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Entries from April 2009

Alaska’s first geothermal utility

April 27th, 2009 · No Comments

From the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on Sunday, April 26, 2009:
Naknek Electric Association, banking on a decade of geothermal research and planning, is preparing to drill an exploration well near King Salmon in a multimillion dollar project with potential to provide power to 28 villages in southwest Alaska.
“We are very excited about the potential geothermal resource [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Sustainable Living
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Making alternative energy sources reliable

April 27th, 2009 · No Comments

From npr.org, posted on Monday, April 27, 2009:
The Obama administration wants to rebuild the national electricity grid that delivers power to everyone’s toasters and televisions. One reason is that the grid can’t handle all the new solar and wind power the president wants to build to create a greener energy economy.
Here’s the problem: Solar and [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Sustainable Living
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Residential Geothermal Power Reality, Not Science Fiction

April 23rd, 2009 · No Comments

BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant for CCHRC and UAF CES
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner April 23rd, 2009, Section A3
“Was I to believe him in earnest in his intention to penetrate to the centre of this massive globe? Had I been listening to the mad speculations of a lunatic, or to the scientific conclusions of [...]

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Category: Energy Focus Articles · Mechanical Systems
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Efficient Boilers Offer Savings, Many Choices

April 16th, 2009 · 3 Comments

BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant for CCHRC and UAF CES
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner April 16th, 2009, Section A3
Boilers today offer a wide range of customized options to maximize efficiency. If your boiler has an old pilot light that stays lit all the time, you’re probably a good candidate for a replacement boiler or, [...]

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Category: Energy Focus Articles · Mechanical Systems
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EPA’s “Design for the Environment” program certifies household cleaners

April 14th, 2009 · No Comments

For the past several years, the US EPA has been partnering with manufacturers of household cleaners to certify “green” products using a strict list of criteria developed by industry and government.  “Design for the Environment” applies these criteria to each product submitted for certification.
According to Clive Davie, an engineer with the EPA, “We ask the [...]

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Category: Sustainable Living
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The fundamental problem — too many people or too much stuff?

April 13th, 2009 · No Comments

From Yale’s environment360 website:
It’s the great taboo, I hear many environmentalists say. Population growth is the driving force behind our wrecking of the planet, but we are afraid to discuss it.
It sounds like a no-brainer. More people must inevitably be bad for the environment, taking more resources and causing more pollution, driving the planet ever [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Recycling · Sustainable Living
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Green tax tips

April 9th, 2009 · No Comments

From the New York Times on Wednesday, April 8, 2009:
Still looking for ways to lower your taxes? Greening your home means you can get more greenbacks in return. The stimulus plan approved by Congress in February offers tax credits for making your home more energy efficient. For tax tips, the Green Home turned to Kateri [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Recycling · Sustainable Living
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Doors Offer Choices to Energy Efficiency

April 9th, 2009 · No Comments

BY Adam Wasch, Energy Outreach Consultant for CCHRC and UAF CES
Energy Focus: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner April 9th, 2009, Section A3
Doors represent choices in our lives. Lovers threaten each other with dire consequences if one or the other walks out “that door.” We’re promised the door will open if we knock. People wait at death’s door. [...]

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Category: Energy Focus Articles
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Stimulus money for homeowners

April 6th, 2009 · No Comments

From treehugger.com on February 20, 2009, retrieved on 3/6/09:
The stimulus bill has finally been passed and signed into law—and now it’s time to help put the thing into action. Which shouldn’t be tough to do: tucked into the thousands of pages of confounding language, there are tons of fantastic new tax credits you can get [...]

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Category: Energy, Information · Energy, Renewable · Legislation and Policy · Sustainable Living
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20 gallons of water to make a pint of beer?!

April 6th, 2009 · No Comments

From GOOD magazine, published on 3/17/09, retrieved on April 6, 2009:
As we become more and more aware that we may be using water at an unsustainable pace, the idea of water footprints—the amount of water an individual uses—is becoming more common. Water footprints can be hard to calculate, depending on how far up the chain [...]

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Category: Sustainable Living
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