texas comes on-line with 30 megawatts and one planned for California which will be built in three phases to generate 80 megawatts, when completed. Miami is using economic stimulus money for a major roll-out of smart meters for FP & L customers. Green jobs are going on-line throughout the southeast, with unemployed people learning new skills.

HOW GREEN DOES MY PET HAVE TO BE?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:32:00 +0000

The new book, Time to Eat the Dog: The real guide to sustainable living, compares the ecological footprints of popular pets with those of various other lifestyle choices - and our pets do not fare well. We predict that the book, from authors Robert and Brenda Vale, two architects who specialize in sustainable living at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, will not become a best seller in the US.

The book, (and there is all that pesky conversion as the calculations are done in grams), measures the ecological paw, claw and fin-prints of the family pet by analyzing ingredients of common brands of pet food. They calculated, for example, that a medium-sized dog would consume 90 grams of meat and 156 grams of cereals daily in its recommended 300-gram portion of dried dog food. At its pre-dried weight, that equates to 450 grams of fresh meat and 260 grams of cereal. That means that over the course of a year, the pooch wolfs down about 164 kilograms of meat and 95 kilograms of cereals.

From this, calculations account for the amount of land used to produce these products. The resulting carbon footprint (paw print?) is quite large due to the consumption of meat.

DAY IN THE BEE YARD

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:34:00 +0000

The Florida State Beekeepers Association is hosting a "Day in the Bee Yard" at the Green Industries Institute Monticello on November 7 from 8:30AM to 3:30PM. More information at Green Calendar.

This event is an opportunity to learn about honeybees and the basics of beekeeping. Apairy inspectors and master beekeepers will be on hand to answer questions. Interest in beekeeping is at an all time high, learning to help the honeybee population that is now in crisis.

Beekeeping suppliers will have equipment for purchase.

Contact: Tony Hogg at capthogg@earthlink.net or GarnerP@nfcc.edu

GREEN WEEKEND!

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:34:00 +0000

350 at Lake Ella, Farm Tours, Greek Fest! Autumn in Tallahassee is awesome.

GREEN TALLAHASSEE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND BLOG ACTION DAY

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:28:00 +0000

In September 2006, Green Tallahassee published its first posts on a biodeisel speed boat and carbon emissions. Over the past three years, have things significantly changed in Tallahassee to reduce the impact of climate change?

The green energy certificates no longer exist, but the City of Tallahassee utilities has committed to an home energy audit and insulation program that residents, both home owners and renters should by now have utilized. We have solar credit, solar tours, solar panels on churches, banks and Habitat homes as well as a solar working group through Sustainable Tallahassee.

The jury is still out on Smart Meters and recent concerns over privacy as well as the spike in electric bills following the meters installation continue to raise questions about their adoption. We can now receive our City utilitiy bill electronically and pay our bills online.

Our area has constructed a number of varying levels of LEED certified homes and commercial buildings, including ones for state and local governments. Commissioners in both local governments and our state government talk about energy conservation, but then, we site approve and build new Department of Revenue offices and refuse to consider permeable surfaces for its massive parking lots off Capital Circle Southeast. Will the temperature surrounding this land be consistently higher as a result of the heat permeating off its asphalt surfaces?

Our City is a designated GOLD green city and was the first city in Florida to receive this designation from the Florida Green Building Coalition. Yet, it appears the City of Gainesville and its early adoption of feed tariffs continues to surpass Tallahasssee in its commitment to making a difference in reducing energy consumption and lowering its citizens' carbon footprint.

Leon County was an early member of ICLEI, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives and held two climate change forums.

Preceding November's election the Big Bend Environmental Forum and our local governments hosted a well-attended candidates' forum. The Village Square hosted some civilized conversations about energy production and the future of nuclear power. We've had two fantastically educational energy expos in Wakulla the past two years, each attended by hundreds of people from around the region eager to learn more about all things green.

Our eat-local efforts have been furthered by the amazing work of Dr. Jennifer Taylor of Florida A&M University's Cooperative Extension Service's StateWide Small Farm Programs. Her successful establishment of not one, but eight (!) sites for grower's markets in the Big Bend area has connected an eager market with small farmers. Slow Foods Tallahassee continues to provide a network and support for us to learn more about eating naturally and locally. The emerging Bread and Roses Food Cooperative will open this month and local gardening programs continue to flourish.

October 24 will see the International Day of Climate Change partner with the 350.org local movement to raise awareness in the Tallahassee community about the impact of climate change and the importance of reducing emissions below the 350 number.

Our friends at Green Drinks Tallahassee bring a variety of speakers and resources monthly to our community. The number of people coming out for this event continues to grow and every presentation has been informative and inspirational. The networking opportunities at this event are unlimited. It is, by far, the easiest way to get connected into what's happening in the area. If you haven't attended, put the last Wednesday of the month on your green calendar!

Most importantly, have we as citizens dramatically reduced our carbon footprint over these past three years? Over 1,000 households signed up for CONA's energy challenge which ends October 31. Neighborhoods from across Leon County pledged to reduce their energy consumption. The City has given away hundreds of CFL bulbs. If every household served by city utilities replaced just one conventional light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), the reduction in harmful greenhouse gas emissions over the life of the CFL, would be equivalent to taking 10,000 cars off of our roads for a week.

Thanks to Blog Action Day, for providing a moment to think back over the past three years of maintaining the three green blogs: Green Tallahassee, Green Food Tallahassee and the Green Calendar. We'll raise our cup of fair trade organic coffee this morning and plan for our future year together with green readers and further committing to move climate change from a problem to its solution.

FLORIDIANS WOULD DISAGREE?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:25:00 +0000

Recently, the Cobb County Water System in Marietta, Georgia won an award for water conservation from the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Because Cobb County teamed up with Kohler, Lowe’s Home Improvement stores and others, to promote Georgia’s tax holiday for WaterSense products, which include low-flow shower heads and faucets, and toilets that use less water, and water sensors for sprinkler systems to stop needless watering, they were named 'WaterSense partners'.

And while we think low-flow shower heads and faucets are an important component of energy conservation, sprinkler systems of any kind cannot be considered a part of water conservation, no matter their level of efficiency. As long as the State of Georgia continues its 'any growth is good growth policies', they will continue to create larger and larger burdens on the aquifer that provides not only Georgia, but Florida and Alabama with clean drinking water.

. WaterSense products include such things as water sensors for sprinkler systems to stop needless watering; lve won government recognition for their water-conserving ways.obb County water a., and Kohler, maker of water faucets and other plumbing supplies, haofficials

SUSTAINABLE CAMPUSES

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Florida State University raised its grade up to B- in the annual report card on sustainability issued by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. You can read the complete report card here.

Rivals over at University of Florida earned a grade of B. It rated A's in green building, student involvement, transportation and investor priorities, while FSU rated a B in these categories. FSU rated higher than the Gators only in the area of endowment transparency. Click here for the full comparison. FAMU did not participate.

The College Sustainability Report Card 2010 evaluates environmental sustainability efforts at 332 schools in the United States and Canada.

Data collection was collected from June through August 2009, for the College Sustainability Report Card 2010. The research process included sending surveys to administrators and students at all 332 institutions. Researchers also gathered information from publicly available sources.
A school's overall grade is calculated from the grades received in nine equally-weighted categories. A total of 48 indicators are used to evaluate performance within the categories.

NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS AND CRACKS IN THE WALL

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:11:00 +0000

The Public Service Commission is holding a public meeting on approving cost recovery now by utility corporations for the cost of investing to build nuclear power plants in the future. Information on the meeting and the agenda is at Green Calendar.

Link to the Gainesville Sun news article on the crack found in the reactor in Crystal River is here.

OCTOBER IS MY FAVORITE SOLAR MONTH

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:34:00 +0000

It's true. October is a great month--not just the cooler air, the glint of pumpkins or the crunch of pine cones and acorns in the yard.

October is the amazing month of the Solar Decathlon! Sponsored by the US Department of Energy, this annual event on the Mall in Washington, DC, shows the ingenuity of teams from around the world. Twenty college and university teams compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house from now until October 18th. . The aim is to build a Zero Energy Home, which produces as much energy from renewable sources, as it consumes.

PRIUS ENVY?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:00:00 +0000

This s CR-Z hybrid by Honda is due to hit the streets in 2010. This and more at Prius Chat.

photo courtesy Honda

'GREEN' HOUSE OPENING

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:11:00 +0000

Rainbow Rehab will unveil its LEED certified remodeled 'green' home this Wednesday, October 7 from 10:00 - 11:00 AM. The home, located at 303 Putnam Drive, will be a rental property for a low income family. Rehabbed in collaboration with Sustainable Tallahassee, energy efficient
materials and systems were installed and materials removed from the home will be recycled to the extent possible.

Rainbow Rehab, Inc. purchased the home on Putnam Drive late in 2008 and began renovation. Built in 1936, it has three bedrooms, one bath, with 800 square feet. Renovations included a new roof, new wiring, plumbing and HVAC system, new floor coverings, new sheet rock, new bath and updated kitchen.

Rainbow Rehab is a long time non-profit in Tallahassee serving disadvantaged families by providing renovated homes and repairs.

SOLAR HOME TODAY AT THE COAST

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Recent winner of the Aurora Award, the Discover House, 713 Mill Pond Road in Carrabelle, will be open today from 1:00 - 4:00 PM. The project of Simpler Solar Systems and the Cedar Bay Construction Company, was recognized in the energy efficient single family detached home category.

The Aurora Awards, administered by the Florida Home Builders Association, recognizes builders in the 12-state Southeast region for innovative new home construction and design. Considerations were given to homes that incorporated energy efficiency, water conservation, natural gas, solar energy, and green building practices into their new home construction projects.

350 WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:39:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:52:00 +0000

A friend of mine told me about these bike rentals in NYC. They operate on the same idea as Zip cars, only for bikes.

You are charged $5 for 24 hours of use. (Or you can subscribe to a monthly or yearly plan, which includes a BIXI key.) After swiping, the machine spits out a ticket with your code to release a bike. You enter that number at any dock with an available bike, and it releases.

They have lots of these in Paris and Montreal and northwestern states are trying them out. They have space for a small pack of books or groceries.

Given the fact that Tallahassee weather permits almost year-round cycling, wouldn't this be a logical extension to the revised Star Metro system?

SOLAR TOURS

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:54:00 +0000

Don't forget the upcoming solar tour in Tallahassee. See:
http://greencalendar.blogspot.com for details.

Saturday, October 3rd is the
2009 Orlando Solar Tour.

Over 25 homes and businesses in the Orlando area that use solar power
and energy efficiency to save on electric bills will be open to
visitors as part of the nonprofit American Solar Energy Society's
National Solar Tour. Come meet the owners. See the equipment. Talk to
the installers. More information at www.OrlandoSolarTour.org

Find other tours in Florida, go to www.NationalSolarTour.org

SURVEY ON ENERGY

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:50:00 +0000

Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda is soliciting comments on energy, the environment, nuclear plants, oil drilling, and true renewables such as solar. You can take her survey by clicking this link.

FRESH THE MOVIE

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 02:34:00 +0000

This movie is showing in Monticello on Thursday. For more information, go to Green Calenda r.

Federal Climate Change Legislation Delayed?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Did federal climate change legislation get pushed back by health care
reform? Will Congress wait another year before taking any action?

OPT IN FOR PHONEBOOKS?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Ban the Phone Book wants us to have the opportunity to opt-in if we want to receive a phone book. This year three types of books were delivered to my residence. All three went into the recycling container, but not before a lot of grumbling about getting them in the first place. I saved the CD Rom from one of them, but doubt I'll ever use it, either.

According to stopglobalwarming.org, 5 million trees are cut down each year to create the white pages phone book. Add to this, the environmental impact in printing, delivering and recycling phone books.

BanThePhoneBook.org doesn't want to 'ban' the books, but give us the ability to just say no.

CLIMATE CHANGE AT THE MOVIES

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 12:24:00 +0000

The irony of screening this movie at Governor's Square mega thratre will not be lost on Green Readers:

The UK-produced The Age of Stupid is showing one night only, September 21 at 7:30 PM. Filmmaker Franny Armstrong has put together a collection of forecasts of irreversible doom resulting from our failure to act on climate change.

The movie is set in the year 2055 and global warming melted down both the ecology and the economy of Earth in 2015. An archivist in the rim of the Arctic Circle re-examines the data that led to the demise of the world through a touch-screen time machine. One reviewer called it 'Planet Earth's Unfunniest Home Videos.'

Armstrong, who says her film is "about humans not about climate change," spent over four years roaming the globe to gather the footage.

The Age of Stupid Global Premiere Trailer from Age of Stupid on Vimeo.

SUSTAINABLE TALLAHASSEE

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 12:06:00 +0000

Check out the new Sustainable Tallahassee website!

COULD CRANKING POWER CARS LIKE A RADIO?

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 19:36:00 +0000

It's fun to think that Ford Motor Company will come full circle and that we will charge the new electric cars by using a hand crank, just like the ones we started when the Model T was first invented.

Since the practicality of the power source that charges weather radios and other small appliances is unlikely to be adaptable to autos, Ford Motor Company is working to figure out the infrastructure to power electric cars throughout America.

The NY Times reported this week that Ford is testing new technologies that would make charging batteries cheap and convenient. No one clearly knows at this point how much demand will be placed on the existing electrical grid and whether the grid can meet the needs when everyone comes home from work and plugs in.

Ford says it will produce an electric commercial van in addition to its planned compact, Focus, sometime in 2011. The question becomes if everyone wants to charge their vehicles in the evening, will the grid be able to handle it? Ford is looking at a system that identify areas that are projected to have large numbers of electric hybrid cars and would notify drivers when to plug in, to stagger the demand.

Coulomb Technologies in California, is selling recharging stations, which have the capability to be run on solar power.

Closer to home, Ybor City in Tampa has purchased ChargePoint systems that will be installed soon by a local Solar Source company. Florida's Department of Management Services has had an electrical recharging station for state electric vehicles ever since its facility was built in Southwood early in 2000. Despite the ChargePoint's charging station's new installation in a McDonald's in North Carolina, it's doubtful that a battery would receive much of a charge in the minutes it takes to order and consume a burger, and even more doubtful that electric car owners are big McDonald's consumers. How many times has a person actually used the free Wi-Fi offerred at McDonalds?

RECYCLING GLASS

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:37:00 +0000

Sustainable Tallahassee is looking at a practical, regional approach to recycling glass in the community. Information on the upcoming August 18th meeting at Green Calendar.

In the meantime, this amazing use of glass shows there's more uses than glass beads.

WOLFRAM ALPHA FOR TRACKING YOUR WATTS

noreply@blogger.com (Green Tallahassee) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 12:35:00 +0000

For the compulsive among us, Wattvision has come up with a formula that you can plug into the new Wolfram Alpha to gauge your usage or test the accuracy of your analog electric meter. I've been looking for an excuse to really use Wolfram algorithms for something other than the frequency of my birthdate and a reason to dust off the stopwatch!

Or City utility customers can just sign up for the Smart Metering program and lose the old meter altogether. City of Tallahassee also now offers an electronic payment option that eliminates the paper bill, but subtract points for charging other customers to pay their bill online!