Natural Living Expo Sunday, February 28, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This Sunday please join StLouisGreen.com at the
 Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo!

Information Provided by:
 Scott's Contracting, Green Builder St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri

Learn To Live More Naturally
at the 19th Healthy Planet Natural Living Expo
February 28 In Webster Groves

Cure your cabin fever at The Healthy Planet, St. Louis’ Green & Natural Living magazine, hosts its 19th Natural Living Expo Sunday, February 28, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Webster Groves Recreation Center, 33 E. Glendale Road (I-44 at Elm Avenue) in Webster Groves.

This popular event will include more than 70 exhibit booths offering a variety of eco-friendly, healthy and natural products, services and information. There will be numerous food and product samples to enjoy from Whole Foods Market, Sappington Farmers Market, Chipolte Mexican Grill, Schnucks Market & more. Enjoy seasonal beer tasting by Schlafly Beer and Wine Tastings hosted by Crown Valley Winery and Sappington Farmers Market. Eco-Friendly businesses will be on hand to show you how you can live a “greener” and more sustainable life at home, the office and in the community. Enjoy the beautiful sounds of Native American Flute by John MacEnulty and the heavenly melodies of Harpist Terri Langerak.

Expo visitors will have an opportunity to help the Haitians by making a donation to the Sisters of Loretto who will administer the funds directly to the Haitian people. The first 300 visitors will take home a complimentary eco-friendly, reusable tote bag courtesy of Whole Foods Market, Sappington Farmers Market, and Schnucks Markets.

Receive a free health screening or chair massage. Enter a free drawing for a family weekend at Trout Lodge YMCA of the Ozarks ($600 value), or Amtrak train Tickets. If you are interested in living a healthier and more eco-friendly life, then don’t miss this event! The first 100 paid visitors receive FREE passes to Missouri Botanical Garden, too! Plenty of door prizes and something for everyone in the family! Even your pets!

Adult admission is $8.00, children under 16 are free! Two for one tickets are inside the February issue of The Healthy Planet magazine. For more information please call The Healthy Planet magazine at 314-962-7748, or email expoinfo@thehealthyplanet.com.

For more info, please call 314-962-7748

Combat "Greenwashing"

Provided by: Scotty, Scott's Contracting, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri

Article by:Shades of Green-By:Rich Binsacca

The term “greenwash-ing” has been aroundabout as long as its root word, relied upon to ­unearth exaggerated or untrue claims (made on purpose or unwittingly) about the environmental impact or value of a given product, including homes.


But given the rapid proliferation of both green products and buildings across the country, efforts to better define the term—and ferret out offenders—are relying more on science than trial-and-error or taking a label of ingredients at face value. “The trend now is to scientifically certify green claims against a battery of standards and test methods,” says Ed ­Wyatt, program manager for material content certification at Scientific Certification Systems in Emeryville, Calif., one of an increasing number of independent entities and public agencies providing that service.

Even then, however, Wyatt and others see manufacturers and builders misusing the certifications they earn once the marketing staff takes over. “There’s no such thing as an ‘eco-friendly’ certification,” he says, recalling a recent manufacturer’s packaging claim. Far more prevalent than misleading PR, he says, are truly unsubstantiated claims for which no scientific basis exists.

To combat greenwashing, builders and specifiers are ­asking for more information and third-party verifications, and applying comprehensive, software-enabled life-cycle analysis metrics to gain a more solid footing for their projects.

They also are relying on green building program standards to guide them to the greenest ­products and building practices. “They give you a framework with which to judge if something meets the qualifications of a truly green product,” says Fort Worth, Texas–based builder Don Ferrier, such as specific water flow rates for plumbing fixtures, as verified by a third party, as opposed to something simply marketed as a low-flow faucet.

Failing to go the extra mile can put builders at risk of ­becoming greenwashers themselves. “Currently, it’s easier to greenwash a building than a product or material,” says Carl Seville, owner of Seville Consulting in Decatur, Ga. Even if a builder is diligent in his specifications, he says, the value of the greenest materials can be wasted on a poorly built and ill-­performing house. “You can’t put lipstick on a pig.”

Just as builders, architects, and specifiers are starting to hold manufacturers accountable for their environmental impact claims, home buyers are becoming more eco-savvy, says Wyatt, perhaps to the point of questioning the value of using environmentally sustainable products and materials on a 4,000-square-foot house that required more material to build and uses more energy—even if ­efficiently so—than a smaller home. “It’s a slow process, but eventually they’ll put the products in a larger context.”

Scott's Contracting, Green Builder- St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri

Ground Source Heat Pumps, University of Missouri

U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Geothermal Technologies ProgramLarge Scale GSHP as Alternative Energy for American Farmers

This is a summary of a project funded on a cost-shared basis by the U.S. Department of Energy through its Geothermal Technologies Program (GTP). This work is one of several projects funded by GTP under its mission to conduct research, development, and demonstration to advance geothermal energy technologies. This summary was prepared as part of the application process by the subsequent recipient of a funding opportunity grant and is offered only as a general overview of the project's scope and direction at the time of the award.

view complete article here:http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/geothermal/projects/projects.cfm/ProjectID=109?print

Congressman Jay Inslee on energy policy, 'global weirding'

Posted on February 18, 2010 Podcast: Congressman Jay Inslee on energy policy, 'global weirding'


Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., is "somewhat optimistic" that Congress will pass energy legislation this year, but added that he is realistic about the challenges to attaining that goal.

He would like to see an energy bill passed very soon. U.S. policies and incentives are not happening at nearly the speed needed to compete in the renewable space with China, Inslee said. In order for any legislation to be effective, he said U.S. policy must include pricing on carbon pollution, saying that as long as it is free, carbon emissions will continue.

Inslee spoke with SNL Energy on Feb. 11 to discuss the release of the paperback version of the book he co-wrote with Bracken Hendricks, "Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy." Hendricks is a senior fellow at think tank Center for American Progress. The title comes from their comparison of U.S. renewable development to the space race between the United States and Russia in the 1960s.

When asked about the recent snowstorms that have slammed the East Coast, Inslee said they are an example of the increase in number and intensity of storms as a result of climate change and agrees with New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman that it should be referred to as "global weirding."

To hear the full interview, visit SNL Energy's podcast library.

provided by: Scotty, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri article found on:
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2010/02/podcast-congressman-jay-inslee-on-energy-policy-global-weirding