EPA Responds to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Since the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22nd

Scott's Contracting GREEN BUILDER, St Louis "Renewable Energy" Missouri.http://www.stlouisrenewableenergy.com, contact scotty@stlouisrenewableenergy.com for additional information EPA Responds to the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Since the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, 2010, EPA has mobilized resources to support the U.S. Coast Guard and protect public health and the environment. Our Emergency Operations Center at headquarters has been activated, trained EPA responders are working on the scene, and special mobile equipment has been sent to the Gulf area. We have several online resources available: 1) We're posting updated data and other information on our BP oil spill site (www.epa.gov/bpspill): * Get air quality and water data * Find answers to common questions * Submit technology solutions 2) Connect with us on social media sites: * Administrator Jackson's personal account of the response to the oil spill: Facebook and Twitter * EPA's announcements about our response: Facebook and Twitter 3) Please subscribe to our oil spill updates at http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USAEPA_389. You can also visit the coordinated government response site (www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com) for: * Information about the spill and efforts to stop the oil from flowing * Hotlines to report oil on land or injured wildlife * Details of how you can volunteer

10 Things to Know Before Building Your Deck

Building a deck is a huge undertaking. So, before you put hammer to nail, make sure you've thought about these design elements.

Invest in Fasteners

(1)When old decks get rickety, it's often due to failing fasteners, not the wood. Low-quality screws will corrode, discolor your deck, and eventually shorten your deck's life. Use stainless-steel or coated screws made specifically for pressure-treated wood. These screws will resist corrosion and extend your deck's lifespan. Warning: The popular electroplate-galvanized screws are not acceptable for decks.

(2)Conceal Your Support

Hide unsightly screwheads with hidden fasteners, which give deck surfaces a clean and simple look. Once the deck is complete, the hardware shown will be concealed by the deck boards. The fasteners come in many options, so check with your materials supplier for the best options.

Bonus: Hidden fasteners also make it safe to enjoy your deck while barefoot.

(3)Branch Out

Explore both wood and composite-decking options. Real wood is always in style, but hardwoods, such as ipe and jarrah, are becoming more popular because of their longevity. Composite decking is also becoming more popular because of its long lifespan and the fact that it's virtually maintenance-free. Both of these options are more expensive than wood, but the payback is in the extended, maintenance-free lifespan.

(4)Level Playing Field

Don't have enough room to spread out? Move down a level. Adding another level not only multiplies your living and entertaining space, but it also breaks up a long flight of stairs. Having a multilevel deck allows you to entertain close to the house, enjoy the shade on a second level, or soak up the sun on the lowest level.

(5)Beautiful Surroundings

Railings not only provide safety, they can also help beautify a deck. An innovative railing can turn an average deck into an extraordinary structure. Railings come in glass, metal, vinyl, composite, and cabling.

(6) Continued: http://www.bhg.com/home-improvement/outdoor/decks/deck-building-ideas/?page=6

Evergreen Solar Introduces New Higher Power String Ribbon(TM) Solar Panel

Evergreen Solar Introduces New Higher Power String Ribbon(TM) Solar Panel at Solar Expo 2010 in Verona, Italy

The Company's most powerful solar panel to date

Evergreen Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: ESLR), a manufacturer of String Ribbon(TM) solar power products with its proprietary silicon wafer technology, today introduced its newest ES-A series solar panel, a 215-watt panel that is the company's most powerful to date, at the Solar Expo in Verona, Italy, May 5-7, 2010.

The ES-A series is a range of high quality String Ribbon(TM) solar panels offering exceptional performance and industry-leading environmental credentials. This new ES-A-215 panel complements the company's current line of 200, 205 and 210 watt solar panels designed with a black frame that, when installed on roofs, improves the aesthetic appearance of solar arrays. The new ES-A 215 panel will be available for viewing throughout Solar Expo at the company's booth located in Hall 4, F3.1.

"Our new ES-A 215 solar panel continues to position Evergreen Solar as a leader in producing powerful, efficient, and environmentally-friendly solar panels," said Scott Gish, Evergreen Solar's Vice President, Sales and Marketing. "These panels are our most powerful solar panels to date with the tightest power tolerance in the industry, meaning our customers get optimal system performance right out of the box. At the same time, we are proud to lead the industry in environmental credentials with the smallest carbon footprint and the quickest energy payback of any silicon- based solar panel available today."

All Evergreen Solar String Ribbon solar panels are constructed using its proprietary wafer manufacturing technology which is the most environmentally-friendly process in the industry with virtually no wasted silicon. The carbon footprint of these panels is up to 30% smaller than that of its competitors. These solar panels also have the quickest energy payback, now as fast as 12 months for installed panels. And to round out the company's leading environmental credentials, this new ES-A panel also uses 100% cardboard-free packaging to minimize job site waste and disposal costs.

About Evergreen Solar, Inc.

Evergreen Solar, Inc. develops, manufactures and markets String Ribbon(TM) solar power products using its proprietary, low-cost silicon wafer technology. The Company's patented wafer manufacturing technology uses significantly less polysilicon than conventional processes. Evergreen Solar's products provide reliable and environmentally clean electric power for residential and commercial applications globally. For more information about the Company, please visit www.evergreensolar.com. Evergreen Solar(R) and String Ribbon(TM) are trademarks of Evergreen Solar, Inc.

(c) 2010 BUSINESS WIRE. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.

Pokeberry valuable in solar production

A purple berry used by U.S. Civil War soldiers to write letters home could be used to advance solar power in poor rural areas, scientists said.

Pokeberries proliferate even during drought and in rocky, infertile soil, said David Carroll, director of Wake Forest University's Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials.

When applied to fiber-based solar cells, the berry's dye acts as an absorber, helping the cell's fibers capture more sunlight to convert into power, Carroll said in a release from the university Thursday.

"They're weeds. They grow on every continent but Antarctica," Carroll said.

Newly developed fiber-based solar cells can produce twice as much power as current flat-cell technology and are less expensive to produce, he said.

"It's a low-cost solar cell that can be made to work with local, low-cost agricultural crops like pokeberries and with a means of production that emerging economies can afford," Carroll said.