Posted: Tuesday, 22 April 2008 7:20PM Michigan Alternative Energy: Frustrated Now, Optimistic Long Term | ||
| Members of Michigan’s alternative energy community Tuesday expressed a mixture of immediate frustration and long-term optimism about the future of the renewable power industry in our state and nationally. Skip Pruss, special adviser for alternative energy and the environment to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, urged passage of a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for the state, which would require power companies to generate or buy a certain percentage of their power output from renewable sources. Speaking at a WWJ Newsradio 950 and University Research Corridor event at Wayne State University, Pruss said it would be irresponsible for Michigan to fail to take advantage of alternatives like wind and solar power. Such power sources, he said, could provide Michigan with the chance to grab a piece of a growing industry, while also limiting its exposure to big fluctuations in the price of fossil fuels. Pruss also said Michigan policymakers have a moral obligation to support energy alternatives, calling global climate change “the mother of all good reasons” to limit carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. At a panel discussion after Pruss’ speech, James Croce, CEO of Detroit’s Next Energy Center, lamented that while Michigan was once a leader in developing an alternative energy strategy, the state has fallen behind other states in terms of creating the policies needed to make the industry grow here as well as it should. Better Policies Needed However, Croce said, while the state is letting itself become “more and more irrelevant” in terms of energy policy, it is far from irrelevant in terms of resources and talent. He said the level of talent here, the expertise of our manufacturers and capabilities of our universities make him optimistic that Michigan will be able to leverage “our carbon legacy” and become a leader in new energy. Stephen Forrest, a professor and vice president of research for the University of Michigan, said green business has shown that it can be good business. He also said Michigan’s natural on-shore and offshore wind resources, along with its manufacturing capabilities, put it in a good position be a renewable energy leader. He described himself as “extremely optimistic” and Michigan as a place where “transformation is going on.” Randal Charlton, director of Wayne State’s TechTown technology business incubator, said Michigan can be a world leader in the business of combating global warming. But, he added that attitudes have to change and a new sense of urgency is needed. Unlike Europe, Charlton said, the U.S. treats fuels “in an abusive way” and does not do enough to promote conservation and alternative fuels. For that reason, he said, it is not enough for Michigan to make itself a leader among U.S. states when it comes to alternative fuels. He said Michigan needs to start comparing itself to places like Germany, Denmark and Sweden, where the commitment to environmentalism is deeper. Soji Adelaja, director of the Land Policy Institute at Michigan State University said recognizing the importance of alternative fuels is part of recognizing that the world has changed and that Michigan is now part of a “flat world” global economy. Michigan was a technology leader in the past, he said, and is in a good position to be one in the future – if we change the “Michigan mindset” and come to terms with new realities. A good way to show a change in mindset, Adelaja said, would be to adopt an RPS. He said RPS statutes are one big factor that separates states making big progress in alternative energy from those that are making less progress. He also said the state’s universities have a big role to play going forward, in educating the state about the need for sustainable power and helping to develop the technologies that will make it a reality. A second panel at the event featured representatives of Michigan’s traditional industries – autos, steel, glass – and representatives of the emerging energy industry, and how they’re coping with energy changes. Ray S. Siada, corporate energy manager at Guardian Industries Corp., the glassmaker that is a prodigious user of energy, complained that Michigan lacks an aggressive state policy to promote energy efficiency. He also said Guardian invested in a wind farm to provide part of its power needs at a plant in India. Paul Savage, CEO of New York-based Nextek Power, which is manufacturing its distributed power generation accessories in Detroit, said he’d like to work more closely with the auto industry – since his “boxes” are virtually identical in function to the power control boxes in hybrid electric vehicles. Ronald P. Krupitzer, vice president for automotive applications at the American Iron and Steel Institute, pointed out that steel has a lower carbon footprint than producing aluminum, other metals or carbon fiber. Mary Beth Stanek, director of environment, energy and commercialization at the General Motors Corp. Public Policy Center, defended the auto industry against charges of foot-dragging on environmental advances, saying GM now has a large demonstration project of hydrogen vehicles in the field. She also said there are other factors behind ethanol production in recent food price inflation, including poor harvests in some parts of an increasingly food-interdependent world, and a weak dollar. Aaron Crumm, co-founder of Ann Arbor fuel cell maker Adaptive Materials in Ann Arbor, pointed out that he’s helping run the largest fuel cell company in Michigan, with 57 employees making solid oxide fuel cells that run on commonly available fuels like propane. They’re intended as higher-powered, longer-lasting replacements for batteries in high-end applications like the military. For more about the Tuesday event, called “Embracing A Green Michigan - Carbon Culture at the Crossroads,” click here: http://www.wwj.com/Embracing-A-Green-Michigan/2042402 View a video highlighting the event and hear podcasts from the event at this link. Also at the event, Version 2.0 of the Michigan Alternative Energy Directory was released, compiled by the staff of WWJ Newsradio 950 to demonstrate the extensive resources and capabilities of Michigan’s alternative energy industry. View the directory online at this link: http://imgsrv.wwj.com/image/wwj/UserFiles/File/AEDirectoryApril2008.pdf. | ||
| © MMVIII WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved. |
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Summary of Meeting
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
How Do You Define Value?
Expensive doesn't mean unaffordable
It is another irony of our modern times, and of our definition of green building, that green is seen by some as a luxury only the wealthy can afford. Two hundred years ago, it was the poorest people who were living the greenest lives. Back then, you needed money not to be green, but to afford the oversize house and the imported marble.
The common argument against green building—that it costs too much—relies on a narrow definition of cost, typically reducing it to the amount of money paid up front. It ignores other costs, those that are less immediate and less visible, and it ignores any possible rewards. Yet the same people who dismiss photovoltaics as too expensive, who say the payback period is too long, happily plunk down money on luxury items—a Porsche, say, or a hot tub—without ever asking, “Where’s the payback?”
But because investments such as photovoltaics or extra insulation really can pay us back (and ultimately save money by reducing energy costs), because this is possible, many people focus only on the financial equation. They consider an investment in energy efficiency like any other investment. If the payback on solar panels is 15 years and they might sell the house in five, they don’t buy the panels. If they plan to keep the house, but the same money invested in the stock market would net a bigger return in 15 years, they buy stock.
Cost is not such a simple issue. What is the cost of your house? Is it the $350,000 price that you agreed on with the seller? Or is it the more than $796,000 you will pay over the course of a 30-year mortgage? And what about fuel bills over 30 years? How do they factor in to the cost of your house? Even these questions, which suggest that cost is more than just a number on the price tag, are still simple financial equations. When you consider the environmental costs of building or operating a house, things become complicated quickly.
"Before we can argue intelligently about whether the benefits of green building are a fair exchange for the price, we have to understand the true cost of building any other way."
Last year, the British newspaper The Observer reported that some clothing sold at Gap stores was being made in New Delhi sweatshops by children as young as 9 years old and working 16 or more hours a day. The Observer referred to this discovery as “the tragic consequence of the West’s demand for cheap clothing.” No one intended this consequence, not even the folks running Gap Inc. No one thought that child labor was a fair exchange for an inexpensive shirt. It happened because in this complex global economy, it is hard to know the consequences of our choices. But once we do know, we can decide for ourselves what is a fair exchange. Once we know that child labor is part of the cost of an inexpensive shirt, most of us will happily pay a little more for a shirt that might otherwise have seemed too expensive.
It’s no great leap for me, then, to wonder about houses, which are considerably more complicated and more expensive to make than shirts. What unknown costs lurk among the wires, pipes, studs, tiles, carpets, and cabinets? In the past, we discovered the dangers of lead-based paint and stopped using it. We learned the connection between asbestos and lung disease and found alternative materials for insulation and siding. Once we understood the importance of our wetlands to surrounding ecosystems, we stopped building on wetlands.
But what hidden costs, what potentially tragic consequences, have we yet to discover? What new ones are we introducing? Before we can argue intelligently about whether the benefits of green building are a fair exchange for the price, we have to understand the true cost of building any other way.
Value: the other half of the equation
When people dismiss green building as too expensive, they usually mean that adding green features—renewable energy, extra insulation, recycled materials—to the house they were already planning to build or remodel requires too much money. But such an evaluation hardly means that green building is too expensive. It simply means that some people value other things more highly. Those other things might be more square footage, extra bathrooms, a lavish kitchen, or a three-car garage. If a 4000-sq.-ft. house with green features costs more than you’re willing to pay, it might not be the green features that make it too expensive. It might be the size of the house.
Helped along by building codes and regulations, we have learned the value of many things that make our houses cost more. We have learned the value of digging foundations below the frost line, of expelling moisture from bathrooms with vent fans, of wiring homes for smoke alarms. And now we readily accept the worth of these additional costs.
Today, more and more people consider the cost of green building to be a fair price for a safe, comfortable, durable house that does less damage to the environment than a typical house. The effects of global warming, and the attention focused on them, make it easier to see the long-term cost of building so many homes that rely heavily on fossil fuels.
Even if you remain focused solely on money, green building’s value equation is constantly changing. With each increase in oil prices, photovoltaics and extra insulation will seem less expensive. I also wonder how soon the resale value of a house will be influenced substantially by its green features.
How much higher do energy costs have to rise before people will pay a premium for a smaller house or one that is LEED-certified? Maybe we’ll reach a point where status is conferred not according to how big a house is but according to the electrical output of the photovoltaic array.
From Fine Homebuilding 195 (Houses), pp. 10-16
April 16, 2008
It is another irony of our modern times, and of our definition of green building, that green is seen by some as a luxury only the wealthy can afford. Two hundred years ago, it was the poorest people who were living the greenest lives. Back then, you needed money not to be green, but to afford the oversize house and the imported marble.
The common argument against green building—that it costs too much—relies on a narrow definition of cost, typically reducing it to the amount of money paid up front. It ignores other costs, those that are less immediate and less visible, and it ignores any possible rewards. Yet the same people who dismiss photovoltaics as too expensive, who say the payback period is too long, happily plunk down money on luxury items—a Porsche, say, or a hot tub—without ever asking, “Where’s the payback?”
But because investments such as photovoltaics or extra insulation really can pay us back (and ultimately save money by reducing energy costs), because this is possible, many people focus only on the financial equation. They consider an investment in energy efficiency like any other investment. If the payback on solar panels is 15 years and they might sell the house in five, they don’t buy the panels. If they plan to keep the house, but the same money invested in the stock market would net a bigger return in 15 years, they buy stock.
Cost is not such a simple issue. What is the cost of your house? Is it the $350,000 price that you agreed on with the seller? Or is it the more than $796,000 you will pay over the course of a 30-year mortgage? And what about fuel bills over 30 years? How do they factor in to the cost of your house? Even these questions, which suggest that cost is more than just a number on the price tag, are still simple financial equations. When you consider the environmental costs of building or operating a house, things become complicated quickly.
"Before we can argue intelligently about whether the benefits of green building are a fair exchange for the price, we have to understand the true cost of building any other way."
Last year, the British newspaper The Observer reported that some clothing sold at Gap stores was being made in New Delhi sweatshops by children as young as 9 years old and working 16 or more hours a day. The Observer referred to this discovery as “the tragic consequence of the West’s demand for cheap clothing.” No one intended this consequence, not even the folks running Gap Inc. No one thought that child labor was a fair exchange for an inexpensive shirt. It happened because in this complex global economy, it is hard to know the consequences of our choices. But once we do know, we can decide for ourselves what is a fair exchange. Once we know that child labor is part of the cost of an inexpensive shirt, most of us will happily pay a little more for a shirt that might otherwise have seemed too expensive.
It’s no great leap for me, then, to wonder about houses, which are considerably more complicated and more expensive to make than shirts. What unknown costs lurk among the wires, pipes, studs, tiles, carpets, and cabinets? In the past, we discovered the dangers of lead-based paint and stopped using it. We learned the connection between asbestos and lung disease and found alternative materials for insulation and siding. Once we understood the importance of our wetlands to surrounding ecosystems, we stopped building on wetlands.
But what hidden costs, what potentially tragic consequences, have we yet to discover? What new ones are we introducing? Before we can argue intelligently about whether the benefits of green building are a fair exchange for the price, we have to understand the true cost of building any other way.
Value: the other half of the equation
When people dismiss green building as too expensive, they usually mean that adding green features—renewable energy, extra insulation, recycled materials—to the house they were already planning to build or remodel requires too much money. But such an evaluation hardly means that green building is too expensive. It simply means that some people value other things more highly. Those other things might be more square footage, extra bathrooms, a lavish kitchen, or a three-car garage. If a 4000-sq.-ft. house with green features costs more than you’re willing to pay, it might not be the green features that make it too expensive. It might be the size of the house.
Helped along by building codes and regulations, we have learned the value of many things that make our houses cost more. We have learned the value of digging foundations below the frost line, of expelling moisture from bathrooms with vent fans, of wiring homes for smoke alarms. And now we readily accept the worth of these additional costs.
Today, more and more people consider the cost of green building to be a fair price for a safe, comfortable, durable house that does less damage to the environment than a typical house. The effects of global warming, and the attention focused on them, make it easier to see the long-term cost of building so many homes that rely heavily on fossil fuels.
Even if you remain focused solely on money, green building’s value equation is constantly changing. With each increase in oil prices, photovoltaics and extra insulation will seem less expensive. I also wonder how soon the resale value of a house will be influenced substantially by its green features.
How much higher do energy costs have to rise before people will pay a premium for a smaller house or one that is LEED-certified? Maybe we’ll reach a point where status is conferred not according to how big a house is but according to the electrical output of the photovoltaic array.
From Fine Homebuilding 195 (Houses), pp. 10-16
April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Don't worry,I'll take good care of that for you!
Driving home thru Detroit yesterday, I stopped alongside a Brother who had parked his wheelchair under an I-75 overpass at a traffic light. He had no sign, just sitting there pondering life. I had an extra dollar and an apple in my lunchbox, so I handed it to him. As I did I mentioned that I was just going to eat that apple, but I've got more at home still. To that he replied" Don't worry mister, I'll take good care of it for you!"
As I listen to the news reports of food riots around the world , global warming and wars.... I was reminded of my responsibility to my family , the world and at that moment to the man in the wheelchair to tell them, "No, don't You worry, I'll take care of that for you!"
So ask yourself today, is there anything I can do to empower positive change in the world,today? Or are you going to wait for someone else to fix it for you? Guess what, there isn't anybody else stepping up to the plate. Your up to bat, so hit a home run.. Ya' know, one for the Ol' Giffer!
As I listen to the news reports of food riots around the world , global warming and wars.... I was reminded of my responsibility to my family , the world and at that moment to the man in the wheelchair to tell them, "No, don't You worry, I'll take care of that for you!"
So ask yourself today, is there anything I can do to empower positive change in the world,today? Or are you going to wait for someone else to fix it for you? Guess what, there isn't anybody else stepping up to the plate. Your up to bat, so hit a home run.. Ya' know, one for the Ol' Giffer!
Monday, April 14, 2008
Green Currents (RFP)
DTE Energy Seeks Renewable Energy Proposals
DTE Energy has issued a Request for Proposal to purchase Michigan-based renewable energy for the company's GreenCurrents renewable energy program.
GreenCurrents provides DTE Energy's 2.2 million electric customers the option of choosing environmentally friendly renewable energy for their homes and businesses. More than 8,000 customers have signed up for GreenCurrents since its inception last April, making it one of the fastest growing voluntary renewable energy programs in the country.
A key element of GreenCurrents is to encourage the development and operation of new renewable energy projects in Michigan, according to Trevor F. Lauer, vice president of retail marketing for DTE Energy.
"This RFP requires that providers be located in Michigan, and that their renewable energy facilities be newly constructed," Lauer said. "We want the resources for the GreenCurrents program to be homegrown -- and we expect to sign long-term agreements with developers who share that vision."
Renewable energy is power created from sources that can be replenished naturally, including wind, solar and biomass. DTE Energy signed agreements last year with four Michigan-based firms to provide renewable energy for GreenCurrents. The RFP issued today will provide additional renewable energy supply for GreenCurrents in 2009 and 2010.
Under the GreenCurrents program, DTE Energy's Detroit Edison electric customers can select a renewable energy option that best fits their budget. For as little as $2.50 a month, residential customers can purchase a 100 kilowatt hour block of renewable energy that's equal to 15-20 percent of a typical home's monthly electric use. Customers can also choose to match 100 percent of their home's electricity consumption with renewable resources for an additional cost of $10 to $15 per month for a typical household.
Business customers can purchase a 1,000 kilowatt hour block of green energy for $20 a month -- or match all of their electricity usage with renewable power for an additional cost of two cents per kilowatt hour.
Responses to the RFP are due to DTE Energy by May 2. A pre-bid conference, including a question and answer session, will be held at DTE Energy's downtown Detroit headquarters complex on Friday, April 18 at 1 p.m.
Additional information on the RFP is available at www.dteenergy.com/rfp http://www.dteenergy.com/rfp.
© MMVIII WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved.
DTE Energy has issued a Request for Proposal to purchase Michigan-based renewable energy for the company's GreenCurrents renewable energy program.
GreenCurrents provides DTE Energy's 2.2 million electric customers the option of choosing environmentally friendly renewable energy for their homes and businesses. More than 8,000 customers have signed up for GreenCurrents since its inception last April, making it one of the fastest growing voluntary renewable energy programs in the country.
A key element of GreenCurrents is to encourage the development and operation of new renewable energy projects in Michigan, according to Trevor F. Lauer, vice president of retail marketing for DTE Energy.
"This RFP requires that providers be located in Michigan, and that their renewable energy facilities be newly constructed," Lauer said. "We want the resources for the GreenCurrents program to be homegrown -- and we expect to sign long-term agreements with developers who share that vision."
Renewable energy is power created from sources that can be replenished naturally, including wind, solar and biomass. DTE Energy signed agreements last year with four Michigan-based firms to provide renewable energy for GreenCurrents. The RFP issued today will provide additional renewable energy supply for GreenCurrents in 2009 and 2010.
Under the GreenCurrents program, DTE Energy's Detroit Edison electric customers can select a renewable energy option that best fits their budget. For as little as $2.50 a month, residential customers can purchase a 100 kilowatt hour block of renewable energy that's equal to 15-20 percent of a typical home's monthly electric use. Customers can also choose to match 100 percent of their home's electricity consumption with renewable resources for an additional cost of $10 to $15 per month for a typical household.
Business customers can purchase a 1,000 kilowatt hour block of green energy for $20 a month -- or match all of their electricity usage with renewable power for an additional cost of two cents per kilowatt hour.
Responses to the RFP are due to DTE Energy by May 2. A pre-bid conference, including a question and answer session, will be held at DTE Energy's downtown Detroit headquarters complex on Friday, April 18 at 1 p.m.
Additional information on the RFP is available at www.dteenergy.com/rfp http://www.dteenergy.com/rfp.
© MMVIII WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
LET'S CLEAN UP OUR ACT AND THE AIR TOO!
The following reprint is a classic tale of natural capitalism and it's struggle to support the natural life systems on Earth against the formidable forces of industrial capitalism. The latter having only the myopic eye for its self existance and money. What is the money worth to you? Will it sustain your offspring and theirs? We are destroying life on this planet at an accelerating rate. This doesn't have to continue. We have the technology available to stop the pollution. What is lacking is the agreements to work together to implement the technologies and to respect life more than inanimate objects and our egos. Let money's value be measured by it's capacity to support earth's life systems. Then it will truly be worth something!
Study: Flowers Losing Smell
LiveScience StaffLiveScience.com Fri Apr 11, 3:25 PM ET
Spring's bloom may not smell so sweet anymore, as pollutants from power plants and automobiles destroy flowers' aromas, a new study suggests.The finding could help explain why some pollinators, particularly bees, are declining in certain parts of the world.Researchers at the University of Virginia created a mathematical model of how the scents of flowers travel with the wind. The scent molecules produced by the flowers readily bond with pollutants such as ozone, which destroys the aromas they produce.So instead of wafting for long distances with the wind, the flowery scents are chemically altered. Essentially, the flowers no longer smell like flowers."The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters [3,300 to 4,000 feet]; but in today's polluted environment downwind of major cities, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters [650 to 980 feet]," said study team member Jose D. Fuentes.With flowers no longer advertising their presence over as large an area, pollinators are forced to search farther and longer to pick up the hint of their scent. They may also have to rely more on their sight than what they smell.Bees depend on flower nectar for food, and if they have a hard time finding the flowers, they can't sustain their populations. Other studies, along with the experiences of farmers, have indicated that bee populations are dropping in places such as California and the Netherlands. Fuentes and his team think air pollution may be the reason.The research, funded by the National Science Foundation, is detailed online in the journal Atmospheric Environment.
Top 10 Poisonous Plants
How Flowers Know Spring Has Sprung
101 Amazing Earth Facts
Original Story: Study: Flowers Losing Smell
Study: Flowers Losing Smell
LiveScience StaffLiveScience.com Fri Apr 11, 3:25 PM ET
Spring's bloom may not smell so sweet anymore, as pollutants from power plants and automobiles destroy flowers' aromas, a new study suggests.The finding could help explain why some pollinators, particularly bees, are declining in certain parts of the world.Researchers at the University of Virginia created a mathematical model of how the scents of flowers travel with the wind. The scent molecules produced by the flowers readily bond with pollutants such as ozone, which destroys the aromas they produce.So instead of wafting for long distances with the wind, the flowery scents are chemically altered. Essentially, the flowers no longer smell like flowers."The scent molecules produced by flowers in a less polluted environment, such as in the 1800s, could travel for roughly 1,000 to 1,200 meters [3,300 to 4,000 feet]; but in today's polluted environment downwind of major cities, they may travel only 200 to 300 meters [650 to 980 feet]," said study team member Jose D. Fuentes.With flowers no longer advertising their presence over as large an area, pollinators are forced to search farther and longer to pick up the hint of their scent. They may also have to rely more on their sight than what they smell.Bees depend on flower nectar for food, and if they have a hard time finding the flowers, they can't sustain their populations. Other studies, along with the experiences of farmers, have indicated that bee populations are dropping in places such as California and the Netherlands. Fuentes and his team think air pollution may be the reason.The research, funded by the National Science Foundation, is detailed online in the journal Atmospheric Environment.
Top 10 Poisonous Plants
How Flowers Know Spring Has Sprung
101 Amazing Earth Facts
Original Story: Study: Flowers Losing Smell
Friday, April 11, 2008
EARTH DAY EVENT "GOES GREEN"
Universities, WWJ Event To Help Grow a 'Green Michigan'
The state's top energy researchers, policy-makers and business innovators will come together on Earth Day April 22 to review plans for making Michigan a national leader in emerging green energy technologies.
Michigan's University Research Corridor and WWJ Newsradio 950 will bring together
Michigan's key people in energy innovation, including leading researchers from Wayne State University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan for ”Carbon Culture at the Crossroads: Embracing a Green Michigan.”
Organizers hope the gathering will provide businesses and citizens a roadmap to achieving alternative energy leadership and sustainability in Michigan.
The special sessions kick off with a keynote address from Gov. Jennifer Granholm's chief adviser on renewable energy and the environment, Stanley ”Skip” Pruss, who will outline ”Michigan's Plans for Alternative Energy” followed by town hall panels comprised of top energy researchers and business leaders.
WWJ will broadcast live from the event, airing special coverage on the topic with interviews running hourly throughout the day at 5:40 a.m. through 7:40 p.m. More information is available at www.urcmich.org and www.wwj.com.
Experts predict that renewable energy and energy efficiency alone will add $4.5 trillion in value to the U.S. economy by 2030. Michigan, with more automotive-related R&D talent than the other 49 states combined as well as an abundance of engineering talent and strong resources in wind, solar, bio-fuels and other energy fields is considered to be well-positioned to be a national leader in new emerging energy industries.
Michigan is also home to the URC, one of the largest clusters of research universities in the nation conducting more than $1.3 billion in research each year. The agenda for the conference includes:
8:45 a.m.: Keynote: Michigan's Plan for Alternative EnergySkip Pruss, Gov. Jennifer Granholm's special adviser for alternative energy and the environment.
9:15 a.m.: Cultural and Policy Impediments to a Green MichiganModerator: Matt Roush, The Great Lakes IT ReportJim Croce, CEO of NextEnergy. Stephen Forrest, University of Michigan vice president for research Randal Charlton, director of TechTown and founder of AsterandSoji Adelaja, director of the Michigan State University Land Policy Institute.
10:45 a.m.: Business Reacts to the Michigan Energy PlanMary Beth Stanek, General Motors Corp. director of energy and environmental policy. Ray Siada, corporate energy manager,
Guardian Industries. Fred Keller, chairman and CEO of Cascade Energy Inc., Grand Rapids.Ronald Krupitzer, vice president, automotive application, American Iron and Steel Institute.Aaron Crum, co-founder of AMI Adaptive Materials Inc., Ann Arbor.
The conference, running from 7:30 a.m. to noon, will be held at Wayne State's Community Arts Auditorium, 450 Reuther Mall. It begins with a special networking breakfast at 7:30 a.m. To register, visit this link.http://www.wwj.com/Embracing-A-Green-Michigan:-Carbon-Culture-At-The-/1958825
The research universities, working together through the URC, are each leaders in different aspects of energy research. WSU attracted NextEnergy to its TechTown research park and established an innovative alternative energy program while MSU opened a new alternative energy center and attracted its largest research grant, $50 million, for developing biofuel technology.
UM is home to the Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and is a leader in the development of solar energy, fuel cells, batteries and other technology.
More at www.urcmich.org or www.wwj.com.
More at www.urcmich.org or www.wwj.com.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Listening to the beat of a different Drummer
While you may be working around your computer portal to the world try another kind of connection. Type into your browser window the following http://spectrum.ieee.org/radioonce there you can select from a number of podcasts. All of which seem to illuminate the listener as to fellow travelers of the Eartly realms creative endeavors. Briefly, this morning I listened to a start-up company describe it's linear proggresion of it's urban electric motorcycle program, also interviews about wind turbines (including the Windspire), Math memories about the beauty of using math in everyday practices from your mind as opposed to a computer and a London based company called UVA , or United Visual Artists. They are a collaborative of artists , musicians, Architects and various technicians that have connected LED lighting, music, computers and regenerative feedback to create a public audio/visual experience that is compelling of a similar intent and nature to what we are endeavoring to do here in America. These are all similar because of the Organic nature of learning and creating, it is not only an energy force that comes from somewhere in the realms of the netherworld, more importantly it is the manifest desire for life's longing for itself. One only has to tune their perception and hearing to be able to hear it........Enjoy your journey and add to the creation!
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Great lakes Region- A Jewel in the Universe
The proposition is to develop new visions to see what is before us in the light. To develop new agreements to work collaboratively with each other and the natural resources around us to create opportunity and sustain life in the Great lakes region.
Article published Monday, April 7, 2008
U.S.-CANADALakes region a sleeping powerhouse, scholar says
By TOM TROYBLADE POLITICS WRITER
John C. Austin sounds like an explorer from the 16th or 17th century who has discovered a new continent.Only the continent he has sighted is populated and widely viewed as in decline.The region on whose shores Mr. Austin, a Brookings Institution scholar, has set foot is none other than the Great Lakes region, an area he said is “unrivaled” for its natural resources, educational assets, and industrial know-how.
As Europe has the European Union, this region would have the Great Lakes Economic Region.Anything other than “rust belt,” Mr. Austin said.Last Monday, Mr. Austin of Ann Arbor was the keynote speaker, following Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, at an economic development “summit” sponsored by the Lucas County commissioners.The event drew about 45 local government officials from the Lake Erie counties stretching from Monroe County, Michigan, to Ashtabula County east of Cleveland.Tina Skeldon Wozniak, the president of the Lucas County commissioners, said Mr. Austin provided insight and detail.“What he gave us was an affirmation that we can make this transition, and as we work through it we have everything going for us,” Ms. Wozniak said. “I think he gave us more data to believe and focus and stay on track.”Mr. Austin said the Great Lakes region has or can get the things that attract residential and business development — built infrastructure, historic buildings, waterfronts, civic and cultural institutions, and public transportation.He said if the Great Lakes Economic Region were a nation, its gross domestic product would rank as the world’s second largest.
“Our trade between the U.S. and Canada is the biggest on earth,” Mr. Austin said. “This region is the agricultural-industrial center of the universe.”And while the population of the Great Lakes states is undereducated compared to America in general — because of a legacy of a wealth of factory jobs that didn’t require postsecondary education, its universities educate a disproportionate share of the national population.“Our network of research universities is larger and produces more ideas than any place on earth,” Mr. Austin said.Analogy to the SouthHe cites the South as an analogy to the Great Lakes.“The South was behind. The New South governors got together and said what’s our plan? They have a very similar economic story,” Mr. Austin said.Unlike the South, which has self-identified as a stressed region for about two centuries now, self-awareness is a new feeling for the Great Lakes states.“We have had the luxury of not viewing ourselves as a region. You look around and say why are we losing the manufacturing jobs?” he said. “Why are our young people leaving? So under crisis it begins to hit us in the face.“This business of Ohio versus Michigan or Michigan versus Indiana for the next plant is nonsense. It’s counterproductive. We’ve got to get beyond that,” he said.Last year, Mr. Austin even backed a joint economic development zone between Lucas County and southeast Michigan.Mr. Austin urges his listeners to use their dwindling time in the presidential election to pressure the three candidates to commit to a $26 billion cleanup of the Great Lakes. The money would be spent to upgrade sewer treatment plants, clean up brownfields, and rid the Great Lakes of invasive species.The Brookings study calculated the future benefits from such an investment at $90 billion in increased property values and the values of the jobs created. “This [endorsing the $26 billion Great Lakes cleanup initiative] should be like taking the no-tax pledge in New Hampshire,” he said.“You’re the deciders in another presidential election. And if you don’t use this opportunity … then shame on you, shame on everybody,” Mr. Austin said.A native of Cleveland, where his family ran a successful commercial and industrial construction company, Mr. Austin, 45, graduated from Swarthmore College and Harvard University and worked for the state of Massachusetts before making his way back to the Midwest. He lived in the Flint area, where he served on the Genesee County Road Commission 1997-2001 and now lives in Michigan with his wife of 18 years and three children.Since 2000 Mr. Austin, a Democrat, has been an elected member of the Michigan State Board of Education. His full-time job now is as a fellow of the Brookings Institution and it has taken him to every major city in the Great Lakes region. Those include Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Duluth, Toronto, Louisville, and St. Louis.“I’m a politician first, a public policy wonk a close second,” Mr. Austin said.Patrick Clark, a neighborhood development consultant in Pittsburgh who has worked with Mr. Austin for several projects, said he connects with young people.“Many of these Chambers of Commerce are clueless in getting paths to these young leaders. John got in front of a group of young leaders and threw some stuff out there and kind of challenged them to take a leadership role and some of them stepped up,” Mr. Clark said.Two of the young people he offered a hand to are Abby Wilson, 28, of metro Pittsburgh, and Sarah Szurpicki, 27, of metro Detroit, co-founders of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange (GLUE). GLUE has a Website that serves as a video and audio forum about the Great Lakes region, www.gluespace.org.Meeting setA GLUE meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Manhattan’s Restaurant downtown and is open to the public.Mr. Austin helped the young women obtain an operating grant from Brookings. “He’s extraordinary. He has infectious enthusiasm and if I do say so myself, sees the value in good ideas in young people,” Ms. Wilson said. “As far as I know I don’t think anybody else is making this argument that we should really view ourselves as collaborators rather than competitors.”But Mr. Austin is no Pollyanna. He said a point made in the updated report is that the Great Lakes region is up against international competition to be the center of alternative energy development, and already may be losing the battle.He said the lakes are the logical place for wind energy to be researched and the products developed and made. But Germany started 10 years ago to have an “energy portfolio standard” — policies requiring a certain percentage of energy to be produced from alternative fuels.“We’re just getting around to it now. I hope it’s not too late,” he said.Contact Tom Troy at: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.
Article published Monday, April 7, 2008
U.S.-CANADALakes region a sleeping powerhouse, scholar says
By TOM TROYBLADE POLITICS WRITER
John C. Austin sounds like an explorer from the 16th or 17th century who has discovered a new continent.Only the continent he has sighted is populated and widely viewed as in decline.The region on whose shores Mr. Austin, a Brookings Institution scholar, has set foot is none other than the Great Lakes region, an area he said is “unrivaled” for its natural resources, educational assets, and industrial know-how.
As Europe has the European Union, this region would have the Great Lakes Economic Region.Anything other than “rust belt,” Mr. Austin said.Last Monday, Mr. Austin of Ann Arbor was the keynote speaker, following Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, at an economic development “summit” sponsored by the Lucas County commissioners.The event drew about 45 local government officials from the Lake Erie counties stretching from Monroe County, Michigan, to Ashtabula County east of Cleveland.Tina Skeldon Wozniak, the president of the Lucas County commissioners, said Mr. Austin provided insight and detail.“What he gave us was an affirmation that we can make this transition, and as we work through it we have everything going for us,” Ms. Wozniak said. “I think he gave us more data to believe and focus and stay on track.”Mr. Austin said the Great Lakes region has or can get the things that attract residential and business development — built infrastructure, historic buildings, waterfronts, civic and cultural institutions, and public transportation.He said if the Great Lakes Economic Region were a nation, its gross domestic product would rank as the world’s second largest.
“Our trade between the U.S. and Canada is the biggest on earth,” Mr. Austin said. “This region is the agricultural-industrial center of the universe.”And while the population of the Great Lakes states is undereducated compared to America in general — because of a legacy of a wealth of factory jobs that didn’t require postsecondary education, its universities educate a disproportionate share of the national population.“Our network of research universities is larger and produces more ideas than any place on earth,” Mr. Austin said.Analogy to the SouthHe cites the South as an analogy to the Great Lakes.“The South was behind. The New South governors got together and said what’s our plan? They have a very similar economic story,” Mr. Austin said.Unlike the South, which has self-identified as a stressed region for about two centuries now, self-awareness is a new feeling for the Great Lakes states.“We have had the luxury of not viewing ourselves as a region. You look around and say why are we losing the manufacturing jobs?” he said. “Why are our young people leaving? So under crisis it begins to hit us in the face.“This business of Ohio versus Michigan or Michigan versus Indiana for the next plant is nonsense. It’s counterproductive. We’ve got to get beyond that,” he said.Last year, Mr. Austin even backed a joint economic development zone between Lucas County and southeast Michigan.Mr. Austin urges his listeners to use their dwindling time in the presidential election to pressure the three candidates to commit to a $26 billion cleanup of the Great Lakes. The money would be spent to upgrade sewer treatment plants, clean up brownfields, and rid the Great Lakes of invasive species.The Brookings study calculated the future benefits from such an investment at $90 billion in increased property values and the values of the jobs created. “This [endorsing the $26 billion Great Lakes cleanup initiative] should be like taking the no-tax pledge in New Hampshire,” he said.“You’re the deciders in another presidential election. And if you don’t use this opportunity … then shame on you, shame on everybody,” Mr. Austin said.A native of Cleveland, where his family ran a successful commercial and industrial construction company, Mr. Austin, 45, graduated from Swarthmore College and Harvard University and worked for the state of Massachusetts before making his way back to the Midwest. He lived in the Flint area, where he served on the Genesee County Road Commission 1997-2001 and now lives in Michigan with his wife of 18 years and three children.Since 2000 Mr. Austin, a Democrat, has been an elected member of the Michigan State Board of Education. His full-time job now is as a fellow of the Brookings Institution and it has taken him to every major city in the Great Lakes region. Those include Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Duluth, Toronto, Louisville, and St. Louis.“I’m a politician first, a public policy wonk a close second,” Mr. Austin said.Patrick Clark, a neighborhood development consultant in Pittsburgh who has worked with Mr. Austin for several projects, said he connects with young people.“Many of these Chambers of Commerce are clueless in getting paths to these young leaders. John got in front of a group of young leaders and threw some stuff out there and kind of challenged them to take a leadership role and some of them stepped up,” Mr. Clark said.Two of the young people he offered a hand to are Abby Wilson, 28, of metro Pittsburgh, and Sarah Szurpicki, 27, of metro Detroit, co-founders of the Great Lakes Urban Exchange (GLUE). GLUE has a Website that serves as a video and audio forum about the Great Lakes region, www.gluespace.org.Meeting setA GLUE meeting is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Manhattan’s Restaurant downtown and is open to the public.Mr. Austin helped the young women obtain an operating grant from Brookings. “He’s extraordinary. He has infectious enthusiasm and if I do say so myself, sees the value in good ideas in young people,” Ms. Wilson said. “As far as I know I don’t think anybody else is making this argument that we should really view ourselves as collaborators rather than competitors.”But Mr. Austin is no Pollyanna. He said a point made in the updated report is that the Great Lakes region is up against international competition to be the center of alternative energy development, and already may be losing the battle.He said the lakes are the logical place for wind energy to be researched and the products developed and made. But Germany started 10 years ago to have an “energy portfolio standard” — policies requiring a certain percentage of energy to be produced from alternative fuels.“We’re just getting around to it now. I hope it’s not too late,” he said.Contact Tom Troy at: tomtroy@theblade.com or 419-724-6058.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Achieving a sense of place
The following description of NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratories research project is a great example of how communities and individuals can work together in a creative mix of educational opportunities to understand the world in which we live. It is hoped that the outcomes of these formed associations will lead to the creation of a much more informed and "connected" society. With these understandings we can create not only a healtier place to live in, but also in doing so we can create a new and viable economy, one that will support thriving and sustainable communities, both human and natural.
Jim Bates-SEND LLC
Managing the Impact of Multiple Stressors in Saginaw Bay
Craig Stow, Stephen B. Brandt, Tom Croley, Juli Dyble, Gary Fahnenstiel, Tom Nalepa,Steve Pothoven, Henry Vanderploeg (GLERL)Tomas Hook, Dima Beletsky, Carlo DeMarchi, Tom Johengen, Donna Kashian (University of Michigan)Scott Peacor, Michael Kaplowitz, Frank Lupi (Michigan State University)Peter Lavrentyev (University of Akron)Joe DePinto (Limno-Tech)Chansheng He (Western Michigan University)Tammy Newcomb (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)Jim Bredin (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality)
Funding Agency: NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Research (http://www.cop.noaa.gov)
Multiple Stressors in Saginaw Bay: Navigating the IssuesApril 2, 2008Bay City, Michigan.Hosted by the Great Lakes Environmental Research LaboratoryMore information contact:
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Donna.Kashian@noaa.gov
Workshop for managers and agency representatives
Workshop Agenda
Introduction
The NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, in conjunction with several partner agencies and institutions, is just beginning a 5 year project to study the effects of multiple stressors on Saginaw Bay in Lake Huron. Like many coastal areas around the world, Saginaw Bay has been subjected to numerous stressors originating from human activities. These stressors have included toxic contaminants, nutrients, sediments, overfishing, exotic species, and more recently - declining water levels.
The combined effect of these stressors has comprised the health of Saginaw Bay and resulted in the loss of many ecosystem features and services that people value.
Objectives
The goal of this project is to help identify management actions that will improve the health of the Bay and restore the ecosystem services that are important to the population of that area.
To accomplish this goal we will conduct research in the field and the laboratory to study how these stressors interact to influence Saginaw Bay's fisheries and water quality. The information from these studies will be used to guide the development of several mathematical models that will help identify useful management options.
Mathematical models will help researchers to organize what is known about the behavior of stressors in Saginaw Bay and to identify the important processes about which very little is known. Additionally, the models will allow scientists to conduct simulated experiments, such as reducing phosphorus input to the Bay, to evaluate the logical outcome alternative management actions.
Another objective is the development of an "Adaptive Integrative Framework" so that our models and field studies will be used interactively to inform one another. As an important component of this Adaptive Integrative Framework, our research will be conducted in coordination with local stakeholder groups under the guidance of representatives from the Michigan Departments of Natural Resources (DNR) and Environmental Quality (DEQ). This interactive environment will help the public understand the goals and difficulties involved in effectively studying and managing Saginaw Bay. In turn our research will be informed and guided by local knowledge and an enhanced appreciation of the ecosystem services that the public considers most important.
Water Levels
Water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron began a rapid decline in the late 1990s. A statistical analysis of water level data that corrects for the effect of precipitation suggests that an underlying decline began much earlier, perhaps in the mid-1970s. The reason for this decline is unclear, but may be related to increased evaporation in the watershed, a possible consequence of global climate change. Declining water levels have made Saginaw Bay shallower which may be increasing the influence of the invasive zebra and quagga mussels on water quality.
Citation: Sellinger, C.E., C.A. Stow, E C. Lamon, and S.S. Qian. 2008.Recent Water Level Declines in the Lake Michigan-Huron System.Environmental Science & Technology, 42: 367-373.
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is a nutrient that causes algae to grow. While it is essential to have some phosphorus in the water, too much can stimulate the growth of nuisance and toxic algae. Even though the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement established a target phosphorus load for Saginaw Bay in 1978, inputs of this important nutrient continue to cause problems. Limited monitoring in the Bay makes it unclear if the target phosphorus loads are currently being met.
Total phosphorus data by year. Boxes show upper and lower data quartiles; the central solid line represents the median. Whiskers represent 1.5 times the interquartile range up to the max and min data values.
Invasive Species
Many invasive species have entered the Great Lakes in recent years. Zebra and quagga mussels have been especially important because they filter large quantities of water, removing sediments and contaminants from the water column. As a result the water has generally become clearer since these mussels invaded. However, the bad news is that because the water is clearer, more sunlight reaches the bottom of the shallow Bay causing nuisance algae to grow. These algae accumulate in the shallow areas along the shoreline and decay, resulting in a very unpleasant "muck". Lower water levels make the problem worse by exposing more shoreline. In addition, during the filtration process, some of the toxic or harmful species of algae (cyanobacteria, aka "blue-green algae") are preferentially returned to the water which may promote blooms of these harmful species.
Fishery Impacts
To understand the impacts of multiple stressors on Saginaw Bay’s upper trophic levels, we will focus on yellow perch and walleye. These two species presently and historically constitute the most important fisheries in Saginaw Bay. The feeding ecology of these two species varies ontogenetically: progressing from zooplanktivory to primarily benthivory (yellow perch) and piscivory (walleye). In addition, they can be characterized as cool water species that do not thrive in warm, highly eutrophied waters or cold, oligotrophic waters. The sustained production of these two species likely requires striking a balance between excessive eutrophication vs. oligotrophication and sufficient pelagic vs. benthic prey bases. Thereby, the productivity of these two species represents a useful endpoint for evaluating the interacting effects of multiple stressors (e.g., climate change, invasive species) and the appropriate balance between sufficient and insufficient nutrient loading.
For additional information see:Fielder, D.G. and Thomas, M.V. 2006. Fish population dynamics of Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, 1998-2004. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Fisheries Research Report. Ann Arbor.
Information for Project Investigators
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GLERL 2205 Commonwealth Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI 48105-2945 (734) 741-2235Lake Michigan Field Station, 1431 Beach St., Muskegon, MI 49441-1098 (231) 759-7824
Sustainable Energy Legislation
Press Release of Senator Ensign
ENSIGN BILL ENCOURAGES DEVELOPMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign, along with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), led a bipartisan group of senators today to announce a bill to encourage the development of renewable energy and expand energy efficiency in buildings, homes and appliances.
“Satisfying our energy needs and reducing our reliance on foreign sources is a challenge that we must meet, but that can only happen with the right incentives in place,” said Ensign. “Our bipartisan bill will help put us on a path toward energy independence with American ingenuity leading the way.”
The Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008, authored by Ensign and Cantwell, extends incentives to encourage renewable energy. Extending the placed-in-service deadline through 2009 for the Production Tax Credit encourages electricity production using renewable energy resources such as geothermal, wind, biomass, hydropower facilities and much more. These renewable energy plants will have valuable tax stability for 10 years.
Extending the solar and fuel cell Investment Tax Credit for eight years also encourages tremendous development of these technologies.
“Some remarkable energy projects have come online, and with the right tax incentives, they will thrive and help meet our growing energy demands,” said Ensign. “If Congress continues to drag its feet, many projects across the country will be a sad reminder of potential that was never met.”
“We have an opportunity to break the stalemate in the Senate,” Ensign added. “Especially at a time when our economy is struggling, we should not be increasing taxes to pay for incentives. These incentives are necessary for our energy security and to help jumpstart our economy.”
Studies have shown that the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy projects would help create 120,000 employment opportunities and bring almost $20 billion in economic investment into the country.
Ensign and Cantwell’s bill has 6 Democratic cosponsors and 14 GOP cosponsors in total.
###
ENSIGN BILL ENCOURAGES DEVELOPMENT OF RENEWABLE ENERGY
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign, along with Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), led a bipartisan group of senators today to announce a bill to encourage the development of renewable energy and expand energy efficiency in buildings, homes and appliances.
“Satisfying our energy needs and reducing our reliance on foreign sources is a challenge that we must meet, but that can only happen with the right incentives in place,” said Ensign. “Our bipartisan bill will help put us on a path toward energy independence with American ingenuity leading the way.”
The Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008, authored by Ensign and Cantwell, extends incentives to encourage renewable energy. Extending the placed-in-service deadline through 2009 for the Production Tax Credit encourages electricity production using renewable energy resources such as geothermal, wind, biomass, hydropower facilities and much more. These renewable energy plants will have valuable tax stability for 10 years.
Extending the solar and fuel cell Investment Tax Credit for eight years also encourages tremendous development of these technologies.
“Some remarkable energy projects have come online, and with the right tax incentives, they will thrive and help meet our growing energy demands,” said Ensign. “If Congress continues to drag its feet, many projects across the country will be a sad reminder of potential that was never met.”
“We have an opportunity to break the stalemate in the Senate,” Ensign added. “Especially at a time when our economy is struggling, we should not be increasing taxes to pay for incentives. These incentives are necessary for our energy security and to help jumpstart our economy.”
Studies have shown that the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit for renewable energy projects would help create 120,000 employment opportunities and bring almost $20 billion in economic investment into the country.
Ensign and Cantwell’s bill has 6 Democratic cosponsors and 14 GOP cosponsors in total.
###
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Wave Energy from the Irish Seas
Preparing the World’s largest wave energy power plant
April 26, 2006 Wave Dragon is an offshore wave energy converter of the overtopping type. In 2003 Wave Dragon was the first wave energy developer to connect a prototype device to the public grid. Operating automatically this device has been online in the U.K. for 15,600 hours. Now, in a Joint Venture with UK renewable energy project developer, KP Renewables, Wave Dragon is to construct and deploy the world’s largest wave energy converter off the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales, UK. After the initial test period, the test unit will joint 10 new units as a 77 MW power plant around 10 miles south west of initial site.
The first stage of the project will deploy a 7 MW Wave Dragon demonstration unit to be located five miles from Milford Haven and tested for three to five years. The plant consists of two wave reflectors focusing the incoming waves towards a ramp, a reservoir for collecting the overtopping water and a number of hydro turbines for converting the pressure head into power.
Wave Dragon is by far the largest wave energy converter available today. Each unit will have a rated power of 4-10 MW or more depending on how energetic the wave climate is at the deployment site. The utilization of the over-topping principle as opposed to power absorption via moving bodies means that the efficiency grows with the size of the converter. Only practical matters, such as for construction, set limits for the size of this wave energy converter.
Prior to going offshore a comprehensive test program has been carried out in wave tanks in Denmark and Ireland. Further on real sea testing has been going on for more than 3 years with a grid connected prototype of the Wave Dragon in a Danish fjord (a scale 1:4.5 of a North Sea production plant).
The demonstrator device will be located five miles from the South West Wales coast, off St Ann’s Head, north and west of Milford Haven.
Wave Dragon is a large floating barge structure. The main structural parts will be constructed in reinforced concrete with additional structural steel elements. The total design weight of the Welsh demonstrator device is 33,000 tonnes. The geometrical layout of the device will be identical with the tested prototype.
On the device are mounted 16-20 low-head hydro turbines to drain the reservoir, each with a 440kW PM generator. Additional electrical systems, step-up transformers and service systems are placed in closed compartments.
The 7MWe Welsh Demonstrator device will initially be deployed in a wave climate much lower that its rated power and size justifies. This will enable a thorough testing programme. The demonstrator project is linked to a further development of a total 77 MW wave energy farm in the Irish Sea following the successful demonstrator testing. As significant cost saving exists when a series of reinforced concrete structures and hundreds of turbines are to be constructed it has been possible to put together a fully commercial project. The overall total project investment for this 77 MW project is approximately £1,740 per installed kW.
An estimate of the total wave energy resource that is available to be utilised in a short term perspective varies depending on how far offshore it will be technical feasible to deploy devices. As a conservative example the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Energy Council (WEC) has estimated the potential world-wide wave energy contribution to the production of electricity could be between 10 and 50% of the world’s annual electricity demand of 15,000 TWh.
A recent study by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and The Carbon Trust in UK (Renewables Innovation Review, 2004) states that 200,000 MW installed wave and tidal energy power by 2050 which with a load factor of 0.35 would result in annual power production of 600 TWh (4% of the electricity demand in the world). Independent of the different estimates the potential for a pollution free energy generation is enormous and the development of a completely new industry is underway. The development can be compared with what has happened in the last 25 years within the wind turbine industry.
The planning process for new technologies like wave energy takes time, so the company already has several projects in the pipeline. The first to follow the Welsh demonstration project will take place in Portugal where a company TECDRAGON Lda has been formed with the purpose of establishing 50 MW by 2009-2010.
April 26, 2006 Wave Dragon is an offshore wave energy converter of the overtopping type. In 2003 Wave Dragon was the first wave energy developer to connect a prototype device to the public grid. Operating automatically this device has been online in the U.K. for 15,600 hours. Now, in a Joint Venture with UK renewable energy project developer, KP Renewables, Wave Dragon is to construct and deploy the world’s largest wave energy converter off the Pembrokeshire Coast in Wales, UK. After the initial test period, the test unit will joint 10 new units as a 77 MW power plant around 10 miles south west of initial site.
The first stage of the project will deploy a 7 MW Wave Dragon demonstration unit to be located five miles from Milford Haven and tested for three to five years. The plant consists of two wave reflectors focusing the incoming waves towards a ramp, a reservoir for collecting the overtopping water and a number of hydro turbines for converting the pressure head into power.
Wave Dragon is by far the largest wave energy converter available today. Each unit will have a rated power of 4-10 MW or more depending on how energetic the wave climate is at the deployment site. The utilization of the over-topping principle as opposed to power absorption via moving bodies means that the efficiency grows with the size of the converter. Only practical matters, such as for construction, set limits for the size of this wave energy converter.
Prior to going offshore a comprehensive test program has been carried out in wave tanks in Denmark and Ireland. Further on real sea testing has been going on for more than 3 years with a grid connected prototype of the Wave Dragon in a Danish fjord (a scale 1:4.5 of a North Sea production plant).
The demonstrator device will be located five miles from the South West Wales coast, off St Ann’s Head, north and west of Milford Haven.
Wave Dragon is a large floating barge structure. The main structural parts will be constructed in reinforced concrete with additional structural steel elements. The total design weight of the Welsh demonstrator device is 33,000 tonnes. The geometrical layout of the device will be identical with the tested prototype.
On the device are mounted 16-20 low-head hydro turbines to drain the reservoir, each with a 440kW PM generator. Additional electrical systems, step-up transformers and service systems are placed in closed compartments.
The 7MWe Welsh Demonstrator device will initially be deployed in a wave climate much lower that its rated power and size justifies. This will enable a thorough testing programme. The demonstrator project is linked to a further development of a total 77 MW wave energy farm in the Irish Sea following the successful demonstrator testing. As significant cost saving exists when a series of reinforced concrete structures and hundreds of turbines are to be constructed it has been possible to put together a fully commercial project. The overall total project investment for this 77 MW project is approximately £1,740 per installed kW.
An estimate of the total wave energy resource that is available to be utilised in a short term perspective varies depending on how far offshore it will be technical feasible to deploy devices. As a conservative example the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Energy Council (WEC) has estimated the potential world-wide wave energy contribution to the production of electricity could be between 10 and 50% of the world’s annual electricity demand of 15,000 TWh.
A recent study by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and The Carbon Trust in UK (Renewables Innovation Review, 2004) states that 200,000 MW installed wave and tidal energy power by 2050 which with a load factor of 0.35 would result in annual power production of 600 TWh (4% of the electricity demand in the world). Independent of the different estimates the potential for a pollution free energy generation is enormous and the development of a completely new industry is underway. The development can be compared with what has happened in the last 25 years within the wind turbine industry.
The planning process for new technologies like wave energy takes time, so the company already has several projects in the pipeline. The first to follow the Welsh demonstration project will take place in Portugal where a company TECDRAGON Lda has been formed with the purpose of establishing 50 MW by 2009-2010.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Ford Engineer HAS a BETTER SUSTAINABLE IDEA!
HARNESSING THE POWER IN WATER
Ex-Ford worker invests in old source of hydroelectricity
BY SALLY BARBER • FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER • April 1, 2008
ELK RAPIDS -- Bill Stockhausen, a retired Ford Motor Co. engineer who helped develop Ford's hydrogen internal combustion engine, is breaking ground again -- this time in renewable power generation.
The near-zero-emission engine was Stockhausen's final project before leaving the company two years ago. Last fall, the Northville entrepreneur used his savings and buyout money from Ford and paid Antrim County $195,000 for a new challenge: the operation of the century-old Elk Rapids hydroelectric dam.
His involvement saved the functioning dam from a plan to convert it into an upscale restaurant and ensured that it would continue to produce clean power.
"The plant is old, but by the same token, it has a large stake in the future" because of the demand for renewable energy, Stockhausen said.
Situated between Elk Lake and East Grand Traverse Bay, the facility's two turbines capture the power of falling water, producing enough electricity to supply 700 homes, most of the households within the village. The dam also controls federally mandated lake levels for Elk, Skegemog and
Torch lakes and to a lesser extent Antrim County's chain-of-lakes, the cornerstone of the region's tourism industry.
Antrim County purchased the dam from Consumers Power in 1965 for $1 and then used municipal bonds to cover renovation costs. With updates and repairs looming, and Traverse City
Light & Power phasing out hydroelectric operations, the county sought fiscal relief in a financial agreement allowing the county to retire the debt.
Stockhausen is modernizing the plant by investing an additional undisclosed amount for automated controls, plumbing renovations and a heating system recycling waste heat from generators. He manages it with his son and son-in-law.
"We don't expect this to be the goose that laid the golden egg," he said. "But we hope it will allow our son to make a living, cover all expenses ... and to be able to put a little aside for continuous upgrades."
Inspired by Ford
You could chalk this small victory for renewable energy up in part to Henry Ford. Thirty-five years ago, Stockhausen became fascinated with Ford's Village Industries, the nearly two dozen small industrial complexes throughout southeast Michigan that Ford built in the 1920s and 1930s to operate on hydropower.
"Virtually all are still in existence and could be restored," Stockhausen noted.
Stockhausen's own experiments with hydroelectricity began 35 years ago as a hobby when he and his wife purchased and converted an aging mill. The Bellevue dam near Lansing has since provided electricity to power up to 50 homes. Over the years, he has worked as a consultant on eight hydroelectric dam projects statewide.
Today, his hobby is serious business. Stockhausen serves on a newly formed committee of the Michigan Renewable Energy Program, an organization implemented by the Michigan Public Service Commission. The committee's task is to evaluate the status of hydroelectric power in Michigan and assist in developing state policy.
Limitless possibilities
Statewide, there are 80 hydroelectric dams in operation, with a total production capacity of 330 megawatts. More than 700 additional existing dams could be brought into production, Stockhausen said.
Stockhausen said emerging technology positions hydroelectric as a viable power source capable of increasing Michigan's renewable energy production by several percent. Especially promising is the new generation of kinetic turbines sited in free-flowing streams, rivers and lakes without the use of dams or other infrastructure. Lakes Michigan and Superior and the Detroit River are good candidates for the technology, he said.
According to state estimates, if Michigan continues a business-as-usual, energy-consumption pattern, energy demand will increase 1.3% per year through 2020. No renewable energy source will likely be dismissed as insignificant, said Mark Beyer, a spokesman for NextEnergy in Detroit, which advocates green technology.
"Nothing is out of bounds," he said. "The global thirst and demand for energy is so high, and it will keep going up for the next century and beyond."
Potential to create jobs and more
Today, job creation and opportunities in renewable energy are stymied by the state Legislature's hesitation to adopt a Renewable Portfolio Standard, Beyer said. An RPS would mandate utilities use a designated percentage of renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind or solar.
One popular proposal suggests a standard of 10% renewables by 2015. Others call for a more aggressive plan. Twenty-six states have already adopted RPS standards.
A business climate bolstered by a RPS would unleash activity in the renewable energy industry, Beyer said. Until then, entrepreneurs find opportunity where they can.
"There are niches where people like Stockhausen can get a toehold in small-scale energy -- make money and do well," Beyer said.
Ex-Ford worker invests in old source of hydroelectricity
BY SALLY BARBER • FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER • April 1, 2008
ELK RAPIDS -- Bill Stockhausen, a retired Ford Motor Co. engineer who helped develop Ford's hydrogen internal combustion engine, is breaking ground again -- this time in renewable power generation.
The near-zero-emission engine was Stockhausen's final project before leaving the company two years ago. Last fall, the Northville entrepreneur used his savings and buyout money from Ford and paid Antrim County $195,000 for a new challenge: the operation of the century-old Elk Rapids hydroelectric dam.
His involvement saved the functioning dam from a plan to convert it into an upscale restaurant and ensured that it would continue to produce clean power.
"The plant is old, but by the same token, it has a large stake in the future" because of the demand for renewable energy, Stockhausen said.
Situated between Elk Lake and East Grand Traverse Bay, the facility's two turbines capture the power of falling water, producing enough electricity to supply 700 homes, most of the households within the village. The dam also controls federally mandated lake levels for Elk, Skegemog and
Torch lakes and to a lesser extent Antrim County's chain-of-lakes, the cornerstone of the region's tourism industry.
Antrim County purchased the dam from Consumers Power in 1965 for $1 and then used municipal bonds to cover renovation costs. With updates and repairs looming, and Traverse City
Light & Power phasing out hydroelectric operations, the county sought fiscal relief in a financial agreement allowing the county to retire the debt.
Stockhausen is modernizing the plant by investing an additional undisclosed amount for automated controls, plumbing renovations and a heating system recycling waste heat from generators. He manages it with his son and son-in-law.
"We don't expect this to be the goose that laid the golden egg," he said. "But we hope it will allow our son to make a living, cover all expenses ... and to be able to put a little aside for continuous upgrades."
Inspired by Ford
You could chalk this small victory for renewable energy up in part to Henry Ford. Thirty-five years ago, Stockhausen became fascinated with Ford's Village Industries, the nearly two dozen small industrial complexes throughout southeast Michigan that Ford built in the 1920s and 1930s to operate on hydropower.
"Virtually all are still in existence and could be restored," Stockhausen noted.
Stockhausen's own experiments with hydroelectricity began 35 years ago as a hobby when he and his wife purchased and converted an aging mill. The Bellevue dam near Lansing has since provided electricity to power up to 50 homes. Over the years, he has worked as a consultant on eight hydroelectric dam projects statewide.
Today, his hobby is serious business. Stockhausen serves on a newly formed committee of the Michigan Renewable Energy Program, an organization implemented by the Michigan Public Service Commission. The committee's task is to evaluate the status of hydroelectric power in Michigan and assist in developing state policy.
Limitless possibilities
Statewide, there are 80 hydroelectric dams in operation, with a total production capacity of 330 megawatts. More than 700 additional existing dams could be brought into production, Stockhausen said.
Stockhausen said emerging technology positions hydroelectric as a viable power source capable of increasing Michigan's renewable energy production by several percent. Especially promising is the new generation of kinetic turbines sited in free-flowing streams, rivers and lakes without the use of dams or other infrastructure. Lakes Michigan and Superior and the Detroit River are good candidates for the technology, he said.
According to state estimates, if Michigan continues a business-as-usual, energy-consumption pattern, energy demand will increase 1.3% per year through 2020. No renewable energy source will likely be dismissed as insignificant, said Mark Beyer, a spokesman for NextEnergy in Detroit, which advocates green technology.
"Nothing is out of bounds," he said. "The global thirst and demand for energy is so high, and it will keep going up for the next century and beyond."
Potential to create jobs and more
Today, job creation and opportunities in renewable energy are stymied by the state Legislature's hesitation to adopt a Renewable Portfolio Standard, Beyer said. An RPS would mandate utilities use a designated percentage of renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric, wind or solar.
One popular proposal suggests a standard of 10% renewables by 2015. Others call for a more aggressive plan. Twenty-six states have already adopted RPS standards.
A business climate bolstered by a RPS would unleash activity in the renewable energy industry, Beyer said. Until then, entrepreneurs find opportunity where they can.
"There are niches where people like Stockhausen can get a toehold in small-scale energy -- make money and do well," Beyer said.
Monday, March 31, 2008
TEAM T3 / Clarkston, Brandon, Holly, Waterford District (WIN Highly Coveted Chairman's Award)
FIRST Robotics Crowns Great Lakes Champs
You can read all you want to about a FIRST Robotics competition.
About how it brings teams of bright high school students together with science and engineering mentors. About how it shows them that science and engineering careers can be a lot of fun.
About how it celebrates science and technology -- and teamwork and perserverance and sportsmanship -- in an atmosphere reminiscent of a state championship athletic event. (Heck, even better, more like college -- with professional lighting, sound and announcers.) And about the way it celebrates and teaches skills that most students are likely to actually USE in their REAL LIVES, as opposed to the finer points of the goal-line formation or the pick and roll or the hanging curve ball, which only a tiny fraction of high school students will ever use in their professional lives.
But to really understand it, you have to go to a big regional competition. Which is exactly how I spent my Saturday at Eastern Michigan University, with about 3,000 other proudly nerdy robot fans at FIRST Robotics' Great Lakes Regional.
This year's FIRST game, called Overdrive, saw robots racing around a 27-by-52-foot racetrack.
Three robot teams make up a "red alliance," while on the other side three other teams make up a "blue alliance." To make the game more complicated, over the middle of the racetrack was an overpass on which were placed four giant Pilates balls, two for either alliance. Alliances earned bonus points for tossing the balls over the overpass, and at the end by placing balls back on the overpass. To keep the competition from becoming a simple demolition derby, there were penalties for excessive contact between robots -- some contact is allowed, but intentional ramming isn't.
For the first day and a half of round robin competition the alliances are thrown together on a random basis. The top eight teams in this round robin phase automatically advance to the quarterfinals.
Then, at noon Saturday, there's a bit of psychological drama, as the top eight teams ask two other teams apiece to join their alliance.
After that matchup session, there was an hour break before the quarterfinals began at 1 p.m. I spent that time in the pits, mostly with Team 27, called Team Rush, from the Clarkston schools and a math and science academy at Clarkston called OSMTech. This large group of several dozen students learns from mentor engineers and machinists. (That's the team pictured.)
In the end, after a day of competition that left judges and competitors exhausted and the robots sputtering, an alliance of Milford-Lakeland, Romulus and Novi high schools won the regional. They're now eligible for the national finals in Atlanta next month.
Runners-up were an alliance of Ypsilanti Willow Run, Utica and Madison Heights Bishop Foley.
In all 63 teams competed in the regional -- mostly from Michigan, but there were also teams from Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and even Santiago, Chile in South America.
Teams get six weeks to build their robot after receiving details on the current year's game in a kickoff video simulcast to sites around the country. The teams also pick up their starter parts at the January kickoff. All teams must stop working on their robots and lock them up after six weeks, eliminating any advantage from entering a later regional competition.
The folks from Team Rush told me it takes about $60,000 a year to field a competitive team, making finding sponsors crucial for most schools.
The games are designed by scientific luminaries such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Woody Flowers and NASA exploratory robotics director Dave Lavery.
The Great Lakes Regional was the last of four regionals held in Michigan this month. The first was for rookie teams only played at Kettering University; the second was the Detroit Regional at Wayne State; and the third was at Grand Valley State University March 20-22.
The Great Lakes Regional tends to draw traditionally strong teams – and in five of the last six years, an International Champion has come from the state of Michigan and gone through the Great Lakes Regional to get there.
Youth participants also compete for other awards, including for community service, marketing, web site design and computer animation – plus the ultimate Chairman’s Award, won Saturday by Team T3, a team comprised of students from a variety of Oakland County schools, including the Waterford district, Holly, Clarkston and Brandon.
CONGRATULATIONS to Kyle Hughes and TEAM RUSH of OSMTech at Clarkston High School!
More about the competition overall at http://www.usfirst.org/.
You can read all you want to about a FIRST Robotics competition.
About how it brings teams of bright high school students together with science and engineering mentors. About how it shows them that science and engineering careers can be a lot of fun.
About how it celebrates science and technology -- and teamwork and perserverance and sportsmanship -- in an atmosphere reminiscent of a state championship athletic event. (Heck, even better, more like college -- with professional lighting, sound and announcers.) And about the way it celebrates and teaches skills that most students are likely to actually USE in their REAL LIVES, as opposed to the finer points of the goal-line formation or the pick and roll or the hanging curve ball, which only a tiny fraction of high school students will ever use in their professional lives.
But to really understand it, you have to go to a big regional competition. Which is exactly how I spent my Saturday at Eastern Michigan University, with about 3,000 other proudly nerdy robot fans at FIRST Robotics' Great Lakes Regional.
This year's FIRST game, called Overdrive, saw robots racing around a 27-by-52-foot racetrack.
Three robot teams make up a "red alliance," while on the other side three other teams make up a "blue alliance." To make the game more complicated, over the middle of the racetrack was an overpass on which were placed four giant Pilates balls, two for either alliance. Alliances earned bonus points for tossing the balls over the overpass, and at the end by placing balls back on the overpass. To keep the competition from becoming a simple demolition derby, there were penalties for excessive contact between robots -- some contact is allowed, but intentional ramming isn't.
For the first day and a half of round robin competition the alliances are thrown together on a random basis. The top eight teams in this round robin phase automatically advance to the quarterfinals.
Then, at noon Saturday, there's a bit of psychological drama, as the top eight teams ask two other teams apiece to join their alliance.
After that matchup session, there was an hour break before the quarterfinals began at 1 p.m. I spent that time in the pits, mostly with Team 27, called Team Rush, from the Clarkston schools and a math and science academy at Clarkston called OSMTech. This large group of several dozen students learns from mentor engineers and machinists. (That's the team pictured.)
In the end, after a day of competition that left judges and competitors exhausted and the robots sputtering, an alliance of Milford-Lakeland, Romulus and Novi high schools won the regional. They're now eligible for the national finals in Atlanta next month.
Runners-up were an alliance of Ypsilanti Willow Run, Utica and Madison Heights Bishop Foley.
In all 63 teams competed in the regional -- mostly from Michigan, but there were also teams from Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and even Santiago, Chile in South America.
Teams get six weeks to build their robot after receiving details on the current year's game in a kickoff video simulcast to sites around the country. The teams also pick up their starter parts at the January kickoff. All teams must stop working on their robots and lock them up after six weeks, eliminating any advantage from entering a later regional competition.
The folks from Team Rush told me it takes about $60,000 a year to field a competitive team, making finding sponsors crucial for most schools.
The games are designed by scientific luminaries such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Woody Flowers and NASA exploratory robotics director Dave Lavery.
The Great Lakes Regional was the last of four regionals held in Michigan this month. The first was for rookie teams only played at Kettering University; the second was the Detroit Regional at Wayne State; and the third was at Grand Valley State University March 20-22.
The Great Lakes Regional tends to draw traditionally strong teams – and in five of the last six years, an International Champion has come from the state of Michigan and gone through the Great Lakes Regional to get there.
Youth participants also compete for other awards, including for community service, marketing, web site design and computer animation – plus the ultimate Chairman’s Award, won Saturday by Team T3, a team comprised of students from a variety of Oakland County schools, including the Waterford district, Holly, Clarkston and Brandon.
CONGRATULATIONS to Kyle Hughes and TEAM RUSH of OSMTech at Clarkston High School!
More about the competition overall at http://www.usfirst.org/.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Renewable Energy Legislation / Update
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Renewable Energy Legislation Passes Michigan Senate
LANSING - Renewable energy legislation passed one house of the Michigan Legislature unanimously on Thursday, but it wasn't the wide-sweeping standard Gov. Jennifer Granholm and environmental groups have called for. The Senate approved SB 1000 on a 38-0 vote.
Supporters of the legislation that would require state government to purchase increasing levels of renewable energy said it was the first step towards a larger package and on its own would help stimulate the renewable energy industry in Michigan.
Also approved unanimously were bills creating tax breaks for using qualified energy programs and requiring electric utilities to offer green energy programs.
Senate Republicans said their bills were superior to measures under consideration in the House because they would promote development of renewable energy without adding costs to ratepayers.
Critics have charged that the more extensive renewable energy portfolio standards under consideration in the House could cost consumers as much as $8 billion over the long-term.
But Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor) said critics of SB 1000 derided it, asking how little was the state willing to do on the issue of renewable energy. Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R-Saugatuck) said the measure was a first step towards more legislation, but that it would have a positive effect on developing the renewable energy industry by assuring there is a market for its generated power.
Under the bill, 3 percent of the energy purchased by the state in 2009 would have to come from renewable resources. That would increase to 10 percent in 2010, 20 percent in 2020 and 25 percent in 2025. However, the state would only be required to purchase the power if its cost was within 5 percent of the cost of non-renewable energy. Also approved was SB 1041 that requires all electricity providers to offer customers the ability to purchase power through renewable resources.
However the companies would also have to report on the different costs of renewable and non-renewable energy on a customer's bill and tell them that a tax credit is available. SB 1040 would create an income tax credit that would allow an individual to claim up to $200 a year to offset the cost of green energy.
Since some 20,000 homes in the state now participate in the programs that are available, the proposal could cost the state revenues about $4 million a year. The measures drew praise, though some of it muted.
The MI Energy Future group, which includes businesses, environmental and agricultural groups calling for a 10 percent renewable standard by 2015, called the bills a signal that "renewable energy is at the central pillar of our policy going forward.
" Marty Kushler of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy said the measures were "fine, as far as it goes." But the bills were more symbolic than anything else because it would involve less than 1 percent of the state's total energy usage.
But David Waymire, speaking for the Customer Choice Coalition, called SB 1000 the "perfect bill," because it is simple and easily understandable. "It shows exactly how good policy can work when leadership lets it," he said.
Renewable Energy Legislation Passes Michigan Senate
LANSING - Renewable energy legislation passed one house of the Michigan Legislature unanimously on Thursday, but it wasn't the wide-sweeping standard Gov. Jennifer Granholm and environmental groups have called for. The Senate approved SB 1000 on a 38-0 vote.
Supporters of the legislation that would require state government to purchase increasing levels of renewable energy said it was the first step towards a larger package and on its own would help stimulate the renewable energy industry in Michigan.
Also approved unanimously were bills creating tax breaks for using qualified energy programs and requiring electric utilities to offer green energy programs.
Senate Republicans said their bills were superior to measures under consideration in the House because they would promote development of renewable energy without adding costs to ratepayers.
Critics have charged that the more extensive renewable energy portfolio standards under consideration in the House could cost consumers as much as $8 billion over the long-term.
But Sen. Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor) said critics of SB 1000 derided it, asking how little was the state willing to do on the issue of renewable energy. Sen. Patricia Birkholz (R-Saugatuck) said the measure was a first step towards more legislation, but that it would have a positive effect on developing the renewable energy industry by assuring there is a market for its generated power.
Under the bill, 3 percent of the energy purchased by the state in 2009 would have to come from renewable resources. That would increase to 10 percent in 2010, 20 percent in 2020 and 25 percent in 2025. However, the state would only be required to purchase the power if its cost was within 5 percent of the cost of non-renewable energy. Also approved was SB 1041 that requires all electricity providers to offer customers the ability to purchase power through renewable resources.
However the companies would also have to report on the different costs of renewable and non-renewable energy on a customer's bill and tell them that a tax credit is available. SB 1040 would create an income tax credit that would allow an individual to claim up to $200 a year to offset the cost of green energy.
Since some 20,000 homes in the state now participate in the programs that are available, the proposal could cost the state revenues about $4 million a year. The measures drew praise, though some of it muted.
The MI Energy Future group, which includes businesses, environmental and agricultural groups calling for a 10 percent renewable standard by 2015, called the bills a signal that "renewable energy is at the central pillar of our policy going forward.
" Marty Kushler of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy said the measures were "fine, as far as it goes." But the bills were more symbolic than anything else because it would involve less than 1 percent of the state's total energy usage.
But David Waymire, speaking for the Customer Choice Coalition, called SB 1000 the "perfect bill," because it is simple and easily understandable. "It shows exactly how good policy can work when leadership lets it," he said.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Our Rural "Small School" Execution!
PUBLISHED: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Ortonville mill addition will house more history
By KAREN AUCHTERLONIE
Of The Oakland Press
Ortonville's Old Mill will boast 1,600 square feet more of historical displays, thanks to a $35,000 addition that should be open to the public in May.
"We've been working on it every weekend," said Dean Salley, president of the Ortonville Community Historical Society. "We hope to have it open and ready to go by the middle of May."
The society planned the addition to be large enough to house Ortonville's first motorized fire engine, which will be on display when the addition is finished.
"The fire engine has been in storage for many, many years. (Brandon Township) Fire Chief Robert McArthur made me aware that it was available and he'd be willing to put it on display," Salley said.
Though the society has been discussing an addition to the mill for the past four years or so, finding out the 1920s fire engine could be displayed spurred members to start construction, Salley said. Construction began in spring last year.
"It's replacing a much smaller shed that was hooked on to the mill and built in 1943," Salley said.
The shed's condition had deteriorated severely in recent years, and since it was an add-on from the 1940s, it didn't have the same historic value that other buildings on the property have.
The first mill, which no longer stands, was built by Ortonville's founder, Amos Orton, in 1852. Because of its success, Orton built a larger mill in 1856.
"He built the building we're in now, and all the lumber that it was built with was harvested right on the property here," Salley said.
"Some of the boards in here are 3 feet wide. At that time, the tree was probably 300 to 400 years old."
The new addition is located where the shed used to be, on the back of the west wing of the building. It has two levels, and the fire engine will be displayed on the lower level.
Since the engine still runs, it won't be difficult to get it in the new addition.
"It'll be driven right in off the yard, through two big doors. It'll be there, along with artifacts from when Ortonville used to have its own police department. Those will all be new things that have never been on display before," Salley said.
Artifacts from when the community's first Boy Scout troop began in the 1920s also will be on display.
In the upper level of the new addition, artifacts and photos of historic Ortonville buildings including a doctor's office, drugstore and bank will be showcased.
"We have the vault door off the original bank that was here and also some artifacts from the hotel before it burnt down," Salley said.
The historical society also plans to display its extensive collection of graduating class pictures.
"We have almost every class picture from 1896 until now," Salley said.
Many of the pictures are of students who attended the Mann School house, which was moved and rebuilt behind the Old Mill in the late 1990s.
"There's something for everybody to see," Salley said.
In warmer months, the Old Mill is open for free tours from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed in the winter because there is no insulation in the walls to keep the Mill warm.
The society has not yet decided when to reopen the Mill for tours. It may be open in April, depending on how much work is completed on the addition, said Marilyn Salley, treasurer for the society.
Contact staff writer Karen Auchterlonie at (248) 745-4643 or karen@oakpress.com
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Michigan Energy RPS Legislation / Update
MSU Study Disagrees With Cox On Energy Standard
The Michigan State University Land Policy Institute begs to differ with Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.
Cox has announced his opposition to proposals for a Renewable Portfolio Standard mandating that Michigan utilities must generate a given percentage of their power from renewable sources.
Cox said the proposal would cause electricity prices to rise, and provide few new jobs.
However, a Land Policy Institute study -- available at www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=60 <http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=60 -- shows that with a Michigan RPS, wind power alone in Michigan would produce 1,100 construction jobs per year for the next two decades, 218 permanent jobs related to the management and maintenance of wind installations by 2010, and 3,010 permanent, continuing jobs related to the management and maintenance of wind installations by 2029.
The study also says the RPS would cause $1.25 billion per year in construction-related new investments and spending in Michigan over the next two decades, $464 million in continuous annual spending in maintenance and management by 2010 and $4.4 billion by 2029, $21 million per year in new construction wages for the next two decades, $7.6 million in permanent annual wages by 2010 and $96 million by 2029 and $4.8 million in lease payments to landowners per year by 2010 and $47 million per year by 2029.
The Michigan State University Land Policy Institute begs to differ with Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox.
Cox has announced his opposition to proposals for a Renewable Portfolio Standard mandating that Michigan utilities must generate a given percentage of their power from renewable sources.
Cox said the proposal would cause electricity prices to rise, and provide few new jobs.
However, a Land Policy Institute study -- available at www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=60 <http://www.landpolicy.msu.edu/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=60 -- shows that with a Michigan RPS, wind power alone in Michigan would produce 1,100 construction jobs per year for the next two decades, 218 permanent jobs related to the management and maintenance of wind installations by 2010, and 3,010 permanent, continuing jobs related to the management and maintenance of wind installations by 2029.
The study also says the RPS would cause $1.25 billion per year in construction-related new investments and spending in Michigan over the next two decades, $464 million in continuous annual spending in maintenance and management by 2010 and $4.4 billion by 2029, $21 million per year in new construction wages for the next two decades, $7.6 million in permanent annual wages by 2010 and $96 million by 2029 and $4.8 million in lease payments to landowners per year by 2010 and $47 million per year by 2029.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
"The Lean GOING GREEN COLLAR Learning Machine!"
Going green can help grow new jobs
BY DOUG ROTHWELL and RICHARD E. BLOUSE • March 23, 2008
The many "green" initiatives that are springing up within the business community and government are more than just a fad or public relations gimmick. For southeast Michigan, the robust emphasis on going green holds a lot of potential for the region to grow jobs and diversify its economy.
In particular, the Detroit region's deep history of research and development as the brain center of the global automotive industry puts it in a prime spot to capitalize on the push to develop cleaner alternative energy sources. This area has a wealth of talent, education institutions and businesses that are ready and willing to create the next generation of clean energy.
Making the Detroit region a major hub of the alternative energy industry will take strong public and private partnerships. Michigan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow clearly understands this; she recently introduced a $3.5-billion Green Collar Jobs Initiative that, if enacted, will provide federal funding for energy efficiency and conservation, advanced battery production, retooling older manufacturing plants, biofuel production and employment training.
The initiative can be a critical funding source for southeast Michigan to reconstitute existing manufacturing facilities, spur research and development, and commercialize technologies that will produce the next generation of clean fuels. The Detroit region has always been the home of the automobile, and this proposal will make crucial investments in an industry that is racing to create more alternative energy vehicles. Such an investment in the budding green industry will create thousands of local jobs.
Stabenow is taking the right approach by providing incentives for the private sector to develop and utilize cleaner energy sources, rather than imposing mandates on businesses that will result in job losses and put the nation at a competitive disadvantage with other countries. These types of innovative solutions and policies are unfortunately more the exception to the rule than a standard operating procedure for government.
The Green Collar Jobs Initiative is a good example of aligning sound public policy with smart economic development strategies. It will help leverage our assets as the global automotive center so the region can capitalize on the emerging green industry. The result will be more jobs and greater economic diversification for southeast Michigan.
DOUG ROTHWELL is president of Detroit Renaissance and RICHARD E. BLOUSE is president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. Write to them in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226 or at oped@freepress.com.
BY DOUG ROTHWELL and RICHARD E. BLOUSE • March 23, 2008
The many "green" initiatives that are springing up within the business community and government are more than just a fad or public relations gimmick. For southeast Michigan, the robust emphasis on going green holds a lot of potential for the region to grow jobs and diversify its economy.
In particular, the Detroit region's deep history of research and development as the brain center of the global automotive industry puts it in a prime spot to capitalize on the push to develop cleaner alternative energy sources. This area has a wealth of talent, education institutions and businesses that are ready and willing to create the next generation of clean energy.
Making the Detroit region a major hub of the alternative energy industry will take strong public and private partnerships. Michigan U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow clearly understands this; she recently introduced a $3.5-billion Green Collar Jobs Initiative that, if enacted, will provide federal funding for energy efficiency and conservation, advanced battery production, retooling older manufacturing plants, biofuel production and employment training.
The initiative can be a critical funding source for southeast Michigan to reconstitute existing manufacturing facilities, spur research and development, and commercialize technologies that will produce the next generation of clean fuels. The Detroit region has always been the home of the automobile, and this proposal will make crucial investments in an industry that is racing to create more alternative energy vehicles. Such an investment in the budding green industry will create thousands of local jobs.
Stabenow is taking the right approach by providing incentives for the private sector to develop and utilize cleaner energy sources, rather than imposing mandates on businesses that will result in job losses and put the nation at a competitive disadvantage with other countries. These types of innovative solutions and policies are unfortunately more the exception to the rule than a standard operating procedure for government.
The Green Collar Jobs Initiative is a good example of aligning sound public policy with smart economic development strategies. It will help leverage our assets as the global automotive center so the region can capitalize on the emerging green industry. The result will be more jobs and greater economic diversification for southeast Michigan.
DOUG ROTHWELL is president of Detroit Renaissance and RICHARD E. BLOUSE is president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber. Write to them in care of the Free Press Editorial Page, 615 W. Lafayette, Detroit, MI 48226 or at oped@freepress.com
WATER WORLD! (Sustainable GREAT LAKES Laboratory)
RON DZWONKOWSKI
With water, state can boost economy and help the world
BY RON DZWONKOWSKI • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • March 23, 2008
Saturday was World Water Day, so designated by no less a body than the United Nations to call attention to the global water crisis. But you probably didn't even notice. And why would you? Hereabouts, we are relatively awash in the stuff that most of the people on the planet scrounge for daily.
While we worry about what low levels in the Great Lakes may mean for boat launching, people in much of the world would die, or kill, for access to a body of water the size of Lake Huron at its shallowest point of the last century.
Almost 10 years ago, I wrote a column about a then-new book called "Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water," by Paul Simon, the former U.S. senator from Illinois who died in 2003.
Today, Simon's crisis is no longer coming. It's here, mainly because the world has done little about it. The global population keeps growing, but its sources of water for drinking and sanitation do not. Thousands of people die each day from dirty water, most of them children; one in five people around the world has no access to safe water.
And yet we invest far more resources looking for new pools of oil while continuing to waste or misuse unfathomable amounts of freshwater, which is much more essential to life. If you don't have oil, you walk. If you don't have water, you die.
And water tensions are building.
"Too often, where we need water we find guns instead," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the World Economic Forum. "Population growth will make the problem worse. So will climate change. As the global economy grows, so will its thirst. Many more conflicts lie just over the horizon."
Now, the higher the profile of world water issues, the more interesting the world becomes for Michigan, since we are, after all, a pair of peninsulas jutting into the world's largest supply of freshwater. But short of selling it like oil, which we are not going to do, how do we turn all this water into economic growth?
By developing here the world's best methods for saving it. Water technology has become a $400-billion global industry. And in addition to that economic potential, the more Michigan can lead the way on conservation techniques, the less pressure there is likely to be to tap the Great Lakes. Saving water shows how we value it. The best way to keep unwelcome hands off your best resource is to be a good steward of it.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York -- the one in Ben Stiller's "Night at the Museum" movie out last summer -- has a special exhibit on the world water crisis running through May. A visit reinforced my view that the most effective water strategy is conservation -- saving every ounce, using every drop, reusing as much as possible.
Desalinization of sea water, which seems so logical given the expanse of the oceans, is expensive, uses lots of energy, and leaves piles of salt. There's a desalinization plant in Australia that's powered by 98 wind turbines, which answers the power problem but takes up lots of space and still leaves all that salt -- in a place that doesn't need it for the roads.
Water conservation is not rocket science.
Steve Safferman, for example, is a bio-systems and agricultural engineer at Michigan State University who's working on projects to show how water can be recycled on farms after the dairy barns have been washed down.
"We're doing water use assessments at food processing plants, too," he said in a conversation last month. "They don't think about water use because it's from a well, but pumping it up takes electricity, so there's a saving there, too."
And if agriculture officials from around the world are coming to Michigan to learn how to save and rescue water, that can only be a good thing.
The Brookings Institution think tank, in a recent report, describes the Great Lakes region as "the largest freshwater laboratory on Earth."
"The region has the opportunity to be the global center point for developing the new and needed ideas, tools and technologies and practices around freshwater use and management that can be shared and exported to the world," according to the Brookings experts.
This could be not only lucrative, but a flat-out good thing to do, too. Can the state that put the world on wheels now help it stay afloat, hydrologically speaking? That would be tapping both the natural and human resources here.
And next year, what better place to invite the planet in to observe World Water Day?
RON DZWONKOWSKI is editor of the Free Press editorial page. Contact him at dzwonk@freepress.com or 313-222-6635.
With water, state can boost economy and help the world
BY RON DZWONKOWSKI • FREE PRESS COLUMNIST • March 23, 2008
Saturday was World Water Day, so designated by no less a body than the United Nations to call attention to the global water crisis. But you probably didn't even notice. And why would you? Hereabouts, we are relatively awash in the stuff that most of the people on the planet scrounge for daily.
While we worry about what low levels in the Great Lakes may mean for boat launching, people in much of the world would die, or kill, for access to a body of water the size of Lake Huron at its shallowest point of the last century.
Almost 10 years ago, I wrote a column about a then-new book called "Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water," by Paul Simon, the former U.S. senator from Illinois who died in 2003.
Today, Simon's crisis is no longer coming. It's here, mainly because the world has done little about it. The global population keeps growing, but its sources of water for drinking and sanitation do not. Thousands of people die each day from dirty water, most of them children; one in five people around the world has no access to safe water.
And yet we invest far more resources looking for new pools of oil while continuing to waste or misuse unfathomable amounts of freshwater, which is much more essential to life. If you don't have oil, you walk. If you don't have water, you die.
And water tensions are building.
"Too often, where we need water we find guns instead," UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the World Economic Forum. "Population growth will make the problem worse. So will climate change. As the global economy grows, so will its thirst. Many more conflicts lie just over the horizon."
Now, the higher the profile of world water issues, the more interesting the world becomes for Michigan, since we are, after all, a pair of peninsulas jutting into the world's largest supply of freshwater. But short of selling it like oil, which we are not going to do, how do we turn all this water into economic growth?
By developing here the world's best methods for saving it. Water technology has become a $400-billion global industry. And in addition to that economic potential, the more Michigan can lead the way on conservation techniques, the less pressure there is likely to be to tap the Great Lakes. Saving water shows how we value it. The best way to keep unwelcome hands off your best resource is to be a good steward of it.
The American Museum of Natural History in New York -- the one in Ben Stiller's "Night at the Museum" movie out last summer -- has a special exhibit on the world water crisis running through May. A visit reinforced my view that the most effective water strategy is conservation -- saving every ounce, using every drop, reusing as much as possible.
Desalinization of sea water, which seems so logical given the expanse of the oceans, is expensive, uses lots of energy, and leaves piles of salt. There's a desalinization plant in Australia that's powered by 98 wind turbines, which answers the power problem but takes up lots of space and still leaves all that salt -- in a place that doesn't need it for the roads.
Water conservation is not rocket science.
Steve Safferman, for example, is a bio-systems and agricultural engineer at Michigan State University who's working on projects to show how water can be recycled on farms after the dairy barns have been washed down.
"We're doing water use assessments at food processing plants, too," he said in a conversation last month. "They don't think about water use because it's from a well, but pumping it up takes electricity, so there's a saving there, too."
And if agriculture officials from around the world are coming to Michigan to learn how to save and rescue water, that can only be a good thing.
The Brookings Institution think tank, in a recent report, describes the Great Lakes region as "the largest freshwater laboratory on Earth."
"The region has the opportunity to be the global center point for developing the new and needed ideas, tools and technologies and practices around freshwater use and management that can be shared and exported to the world," according to the Brookings experts.
This could be not only lucrative, but a flat-out good thing to do, too. Can the state that put the world on wheels now help it stay afloat, hydrologically speaking? That would be tapping both the natural and human resources here.
And next year, what better place to invite the planet in to observe World Water Day?
RON DZWONKOWSKI is editor of the Free Press editorial page. Contact him at dzwonk@freepress.com
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Did You Know III-Updated June 2007
The various "Did YOU Know" videos have been "posted" here before BUT THIS MESSAGE is well worth repeating!
Friday, March 7, 2008
Behold Students 2.0 (In their OWN Words)
Students 2.0 |
Mini-Term: Dropping the Schedule
Posted: 05 Mar 2008 02:10 PM CST
A few weeks ago, my school embarked on a grand experiment entitled mini-term. Rather than have 6 classes per day, rather than divide learning into 45 minute blocks, we opened the schedule and challenged teachers to engage students in their passion. The experiment was, for most, a success and provided students wonderful opportunities to learn about and explore topics off the path of the normal curriculum as well as complete projects that could not be handled in a traditional classroom setting.
The Hard Details
Mini-terms were taught by teams of two or three teachers. These teachers were encouraged to teach their passion and were free to design their courses around topics of their choosing, with an emphasis on cross-departmental work. The only guidelines for teachers were broad such as a required reading and writing component. The classes ranged from 18 to 25 students each from all four grade levels and met all day, every day for a four-day week. Students selected their top 6 choices, and were sorted into classes accordingly. Teachers were encouraged to take field trips, and engage in hands on projects.
My Experience
The class I participated in was called “Zen and the Art of Furniture Design”, it was taught my a science teacher (Mr. Skinner) with an independent passion for carpentry and an art teacher (Mr. Huber) with years of experience in scenic design and construction. Our class was one big project: design, build, and paint an Adirondack chair, bench and table. Our class was split into two groups of nine to each build one set of furniture.
The first day was spent on the design phase: modifying the stock chair design and planning paint schemes. For the design of the chair, the two groups took different approaches. The other group drew their modifications on the teacher provided plans and then built a scale model of their design. My group took advantage of my CAD skills to modify the original design and produce new drawings and renderings. For paint, each group was required to choose an artist and paint the furniture to resemble that artist. Part of my group spent the day researching and picking an artist, finding work by that artist, and finally tracing that work onto a scale plan.
As we were working through the process, we found many opportunities for incidental learning. One student taught another student drafting skills that were learned in our architecture course so that the original plans could be annotated. Another student experimented on the Wacom tablets in the art computer lab, learning how to control pen size in Photoshop using pressure, then tracing printed artwork into the computer. This learning was spontaneous, not assessed and in some cases not even visible in the final project, but it was learning through doing and the students left with a new skill.
The next day we moved into the shop and began the actual construction. This included ripping lumber, cutting boards to the correct length (and determining those lengths from the plans our group produced), sanding the boards, and assembling them into actual furniture. Due to my technical theatre background, I was right at home in the shop, but still I saw something that surprised me: 18 students all working — no breaks, no “we don’t have anything to do”, no “watch and criticize”, but 18 students all working towards common goals, and enjoying themselves at the same time. It was a truly breathtaking sight, students who had never touched a power tool in their lives were ripping lumber on a table saw and screwing boards together.
Finally, we were able to get dirty and begin painting. The artists in the group went to work tracing the outlines onto the furniture so that we could paint them in. With three students to a piece, we were all busy turning bare wood into a tribute to our artists, and learning about those artists at the same time by both reproducing their work and studying it to produce our color pallet.
We finished with about an hour left in the day. Just enough time to admire our work. After three days of hard work in the shop, we were all tired. But, I have never seen a prouder group of students. We moved the product of our hard work into the chosen spots on campus, and patted ourselves on the back for a job well done.
Why Mini-Term Was Powerful
I can honestly say that I have never had a more immersive learning experience in school. By allowing students to only focus on this one project they weren’t distracted and were well rested. The students were able to enjoy the Zen of the project - the beautiful, in the moment, experience of hard, dedicated work.
By giving students one overarching project, learning was able to happen through experience. Some of us learned about different artists while researching our paint scheme. Some of us learned about paint mixing and color pallets. We all learned how to solve the problems the project presented and the skills to face those problems in the future.
There was no grade, there was no homework, there was no test — the assessments were thrown out of the window. But, it was a stronger experience because of that. Students didn’t fear failure, they weren’t scared to learn something for the experience of learning. There was however a final product, and one that the students could be proud of. Every day, I experience the immense pleasure of seeing students sitting on the chair and bench that I helped build. And, that is something that I can be proud of. How often do our students get to be proud of their school work?
What I Would Change
I was fortunate to be in of the most successful mini-terms. The less successful classes seemed to be those that didn’t embrace the new format and attempted to fill the time with traditional classroom instruction. Students simply can’t sit at a desk for 6 hours a day learning about the same subject matter. Those mini-terms that realized this and used project-based learning to keep students involved provided the best learning experiences. I would work to ensure that this was the case across the board.
I would also include students in the planning and teaching of the mini-terms. One of the best things about my mini-term was that once the initial instructions were given, a large portion of the learning was student-to-student. Each student was able to bring their own skill set to the table — whether it be in design, drawing, CAD, painting, or construction — and students taught these skills to each other. I would work to encourage student involvement in instruction earlier in the process. Students with an interest in teaching and passion for a topic could be provided the opportunity to work with their teachers on the design and execution of a mini-term.
Finally, and this is the smallest issue by far, I would work with teachers to eliminate the pre-break crunch that occurred before mini-term. With students over-burdened the week prior, they entered mini-term tired and resentful. While no other homework was assigned that week, fear over losing their students for a week caused many teachers to assign stealth homework in the form of overdue assignments created by the crunch.
Mini-term was a powerful experience for students and while many of them may not realize it yet, they will be able to build off of their experiences for the rest of their lives. The project truly embraced the kind of experiential and project-based learning we need to produce 21st century students who can think creatively.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Monday, March 3, 2008
Reflections from a One Room Schoolhouse
The end game for this vision is to create a short video that points up the importance of teaching and learning in the oldest objective learning environment in America "The One Room Schoolhouse."
Standing outside on a cold winters day looking through the window of a one room schoolhouse with the bright morning sun behind me, I saw my reflection in the schoolhouse windows and in that reflection I witnessed my soul’s ambition.
While simultaneously observing my reflection I began to see through it into the schoolhouse beyond. It was only then that I began to imagine a scene that had taken place countless times previously inside that schoolhouse.
This time school was in session circa the early 1900’s. There the older children were busy helping the younger children work through their math and reading problems, while the teacher tended to the fire in the potbellied wood stove. They’d been doing this since the school was started in 1849.
I closed my eyes and shook my head as though to clear any misconceptions of what I was seeing. Continuing my imagined gaze through the windows: what I saw really made my heart leap, although it shouldn't’t have come as any great surprise. For in it’s linear progression, as the natural course of learning is wont to do, the same group of students were again inside busy and animated, except this time it was present-day and they were taking part in their creative endeavors, connected with their peer’s all over the world.
They were utilizing real-time video conferencing and having lively discussions regarding a variety of subjects. Taken by what was a very captivating scene I journeyed inside and sat down. Observing that here were students from at least a dozen countries working together using advanced digital communications tools to attempt to solve some of the most complex societal problems and globalized economic challenges. These young student-scientists being not constrained by previous agreements and conventions, were free to convene all the empirical knowledge previously gathered and then to set about to freely interact with their peers from all corners of the globe solving a variety of natural and man made problems.
Sitting there mesmerized by what my eyes and heart had found I was brought from my reverie by what appeared to be a 5 year old child that handed me a virtual head-tracking helmet. She then explained the helmet would allow me to interact in virtual-reality with a student-designed Virtual Studio Laboratory taking place at the Michigan International STEM Center.
Additionally, if I selected the GREEN-STEM Center there were also a number of outdoor interactive real-world Alternative Energy projects (Wind, Water, Solar) that I could participate in. Whenever it was appropriate and applicable I could project my virtual-self so that unfettered communications and interactions could take place in real-time on scene. I was to the point of overwhelmed when the announcement came, that it was lunchtime. So bidding adieu to my virtual classmates we broke for lunch.
After partaking of a great lunch harvested from the schools greenhouse and fish ponds that the students designed and maintained, we then reconvened and the children felt it was time to have History class (probably for my benefit).
This class was a clarification of what they found had been missing from society from about the 1950’s thru 2008 when education in the United States had finally caught up with the 21st century. The open, honest and yet deep journey of discovery the lesson purveyed was one of great soul searching during and after the realization that America was no longer number one on the hit parade in the world order.
We discovered that the greatest vision the people world-over attributed to America was that it was founded on the belief that god created all men equal and America existed in people’s minds with the belief that the intent was to hold these truths to be self evident.
Somewhere along the way as an outcome of the industrial revolution, people became cogs to benefit a machine mentality and America foundered for some time. She foundered until enough people began to place an emphasis on creating real and relevant learning environments that transformed all of the pent up creative-drive of the populace and through a new agreement placed an emphasis on working collaboratively to identify and support the "Natural Capital" resources we have left on the planet.
This of course started with our children and their livelihoods, hence the need for improvement of educational opportunities that benefit all mankind and not just the bottom-line of a few disconnected stakeholders. The planet found out through these children that we are all stakeholders and it is in our best interest to work together or perish.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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