Results: Calendar of Events
April 21, 2010
This New York Times article by Henry Fountain talks about REAP member Ocean Renewable Power Company’s efforts to harness tidal power in Maine and Alaska.
“Christopher R. Sauer stands before the swirling waters of the Western Passage and describes his company’s alternative energy vision, he doesn’t see an army of wind turbines or banks of solar cells. In fact, Mr. Sauer sees nothing at all that could block his view of Canada, just across the channel. For if his plans come to fruition, an array of turbines will be operating out of sight, deep under the water, cranking out power to a substation on shore. His company, Ocean Renewable Power, is one of a number of start-ups trying to develop tidal energy — water-powered turbines that spin in the current as the tides come and go, turning generators to make electricity that is clean and, they hope, reasonably priced….For its projects — the company is also working in Alaska — Ocean Renewable Power decided to use a different kind of turbine, a cross-flow design in which the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the flow of water.”
April 21, 2010
From the Accenture website: Consumers are not willing to allow electricity providers to remotely limit the use of their home appliances as part of electricity management plans without significant rate discounts, according to a report issued today by Accenture. The report also found that almost half of consumers would be deterred from joining electricity management programs if their electricity bills were to increase as a result. “Understanding Consumer Preferences in Energy Efficiency,” based on a global survey of more than 9,000 consumers in 17 countries, found that while some consumers are open to the idea of moving to electricity management plans — under which suppliers can actively help households use energy more efficiently through the remote limiting of when home appliances are used — they demand very large price discounts in return. Read more
April 21, 2010
From the U.S. Department of Energy: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced support for energy-saving commercial building projects as part of an ongoing effort by DOE to improve the energy efficiency of buildings in the United States. With money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, DOE’s national laboratories will select and fund technical experts to provide technical guidance to commercial building owners and operators. The goal of this Commercial Building Partnerships (CBP) initiative is to increase the energy efficiency of selected new and existing buildings.
To get involved, owners and operators of commercial buildings—retail and office buildings, for example—will submit plans for projects that will upgrade new or existing buildings, and they commit to working with the laboratories and technical experts to make these buildings significantly more energy efficient. Although they receive no direct funding, owners and operators have access to state-of-the-art technical guidance to implement energy efficiency technologies throughout the design, construction, and evaluation of their building and retrofit projects. This technical expertise includes guidance with energy modeling, assessing and choosing appropriate energy efficiency measures, and energy performance verification.
Online applications to the call for projects are due by May 10, 2010. Learn more about the call for projects and access the application.
April 21, 2010
By James Cartledge at brightenergy.org: Organic food retailer Whole Foods Market has announced a plan to cut its energy consumption by 25% per square foot by 2015. The company, which has its HQ in Austin, Texas, has been supporting wind energy projects through the purchase of renewable energy credits for the past three years, and as well as continuing this strategy said it will make its stores more efficient. New stores are being designed to be more energy efficient, with Colorado’s South Glenn store using roughly 35% less energy than two older stores nearby in its first few months and the Santa Barbara store in California using 45% less energy than a comparable store.
Whole Foods has been working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as part of a Retail Energy Alliance partnership with the US Department of Energy to test and develop more efficient buildings. The aim of that work is to design a building that is 50% more efficient than current efficiency codes require. Read more
April 22, 2010
2:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Kenai Peninsula College – Sustainability Club
For Immediate Release: The KPC Sustainability Club will be hosting its second annual “Earth Day at KPC” celebration. This will be an
opportunity for community members to visit an array of presentations, information booths and interactive displays with tips for environmental stewardship and self‐sufficiency. There will also be panel discussions, live music & poetry, a silent auction of local art & tickets on Alaska Solar Tour bus, and refreshments will be served.
When: Thursday, April 22, 2:00‐9:00 PM
Where: McLane Commons and the Brockel Building Foyer of the Kenai River Campus.
Presentations: Dr. Alan Boraas: Island Lake and the Power of Knowing Where You Are
Dr. Jane Haigh: History of Earth Day
Cook Inlet Keeper: The Purpose and Projects of Cook Inlet Keeper
Ionia : Sustainable Community Living at Ionia
Kenai Watershed Forum: History and Development of the Kenai Watershed Forum
Janice Chumley, UAF Cooperative Extension Service: Invasive Species and the Environment
John Morton, KNWR: Climate Change on the Kenai Peninsula
Panel Discussions: Local Foods Panel Discussion: with Jeff Babitt from Alaskan Homegrown, and
Jay Parker from Sandhill Farm
Renewable Energy Panel Discussion: with Rick Zuber, from SolarWind Energy; Nadia Daggett
from Alaska Wind Industries; Gary Dawkins, from Gary’s Electric; and Dr. Phil St. John with
ACAT, Alaska Solar Tour, Alaska Sunenergy and Rock Island Lodge.
Booths and Displays: Kenai Resilience, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, UAF Cooperative
Extension Service, Re‐Group, Earth Ships, Caring for the Kenai, Kenaitze Indian Tribe, Kenai
Watershed Forum, Cook Inlet Keeper, SolarWind Energy, Gary’s Electric, Kenai Peninsula
Association for Renewable Energy, Central Peninsula Garden Club, & Alaskan Wind Industries.
Live music: Robb Justice, Dan Pascucci, Holly Nagasako, Andrew Hanrahan and friends.
The KPC Sustainability Club came together with the intention of furthering our understanding of sustainable
practices at KPC, and creating a model for the community that encourages environmental, social, and economic
responsibility through education, student leadership, and community engagement.
For more information, please contact Krista at 262‐0337, email: inklt@uaa.alaska.edu ; or Dave at 262‐0346, email:
indaa@uaa.alaska.edu
April 30, 2010
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
**April 30
PALMER – ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDINGS will be presented by JASON COLLINS at 7pm in FSM 204, Mat-Su College. Jason Collins is an architect and energy rater here in Palmer. He’ll discuss energy-efficient building design techniques and resources for both residential and commercial buildings. Case studies will include both new construction and retrofit examples. For more information, contact Dr. Pete Praetorius at 907-745-9728.
**April 23
FAIRBANKS – ALL THINGS SUSTAINABLE will be held at 6pm in the Schaible Auditorium, UAF Campus. Sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, Campus Progress, UAF Global Studies Program, and the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. Join a panel discussion with national and rural perspectives for the betterment of our entire community. Dinner will be at 6pm followed by panel discussion and Q & A session. Keynote Speakers TOMMASO BOGGIA is the Climate Advocacy Associate at Campus Progress where he helps young people across the nation plan and implement grassroots campaigns to fight the climate crisis. EVON PETER is the Executive Director of the Indigenous Leadership Institute, CEO of Gwanzhii, LLC, and former Chief of the Neetsaii Gwich’in from Arctic Village. Also featuring ROBERT HOLDEN, Associate Director, Auxiliary and Business Services and Director of Dining Services at UAF. Kevin Maier, PhD, Assistant Professor of English, UAS and UAS Sustainability Committee Chair.
April 13, 2010
From Nathaniel Gronewold at the New York Times: The benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 11,000 for the first time since stock markets began their nosedive 18 months ago. And the rebound in investor and trader confidence seems to be taking renewable energy and clean technology stocks with it. An uptick in the price of a barrel of oil, the coming 40th anniversary Earth Day celebrations and renewed focus on energy and climate legislation in Congress could once again be sparking market enthusiasm, at least for the short term, market watchers are speculating. Read more
April 24, 2010
*April 24
HAINES – HAINES FRIENDS OF RECYCLING and the HAINES ENERGY COMMISSION are co-sponsoring an Earth Day event from 10am to 1pm at the school. The event theme is “SUSTAINABILITY FAIR: ENERGY, FOOD, AND RECYCLING” and is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Melissa Aronson at aronson@aptalaska.net, please put “sustainability fair” in the subject line.
April 23, 2010
6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
ALASKA CENTER for the ENVIRONMENT’S 23rd ANNUAL SPRING AUCTION will be held from 6 to 10pm in the ConocoPhillips Atrium 700 G Street. 6:00pm: Preview and Silent Auction; 8:30pm: Live Auction and Heads and Tails Raffle. Auctioneer extraordinaire, Jim Stratton will keep you laughing and bidding. Tickets are $40 for members and $55 for non-members. Live and silent auction, live music by The Hot Club of Nunaka. Beer from Moose’s Tooth, wine from the Cellar at Crush, and food from Turkey Red. To order tickets, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/104857. For questions, contact Jessica at 274-3647 or jessica@akcenter.org
