National Call In Week, Repower America

Dear Blog Reader,

Next week could make or break America's climate and energy future.

Last summer, the House passed a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill that could create millions of clean energy jobs and begin to address the climate crisis. Now, a new Senate version, with significant support from key Senators, could be less than a week away* -- but lobbyists from Big Oil and Coal are already lining up to do whatever they can to gut critical provisions.

We can't let lobbyists and special interests win. America needs clean energy and the jobs it will bring to our economy.

That's why we're launching our biggest calling campaign ever. We're joining forces with a coalition of climate groups to create a perfect storm of grassroots pressure from Tuesday through Thursday of next week. We're holding an event near you where local members can call other supporters around the state and connect them to our Senators. Can you join us?

RSVP to a phone bank for clean energy near you.

Your calls were crucial to shutting down Senator Lisa Murkowski's attack on the Clean Air Act last month.

Now, with the Senate negotiating the contents of this critical new bill, its fate is in our hands too. We need to keep our Senators' phones ringing off the hook -- the more they understand that passing this bill is our top priority, the more they will make it theirs.

To get it done, we're setting the ambitious goal of 20,000 calls from the Climate Protection Action Fund alone next week. And to reach that number, we'll need the help of committed supporters like you to make it happen. Can you help us reach our goal?

Help us flood the Senate with calls. RSVP for a local phone bank next week.

Successful legislation isn't just important here in the U.S. As we saw at the Copenhagen climate conference, countless nations are relying on our action to catalyze global efforts to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution.

But for this bill to make a real impact, it's got to include two things:
1) Strong investment in clean energy to create American manufacturing and construction jobs, and
2) A cap on carbon pollution that limits the amount of carbon companies can emit, giving them incentives to reduce emissions while holding violators accountable.

Your calls have made a difference before. And next week, your barrage of phone calls will tell our Senators to stop wasting time, stop caving to big oil and coal, and finally pass a strong clean energy and climate bill -- because we can't afford the consequences of their inaction.

Please RSVP to a phone bank today.

Thanks,

Dave Boundy
Campaign Manager Repower America

* Juliet Eilperin and Steven Mufson, "Reid demands climate bill ASAP," Washington Post - Post Carbon blog, http://views.washingtonpost.com/climate-change/post-carbon/2010/02/reid_demands_climate_bill.html

Energy Efficiency, Demand Response "DR", Utility Companies

Info Supplied by: Scotty, Scott's Contracting-St Louis Renewable Energy Missouri Information found at:http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/blog/post/2010/02/getting-to-energy-efficiency-with-two-little-magic-words-demand-response?cmpid=WNL-Friday-February26-2010

Getting to Energy Efficiency with Two Little Magic Words (Demand Response)



Here’s how to be super cool in Silicon Valley: Mutter the words “demand response” or, better yet, the acronym “DR.” Wait for somebody to start talking about Energy Efficiency (somebody will) and then say “demand side management” or its acronym, “DSM.”

The more the cost of electricity rises, the more the electricity-devouring Silicon Valley high tech companies become energy conscious. Google recently got permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to become a utility just so it can exercise more control over its energy mix, add more New Energy to its supply and implement better control of its Energy Efficiency (EE).

The Silicon Valley IT giants long ago took the standard EE steps like improving their insulation, windows and doors. Now what they are studying is how they can more effectively reduce their demand during periods like hot summer afternoons when the price of electricity peaks because everybody in California is running their air conditioners. This is called demand response (DR).

The chip wizards are also competing to invent the best demand side management (DSM) technologies for utilities so that they can interact with customers electricity consumption, via a smart grid, to prevent brownouts or blackouts when sudden fluctuations in supply or demand threatens the utilities’ capability to keep the lights on.

Coordination of Energy Efficiency and Demand Response; A Resource of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, from researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is an examination of how EE and DR fit together.

It was written in support of the 10 implementation goals of the 2008 National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency Vision for 2025, an agreement between 50 major electric and gas utilities, state utility commissioners, state air and energy agencies, energy service providers, energy consumers, and energy efficiency and consumer advocates under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The goals:

(1) Establishing Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency as a High-Priority Resource
(2) Developing Processes to Align Utility and Other Program Administrator Incentives Such That Efficiency and Supply Resources Are on a Level Playing Field
(3) Establishing Cost-Effectiveness Tests
(4) Establishing Evaluation, Measurement, and Verification Mechanisms
(5) Establishing Effective Energy Efficiency Delivery Mechanisms
(6) Developing State Policies to Ensure Robust Energy Efficiency Practices
(7) Aligning Customer Pricing and Incentives to Encourage Investment in Energy Efficiency
(8) Establishing State of the Art Billing Systems
(9) Implementing State of the Art Efficiency Information Sharing and Delivery Systems
(10) Implementing Advanced Technologies

The LBNL paper (1) summarizes the research on the relationship between energy efficiency and demand response, (2) presents new information from program administrators, customers, and service providers, on current practices and opportunities in the coordination of energy efficiency and demand response, and (3) discusses the barriers to coordinating energy efficiency and demand response programs.

The goals of the Silicon Valley circuit and system builders are simple: (1) Make gads of money and (2) save the world. EE is the easiest cheapest way to begin doing both those things. The LBNL paper demonstrates that DR is a valuable means toward achieving EE, which makes DR pretty cool.

This post is based on Coordination of Energy Efficiency and Demand Response; A Resource of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency by Charles Goldman, Michael Reid, Roger Levy and Alison Silverstein (January 2010, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)

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