Clean Energy for Connecticut

Connecticut renewable energy mandate subsidizes Maine, New Hampshire "Class I"

2011-01-06T13:51:00.001-08:00

This information was included in the draft decision for Docket 09-10-09, the 2008 annual review of Connecticut electric suppliers' compliance with the renewable portfolio standard. You will notice that only 4% of Class I resource purchased came from Connecticut. ( Double click image to enlarge)

Woodstock E-Waste Event: A Great CT Clean Energy Options Sign-up Success!!

2010-07-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Woodstock Connecticut recently hosted an eWaste event at town hall. It was a great success as many local residents dropped off their old electronics in support of our ZERO Land-fill effort to keep these hazzardous materials out of our land-fills.Not only did residents keep e-waste from contaminating water and soil but more than 20 residents enrolled for the CTCleanEnergyOptions green option on

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

2010-07-12T15:10:00.001-07:00

Recently, Connecticut won Federal Stimulus grant money to run a Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge. This exciting challenge will involve 14 towns, Clean Water Action, and the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund. JOB 1: Clean Water Action is looking to hire a lead organizer for this project. POSITION: COMMUNITY CLEAN ENERGY LEAD ORGANIZER The Neighbor to Neighbor Energy Challenge aims to have at

Re-using Tshirts:Throw Back to a Childhood Craft

2010-05-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

As a child I really enjoyed arts and crafts. Sometimes I made potholders with a miniature loom and small cloth loops. At the Wilton Go Green Festival this weekend I came across a booth with colorful mats and potholders.There were baskets full of t-shirts as well. I learned that the mats were made of t-shirts! I figured that the t-shirts must be cut into loops and then weaved just like the

Bridgeport Connecticut releases Long Awaited BGreen Plan !

2010-03-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

The City of Bridgeport and Bridgeport Regional Business Council releases "BGreen 2020," a Sustainability Plan that outlines the policies and actions to be implemented in the next decade to improve the quality of life, social equity, and economic competitiveness of the city while reducing carbon emissions and increasing the community’s resilience to the effects of climate change and increasing

Do It Yourself Solar

2010-03-11T19:00:00.000-08:00

I found a guerrilla solar installer set up right next to Walmart. Interesting juxtaposition-a company so large, Walmart, next to a one woman, do it yourself solar installer. After I met 3 Walmart store managers (and talked to them about reducing use of plastic bags!!!) I saw a petite woman with some crooked and some chipped solar cells soldered under glass that looked like a picture frame. I'd

DIY Solar

2010-03-11T18:54:00.001-08:00

NESEA Conference

2010-03-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Today I had the opportunity to walk the exhibit hall at the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's Building Energy Conference! There were dozens of important and interesting exhibitors. I particularly enjoyed learning more about Alteris and their success and growth. I was able to meet Hannah who works for Alteris' wind division. She showed me a new solar technology which is thin-film solar in

2010-03-08T10:40:00.000-08:00

Saturday March 6. 2010 about three dozen young folks from around New England gathered at Harvard this weekend to discuss climate change and establish a New England-wide social movement to get 100% clean electricity by 2020. Part of this campaign includes Climate Summer: Climate Summer is a cutting edge youth-led program that trains community organizers to build the foundation of a strong climate

Congressman Larson Explains Senate Path to Climate Legislation

2010-02-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

.............. It can only happen if they can get beyond the 60 vote cloture which is making everything grind to a halt in the Senate right nowInitially they brought up a climate change bill and had a vote on it. That bill was defeated. They also though have been developing an energy bill in the senate. The house developed its package: energy and climate change together, passed it, sent the bill

Richard Blumenthal Supports Cap and Trade

2010-02-18T17:43:00.001-08:00

Congressman John Larson visited New Haven's Blue State Coffee House today from 5-8:30pm. He has got to be one of the most accessible congressmen in the entire country. During the last 25 minutes of the meeting Richard Blumenthal popped in to say hello. I was able to ask him his position on Federal Cap and Trade legislation. He reminded me that it was he who sued Bush's EPA along with several

Feb. 18 2010 Lieberman in Middletown

2010-02-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

Senator Lieberman toured the explosion site of the Middletown Kleen Energy Natural gas plant at 11:30 today. He then held a press event. This event was not open to the public but I went anyways after hearing about it on the morning news. There was no information about the time of the event. I went when I could but missed it by 30 minutes. If you'd like to be part of a rapid-response network

Connecticut working on Copying Massachusetts Leaders

2010-02-09T18:36:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of smart Wesleyan students working to pass climate legislation. We discussed a campaign strategy. Ultimately we decided we want to have solidarity sleep outs to support the work of our Massachusetts counterparts who are far ahead of us we'd also like to have a conference but are trying to figure out how to make it worthwhile for all

The Green Police Marketing- Funny But...

2010-02-07T21:28:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite journalists, www.twitter.com/drgrist mentioned a Green Police advertisement from the superbowl and provided a link When I clicked on it I saw the above videoThe Cheap Trick song is awesome The anteater is awesome The idea of environmental police intruding on people's personal lives is funny. But it is also making fun of environmentalists. I hate when environmentalists lecture

Senator Lieberman's Response To Climate Questions

2010-02-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

"Thank you for contacting me regarding the need to address global climate change. We are in complete agreement on this important matter. Climate change is a very serious problem- not just for our environment, but for our economy and our national security, as well- and the way we produce and consume energy is making the problem worse. We need to pass legislation to reduce our greenhouse gas

Senator Dodd's Form Response to Climate Questions

2010-01-24T05:05:00.000-08:00

Thank you for contacting me regarding global climate change and proposals to curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. I appreciate hearing from you on this critically important matter.In my view, there is no more pressing issue facing our nation and the world than climate change. The science surrounding climate change is now indisputable. As you may know, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

2010-01-20T07:45:00.001-08:00

Switching To A Competitive Electric Supplier Video

2010-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

for people who would rather listen than read!!

15 kw Wind Turbine installed by Evergreen Energy LLC, Avon Mountain

2010-01-14T01:42:00.000-08:00

Save Money AND Support Green Energy

2010-01-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

Supporting Clean wind and hydro power through the CTCleanEnergyOptions program costs .595 cents extra per kilowatt hour for 50% clean, renewable energy or 1.19 cents per kilowatt hour for 100% clean renewable energy. Luckily, this additional cost can be eliminated by making a simple change to a separate portion of your bill called the Generation Service Charge (highlighted in pink) CLICK ON

Awesomely Green Boss

2010-01-12T11:50:00.000-08:00

My boss is greener than I am! He just sent out a picture of his new solar array that will supply 100% of the electricity needed for his house- it is mounted on a shed with a nice green metal roof! AND he drives the original honda insight that gets ~70 mpg!!

Put a Green Energy Widget on Your Blog or Facebook!

2010-01-04T12:35:00.000-08:00

Adding Widget to Facebook 1) make sure you're signed in/Logged in to Facebook 2) go to this application by copying and pasting this into your browser or clicking the link https://email.sterlingplanet.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://apps.facebook.com/profilebox/3) click "allow"4)click "add to profile" Where it says " This application has not yet been added to your profile" 5)a window will pop

Dec. 4 Rally at Senator Lieberman's office: STOP obstructing climate progress, let EPA regulate CO2 via Clean Air Act

2009-12-02T01:24:00.000-08:00

Senator Joseph Lieberman is considering compromising the EPA's ability to regulate old coal-fired power plants under the Clean Air Act. Let's tell Lieberman to strengthen our climate change legislation and help us get our planet's CO2 levels back to 350 ppm. Join the movement- Show our senator that his constituents care about strong climate change legislation!How Can you Help? Forward this video

2009-11-29T22:20:00.001-08:00

Oil Man turned Wind Developer T Boone Pickens visits Connecticut

2009-11-29T22:12:00.000-08:00

Congressman John Larson (D- 01) is co-sponsoring a bill in congress HR 1835 that will shift our truck fleet over to natural gas. To help build support for this bill he invited T Boone Pickens to discuss his plan www.pickensplan.com and America's energy policy/ resources available.The full bill can be found here: http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.1835:

Stop Polluting: Learn How To Buy Renewable Wind Energy!

2009-11-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

International Day of Climate Action: Great Success in New Haven Connecticut and Across the Globe

2009-10-27T08:03:00.001-07:00

Credit is Due to photographer Justin Haaheim and organizer/ person art organizer Jim Newbury

International Day of Climate Action Oct 24, 2009

2009-10-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

BILL MCKIBBEN on DEMOCRACY NOW http://staging.democracynow.org/2009/10/23/amidst_uncertainty_on_us_role_in starts at 11:30

Voluntary Purchases Double the Market for Renewable Energy

2009-10-09T02:13:00.000-07:00

Currently 29 states mandate utilities to purchase some percentage of renewable energy. Hawaii has the strongest mandate requiring 40% of electricity to be sourced from renewable energy by 2030. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken the power into their own hands to go above and beyond these mandates by choosing to voluntarily support the development of wind, solar and hydro power.

U.S. Becomes World Leader In Wind Power

2009-10-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

Over the past year wind energy has grown substantially thanks the thousands of individuals and companies that voluntarily purchase renewable energy. The U.S. installed 60% more wind turbines in 2008 compared to 2007. On a typical day Wind energy produces enough electricity to power 6.5 millions U.S. homes! Wind power accounted for 42% of all new installed electric generation capacity in 2008.

Branford Connecticut celebrates installation of solar system worth $70,000 Cost to the Town Government: Zero Dollars

2009-09-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

Through the Clean Energy Communities Program the town of Branford Connecticut earned a 7 Kilowatt solar photo voltaic (electric) system.The unveiling/celebration ceremony was today! There were many speakers, the one that caught the attention of the crowd the most was Jonathan Katz, Co-Chair of the Branford Clean Energy Task Force. Listen to his speech belowFor more information please visit

Environmentally Friendly Bags

2009-09-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

I bought one of these bags a few weeks before I had to give a presentation to 7th and 8th graders. The presentation was about going green and I wanted to talk about energy, because that is my area of expertise. I was nervous that I would have trouble making "energy" interesting to 12 and 13 year olds, especially girls! so ... I bought this bag as my backup plan for making my presentation

Environmental Protection Agency announces Green Power Awards

2009-09-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Award Winners includedIntel PepsiMotorolla ShakleeKohl's Department Stores Mohawk Fine Papersmore information about the awards can be found here:www.epa.gov/grnpower/awards/winners.htm#peps

20% Clean Energy by 2010

2009-09-08T14:46:00.001-07:00

CTCleanEnergyOptions

Carl Pope on Van Jones's resignation

2009-09-08T01:36:00.000-07:00

Carl Pope, executive director for the Sierra Club rightly explains that "the environmental community, progressives, and the Obama administration" "blew it" when it came to defending Van Jones against a smear campaign.He believes that "we didn't take it seriously enough. When I saw the first Glenn Beck piece on Van Jones and the Apollo Alliance as the new vast left-wing conspiracy, I could not

Van Jones Resigns From Obama Administration

2009-09-08T00:47:00.001-07:00

After a "smear campaign"by Glenn Beck, Van Jones decided to resign from his post as Green Jobs Advisor to President Obama. This decision was made entirely on his own, though some contend that he was pushed out or asked to resign, I believe Van when he explains: " I have been inundated with calls--from across the political spectrum--urging me to "stay and fight." But I came here to fight for

Congress Comes Back From Recess Today

2009-09-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

Let's remind them that healthcare is not the only issue- we need to keep in mind the health of our planet which sustains all human life! Please take 5 minutes to call your senator today, ask him or her to support a strong federal climate bill! Find your legislator's contact information here:www.votesmart.org

Dan Esty, Author of Green to Gold speaks at a forum with Congressmen Larson, Murphy and Markey

2009-09-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

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Connecticut 350.org October 9 organizing meeting TONIGHT 5:30 pm friends meeting house 225 East Grand Ave New Haven

2009-09-03T12:27:00.001-07:00

My Response to www.YourEnergyOpinion.Com

2009-09-01T18:11:00.000-07:00

www.americansolutions.com/yourenergyopinion is trying to get people to submit a letter of support to the MMS to say in so many words, DRILL HERE, DRILL NOW What percentage of these people even know what MMS stands for? Minerals Management Service www.mms.gov)They have a stock letter which can be found if you click on the above link. I edited to reflect my opinions below: I am writing to urge you

Northeast Utilities tests out its new Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicles

2009-08-24T11:43:00.001-07:00

http://www.uinet.com/uinet/connect/UINet/Top+Navigator/Your+Home/Plug-In+Hybrid+Electric+Vehicle/100 MPG for 30 - 40 miles It specifically has the A123 Systems plug in battery add on. See: http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion/products/N5_range_extender UI is testing the car and it is used by employees when travelling for business. A website is maintained

Bill McKibben on Colbert Nation discusses www.350.org

2009-08-20T16:13:00.001-07:00

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30cBill McKibbenwww.colbertnation.comColbert Report Full EpisodesPolitical HumorHealth Care Protests

CFLs ( Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs) in Plain English

2009-08-20T16:09:00.001-07:00

2009-08-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

pictures

2009-07-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

2008-07-15T04:11:00.000-07:00

I will follow up with a video critique of his argument :)

Very Exciting Campaign

2008-07-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

T. Boone Pickens, a self proclaimed "oil man" is rolling out an aggressive initiative to educate people about the pitfalls of our (America's) dependence on Foreign Oil. please see these interviews ( I have to say I am NOT impressed with Katie Couric's questioning/ preparedness in this interview)

Trash to Treasure: now THIS is recycling grocery bags!

2008-05-12T09:14:00.000-07:00

On Earth Day I ran into a woman named Cara Taylor who crafts and sells BEAUTIFUL handbags out of colorful, discarded grocery bags. Please support this local Connecticut business operation.www.carataylor.com

augment habits, lower your electric bill

2008-04-20T22:59:00.001-07:00

Solar Thermal- New Technology

2008-04-07T00:18:00.001-07:00

An innovative application of solar technology. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan

Select Committee on Global Warming grills Oil Executives

2008-04-05T23:59:00.000-07:00

Congressman Inslee ( Washington Democrat) Author of Apollo's Fire

Oil Companies' Record Profits Justifed (... NOT)

2008-04-05T23:34:00.001-07:00

sad but true: the greenest car company is not really green

2008-04-05T23:30:00.001-07:00

sad but true: in the words of representative Emanuel Cleaver (MO-D)" Whatever happened to shame?"

2008-04-05T22:57:00.001-07:00

2008-04-05T22:55:00.001-07:00

Biofuels: Good Enough for a Boeing 747, Good Enough for your Benz

2008-03-08T03:03:00.000-08:00

Scientific American reports: Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airplane operator to fly a plane powered partially by palm tree oil this week. In a short but historic flight, one of the company's Boeing 747-400s flew more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from London Heathrow Airport to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, reaching a peak altitude of 25,000 feet (7,600 meters) during the 40-

George W. Bush WIREC speech at length- starts a little late, and in 5 parts

2008-03-08T02:44:00.000-08:00

George W. Bush at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference

2008-03-08T02:27:00.000-08:00

Bush gave the following speech on March 5th in Washington, D.C. when I find a full transcript I will post it...

Scientific American article- please read

2008-03-03T13:00:00.001-08:00

An innovative application of solar technology. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=a-solar-grand-plan

Congressman Inslee Visited Connecticut Last Night...

2008-02-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Last night the Wilton Public Library held an event where Congressman James Inslee spoke eloquently about the need for the United States to disentangle itself from dirty, expensive fossil fuels. His main argument is that a green technology initiative will create jobs and spur economic growth. I purchased his book and when I finish it I'll most likely post a book recommendation! I started reading

Renewables and Efficiency: Much Smarter than Coal Liquidification

2008-02-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

please note: Senator Barack Obama supports coal to liquid technology. Perhaps it is a political reality that some concessions need to be made to the senators from coal-rich states. But for now I am going to remain an idealist and continue to demand clean, renewable energy.

2008-02-10T10:04:00.000-08:00

Everything you want to know about the formation of coal

2008-02-09T21:29:00.001-08:00

I just happened upon this wonderful educational website. Please browse it if you are interested in understanding the formation of fossilized energy. http://smtc.uwyo.edu/coal/WyomingCoal/us.asp

2008-02-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

McCain to be the G.O.P. candidate !

2008-02-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

Mitt Romney dropped out of the presidential race on Thursday, all I could think was "great! this means we are going to have a president that genuinely believes in global warming" McCain is VERY strong on the issue of climate change. Please watch here where he refutes a supporter who was espousing the view that "sun spots" cause climate change:

2008-02-07T09:37:00.000-08:00

I support Cape Wind, do you ?

2008-02-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.capewind.org/

Super Tuesday: Contrasting the Front Runners' Energy Policies

2008-02-05T07:12:00.001-08:00

In a video question and answer session (the questions came from young folks) Hillary called for a moratorium on all new coal plants unless they sequester their emissions. Obama's position is weaker, from his website: Obama will significantly increase the resources devoted to the commercialization and deployment of low-carbon coal technologies. Obama will consider whatever policy tools are

Fossil Fools: Coal vs. Oil

2008-02-04T21:16:00.000-08:00

OIL: It makes absolutely no sense that the United States pauses to establish efficiency legislation that will curb our consumption of oil from the Middle East and Venezuela (and, as an ancillary benefit our national carbon emissions). The abundance of cheap coal in the United States makes for a different economic picture: it difficult to pass emissions-cutting legislation because of coal's

Human-Caused Climate Change in a Global Context

2008-02-04T21:07:00.001-08:00

hint: the red ones are the polluters

Clean Coal is An Oxymoron

2008-02-04T21:02:00.001-08:00

Even if we sequester the carbon dioxide coming out of this coal as we burn it for energy, the mining itself is so dirty and environmentally destructive.this picture is of the Powder River Basin, in Wyoming. The United States Geological Survey describes the Powder River Basin as "the single most important coal basin in the U.S. production-wise, supplying over 37 percent of the total coal produced

The Politics of Coal?

2008-02-04T20:57:00.000-08:00

Perhaps this map gives some insight into the consternation that some members of Congress have over reducing green house gas emissions. Note the coal deposits in the state of Illinois, the land of Barack " I like Clean Coal" Obama Source: United States Geological Survey

When Will Connecticut Put up A Wind Turbine?????

2008-02-04T20:46:00.001-08:00

see an amazing video map of the growth in wind power here: http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/wind_installed_capacity.asp

A Reasoned Discussion of Peak Oil

2008-01-30T00:33:00.001-08:00

2008-01-30T00:30:00.000-08:00

Book Recommendation: Bill McKibben's DEEP ECONOMY

2008-01-30T00:25:00.000-08:00

"Challenging the prevailing wisdom that the goal of economies should be unlimited growth, McKibben argues that the world doesn't have enough natural resources to sustain endless economic expansion. [...] he suggests we need to explore new economic ideas. Rather then promoting accelerated cycles of economic expansion—a mindset that has brought the world to the brink of environmental disaster—we

Meat vs. The Environment

2008-01-30T00:13:00.001-08:00

I never thought I'd agree with Glen Beck either, also, please read this NY Times articlehttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?ex=1359349200&en=539828db5dbf94de&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Nuclear, Carbon Tax, Cap and Trade?

2008-01-30T00:04:00.001-08:00

If McCain is the Republican presidential nominee there may be a large debate with the democratic nominee over nuclear power.p.s. "fartherest" isn't a word.

Federal Policy: half of these people vote wrong

2008-01-29T23:33:00.001-08:00

Climate Change legislation needs to be passed swiftly. Yet members of the senate have blocked modest measures to curb our nation's growing green house gas emissions. Here is some of what we are in for from the opponents of climate change legislation: yeah, that's Larry Craig, the foot tapping in the airport bathroom one ...

FUTUREGEN: the future of coal or a stall tactic?

2008-01-29T23:25:00.000-08:00

Can we sequester emissions from burning fossil fuels in an economically viable way? For the cost of this power plant we could put up the same generating capacity-worth of wind turbines. Sounds like the coal special-interests are directing government investment in the energy technology of the future.

more of Obama's position on coal

2008-01-29T23:22:00.001-08:00

Don't Be Fooled: Clean Coal is an Oxymoron

2008-01-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

In this video clip, Senator Barack Obama is asked about "clean coal" technology. Barack uses the phrase "clean coal" in his book Audacity of Hope. The problem is, coal will never be clean. Wind, solar and hyroelectric power are clean. Coal can be cleaner but it will never be clean. The gentleman asking the question works for Americans for Balanced Energy Sources, the same COAL FUNDED group that

2 ways to be an environmental steward...

2008-01-27T23:01:00.000-08:00

see http://www.sterlingplanet.com/residential/ to get signed up for CLEAN power!

Not all Energy is Created Equal

2008-01-27T22:59:00.000-08:00