American Idol And Clean Energy

Image: Stage lights by Richard Anderson on flickr.com

By Tina Casey    [Originally on CleanTechnica]

In a high tech, low key twist on American Idol, green technology competitions are springing up all over the country.  Among the newer ones is the Clean Energy Prize sponsored by the University of Michigan and DTE Energy, and it offers some clues about the technology stars of the sustainable energy future.  For one thing, they better be prepared to go on stage and pitch their talent – one element of the competition is an oral presentation before a panel of judges.

DTE’s involvement is another interesting aspect of the competition.  A large part of the company is a conventional natural gas utility, Detroit Edison, but an emerging part is DTE Energy Ventures, which focuses on sustainable energy tech.  That puts DTE among a growing list of large energy companies that are turning more investment resources over to sustainable fuels – yet another indicator that peak times for fossil fuels are on the horizon.

The Clean Energy Prize Competition

The competition has already winnowed the starting field of 32 hopefuls down to eight teams from six different Michigan colleges and universities.  The projects include advanced energy storage, services that help consumers manage energy consumption (especially peak demand), kinetic energy for wireless devices, biogas digesters/composters for restaurants, and “green” silane gas production (silane is used in electronics, flat screen displays and solar panels).  Like California’s Cleantech Open, the competition focuses squarely on commercialization.  Advancement in the competition is based on a written business plan, and the prize money is targeted towards jump starting new clean energy businesses.

Conventional Utilities and Emerging Clean Energy

DTE is by no means the first conventional utility to jump from fossil fuels into sustainable energy.  Industry giant Duke Energy already owns more than 700 megawatts of wind power and last year it announced plans to build hundreds of mini-solar energy plants in North Carolina.  Just this month Duke also announced the purchase of a 14 megawatt solar plant that will provide energy for San Antonio, Texas.

Start-Ups and Clean Tech Competitions

Clearly the big players see a potential gold mine in moving away from fossil fuels, and they have the resources to go after it.  The emergence of clean tech competitions helps start-ups get in on the sustainable energy action, providing seed money in the form of prizes or investment opportunities (the ZINO Society is a good example).  They can play an especially important role in developing sustainable technologies that are scaled to individuals and small sites, which are an essential part of the sustainable energy puzzle but may not represent an attractive market for larger companies.

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American Idol And Clean Energy

Super Bowl Sees Green

2010 Super Bowl - Super Bowl 44 (XLIV) - will be played on Sunday February 7, 2010 at 6:30 PM Eastern Time
Jack Groh is the first and only director of the NFL Environmental Program. The mission of this vast environmental program is to reduce solid waste and increase recycling and landfill diversion, as well as tap renewable energy for game-day usage, and for the two weeks of events leading up to the game. Now in its 18th year, the NFL has developed an array of standard programs that can carry over despite the Super Bowl's annual change in venue,...

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Bio for Jack Groh
Jack Groh is Director of the National Football League's Environmental Program and a principal in the consulting firm of Groh Associates. Mr. Groh has been a communications and environmental consultant for more than 19 years and has worked on Super Bowl since 1993. He has been involved in environmental projects for the US Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, the American Solar Energy Society, the State of Rhode Island, the National Clean Cities Coalition and the United States Consortium for Automotive Research. He has also worked on a number of environmental projects sponsored by General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler.
His environmental work has been recognized for its high level of community, government, and sponsor support and participation; its practical approach to environmental problem-solving; and the significant return on investment (ROI) it provides to an event host community. He has helped event organizers develop environmental initiatives that cut costs and and provide measurable community benefits.
Mr. Groh has delivered presentations on environmental project development to academic and corporate audiences across North America and Europe. He has been a featured speaker at environmental conferences organized by the United Nations and by the International Olympic Committee.
Prior to working in the environmental and communications field, Mr. Groh was an award-winning journalist. Associated Press, UPI, and the Society for Professional Journalists have presented awards for his investigative journalism work.
Mr. Groh is a nationally licensed soccer coach and director of coaching for his hometown club in Warwick, RI. He serves as an adult leader for the Boy Scouts of America and as an on-air fund raiser for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

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Super Bowl Sees Green

Blue Green Angels And Green Peppers

The Blue-Green Angels

By Matt Sloustcher, GreenPepper


Watching The Blue Angels soar over the San Francisco skyline this weekend was an amazing sight, one that I look forward to annually. This year, however, there was a new sound in the air. Since practice sessions began on Thursday, greenies have been grumbling about wasted jet fuel and the general environmental degradation caused by the event. I witnessed most of this online, but others mentioned it as we stood on my roof watching the sky. It should come as no surprise; in this new era of social responsibility, everything is being called out. There was tremendous fallout last week when the President and first lady took separate jets across the Atlantic to lobby on behalf of Chicago’s Olympic bid, for example.
On gut reaction alone, my feeling is that the tradition should live on. In addition to pure entertainment value, arguments can be made that the show boosts the Navy’s recruiting potential and inspires people to think about public service. But I wonder, shouldn’t the Navy use this opportunity to educate people on the efforts it is taking to clean up its act? For example, the Navy is pouring millions into researching alternative fuels and other forms of energy, but the Website makes no mention. If I had my way, the Navy would showcase its current efforts and make a pledge that they will work to make the event carbon neutral within a decade. That’s leadership.

From GreenPepperBlog

"Companies in all sectors now feel..competitive pressures to launch green programs, as markets across the globe acknowledge their ability to seriously effect the environment and climate... including many sophisticated Fortune 1000 firms."


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Survey Results

A survey conducted by GreenPepper and Media-Screen in 2007 of nearly 500 consumers and corporate executives showed that 75%t of respondents indicated that efforts seem more credible when endorsed by environmental groups that have programs designed to have a direct impact on local communities. In addition, most companies interested in going green have not figured out which environmental groups they should partner with, citing lack of trust or common goals, and uncertainty on which NGOs to seek out.

To receive a copy of the complete survey findings, please send an email to greenpepper(at)peppercom(dot)com

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Blue Green Angels And Green Peppers

Film Finds Environmental Friends Across The North and South Borders

Green Filming North And South: A Comparative Analysis

The following is a quick comparison of two popular areas to film with Hollywood productions who take their film dollars out of Hollywood.  Both areas, New Mexico and British Columbia, have green agendas and promote best practices when it comes to film production and responsible stewardship of the local environment.

New Mexico's Green Filmmaking Initiative is a voluntary program to encourage environmentally sensitive film & television production.
The New Mexico Film Office offers online materials to productions about the use of alternative materials and environmentally friendly practices in the production office and on-set. This would include information on: recycling; purchasing locally made and/or organic products; donating unused/unwanted items to local school, church
Reel Green B.C.
Already known as a ‘green’ industry sector, BC’s entertainment production community understands that a light footprint on our environment means a longer life for our valued resources and a longer welcome in BC communities.  The production industry also understands there is more that can be done to make its activities green and Reel Green BC captures a grassroots movement within the industry to do just that.
Meet Me Half Way

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Film Finds Environmental Friends Across The North and South Borders

Planet Earth, Poem By P.K. Page

Originally published in Ms. Page's collection, The Hidden Room, Collected Poems (in two volumes), 1997 by The Porcupine's Quill Inc., 68 Main St., Erin,  Ontario, N0B 1T0 Canada.
In 2001 her poem Planet Earth was read simultaneously in New York, the Antarctic and the South Pacific to celebrate the International Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations, by special resolution of the U.N.
P.K. Page became a scriptwriter at Canada's National Film Board, where she met W. Arthur Irwin, a former editor of Maclean's magazine, whom she married in 1950.
Planet Earth was inspired by four lines of a longer poem by Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet and writer. The poem expresses her feelings and pain for what humanity is doing to the Earth. 

It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet,
has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness; 
and the hands keep on moving, 
smoothing the holy surfaces. 

                          ----- In Praise of Ironing          by  Pablo Neruda
 It has to be loved the way a laundress loves her linens, 
 the way she moves her hands caressing the fine muslins 
 knowing their warp and woof, 
 like a lover coaxing, or a mother praising. 
 It has to be loved as if it were embroidered
 with flowers and birds and two joined hearts upon it. 
 It has to be stretched and stroked. 
 It has to be celebrated. 

Planet Earth, Poem By P.K. Page