Energy : Innovation & Job News

A Metromode favorite, Greenovation.TV, has hit the big time, with a slot on The Environment Report, a nationally-syndicated show with a home studio at Ann Arbor's Michigan Radio.

Twice a month, there will be a Greenovation segment that will focus on the how-to of greening a home. Greenovation.TV's Matt Grocoff says topics will cover the gamut, from "green bling" to "low-hanging fruit." What he means is that things like geothermal, solar panels, and wind turbines are all fair game -- although they might be currently out of reach for most people -- as are more-affordable choices such as limited-shower heads and dual flush toilets. "There are really practical things people can do in their homes now to make them more sustainable," he says. "If zero-energy, zero-waste homes are the ultimate goal, just because you can't start at zero doesn't mean you shouldn't start at all."

Grocoff knows from Adam. He and his wife Kelly base Greenovation.TV on their own experiences greening their home. "Our entire energy bill last month -- hot water, central air, water, and all gas -- was $58 to run the whole house," he says. "Our neighbors, who don't have central air, spent almost double that that, so the whole idea [that energy efficiency] means less comfort and more expense [is no longer tenable.]"

Greenovation's first Energy Report segment was on the whole house fan, an energy-efficient alternative to air conditioning. Listen to it here.

Source: Matt Grocoff, Greenovation.TV
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

In a city where many see lemons, people involved with Detroit's Sustainable Design Assessment Team (SDAT) program see lemonade.

See, Detroit was selected as one of nine cities to participate in the program by the American Institute of Architects, and it is an opportunity being seized with relish by those involved. "We have a chance to make Detroit into a model for sustainability," says Eleanore Eveleth, who is working to coordinate the SDAT process.

The SDAT program will look at four realms of sustainability: transportation, energy, land use and the new economy. Local experts in each area will get teamed with national ones in a three-day charette from October 30 to November 1 -- but first, the locals are gathering on October 6 to make sure the big event is as efficient as possible.

"We want to have a more productive meeting on the 30th," says Eveleth. "We will give an overview of the SDAT process, which is what the folks from out of town are coming to do."

Evelath expects community organizations, residents, people that live in the area and  those already working on green products and issues to participate. "There are a lot of people already working on small bits and pieces of this," she says. "This is a way to bring all these people together and learn from folks that have done this in other cities."

SDAT has made a survey available on-line to help frame the process' roadmap. Click here to get started.

The SDAT kick-off is on October 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will be held at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary, located at 2930 Woodward in Detroit. The three-day charette will be held at the University of Michigan Community Design Center, also in Midtown. For more information, call Zachary & Associates at 313-831-6100.

Source: Eleanore Evelath, SDAT
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Now that the state primary is behind us, it's time to look straight ahead at the national election. The major parties have decided that Michigan is actually important to them, so we have Senators McCain and Obama coming here and talking about issues that do matter to this state. (Like, um, jobs.)

But it is less than inspiring that environmentally, they tend to limit the conversation to fuel efficiency (Obama) and nuclear energy (McCain). Where is the talk about the value of the Great Lakes to this entire continent? How about curbing sprawl and the importance of strong urban centers to healthy agricultural areas? Transit? Amtrak?

Forgive me my cynicism, but increased fuel efficiency and the construction of nuclear plants are just not enough. And it says a lot about our candidates that they've decided to keep strong environmental rhetoric out of their stump speeches for fear of alienating potential voters.

It also says a lot that they are probably right. Over the years, the American concept of "freedom" has become confused with the concept of "get whatever I want whenever I want no matter the consequences." Most people don't want to be told by their next president to live closer to work or to cut the A/C or to ride their bike to the grocery store. (Remember Carter's cardigan?)

Sigh.

Onto state politics, which are no less disappointing. Metromode has talked RPS, or renewable portfolio standards, before. A coalition of alternative energy companies, advocates and environmental groups have been calling for at least 20% of the state's energy be produced by renewable sources by 2020. The state Senate recently gutted the House's modest reach towards that goal, leaving Michigan in a really non-progressive place nationally when it comes to renewable mandates.

This matters because companies want to see that a state is supporting renewable energy before investing in it.

Glenn Puit wrote a comprehensive analysis of the battle for RPS for the Michigan Land Use Institute. Read it here.

This is a serious issue that Michigan needs to address sooner rather than later.

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh

Metromode has talked about compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) before, and we will continue to talk of them as an improvement over traditional light bulbs. But some pioneers are going even further, buying LED (light-emitting diode) light bulbs that cost waaay more than CFLs but use a fraction of the electricity.

Given how energy costs are climbing, that initial investment will pay off sooner rather than later. The Park Bar in Detroit is lit with all LEDs and uses just 130 kW of electricity, which is the equivalent of two standard light bulbs. Owner Jerry Belanger estimates that he made back the higher purchase cost of the LED bulbs with his energy savings in just four months.

Other local examples include the exterior lights at Motor City Casino, Ann Arbor's streetlights and the majority of newer stoplights at intersections.

It looks like residential use is still far away for the vast majority of us, though. As a recent New York Times article put it:

But as bulb manufacturers and the government continue to take baby steps towards complete embrace of the technology, local companies like Relume are jumping on the horse before it becomes a bandwagon.

Take note, would-be entrepreneurs.

Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh