top 100 green eco talk
May 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment
I have noticed a great rise of new buzzing eco talk in the studio here, so much so I thought it would be fun to write them down and post them on our blog here. See if you know them all – I bet you don’t (bear in mind we are enormously inventive so I am pretty sure that some of these eco terms are a spur-of-the-moment fabricated designer lingua franca)
Eco – Green and Sustainable have become everyday words mixed into our typical “designer” dialogues. So after taken some straightforward (during lunch-time scribble) notes here is my top 100 eco words we use in our design studio. (My initial idea was to compose a top 25, but I was completely overwhelmed by the amount and regularity of the modern green language we all employ, so it turned out a top 100 in the end).
- biomass
- carbon footprint
- carbon offset
- carbon-dioxide impact
- chlorine free
- climate change
- conservation
- corporate ethics
- DALI
- daylighting
- design disassembly
- dioxins
- DIP
- eco assessment
- eco benchmark
- eco blogging
- eco chic
- eco design | green design
- eco development
- eco dynamic
- eco exhibit
- eco freak
- eco guru
- eco ingredients
- eco innovation
- eco logo
- eco minded
- eco minimalism
- eco responsible
- eco smart
- eco technologies
- eco value
- eco warrior
- ecocert
- ecological architecture
- ecological footprint
- ecological housing
- ecology
- electrosmog
- EMS
- environmentalism
- environmentally compliant
- environmentally friendly
- E-Waste
- fair trade
- fairly sourced
- fiber glass
- going green
- green deco
- green initiatives
- green living
- green museum design
- green philosophy
- green tech
- greenhouse effect
- greeny
- haute green
- house wrap
- hydroelectric energy
- incandescent lamps
- LED
- life cycle assessment
- life cycle design
- life cycle impact
- light pollution
- low toxins
- natural flair
- organic
- packaging waste
- paper free
- passive building design
- photovoltaic panels
- re:modern
- recyclability
- recycle
- Re-define
- reduce heat gain
- reducing energy
- remanufacturing
- remodernist
- renewable energy
- renewable materials
- responsibly sourced
- reuse
- R-value
- self-sufficient
- self-sustaining
- shop green
- social impact
- solar energy
- strategic eco design
- sustainable design
- sustainable development
- sustainable energy
- unbleached
- urban eco
- well-being
- wind turbines
- windpower
- zero waste
Believe it or not, I actually had oodles more written down, but let’s just leave it here for now (I am running out of time). It is rather amazing how much the eco & green keywords have risen in our daily yak.
As for me – I am about to go into a meeting … let’s see how many eco words I’ll weave into my pitch a bit later. (a rub of green might be needed)
Tamara De Schepper
Crane makes first lifts on Glacier Hills Wind Park
May 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Photos and description courtesy of We Energies:
A large, telescopic crane is being used to erect the first of 90 wind turbines at the Glacier Hills Wind Park in Columbia County, Wis. Eleven trains from Colorado are delivering the 148-foot-long fiberglass blades, and the nacelles, which house the gearboxes and generators. More than 800 trucks are delivering the steel towers, which are composed of four flanged sections totaling 262 feet, from Manitowoc, Wis.
The project is on track to be completed by the end of 2011, with all 90 foundations poured and 20 miles of access roads needed for delivery of the turbine components completed. The substation, which was designed, tested and energized by Customer Operations staff, also is complete.
We Energies developed a Wisconsin-based alliance to design and build the wind park. The construction alliance includes The Boldt Co. of Appleton, Michels Corp. of Brownsville and Edgerton Contractors Inc. of Oak Creek.
The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) gave final approval to the revised plan for the Glacier Hills project on May 14, 2010. The project will produce up to 162 megawatts, capable of providing power to more than 45,000 homes.
See more photos on RENEW’s Facebook page.
Monarch on the Moon!
May 6, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Just check out the facts. Piece the very simple puzzle together.
Lyrics and instruments by Earthling. Song by Sting.
Giant dicks are what you take Walking on the moon
I’m such a deceptive snake Walking on the moon
The monarchy reserved it Walking on the moon
We’ll own it forever Monarch on the moon!
This is my new investment Walking on the moon
God said in me it’s vested monarch on the moon
The British seabed owned by the crown mortgaged in 1692
I’ll plant my windmills in the ground Walking on, Walking on the moon
Some may say
I’ve stolen the monarchy, and say
the oil’s not mine but I don’t care, I say
I screw my subjects everyday, today
I may as well play
They don’t know I’m on the take Walking on the moon
They don’t know I’m just a fake and control the oil too
I export so my profit’s high and make a royal mint off you
So now it’s time to own the sky Monarch on Monarch on the moon!
They don’t see
How the earth and sea vests in me, yes me
Coz I’ve stolen the monarchy, you see
It should have belonged to you. all you
But you’re so blind
I screw you up
I screw you up
I screw you up
I screw you up
Wind turbine shadow flicker causes no health risk, according to UK study
May 5, 2012 | Leave a Comment
From a news release issued by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change:
An independent research study into the phenomenon of shadow flicker from wind turbines was today published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Shadow flicker is the flickering effect caused when rotating wind turbine blades periodically cast shadows through constrained openings such as the windows of neighbouring properties.
The study, commissioned from Parsons Brinckerhoff following a competitive tender process, found that:
• There have not been extensive issues with shadow flicker in the UK;
• The frequency of the flickering caused by the wind turbine rotation is such that it should not cause a significant risk to health;
• In the few cases where problems have arisen, they have been resolved effectively using mitigation measures, in particular turbine shut down systems.
The report was peer reviewed by independent experts The Energy Workshop and DECC’s Engineering and Analysis Team. The Department for Communities and Local Government, Defra and the Department of Health also engaged in the review.
The Government has considered the report’s findings and concluded that existing planning guidance on shadow flicker is fit for purpose, and no changes to it are necessary.
Charles Hendry, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change said:
“It is vital that we use the most up to date, robust and accurate scientific evidence when looking at the impact of wind farms on communities.
“This study will be helpful to communities, developers and planners as they assess proposals for onshore wind projects”.
Access the report on this page.
Experts predict increase in Iowa wind power
May 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment
Photo by Eifion, Flickr
The Iowa Wind Energy Association is reporting good news for the state’s wind industry this week.
The group announced that Iowa has the potential to dramatically increase its output over the next 20 years. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports:
A wind power industry group says Iowa could triple its output of wind power by 2020 and expand its wind power output sixfold by the year 2030.
The Iowa Wind Energy Association announced Wednesday that it will support a goal of expanding the industry’s capacity from the current 3,670 megawatts of nameplate capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2020 and and to 20 gigawatts by 2030.
The expansion of wind power would drive growth in jobs, salaries, farm income, and property tax revenue, Iowa Wind Energy Association Executive Director Harold Prior said.
Meeting the 20 gigawatt goal would mean 9,567 new jobs, $23.8 million in additional land lease payments, and $6.1 billion in property tax assessed valuation, the group said. It estimated the goal would generate $248.8 million in new salary income for Iowans. Read more
Written on the wind: Glacier Hills open house offers up-close look at project
April 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment
From an article by Lyn Jerde in the Portage Daily Register:
TOWN OF SCOTT – Along with names, dates and shout-outs to favorite sports teams, the writing on the turbine blade included a warning: “Watch out.”
Mark Barden wrote it, in permanent black marker.
The warning, he said, is aimed at any birds that might fly near the blade once it’s turning, 400 feet in the air.
Wednesday’s open house at the Glacier Hills Wind Park was Barden’s first up-close look at the components of the 90 electricity-generating wind turbines that have begun to rise in the skyline in northeast Columbia County.
But it won’t be his last look. Barden said three of the towers will be on his land in the town of Scott, just outside of Cambria.
He said he doesn’t share the health and safety concerns about the wind towers that many of their opponents cited in seeking to block the construction of Glacier Hills – things such as constant low-level noise and shadow flicker.
“I’m more worried,” he said, “about the red lights at night,” he said. “When I look in the sky and try to find constellations, all I’ll see is the red beacons (on the towers).
“But,” Barden added, “we’ll deal with that.”
Barden was one of several hundred people who attended the open house, which included indoor easel and tabletop displays, and a tour – on foot or by school bus – of one of the four towers that, as of Wednesday, had two of its four segments erected.
Mike Strader, site manager for the We Energies project, said that, barring wind or other inclement weather, plans call for adding the top two segments to at least one of the towers today, with the hub, cell and three blades of the turbine to follow soon.
More photos on RENEW’s Facebook page.
Siting Windpower: The View From the Minefield
April 18, 2012 | Leave a Comment
From a presentation by Michael Vickerman Wind Powering America All States Summit in Anaheim, CA, May 26, 2011:
In January 2011, All Hell Broke Loose:
• PSC 128 [statewide wind siting rule] clears legislative review in December;
• Gov. Walker introduces bill Jan. 11 in special session (SB 9) that threatens to bring wind development to a standstill;
• Most important provision in SB 9: greatly extends minimum setback requirement;
• PSC rule: 1.1 x total height from property lines (400-500 ft.);
• SB 9: 1,800 feet from property lines.
How Problematic Are 1,800 ft. Setback Requirements to SitingWind Turbines?
Consider Glacier Hills – a 90-turbine wind project under construction in two townships in Columbia County characterized by a low density of population:
• No. of turbines beyond a 1,250 ft. setback requirement from non-participating residences: 75 to 80;
• No. of turbines beyond an 1,800 ft. setback requirement from property lines: 2 to 5.
Wind farm tower segments ready to go up at Glacier Hills
April 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
From an article by Lyn Jerde in the Portage Daily Register:
TOWN OF SCOTT – How’s this for irony? The construction of the state’s largest wind energy facility is on hold, on account of wind.
The towers – the lower two components of them, anyway – were supposed to start piercing the skyline of northeastern Columbia County this week.
Instead, the components were, as of Thursday morning, lying on their sides, while the anemometers at the top of the cranes clocked wind speeds at about 40 mph. That’s about 15 mph too brisk for the safe construction of the towers.
It’s no surprise to Mike Strader of We Energies that breezes can get a tad gusty in these parts. That’s a key reason why We Energies is building the 90 turbine towers that will comprise Glacier Hills Wind Park on about farmland occupying about 17,300 acres in Columbia County’s towns of Randolph and Scott.
But, if the wind gusts to 25 mph or more, as it has all week, it’s not safe to erect the towers.
“What we can’t do is what we would love to do – put up those towers,” Strader said.
Starting Monday, plans had called for the arrival of the components of eight towers per day. The four segments of each tower would arrive, one at a time, from Manitowoc on trucks with about eight axles to distribute the weight evenly.
Many of the turbine blades have already arrived by rail from Colorado; most are being stored, for now, on a town of Courtland parcel approved by Columbia County’s planning and zoning committee as a temporary staging area for the Glacier Hills project.
We Energies spokeswoman Cathy Schulze said that, for the most part, gawking at the construction will be discouraged, for the safety of the public and the workers, and because much of the technology is proprietary.
But the curiosity is understandable, she said, and an open house Wednesday is intended to satisfy that curiosity.
Fresh attack on Wisconsin voters’ desire for a renewable energy standard would kill wind projects and sap state’s economy
April 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
From statements issued by three groups in opposition to Assembly Bill 146:
“Clearly, this bill is a drastic step in the wrong direction for our state. The Wisconsin Energy Business Association therefore opposes this attack on renewable energy in our state.” – Wisconsin Energy Business Association. Full statement.
We strongly recommend that this bill not be approved as it solves no known problem in Wisconsin and seeks only to roll-back policies on renewable energy that have served the state well and are otherwise benefitting Wisconsin residents with cleaner air and lower prices for electricity. – Wind on the Wires. Full statement.
Fresh attack on Wisconsin voters’ desire for a renewable energy standard would kill wind projects and sap state’s economy, say wind energy advocates – American Wind Energy Association. Full statement.
Japan says farewell to nuclear; welcomes wind power
April 16, 2012 | Leave a Comment
From an article on Green Optimist via New Science:
Japan is planning to switch from nuclear power to renewable energy in the near future. This news probably doesn’t come as a surprise, given the country’s recent nuclear disaster. The population itself is so shaken with the events that two thirds of it are now supporting the government’s project to invest in wind and solar power. The idea is to make Japan rely entirely on renewable sources by 2050, which is a pretty high standard from what it has today.
Currently Japan has a 30% nuclear input and just a 3% clean power generation. The government is putting a stop on any new construction of reactors and is currently reorienting towards other horizons.
Anyone who knows a bit of geography knows that Japan stands very well at the geothermal energy chapter: it has 120 active volcanoes and 28,000 hot springs that go along. So it seems only natural that it should take advantage of nature’s gifts. Because of national parks and spas that block developments in those areas, the government could only come up with 14 GW of geothermal energy.
There’s nothing to worry about, though. Japan’s long coastline and the north-east region have it all going for them in terms of a profitable installation of wind turbines. Up there the wind is strong and there is plenty of land, making it the perfect location for any offshore farms that might venture in the area. Thus, one could see 24 to 140 GW-capacity turbines pop up during the next few years.