Baron Edward Manka was born Tuesday, September 29 at 2:47PM. He was 7 lbs., 2 oz. and 21 inches long. My husband and I are getting to know the little man and enjoying every second of it.[...]
Baron Edward Manka was born Tuesday, September 29 at 2:47PM. He was 7 lbs., 2 oz. and 21 inches long. My husband and I are getting to know the little man and enjoying every second of it.
I started composting about a month ago, when a company called Algreen Products sent me a compost bin to review.
David Wescott, Tim Hurst, Jeff McIntire-Strasburg and I got together again recently to debate which industry - wind or solar - we would invest in if we had a million dollars. Check out the podcast here on Earth & Industry. [...] 
Planet Green's "Know the 7 Key Senators in the Climate Bill Battle." You should know them too, especially if one of them represents your state.' [...] 
I'm checking out a new tool called the Climate Wizard, which lets you look at temperature and precipitation projections on a state-by-state or nation-by-nation basis under different climate change scenarios. You can look at past and projected climate data and even break down the data' [...] 
Hat tip to @Treehugger for the link to this hilarious video "In my Prius" by Casual Mafia. I especially love the dancer holding a latte, listening to an iPod with a baby carrier strapped to him.
VanNess Feldman's Weekly Climate Change Policy Update. I highly recommend it for getting the details on federal climate legislation (VanNess Feldman is a Washington DC law firm).' [...] 
The U.S. Department of Energy just released its “2008 Wind Technologies Market Report.” It provides a comprehensive overview of trends in the U.S. wind power market. Some highlights:For the fourth consecutive year, the U.S. was home to the fastest-growing wind power market in the world [...] 
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has announced that his city will completely eliminate coal from its electricity use by 2020.
From Scientific American's handy "60-second science" podcast comes data from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Click the link to hear about calculations that U.S. wind turbines could produce 16 times the electricity we now use.
This is an interesting video featuring one way nonprofits are partnering with big companies on energy/conservation issues (via Fora.TV).The American Clean Energy and Security Act (aka "ACES" aka the "Waxman-Markey bill") may get a vote on the House floor this week, surprising many of us who thought the road from committees to the floor would be a much longer one.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the [...]
I've never subscribed to a YouTube channel, but I LOVE EcoGeek's new YouTube channel, staring EcoGeek founder Hank Green. It's pithy, relevant, informative and entertaining. Check out a show below. 
A "smart grid" refers to the transmission grid - the highway that delivers our electricity. Making it "smarter" means a total modernization of the transmission and distribution of our energy, from using cleaner sources like renewables to energy efficiency upgrades like meters that tell homeowners their [...] 
The climate change legislation being debated on Capitol Hill is shifting every day, but here's the latest:The House Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Henry Waxman (D), is considering a climate change bill called the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which includes a' [...]
There was a lot of free stuff at a conference and tradeshow as enormous as WINDPOWER 2009, and a lot of it was the typical pens, paper pads and candy. But the coolest and most useful swag I got is this wood-looking jump drive (well, the [...] 
T. Boone Pickens was the clear star of yesterday's morning session. The 80-year-old Texas oilman/billionaire-turned-wind power-advocate was funny, sharp, and clearly had the crowd's attention. 
View of the 1,200 exhibitors from above.
This morning was a panel discussion on the industry outlook for wind power, with input from the top wind power companies and minds in the world: Vic Abate, VP of renewables for General ElectricGeneral Wesley Clark of Emergya Wind Technologies and Former NATO Supreme [...] 
Governors from around the Midwest participated in an energy roundtable this morning at AWEA's WINDPOWER conference.
Governor Doyle of Wisconsin, referring to wind power: "Wisconsin doesn't have oil, coal or natural gas. So we don't care when people say 'Drill, baby, drill.' But if it's 'Turn, baby, turn,' we're interested!" [...] 
I was invited back to blog at the American Wind Energy Association’s WINDPOWER conference this year, this time in the Windy City itself, Chicago. The conference is almost twice as big it was in 2008, with 17,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors from 48 states and 46 [...] 
I've been invited back to blog at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference. This year it's in Chicago and they're expecting 15,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors, so it'll be massive.To start, any CCS plant must capture at least 400 megawatts of its carbon dioxide (CO2) output. In [...]
If you follow anything related to energy or the environment, you're probably familiar with the term "greenwashing." Greenwashing is an allegation that someone or something (like a company) is making exaggerated or misleading claims about its environmental initiatives, the greenness of its products, energy use, services,' [...] 
Our final stop on the Piceance Basin tour (sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute) was a trip to a gas plant, where the gas is cleaned and piped out to places all over the country (87% of Williams’ gas is sold outside the Rockies).
The wells we saw being drilled by rig 278 are expected to produce for 30-40 years.
The tour of natural gas operations in the Piceance Basin, Colorado was a whirlwind one. It was organized and paid for by the American Petroleum Institute and there were about 11 of us bloggers and traditional media in attendance: Brad Jones (Face the State), [...] 
The fine folks at The Uptake (a citizen-driven, online video news site in Minneapolis/St. Paul) invited me over to talk climate change policy, specifically cap-and-trade. Here's the clip:
The fine folks over at the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) have launched a new blog called "Into the Wind." Check it out for wind power news and policy updates. [...] 
Yale and George Mason Universities released survey results last week that showed more than 90 percent of Americans believe "the United States should act to reduce global warming." 
This week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a plan for a national greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting framework beginning in 2011. 
Last week Spain set a world record by getting 40 percent of its energy from wind power (11,180 megawatts, thanks to strong and sustained winds). 
In addition to the money in the stimulus package for clean and efficient energy projects in the U.S., there's been lots more going with energy both here and abroad. Here are a few stories I've come across.
This has been an exciting few weeks for energy: The stimulus bill had a mix of funding for renewables and efficiency, proven technologies and emerging ones. And maybe you got just as excited as I did when Obama said in his pseudo-State of the Union: "...I" [...] 
Yesterday, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) introduced a bill for a national renewable energy standard (RES), which would require utilities to get 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2025. The utilities would have to diversify their portfolios with wind, solar, biomass and other technologies. [...] 
Momentum is the quarterly magazine of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment. The Institute is the University's research hub tackling all issues environmental, including climate change and renewable energy. They're doing some really fantastic work - go check them out. 
There's a controversial idea out there to combat climate change by dumping iron into the oceans to grow plankton, which in turn can absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. When plankton die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean, locking away some of the' [...] 
I made a fabulous venison marinade the other night that I have to share with you. I got this recipe from my mom and I'm not sure where she got it, but it's damn tasty:
There's been a lot of discussion online about a new study from the Pew Research Center that found the public's concern for global warming has declined. Global warming now ranks dead last out of 20 possible priorities people are worried about in 2009. 
It's been everywhere today, but incase you haven't heard: President Obama directed the EPA to grant states the right to regulate tailpipe emissions. This reverses a Bush administration decision that denied 14 states the ability to issue clean car standards that were stronger than the federal [...] 
The cement industry is one of the most carbon dioxide-intensive industries out there: it's responsible for about 5% of the world's carbon dioxide emission (CO2) - more than aviation. 
I learned of a new type of renewable energy this week, thanks to the town of Hastings, Minnesota. Hastings gets the distinction of having the United States' first commercial hydrokinetic power station. Hydrokinetic power is made by generating electricity from moving water, without the need' [...]
I've been on a mission at the office (Tunheim Partners) to get my coworkers to print double-sided. I used to work in a bubble (a.k.a. energy non-profit), where everyone duplexed. I've found that's not the case in the real world.
The terms "global warming" and "climate change" are often used interchangeably. I've pretty much used "global warming" over the years, but now I'm making the switch to "climate change:" It's the term used by the United Nations, academia, and it's more inclusive, since "change" can refer [...] Last week, California's air quality board unanimously approved the nation's most sweeping plan to slow climate change by cutting emissions. The state already has a mandate to cut emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 (about 15 percent in the next 12 years), but this new plan includes 31 rules that [...]
Missouri voters said "Yes!" last week to a renewable energy standard that will require 15 percent of the state's electricity to come from renewable sources by 2021.
There's a duel among Democrats for control of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. Yesterday, California Congressman Henry Waxman indicated that he will challenge Congressman John Dingell of Michigan for the chairmanship. Typically, Democrats assign chairmanships based on seniority. The energy committee is the [...]
It's a gray, rainy afternoon here in Minneapolis. This clip from Jim Carrey on In Living Color brightened it up (hat tip to 
