Making a Difference |
By: Mary O'Brien
Weeds can serve as food, medicine and healers of the earth when they are appreciated rather than maligned in our gardens.
Common definitions for weeds include “plants that we don’t yet know the virtues of" and “a wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants.”
For centuries, weeds have followed human migrations across the planet as we have moved and expanded into new environments. They have come on the wind, in the water, from animals, on our footsteps, in our ships and imports and with our quest for beauty in our gardens. Accidently and purposefully, we have a large part to play for their presence. If we look closely at how they move, we see they grow where we, or natural events, have created disturbance, turned and exposed the soil, changed the environment. Why don’t they grow deep in our forests and in undisturbed ecosystems? Maybe, just maybe, Mother Nature has a bigger plan for them then we have been willing to admit. Maybe they are here to heal the earth where we have changed or damaged it. By blaming weeds for our loss of diversity, we can shift the blame away from our own destructive treatment of our natural habitats.
Weeds have advantages that allow them to proliferate in disturbed environments. They grow quickly and often produce large numbers of seeds that can survive the in ground for many years. Some have short life spans while producing multiple generations in the same growing season. Many have underground or aboveground stems that spread out and “take over”. They flourish in soils that are depleted, polluted and compacted. These same advantages that favor their growth are creating biomass, preventing erosion, bringing up nutrients, revitalizing the soil, attracting beneficial insects and feeding the soil food web. Research is showing us that many weeds have the capacity to clean poisons and heavy metals from contaminated soils.
Mother Nature wants there to be a multitude of different plants, animals and other organisms growing together. Advancements in science and technology have allowed us to begin to understand the interrelationships among plants and the microorganisms in the soil that we call the soil food web. We now know that there is communication among these organisms. “Nature’s internet” functions by sharing water and nutrients through a vast network of fungi and microorganisms that support the growth of plants.
Permaculture practice and weeds
 Permaculture principles promote observing and trying to understand and then imitate the interactions of nature’s ecosystems. Observing the actions of the weeds in our landscapes may show us how they are working to recreate the important soil web balance. Can we be more respectful about the role a plant might be playing in the complex system of the garden? In our cultivated gardens, we can use techniques designed to control weed growth while building healthy soils for our food and ornamentals. Tilling the soil is highly discouraged. Every time the soil is disturbed the balance of this network is destroyed and nature steps in to repair that balance. She abhors a vacuum. If you remove a weed, something must grow in its place-often another weed. Breaking off stems, digging and pulling, often does no more than stimulate growth from the underground rhizomes. Especially plants like bindweed which sends out a new plant where ever there is a break in the root system. Disturbance promotes weed invasion. A technique called sheet mulching or lasagna gardening is recommended. Weeds need light to survive. Keeping them covered with thick mulch can help reduce their numbers while retaining valuable moisture in the soil. Cutting them off at ground level and throwing them back on the ground (before seeds have formed) adds to the mulch while adding nutrients.
Another option would be to treat your weeds as cultivated plants, harvest and use them for food and medicine. You might also use them as rotation and cover crops (they bring up subsoil minerals and protect against many insects). You can interplant selected useful weeds with your vegetables and give them the same care. Harvest when young and tasty, pinch back the top to encourage leafy growth, thin frequently and generously. If they get ahead of you and go to seed, harvest the seeds and use them. As we integrate more and segregate less, we increase biodiversity benefiting your garden’s ecosystem and decreasing the amount of maintenance work required.
Weeds as food and medicine
Some of my favorite medicinal and edible plants are weeds. Can it be that Mother Nature has sent us an abundance of plants for healing humans as well as the earth? A popular saying among folk herbalists is, “plants that grow prolifically and near to humans are calling to us to use them”. Many like dandelion, are yelling loudly at us to use them. Most are nutritious, safe and versatile. Regularly incorporating highly nutritious greens into our diets is really the first step in creating healthy bodies. Let our food be our medicine.
Here are some of my favorite common Colorado garden weeds:
Dandelion
 The entire plant is edible and considered a whole body tonic and considered one of the safest and most important herbs for the liver. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), has been known around the world for its healing properties for centuries despite its modern day stigma as a lawn nuisance. The greens are more nutritious than spinach. They contain vitamins A, C, E, K, thiamin, riboflavin, B complexes, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tin, zinc, folate, phosphorus, copper, iron, protein and dietary fiber.
Young tender leaves harvested either before the flower buds develop or again in the fall, are the best tasting for salads and steamed greens. The young spring greens picked before flowering, eaten a few times a week for about six weeks can promote spring liver cleansing. Dandelion leaf has been shown to relieve PMS, vaginal dryness, and arthritis, as well as improve circulation and urinary problems. The leaves are a good diuretic for fluid retention and help eliminate toxins and constipation. Once they have bloomed, their taste becomes too bitter for some folks. The sharp taste can be lessened by cooking the leaves in salted water of adding a small amount of vinegar to the finished dish. The bitter taste in foods stimulates gastric juices and helps to improve digestion. Mature leaves can be gathered and dried for tea.
The flower blossoms are a good wild food. The petals with green parts removed can be used in salads, biscuits, pancakes, wine, beer and syrup. Blossoms can be infused in oil and used as a muscle relaxing massage oil. A blossom tea or facial steam can help heal chapped or wind burned areas, age spots, large pores, wrinkles and bring the skin chemistry back into balance.
The roots can be boiled for a vegetable and roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. Dandelion roots, gathered in the early spring or fall, are an excellent liver and stomach herb used to increase the production of liver secretions such a bile, and strengthen the liver’s ability to clear toxins out of the blood, resulting in a clear complexion, better digestion, less bloating, sounder sleep and improved appetite. The unroasted roots are the most medicinal and the root tea, tincture or capsules have been used to treat such problems as jaundice, hepatitis, hypoglycemia, muscular rheumatism, eczema, acne and anemia.
Regular use of dandelion can strengthen and tone the entire digestive system. Be sure to harvest the plant in ‘clean’ areas not sprayed with chemicals or not visited by pets. Dandelion is also working in your garden to attract ladybugs, aerate the soil and provide early spring pollen for bees and other pollinators.
 Lamb’s quarter
 Chenopodium album has many names including wild spinach; fat hen and pigweed (because it is a good feed for livestock) and goosefoot which refers to the goose foot shape of its leaf. It is another plant found all over the world with a long history of use for food. It is often one of the first weeds to show up in newly cultivated soils. Another highly nutritious plant, it is high in protein, carbohydrates and fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc and vitamins A, B1, B2, Niacin, B6 and C. Use the young leaves in salads. Older leaves and tender stalks cooked like spinach. Seeds can be dried and cooked in soups, porridge or sprouted for salads.  Lamb’s quarter does have some gentle medicinal actions, though not used today in commerce. A leaf tea can be helpful in rheumatism. A wash of the leaves can be use as a wash or poultice for bug bites, sunburn, rheumatic and swollen joints. The powdered herb has a history of use as a contraceptive by suppressing menstruation.
Purslane
Purslane (Portulace oleracea) leaves have a sour, spicy and salty flavor. The young leaves are good in salads and as a thickener in soups. Older leaves can be cooked like spinach. The seeds raw or cooked have many uses. The plant is high in protein, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is also high in omega 3 fatty acids. The leaves can be poulticed for burns, insect bites and skin diseases and used in teas to treat stomach and headaches. There are other medicinal uses and some cautions discouraging internal use during pregnancy and with digestive problems.
Common mallow
 Also called cheeseweed because the fruits of Malva neglecta resemble wheels of cheese. The whole plant is mild tasting and very nutritious. The leaves and young shoots can be used in salads or cooked as greens. The mature seeds have a nutty flavor good for nibbling or adding to salads. The leaves and flowers have properties that are healing to tissues internally and externally and a gentle laxative for kids. It has similar yet gentler actions to the more commonly used herb marsh mallow.
Stinging Nettle
 Stinging nettle (Urtica gracilis) is found around the world usually in waste places and along fencerows. I have always introduced it into my gardens, though into its own private corner. It does sting. The high nutritional content, taste and medicinal properties make this a ‘must have” plant for me. I love the young leaves cooked like spinach and nettle soup is fabulous. The sting is caused by the formic acid in plant hairs and has been used to treat rheumatic joints by rubbing or beating the leaves on to the joints in a process called urtification. Cooking or drying deactivates the sting. The aerial tops harvested before flowering are used as a nutritive tonic, high in iron, minerals, vitamins A and C, and a diuretic and urinary tract astringent. It is anti-allergenic and natural anti-histamine used to treat hay fever, pollen and food allergies, asthma, itchy skin conditions and insect bites. It also reduces bleeding associated with wounds, menstruation, bladder infections and hemorrhoids and increases mother’s milk flow. Other applications include: kidney stones, premenstrual syndrome, benign prostatic hypertrophy, gout, multiple sclerosis dental plague, diarrhea, sciatica, arthritis, many respiratory conditions, Alzheimer’s and anemia. This is an amazing healing plant.
Other good weeds
Other “weeds” that might be found in your particular landscape that are edible and/or medicinal and worth getting to know: Burdock (Arctium lappa), Curly dock (Rumex crispus), Pigweed (Amaranthus spp), Chicory (Cichorium intybus), Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella), Chickweed (Stellaria media), Mustard (Brassica spp.), Plantain (Plantago spp.), Chickweed (Stellaria spp.), Clover (Trifolium spp.), Yarrow (Achillea lanulosa) and many grasses (Poa spp.).
Be smart and educate yourself
The information I am providing here is to entice you to identify and learn about your “wilder” garden plants. Before taking any plants internally it is important to make sure of your identification and do your own homework. Generally these plants are gentle, nutritious and safe but as with any herb, some may not be recommended during pregnancy or with certain medical conditions. There are many great resources available which you should consult before using.
Plants for a Future, a great website for researching just about all one needs to know about plant uses: http://www.pfaf.org
"Weeds of the West" by Tom Whitson -- This is a very extensive reference, good for identification with photos but, my caveat is that the emphasis is “weeds are pests” and encourages chemical control.
Here are two resources that encourage the reader to create a different attitude about weeds with lots of supportive research:
“Invasive Plant Medicine: The Ecological Benefits and Healing Abilities of Invasives” by Timothy Lee Scott
“Weeds, In Defense of Nature’s Most Unloved Plants” by Richard Mabey
Mary O’Brien is an herbalist specializing in using bioregional plants and is certified in Permaculture design. She teaches both herbal medicine and Permaculture throughout Colorado.
By: Mary O'Brien
Colds and flu tend to be among the unwelcome visitors of the new year. You can fight seasonal maladies with some homemade teas, using ingredients available in your local herb shop, apothecary or health food store. By shopping locally, you will be helping the planet and the local economy.
 How about a tea blend that works on fever, aches and nausea?
Equal parts of peppermint, elder flower and yarrow is a traditional combination that increases sweating, calms the stomach and helps decongest the lungs. Drink it hot throughout the day. When we increase sweating, we are opening pores that allow toxins to be released and gently cooling the body to naturally reduce the discomfort of a fever. Fever is the body’s natural protection response to fight infection by making the body too hot for the invaders to survive. So some fever is good, we just don’t want it to get too high.
To make an infusion of this blend, use one to three tablespoons of the herbs for each cup of water you use. You can make it in a cup, tea pot, quart jar or whatever you have on hand. Pour the just boiling water over the herb and let steep at least 20 to 30 minutes -- the longer and stronger the better.
 Echinacea root (pictured above as a flower) stimulates the immune system to go into action to fight infections. It needs to be ingested at the very first signs of cold or flu and taken frequently in small amount throughout the day. Echinacea tinctures are preferred by most because of their portability and there is no need for preparation. Just put a dropperful in hot water or add to any herbal teas and drink every hour or two.
If you want to make an immune support tea blend, you can combine echinacea root with one or more of these roots; dandelion, ginger, cinnamon bark, burdock, osha, yellow dock and astragalus. Rosehips are high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids which support the immune system and add nice flavoring.
To prepare this tea, you need to make what is called a decoction. A decoction is necessary when you are making remedies from tough plant materials, such as roots, bark, seeds or stems. To begin, place thinly chopped plant material into a saucepan and add cold water. Use one to two tablespoons of the herbs to one cup of water. Bring the decoction to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, and strain after the liquid has been reduced by one half.
It is actually easier to make a quart of tea at a time because it is best to drink small amounts every 30 minutes to an hour throughout the day when dealing with acute problems like colds and flu. It’s beneficial to drink a total of three to four cups each day. If you are giving this as a gift, maybe add a tea ball or bamboo basket infuser. All teas can be sweetened with a little raw honey if needed. Raw honey has its own infection fighting properties.
The powers of ginger
Ginger is an amazing herb that is good for nausea and warming against the chills and also helps break up lung congestion. Ginger tea is easy to make by gently simmering a slice of the root in water for 20 to 30 minutes. Lemon and honey are good in this tea. For the gift basket, you can add some raw ginger but a package of crystallized ginger would be a little more fun. Just sucking on a piece can help relieve nausea. One or two pieces can be added to any tea for flavoring and fighting those chills and nausea.
Some herbs are nice used just as simple teas. German chamomile helps lower fevers, calms coughs, is a gentle sedative and promotes sleep. Catnip is good for diarrhea and stomach upsets, fevers and congestion and is gentle and safe for kids. Lemon Balm is good for fevers, intestinal bloating or flatulence and helps relieve tension and depression during a cold or flu.
Single herbs and herbal tea mixtures can be used in steam inhalants and vaporizers, herbal steam baths and herbal compressions. Herbs including basil, sage, peppermint, rosemary, eucalyptus and thyme help break up congestion and are anti-microbial and especially effective for these applications.
Essential oils have many uses
Essential oils can help diminish the symptoms of a cold as well as reducing the risk of secondary infections. Many are antimicrobial and stimulate immune response. For relief of congestion, a steam inhalation can be very effective. They can also be added to a hot bath or foot soak for symptom relief and relaxing comfort.
A vapor rub can be made by adding a few drops of essential oils to olive oil or Vaseline and massaged into the throat and chest. Eucalyptus and peppermint are especially nice for this. Lavender essential oil is well known for its ability to help reduce stress and calm aches and pain. It can be added to a relaxing bath, rubbed on the temples for headaches or a few drops added to a tissue and inhaled to induce sleep. Remember essential oils are not for internal use.
 If I were going to select just two essential oils for home remedies, I would say lavender and eucalyptus are the most versatile and user friendly. Add a package of Epson salts to the gift basket for a complete soothing, healing bath recipe.
Zinc has antioxidant properties that have also been shown to help boost the immune system and shorten the duration of symptoms. Lozenges with zinc and slippery elm are helpful for soothing the pain.
Earaches are common with colds especially in children. If your gift recipient is a parent, maybe adding a jar of ear oil for those childhood ear infections would be appreciated. Ear oil is made from infusing garlic and/or mullein flowers in olive oil and can be very effective in removing the pain while fighting the infection. A one ounce jar lasts a long time. To make the ear oil, cover the herbs with the olive oil and let set in a warm place for a couple of weeks or simmer gently in a double boiler for about an hour. Just don’t boil the oil. Strain the herbs, bottle and label the oil.
To use this oil for an earache, put two to three drops of the warmed oil in the ear and then massage in front of and behind the ear to stimulate blood flow. Use a cotton ball to keep oil in the ear. A warm cloth over the ear area can be very soothing. Once I discovered this remedy, my kids’ ear infections decreased dramatically and they soon learned to ask for the oil as soon as their ears started to hurt.
I have found that when I work with the plants and talk to them about the healing I hope they will provide, their helping properties are enhanced.
Mary O’Brien is an herbalist specializing in using bioregional plants and is certified in Permaculture design. She teaches both herbal medicine and Permaculture throughout Colorado.
By: Jerry Brown
The Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) is moving ahead with plans for the Denver Sustainability Park near downtown as a showcase for earth-friendly projects.
CRES is requesting letters of interest from organizations interested in developing projects or programs for the park by December 14.CRES and the Denver Housing Authority are partnering to develop the park on a 2.7-acre site at 2500 Lawrence Street, five blocks west of Coors Field.
The park “is a first-of-its-kind demonstration and testing site for a full spectrum of sustainable technologies and strategies,” CRES officials said. It also will include an outdoor commons area serving as an open-air classroom and venue for community and cultural events.
The Denver Sustainability Park will be a place to showcase and demonstrate established and emerging strategies. Plans call for ''a hands-on learning laboratory for students, developers, green industry professionals, municipal leaders and the public at large.”
CRES wants proposed projects or programs to include at least one of five elements: renewable energy, green building, urban agriculture and sustainable site development, community outreach and education, or transportation. The proposals can include established technologies or “emerging or nontraditional ideas.”
The proposals will be evaluated by a committee of renewable energy and green-building experts, design professionals, community stakeholders and representatives from CRES and the Denver Housing Authority.
The letters of interest should include a brief description of the project or program, space requirements including any special siting requirements and an explanation of how it will enrich the sustainability park’s mission of “advancing a holistic model for developing health sustainable communities,” CRES said.
CRES said it “understands that all information submitted may not be 100% firm and accurate. At this stage, specifications or other information regarding your proposal are not meant to be binding contractual commitments.”
Visitors to the sustainability park are expected to number “in the tens of thousands” annually. “With strategic involvement in events like the World Renewable Energy Forum coming to Denver in May 2012, and the Annual Green Route Festival, the park and its supporting partners and exhibitors will get local, national and international exposure,” CRES officials said.
Letters of interest and questions should be submitted to DJ Cardi, program manager, Colorado Renewable Energy Society, 3245 Eliot Street, Denver, CO 80211. He can be reached at 303-882-5300 | d.cardi@cres-energy.org.
Jerry Brown | 303-781-8787 | 303-594-8016 (mobile) | jerry@pr-impact.com
By: Phil von Hake
Most of us have probably at least heard about the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? Director Chris Paine told a riveting story of how General Motors introduced the EV1 (arguably the world’s first mass-produced battery electric vehicle) in the mid-1990s.
Despite initial success and a flurry of passionate interest among its mostly-California-based lessees, GM abruptly ended its plans to continue any electric-car programs, recalled all of the 5,000 EV1s it produced, and took them to a secret location to be crushed. A precious few EV1s remain in museums and other undisclosed locations, and stand as a monument to one of the Big Three Automakers’ worst decisions ever.
Much has changed in the automotive world (for better and worse) since 2006, and Paine is back with a sequel titled Revenge of the Electric Car. While the movie debuted back in April, it didn’t make it to Denver until Thanksgiving weekend. And while I take pride in being one of the first people in the Denver area to buy a Toyota Prius gas-electric hybrid (150K+ miles and still going strong!), I took advantage of Black Friday’s relatively balmy weather and rode my bike to the Chez Artiste theater in Southeast Denver. I saw the movie with Steve Sargent (2009 President of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society) and Steve Stevens (who brought Steve Sargent & his date with him in his Plug-in Prius, the electric part of which he proudly recharges with solar panels on top of his less-than-zero-energy home in Golden).
While GM was one of the first movie’s main villains, Revenge features one of its most prominent executives – former Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, or “Mr. Detroit” – as GM’s main champion for the new Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. It also follows Nissan/Renault Carlos Ghosn (“The Warrior” who shepherds the Nissan Leaf 100%-electric car to final production), Tesla Motors founder Elon “Rocket Man” Musk (who sweats through – and pays for – the painstaking details of starting a car company from scratch), and Greg “Gadget” Abbott, “The Outsider” who converts internal-combustion engines to all-electric from his bare-bones industrial facility in LA. Each of our four protagonists navigate a dizzying maze of economic conditions (most notably the financial crisis of 2008), consumer requests, safety & reliability issues, and the overall paradigm shift of powering cars with electricity instead of petroleum.
The cigar-puffing Lutz recognizes (but stops far short of apologizing for) GM’s mistakes around the EV1, and sees the Volt becoming a forerunner of every car that rolls off of GM’s assembly lines: “the electrification of automobiles will eventually be a foregone conclusion.”
Ghosn is a dead-serious businessman who fearlessly brings Nissan/Renault into the Electric-Car Age with the Leaf, which seeks to replace the EV1 as the world’s first mass-produced electric car … and more importantly, keep producing them. Both GM and Nissan/Renault have received Car of the Year Awards for each of their latest electric offerings.
Musk took a big chunk of the money he made from selling PayPal and started a car company. The Tesla Roadster is one of the fastest, sexiest, and most promising cars (electric or otherwise) to come along in decades, but one wonders if even brilliant minds like those of Musk and his Tesla colleagues can clear every operational, technical, financial, legal, and other hurdle needed to run a car company in the 21st century. Just as Musk’s bank account runs dry, though, a well-timed IPO brings in a few hundred million more so he can keep this experiment going.
“Gadget” really is the outsider in this film, and now even in this industry. Despite losing everything in a fire at his garage, he rebuilds, relocates, and returns to converting already-built gasoline-fueled vehicles into electric cars. He and his charming wife represent the “EV-do-it-yourselfers” who represented the electric car “industry” for decades, but go a long way to deciding what to do with the billions of cars that are still out there burning gas.
Revenge highlights how the electric car has generally survived The Great Recession, and submits that building & selling more of them could provide a way out of it. But it also shows how the industry is still at least as dependent on up-front money from public and private investors as it is on actual sales. It didn’t foresee things like multiple government debt crises and the Solyndra bankruptcy before talking about how much Tesla got in loan guarantees from the U.S. Department of Energy. Good thing they had a solid IPO, as they should not expect much more help from the government!
Toyota and its groundbreaking Prius hybrid were conspicuously absent in Revenge. Maybe Paine thought he gave it enough mention in his first film. Maybe Lutz & Ghosn thought featuring two big car companies in this film was more than enough. Regardless, the Prius played an essential role in letting the electric car exact any revenge at all. Other electric car makers like BYD, Coda, Fisker, ZENN, etc. are also nowhere to be found in Revenge, even though each of them are at least as far along in their respective EV-production efforts as GM, Nissan, and Tesla.
I’ll admit to being very much like the average person in that South Park episode when everybody got hybrids, when the easing of smog in the area was quickly replaced by an equally-ominous cloud of … smug! I felt even more smug when I rode my bike to this movie, knowing that human-powered vehicles can solve even more problems than electric vehicles. But then I rode home – in the dark, mostly uphill, and with dropping temperatures & gusty winds – reminding me that electric cars must become an essential part of our transportation mix!
Revenge of the Electric Car provides a good history of electric vehicles over most of the past decade, but I’d refrain from calling it THE history unless it had also mentioned the Prius and other significant EVs.
Until we all have our own electric cars, don’t forget to keep your current vehicle tuned up, and use alternatives like transit, biking, walking, and telecommuting whenever you can.
By: Bill Scanlon
Seven trillion dollars are at stake in the global battle to win market share in renewable energy and the United States can win that battle, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu said recently in Colorado.
Chu toured a GE-PrimeStar Solar plant in Arvada, on Nov. 18 that he said was a stellar example of American invention leading to American jobs. Later the same day, he toured the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden and spoke to a gathering of NREL and DOE employees.
 At PrimeStar, Chu noted that the company adopted technology developed at NREL to build thin film solar panels made of cadmium and telluride. The technology can be more efficient than silicon solar cells and cost much less — because it uses 99 percent less chemical material than more conventional cells.
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NREL Director Dan Arvizu and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu answer questions during the secretary's visit to the lab.
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GE PrimeStar recently announced plans to build a large manufacturing plant in Aurora which will employ about 400 people and build enough modules to power 80,000 homes.
Chu said that if the United States balks at helping private firms invest in the most exciting new renewable energy ideas, there are 50 other nations that will continue to do so within their borders.
In China, Canada, Australia, India, and most of the countries of western Europe, governments are making direct investments or guaranteeing financing — because they know the stakes are so high.
"We can accept defeat and watch the solar jobs go to China, Germany and other countries, or we can get in the game and play to win, creating jobs in Colorado and across the country," Chu said.
Chu noted that the United States still leads the world in solar innovations — the scientific and research work behind the most important breakthroughs.
However, the United States lost its lead in exporting solar equipment — China now has a 50 percent share, while the U.S. has dropped to 7 percent.
America Won Back the Lead in Air Transportation
There are precedents in America for technologies that were invented here, usurped by others, and then won back, Chu noted.
The Wright Brothers invented the airplane, but within 10 years, Europe was building better planes and winning the market battle, he said.
"We didn't say, OK, we invented it but now we're waving the white flag," he said. "No, we said, 'we'll win back this technology.' And we did it.
"Just like with the airplane, we can and should win back the market lead in renewable energy."
NREL Developed the Solar Cell Technology Employed by Primestar
 Innovations such as PrimeStar's that are more cost efficient and energy-efficient can make U.S. manufacturing an attractive alternative to shipping that work overseas, Chu said.
In 2007, PrimeStar signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with NREL, which had earlier developed the cadmium-telluride technology on which the solar cell is based.
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DOE Golden Field Office Executive Director Carol Battershell, NREL Deputy Lab Director Dana Christensen, Electricity, Resources & Building Systems Integration Center Director David Mooney show Energy Secretary Steven Chu NREL's newest buildings.
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DOE later invested $3 million so the experts at NREL's solar incubator program could help PrimeStar develop the technology to pilot scale.
Now, the largest energy company in the world, GE, has taken a $600 million stake in that technology.
"Global business in renewable energy last year was $240 billion," Chu noted. "It's destined to grow by leaps and bounds. By 2030 it should be $460 billion a year.
"That's $5 trillion to $7 trillion — a huge market potential.
"It's very important that we stay in this game," Chu said. "Is it a game we can win? Absolutely.
"Because of our technological edge, we can be competitive with anyone in the world" if research and development is funded adequately.
At NREL, Chu Talks about Investments, Innovations
 Chu toured the PrimeStar plant, then visited NREL in nearby Golden, where Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper introduced him.
"NREL again and again has demonstrated that it is in the forefront of taking ideas and turning them into jobs, and improving the quality of life in Colorado, the nation and the world," Hickenlooper said.
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Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper greets U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu as he arrives at NREL.
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Chu, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 when he was director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said wind power now is virtually cost-competitive with fossil fuels, going for about 5 and a half cents per kilowatt hour.
Solar is still more expensive than that, but should reach price parity by the end of this decade or a few years beyond, he said.
It will get there because of investments in start-ups such as 1366 Technologies, a company that is using a brand new approach, akin to dipping a strawberry into chocolate, to make solar cells that are thinner and much more cost-effective.
"That's an example of American ingenuity," Chu said. "We don't know if it will work out or not. But it is a good enough idea that 1366 is already getting private investment.
"We haven't lost our stature in terms of our ability to invent and innovate," Chu said. "But when I see what other countries are doing in terms of support … we have to remember: 'Are we in this to win?'"
He says his priority now is to talk to "Democrats and Republicans to make sure we continue our strong investments in energy research. It is so important that we continue this research."
Before taking a look at the construction of NREL's new Energy Systems Integration Faciliity, where utilities will test their smart-grid capabilities, Chu told the NREL audience that industries as diverse as railroads, telecommunications, semiconductors and oil and gas survived and prospered because of government investment.
He said when he's asked how long renewable energy should continue to get some subsidies, he reminds that oil has had them for more than a century and jokes that renewables should receive subsidies but, "by no means for more than 100 years."
Some say that with the economic downturn this is not the time to invest in future energy, but Chu says it is the right time.
He noted that in the depths of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln had the foresight to establish the land grant universities to make agriculture and the mechanical arts more scientific, found money for the transcontinental railroad, and established the National Academy of Sciences to assure that he was getting advice on military and domestic policy from the era's greatest minds.
"Of course, that last one, Lincoln insisted that the scientists give their help for no pay," Chu noted wryly.
"We were a cheap date then, and we're a cheap date now."
Story courtesy of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Photo's courtesy of NREL and credit to Dennis Schroeder
Heating costs rise as temperatures drop but you can save money by buttoning up your home for winter.
By taking small, simple measures, you can enjoy energy savings of up to 25% and the extra comfort and safety of a warmer, more comfortable home. Below are some do-it-yourself checks and updates to ensure your home is in top shape this winter season.
Checking for Leaks
Sealing drafts and leaks is a top way consumers can drop down energy costs in their homes. Free or inexpensive updates such as weather stripping and caulking can help you enjoy significant savings.
Test for air leaks by holding a lit incense stick next to the area of the suspected draft. If the smoke stream travels horizontally, you’ve found an air leak and will need to seal, caulk, insulate, or properly reinforce the area both on the inside and outside of the home.
Areas you’ll want to check for leaks and drafts include doors, windows, electrical boxes and outlets, plumbing fixtures and vents, ceiling fixtures, and attic hatches. Your home’s heating ducts take a bit more work to check, repair or replace, but torn or crushed ducts could be otherwise wasting energy for years.
Don't forget to close your fireplace vent when not in use. And plug up open holes in your basement or crawl space – forgotten openings are a big area for energy waste.
You can repair drafty windows by sealing them with a clear plastic film widely available in kits at your local hardware or home improvement store.
While you are outside, bring plants and equipment inside and shut down and drain your outside irrigation system. Outside patio furniture, grills, hoses, toys and other items will last longer when not faced with harsh wind and snow.
Insulation in Your home
Insulation will help reduce the amount of heat escaping from your home during the winter months and cut home heating costs. It’s important to have a thick, even layer of insulation throughout the walls, floors, and attic of your home. If you are unsure about how to update your insulation, set up a professional consultation or ask your local hardware store.
Your Heating System
Your heating system is another key area where small changes can make a large impact on energy savings. Make sure to replace your heater’s air filter monthly as well as to clean and remove dust from vents and along baseboard heaters.
Also, check that all heating vents are open and not blocked by furniture, curtains or other items. Blocked vents can prevent even heating flow throughout the home and become a fire hazard. You should also place an insulation blanket around your water heater to keep water heated longer.
If your heating system is dated pre-1980, consider updating for an additional cost and cut natural gas use almost in half. Lastly, a programmable thermostat is a valuable tool that lets you adjust temperatures depending on when you are or aren’t home to save energy usage and costs.
And don’t neglect your air conditioning unit during your winter preparation. Make sure to turn off both the unit and breaker box and then cover for the season to prevent damage.
This series of tips was contributed by iCAST, the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology. iCAST is a nonprofit organization based in Lakewood, CO, focused on helping the viability of communities through sustainability projects that help bring energy improvements and positively impact the environment. Learn more at www.icastusa.org
By: Mary O'Brien
Fall is a perfect time to prepare and plant a medicine garden of common plants that you can use in teas and foods to treat a wide variety of common complaints.
Perennials can be the foundation of a medicine garden and many are often on sale in the fall. Established perennial plants often get crowded and need dividing. Asking neighbors about plants they might want to share or trade is a wonderful way to create community and a new garden for low cost.
photo: Heather Thomas works with an herb garden
Almost all culinary plants have medicinal properties. Starting with plants you are already familiar with will make learning how to use medicinal plants easier. Well-known plants such as peppermint, spearmint, sage, thyme, lemon balm, catnip, oregano and lavender have healing properties. Examples of other perennials with medicinal uses are echinacea, yarrow, motherwort, comfrey, lady’s mantle, hops, elecampane, violets, chamomile, rose, raspberry and hollyhock . There are many more.
You can add new plants to an existing garden to fill in bare spaces or start a new garden space. Ideally, you want to locate medicinal plants close to your kitchen so they will be more convenient to harvest when needed on short notice. If these plants are out in the ‘north 40’ you will probably forget all about them and miss the opportune time to harvest them for your winter medicine stash.
Soil preparation is important no matter when you plant. Adding compost is highly recommended to improve soil texture, nutrient availability and water holding capacity. Fall planted plants don’t need as much water as during the summer but thorough watering initially is important and occasional watering during the winter if it is dry will help plants thrive.
In Colorado, all transplanting should be done by the end of October so plants can get settled in before winter. Mulching with fall leaves is good practice for protecting the plants, holding moisture and adding nutrients as they break down. If you are starting a new garden, sheet mulching (also called lasagna gardening) is a great no dig, no weed technique for creating a growing space while saving our backs from the aches and pains that come with digging. Deep digging and tilling upsets the underground web of life that supports and nourishes the plants. Mother Nature never digs she just puts more and more nutrient rich material on top of the ground and lets all the tiny underground life forms do their jobs.
Indoor Medicine Gardening
Another winter time alternative for access to medicinal plants is to grow them inside in a sunny window. Many of the smaller culinary plants like sage, thyme, rosemary, lavender, basil, parsley and catnip can be brought in and used fresh as seasoning and medicine all winter.
Teas are the easiest and most effective ways to use these plants. Select the freshest leaves and young flowering tops and use fresh or dry quickly and store in a dark, cool environment. These can be used alone as tea or as a part of a tea blend. To brew medicinal teas from leaves and flowers, cover the plant material with almost boiling water and let steep at least 20 minutes. The longer and the stronger the better. The general rule is 2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoon dried plant material to 1 cup of water. When making tea for medicine, it often is more efficient to makes larger quantities so that you have plenty on hand. Usually when treating something like a cold, you want to be drinking the tea throughout the day to assist the body in reducing symptoms and fighting off the infection.
If stored in the refrigerator, teas will keep for 2 to 3 days. These same teas can also be used externally as a wash or compress for treating skin and muscular complaints. You can also make tinctures from your plant material using alcohol, glycerine or vinegar.
Invest in Resources to Stay Safe
If you are going to use plants for medicine, please invest in one or two good herbal books and use on-line resources for usage and dosage information and any cautions in using these herbs. Not all herbs are benign, some may interact with prescription drugs and some can be toxic. Sometimes there are cautions for use during pregnancy. So be an educated user. I have supplied some resources at the end of this article.
Here is a brief overview of the medicinal actions of the most popular kitchen medicine herbs:
Garden sage Salvia officinalis. Anti-inflammatory for gastrointestinal tract: mouth sores, sore throats, gas and indigestion. Helps stop flow of breast milk and decrease menopausal night sweats. Teas used as hair rinse and medicinal wash. Powerful antioxidant action helps stimulate immunity and decrease artery damage from inflammation. Not long term use or during pregnancy.
Thyme Thymus vulgaris. Used for coughs, bronchitis, asthma, and whooping cough. Strong antiseptic properties make it effective as a sore throat gargle, a lotion for infected wounds, as well as for infections of the digestive and respiratory tracts. Helps improve digestion and decrease gas.
Lavender Lavendula angustifolia. Anti-depressant, sedative, antispasmodic. Relieves spasms in digestive tract. Eases headaches, depression and anxiety. Useful in high blood pressure. Gentle nervous system tonic. Excellent for children’s stomach aches and colic. Good skin herb.
Lemon Balm Melissia officinalis. Great tea flavoring. Anti-depressant, sedative, antispasmodic. Relieves spasms in digestive tract. Eases depression and anxiety. Useful in high blood pressure. Excellent for children’s stomach aches. Great stress reliever.
Catnip Nepeta cataria. Relaxing to nerves and digestion. Traditional for colicky babies. Pain reliever. Lowers fever in colds and flu. Good for children’s diarrhea. Cats love it too!
Spearmint Mentha spicata. Digestive, respiratory and nervous system aide. Helps reduce fevers in colds, calm sore throats, decrease vomiting, colic and gas. Anti-viral and anti-fungal.
Peppermint Mentha piperita. Good for colds, congestion, fevers, digestive complaints, nerves, pain, nausea, sore muscles, skin conditions and kid’s remedies and so much more. All body systems respond to this herb
Rosemary Rosmarinus spp. Used to calm gastrointestinal complaints such as gas, bloating, flatulence and gall bladder dysfunction. Tones and stimulates circulation and nerves. Relieves nasal and chest congestion in colds. Wonderful tonic, especially for the elderly and when recovering from debilitating disease. Aids memory and brain function. Anti-bacterial and very high in antioxidants.
Echinacea Echinacea angustifolia, E. purpurea. Stimulates immune system by increasing white blood cells. Use frequently at onset of any infection, colds, flu, staph, venomous bites and congested lymph. Also good in tissue repair and connective tissue swelling.
Yarrow Achillea spp. First aid plant with antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and astringent properties, yarrow helps heal cuts and wounds, soothes hemorrhoids and varicose veins when used topically. Stops bleeding internally and externally. Good for colds and flu as a hot tea or bath to lower fevers. As a bitter tonic, it stimulates digestion. Dilates and tones the blood vessels. Brings on delayed menstruation. Attracts beneficial insects and repels many pests.
Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis. Anti-depressant, sedative, antispasmodic. Relieves spasms in digestive tract and respiratory system especially for coughs and bronchitis. Eases depression and anxiety. Useful in high blood pressure. Excellent for children’s stomach aches.
Hollyhock Alcea rosea. Externally used for skin inflammations and ulcers. Internally for sore throats, fevers, respiratory, digestive and urinary tract discomforts.
Comfrey Symphytum spp. Used for digestive tract problems. Speeds up healing of broken bones, pulled muscles, ligaments and wounds. Number 1 permaculture plant, accumulates nutrients from soil, speeds composting, attracts beneficials.
Violets Viola spp., (several are natives). Useful for 'weeping' skin problems. Great for tender breasts before periods. Softens nodules, helps break up cysts, especially fluid filled cysts. Used for heart health, digestive and respiratory tract conditions, stress relief and nervous system support.
Bee Balm Monarda didyma, fistulosa (native). Used for colds and flu and digestive complaints. Increases sweating to reduce fevers and eases sore throats. Helps bring on suppressed menstrual periods.
Chamomile Roman (Chamaemelum nobile). Anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal, internally and externally. Excellent stomach soother, nervine and sedative and skin herb. Great for children. Insect repellent and compost stimulator in garden.
Motherwort Leonurus cardiac. Taken for anxiety and tension, and PMS. Used as heart tonic, eases palpitations. Brings on delayed menstrual period.
Lady’s Mantle Alchemilla xanthochlora. Tones female reproductive organs. Helps prepare for pregnancy. Reduces excessive menstrual bleeding and cramping. Useful in menopause. Reduces diarrhea.
Raspberry Rubus idaeus. The leaves are used during the last 3 months of pregnancy as a nutritive tonic for strengthening the uterus and preparing for childbirth. Relieves menstrual cramps, diarrhea, mouth inflammations and tonsillitis. Externally used for sores, minor wounds, burns, varicose veins and conjunctivitis.
Book Resources:
Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health: 175 Teas, Tonics, Oils, Salves, Tinctures, and Other Natural Remedies for the Entire Family, Herbal Healing for Woman and other books by Rosemary Gladstar.
The Wise Woman Herbal, The Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Years, The Wise Woman Herbal for the Menopausal Years and Breast Cancer, Breast Health and others by Susan Weed.
The Illustrated Herbal Encyclopedia. Herbs for Health and Healing. Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide. Herbs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia: A Complete Culinary, Cosmetic, Medicinal, and Ornamental Guide and others by Kathi Keville.
The Complete Medicinal Herbal, Healing with Herbs: Simple Treatments for More than 100 Common Ailments, Simple Healing with Herbs, The Home Herbal and others by Penelope Ody.
Homegrown Herbs: A Complete Guide to Growing, Using, and Enjoying More than 100 Herbs, by Rosemary Gladstar and Tammi Hartung and Growing 101 Herbs that Heal by Tammy Hartung.
Holistic Herbal 4th Edition: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies, Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of Herbal Medicine, Complete Illustrated Guide to the Holistic Herbal, The New Holistic Herbal and others by David Hoffman, England.
Making Plant Medicine by Richo Cech, Horizon Herbs
The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook: A Home Manual and The Male Herbal by James Green.
Internet resources:
Plants for a Future: http://www.pfaf.org/user/default.aspx
Susan Weed’s webpage: http://www.susunweed.com/
Kiva Rose’s The Medicine Woman’s Roots: http://bearmedicineherbals.com/
Henriette’s Herbal Homepage: http://www.henriettesherbal.com/
Learning Herbs.com: http://www.learningherbs.com/
Herb Mentor by Learning Herbs.com: http://www.herbmentor.com/
By: Andy Bardwell
How an energy makeover for an energy-inefficient home led to the creation of leading-edge residential energy auditing software.
Three years ago, I turned the resources of my statistical consulting business toward the only partially-solved question of how to make existing homes “net zero.” Considered the “Holy Grail” of sustainable energy enthusiasts, net zero homes produce as much energy as they consume. My mission was to make my own poorly insulated and leaky 1950’s ranch home net zero for less than $50,000.
 As a fourth-generation Coloradan, I really wanted to take advantage of my sunny state. I have a Ph.D. in mathematics, a long history in the building industry, and I’ve always had an interest in sustainable design.
I tackled the problem by building a computer program to automatically generate more than 5,000 designs combining energy efficiency measures and renewable energy for my house. Each design included a financial and engineering analysis to determine how close to net zero the design would get, and what kind of payback could be expected.
When the program was completed in spring of 2007, it revealed some new solutions that I suspected had been overlooked in the industry.
By applying more renewable energy than anyone in the industry is currently recommending, my analysis showed that I could take my funky 50’s home to net zero for less than $30,000 (after rebates, incentives, and tax credits). This was a tantalizing discovery, considering that the usual recipe for a net zero conversion would be a complete home makeover requiring more than $100,000 in retrofits.
But I wasn’t going to take off on this unusual path without first vetting it with experts in the energy modeling and net zero building community. I spent the balance of 2007 doing presentations for the Architectural Energy Corporation, Ecofutures Building, Sustainably Built, EnergyLogic, and others, and talking with scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, not far from my home, to get their feedback.
These professionals appreciated what I’d done, but the home energy auditors in the group protested that my fancy tool didn’t solve a more basic problem: they didn’t even have a tool to do a simple energy audit.
Creating an Energy Auditing Program
So in 2008, I changed direction and began to research methods for addressing the need for a basic energy auditing program. I began working with the Center for Resource Conservation in Boulder to build a simple auditing program. When the scope of the project grew beyond what CRC was comfortable with, the project ended up in my lap. I dove in. The ambitious project is nearing completion three years later.
 From the original OptiMiser analysis of my home, I identified the most cost effective energy retrofit design from more than 5,000 designs. The plan required a photovoltaic system that would provide approximately 150% of my current electricity needs, and a larger solar thermal system than a contractor had originally recommended. The somewhat contrarian elements of the strategy that OptiMiser had identified were:
1. Put on a sweater, and be a little more flexible. I realized that if we relaxed and were a little more like Europeans in our approach to our energy needs, the design could be much more efficient.
2. The flexibility of the design would allow the solar thermal system to run at lower-than-typical temperatures and therefore be more efficient than a system tuned to run at a higher temperature. Even though large solar thermal systems aren’t usually recommended, OptiMiser had shown that a larger system could still be the most cost-effective way to provide a substantial portion of space heat and hot water.
3. Most solar photovoltaic installers recommend against installing a system larger than one that will meet 100% of a home’s needs, arguing that the utility company will reimburse any excess generation at a rate far below what their customers pay for electricity. However, OptiMiser highlighted the case against taking the utility’s reimbursement for excess energy production: a grid-tied PV system could “bank” unused electricity with the utility company during the summer, and use this energy to fill heating needs in the winter.
Finding Contractors to Do the Work
The next step in my search for the sustainable person’s “Holy Grail” was a search for contractors who could make this net zero home a reality. But my research indicated that, since none of the contractors had a tool that could do an integrated analysis of energy efficiency measures and renewables, there weren’t contractors able to implement this low-cost solution.
So I resurrected my design/build business, renaming it Integrated Home Energy. This business concept married my experience as a statistical consultant with my experience as a builder. The idea was that I would act as a consultant to homeowners, using OptiMiser to design efficient optimal application of efficiency and renewable energy, and then line up the homeowners with qualified installers.
Knowing that the rebates and incentives for photovoltaic systems were in jeopardy of declining, my wife Nancy LaPlaca and I contracted with the PV integrator Bella Energy and the solar thermal provider Capitol Solar to make OptiMiser’s recommended plan a reality.
Bella installed the OptiMiser-recommended 6.3 kW photovoltaic system in early 2008. This system works as planned, meeting 150% of our electrical usage, and has already displaced emission of over 40,000 pounds of CO2. In the summer of 2008, we installed a large solar thermal system: 13 used 4’ x 8’ panels and an 1100-gallon storage tank.
Besides using used solar thermal panels, and in order to save installation costs and reduce lifecycle costs and waste, I refitted my old furnace. I gutted my 50-year old but smooth-running Lenox furnace, removed the manifold and burners, and installed two heat exchange coils — one from the solar thermal tank, and one from a backup electric hot water heater.
Neighbors Request Their Own Solar Systems
I had more than a little trepidation when installing the large solar systems on my house, concerned that my neighbors might not approve. To my surprise and delight, three neighbors on my block requested systems of their own!
In addition to a renewable-powered house, we have two electric bikes that are charged by our photovoltaic system. These bikes have reinvigorated our commitment to cycling, and I now have a flexible commitment to only drive the car when I have a passenger or I have to wear a suit. These bikes are powered by BionX motors from Canada, and can comfortably go 30 miles at 20 mph if the rider pitches in.
On the side of our house, we have a solar-heated greenhouse, and we’ve nurtured a 2,000 square foot garden, irrigated with lake water. The greenhouse has cinderblock airways under two feet of dirt thermal storage, and several chimneys that provide natural air circulation underneath the dirt storage. The 8 x 18 greenhouse requires minimal auxiliary electrical heating, which is provided by the photovoltaic panels.
With these systems in place, we entered the unusually frigid winter of 2009-10.
The first true test of this pioneering system came in October of 2009, when temperatures in Denver plummeted to below zero. Unbeknownst to me, my backup heating system wasn’t functioning because of an air lock in the backup pump. Needless to say, as the temperature in the house dropped, my confidence in the system did too. Could we make it through the winter with these new systems? Would the pipes freeze?
We did make it through that first cold snap, got the backup heating system working, and proceeded to spend the most comfortable winter ever in the house.
Woodstove and Radiant Heaters Make a Difference
 The real failsafe in the OptiMiser system is an EPA-approved woodstove, which makes the coldest days of the year the most comfortable. We fire up the woodstove on cloudy, cold days in the winter when there is no solar thermal heat left and the electrical backup can’t keep up. The wood stove easily heats the bulk of the house.
Radiant heaters, a recent arrival, provide supplemental heat. I had admired similar systems in Eastern Europe, where the places I stayed relied on radiant electric heating rather than central heating. Since radiant space heating makes the occupant warm rather than heating the entire space, I knew that this type of heating would be very efficient.
For several years I looked for similar radiant heaters in the U.S., but they haven’t been marketed here until 2009. I promptly went out and bought half a dozen parabolic heaters and gave them to friends and relatives, because they are such an improvement in comfort and efficiency. Even though radiant heaters use only two thirds as much electricity as most electric heaters do, they make people feel like they’re sitting in front of a warm fire. The heat is instantaneous and much more comfortable than gas-forced air or electric baseboard heat. There’s no fan noise, and the units don’t create dry air, as most electric heaters do.
The net result? I successfully converted a drafty 50’s ranch to net zero for less than $30,000, a feat that existing industry wisdom had deemed impossible.
Today, my own home energy victory is possible for anyone. Auditors nationwide can use OptiMiser’s industry-redefining power to create retrofit plans for any home, any budget, and any energy goal.
Andy Bardwell is the CEO of OptiMiserEnergy.com.
Learn more at http://www.OptiMiserEnergy.com.
By: Phil von Hake
Working with the 1 Billion people who make $1 a day
Smart Energy Living recently caught up with Andrew Romanoff. Romanoff ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010, but lost to incumbent Michael Bennet in the Democratic primary. Before that, he served as Speaker of the House for the Colorado General Assembly from 2005 to 2009, including when Bill Ritter became Governor and helped create Colorado’s “New Energy Economy.”
 Romanoff now works as a Senior Advisor for International Development Enterprises (www.ideorg.org). While based in Lakewood, iDE has 350 employees in fifteen countries (99% of them are natives of each country).
Photo of Andrew Romanoff
In a complementary effort, Romanoff is spearheading The Greenhouse Project, a place for Colorado’s many international-development nonprofits to share space, ideas, and other resources. He is currently searching for a place in Central Denver to call The Greenhouse Project home.
Romanoff has also been a major promoter of “Design for the Other 99%,” an exhibit showcasing technologies that are innovative, practical, and (unlike most products which are designed for the richest 10% of the Earth’s population) extremely affordable. This exhibit will run through September 26 at the Redline Main Gallery (2350 Arapahoe St. in Denver).
Q. Most people who lose a tough election campaign disappear for a while. What got you back on the horse so soon?
A. I’ve always been interested in international development. My first job after college was teaching English in Central America. So I’m returning to a passion I’ve had for a while.
Q. Can you tell us about some of the other opportunities you considered before landing your current job?
A. After leaving the state legislature [due to term limits], I was a ‘Scholar in Residence’ at CU-Denver’s school of Public Affairs. I might return to teaching again someday.
Q. Tell us more about International Development Enterprises (iDE).
A. IDE helps the world’s poorest farmers turn a profit by providing them with tools like technology, training, and access to markets. There are over 1 billion people around the world who make only $1 a day, so that’s our ‘target market.’
We’ve helped over 19 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Central America, and other parts of the developing world earn over $1 billion in income since the early 1980's.
Q. What lessons have you brought back from the developing world that would be most valuable for the average American?
A. America is not an island. Every decision we make here has some kind of consequence(s) elsewhere in the world. Likewise, decisions made in other countries have effects in America.
Q. Where is/are the most interesting place(s) you've traveled in this new job, and why?
A. We went to Ethiopia about six months ago. While we talked shop about irrigation and other issues, it was much more compelling to hear about local farmers just trying to make a living.
Q. I'm sure your new job with iDE has you plenty busy, but are you doing anything else these days?
A. I’ve been taking iDE’s show on the road a lot lately. I’ve been speaking to Rotary, Kiwanis, and other groups about global poverty. I usually bring one of our treadle pumps with me to show how we’re helping people lessen their dependence on rain-fed irrigation and extend their growing season. We’re also using more solar-thermal-powered water pumps.
Q. You presided over the Colorado General Assembly while Bill Ritter was Governor, and his "New Energy Economy" has led to one of the most significant transformations of the state in its history. What will you remember most from that time?
A. The governor can make a big difference in a state’s focus. Bill Ritter’s focus on a New Energy Economy was a huge departure from Bill Owens’s emphasis on traditional energy. Now Colorado has put itself on the map as a hub of new energy development. Colorado has a lot to lose if we don’t address climate change soon, and a lot to gain if we stay on the path of a New Energy Economy.
Q. What do you think are the most important things people can do to make their own lives more sustainable?
A. I’ve done what I can to ‘lead by example’: I’ve changed out all my incandescent light bulbs, I recycle more, and I bought a hybrid car. We all need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in every aspect of our lives. The idea that we need to make a decision between our economy and our environment is a false choice. Just look at how many people and companies move to Colorado for the mountains and our active outdoor lifestyle.
Q. Where do you see Colorado headed, smart-energy-wise?
A. We need to maintain a concerted effort to continue down the new-energy path we’re on now. We need to examine our entire lives for ways to be more sustainable: energy, transportation, land use, buildings, appliances, you name it.
Q. Same question, but now applied to America and the world... ?
A. A single state can’t save the planet, but America needs to start showing the same kind of leadership on this issue that Colorado has. I went to China a few years ago, and spoke with some officials there about the mutual need to reduce our carbon emissions. “We’d be happy to follow America’s lead on that,” he said, “but you’re not leading!”
Q. Do you think you'll ever run for office again?
A. I’m not sure when or how (especially considering how many resources are involved!), but I’d love to run again someday.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss that we haven’t already covered?
A. A lot of people have been asking me why I’m so focused on international development when so much has to be done here at home. Like I said about energy: this is not a zero-sum game. Reducing fossil fuel use and fostering more sustainable development everywhere brings benefits back home.
Find out more about what Andrew Romanoff is up to at www.andrewromanoff.com and www.ideorg.org.
By: Theresa Donahue
I’ve been a mission-driven government and non-profit leader “selling” ideas, public policies, and programs for decades. I oversaw much of Denver city government in one past career.
Most recently, I served as Executive Director of Smart Energy Living Alliance, a non-profit organization that worked closely with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to provide consumer education on sustainable energy.
Too often, we were talking with only the most environmentally conscious individuals and businesses who were already sold on investing in energy efficient and renewable technologies. To have a significant impact, we need to reach out to a broad range of consumers providing information about the many tangible benefits they would realize from those investments. So, now I’m doing mission-driven sales of LED lighting that are backed up by excellent business reasons for my customers to buy our products.
So why “mission-driven” and what is the great business case backing up LED lighting?
First to the mission-driven question. LED lights are the most energy efficient lights available. They offer up to 90% energy savings; don’t contain mercury and other toxics; and reduce materials used by lasting up to 100,000 hours. LED lights are twice as efficient as CFLs and last 5 to 10 times as long.
In fact, a 2008 U.S. Department of Energy report said, “A switch to solidstate lighting [LEDs] could reduce electricity use (and greenhouse gas emissions) in the United States by the equivalent of 100 large power plants.”
Yet, when I’m talking with most potential business customers, I talk only about the great business case. I talk about energy savings, reduced maintenance costs, no ballasts to be replaced, and better light quality. Many utilities and local governments also have rebates for LED lighting installations (see www.dsireusa.org), and upgrades are eligible for the federal energy efficiency tax deduction (see www.lightingtaxdeduction.org).
Other benefits of LED lighting include reduced air conditioning/cooling costs, the way they turn on instantly, the range of available “colors” from warm white to cool white, and their durable nature - like the one that was accidentally dropped 15 feet to the floor by a hotel staff person yet didn’t break. And, there are unexpected benefits. I loved reading the unsolicited email from a customer’s employee saying that he was grateful for our LED lights replacing their old lamps. He stopped getting migraine headaches as soon as the LED lights were installed.
LED lights aren’t just for the holidays anymore. I’m regularly seeing a return-on-investment ranging from less than 12 months to 36 months for LED upgrades for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications. Of course, not all the LED lights are high quality, last 50,000 hours or more, or offer 3- to 5-year warranties.
I look forward to tracking the carbon emission reductions resulting from my sales, and helping transform the marketplace through my new mission-driven career.
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Theresa M. Donahue is Executive Sales Representative for SoGoGreen, a small, woman-owned LED lighting company. She can be reached at 720-234-6632 or Theresa@SoGoGreenLightSolutions.com
By: Rebecca Cantwell
Many people think of utility regulation as an arcane and dull realm. But things were pretty lively when Ron Binz served as chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission from 2007 until April 2011. He led the Colorado PUC in implementing the many policy changes championed by Gov. Bill Ritter and the legislature to bring forward Colorado’s “New Energy Economy.” Binz talked with Smart Energy Living shortly after leaving his post as chief utility regulator.
 Q. You presided over big changes in state policy. What do you feel best about?
A. It would be hard not to say that at the top was our implementation of the Clean Air Clean Jobs act. It was a legislative directive for the Commission, in one fell swoop, to clean up the coal emissions of Xcel and Black Hills. Typically plants are cleaned up in onesies and twosies. This was a comprehensive look at the whole coal fleet and was probably alone in the nation to treat it at one time in terms of hazardous pollutants and carbon emissions. It was a huge case with 34 legal parties and hearings that went on for several weeks.
Q. What will it mean for the average Coloradan, good and bad? For example, it will increase rates, correct?
A. Rates will increase between now and 2020 no matter what. We estimate our decision to retire old coal plants and replace them with new natural gas plants will result in rates that will be only about 3 percent higher. It’s an impact, but the benefits in reduced smog and reduced particulates that, for example, create haze in natural parks, are all desirable. We built in a hedge against future carbon regulation when we switched from coal to a fuel that causes less carbon emissions.
Q. When will we see some results?
A. The commission order of December 15, 2010 specifies what will happen to a bunch of power plants. Nothing happens until next year when the first closures happen. Closures and conversions of coal plants will happen through the end of 2017. Familiar icons like the Cherokee coal plant in the northern metro area that is now emitting steam all winter will be converted to natural gas. By doing that, we will cut one of the largest sources of hazardous air pollution in the Denver area.
Q. What does the fact that this was so difficult and unusual say about the way utilities are structured and regulated?
A. Utilities going forward will have to be different kinds of businesses. This case showed us how much more nimble utilities will need to be. We were responding to an EPA requirement to clean up carbon. I’m proud we could show that a state could move quickly to implement something like this and, with the cooperation of the utility, achieve a good result.
Q. You came in for a lot of criticism along the way though.
The criticism I took was for being involved in legislative process in shaping the bill so that it would be good for consumers. I did that at the request of the governor, who knew the commission had expertise in rates. My involvement was not in the beginning but at end of it when most components had been agreed to. The opponents to the legislation were trying to upset the process any way they could and they settled on criticizing me for getting involved in the legislation. In my experience, the involvement of a chairman is usual, not unusual.
Q. One of the conundrums of recent energy policy is that to achieve energy efficiency, you are trying to get utilities to sell less of the product they make money selling. What do you think works?
A. Beginning in 2007, we moved in a direction toward a more aggressive pursuit of energy efficiency for the utilities. We required twice as much efficiency – twice as much kilowatt savings or energy not used –as the law required.
We adopted aggressive goals in 2008 when we made that decision. Xcel and Black Hills and all the gas companies began to develop energy efficiency programs within the utility, like rebates for air conditioners and refrigerators and a whole bevy of programs. The theory is that the energy saved by the utility is less expensive than building plants to create that energy.
That policy chugged along for a couple years and then in the fall of 2010 , we encouraged Xcel to increase energy savings by an additional 30 percent. We told them, “ You’ve been doing good --now let’s have more of a stretch goal.” Xcel preferred a slower growth pace. Their proposal was to increase by 8 percent over what they had been doing. But the commission basically agreed with the push goal of a 30 percent increase in efficiency.
Q. What do they get out of the deal?
A. If Xcel achieves these goals, it is rewarded handsomely. They get their costs recovered quickly and a bonus on top. That treatment is designed to counteract the built-in disincentive of not wanting to save electricity because the company is in the business of selling electricity. We try to change the benefit-cost equation by making energy efficiency the most profitable thing they can do.
Now Colorado is in middle of pack nationally on energy efficiency. I hope the commission continues to push this. It does make so much sense to use the utility to pursue energy efficiency.
Q. Where do you see utility regulation heading?
A. I think regulation needs to continue evolving. The model of regulators simply deciding the rates, that is probably soon to be displaced by something different. We can look at experiences of price cap regulation where you set a cap and let the utility do what it needs with its costs and investments to stay below the cap. You set a price and let them decide what they need to do. This model has been shown to produce more efficient results. We need a mode of regulation where the focus is on the price to customers.
Q. What impact will the trend toward individuals and communities owning their own sources of power have on utilities?
A. That is beginning to happen and will mushroom – the homeowner-provided solar panels and the wind tower on commercial property. Those are instances where customers are putting in production equipment or leasing it. That will cause the utility to lose load and lose customers and they don’t like that. The more of that that happens, the more pressure on the utility. As a general matter, I think we will see the utilities move into the business of providing rooftop solar systems.
Q. Since the utilities are monopolies, will they drive others out?
A. As long as regulators don’t let utilities use their monopoly status, the competing firms should be able to get along. It has worked in telecom. Generally the new players have done very well, and we can imagine something similar in electric power. But more generally, the pressure from distributed generation, or community power, is a good thing and will keep pressure on the utilities to do a better job.
Q. Colorado came a long way on renewable energy under your tenure. How would you characterize the transformation?
A. Renewable energy is now really woven into the fabric of Colorado. When you flip on a light switch, one kilowatt hour out of seven is produced by renewable energy and we are heading to one out of three, and at a cost that is acceptable. Customer bills went up but not a lot and polling shows customers are happy to have renewable energy in the mix. We moved from a “least cost’’ strategy to one that realizes the environmental effects of what we do and makes it a greater component of decision making. And this happened with the “greening’’ of Xcel Energy. The same company that opposed the Colorado Green wind project in 2003 was the leading wind provider in the U.S. by 2010. So it’s been a happy coincidence of regulators, the governor, legislators and the utility who saw the business sense in that. Colorado is a beacon for how you can move steadily and strongly towards renewable energy.
In addition to his work leading Colorado’s utility regulation, Binz was also an active member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, serving as Chair of NARUC’s Task Force on Climate Policy, and as a member of both the Energy Resources and Environment Committee and the International Affairs Committee. Binz now heads Public Policy Consulting (www.rbinz.com).
By: Phil von Hake
Catching up with Lookout Mountain Solar Home Resident and Biochar Advocate Ron Larson
After spending more than four decades working to promote solar energy and similar efforts, you’d think Ron Larson would slow down and relax a little more in his Lookout Mountain home above Golden. But he continues to fight the good fight as fiercely as ever, promoting the virtues of solar energy and biochar in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, and traveling to five continents and Australia to do so.
 Becoming a Solar Pioneer
Ron got his PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Michigan, did post-doc work in Boulder, and started teaching at Georgia Tech in 1965. In the late 1960s, he was the faculty advisor for the Clean Air Car Race, a student competition to drive electric vehicles from MIT in Boston to Cal Tech in LA. “We’d drive behind them with continually-recharging batteries, and then swap out their batteries almost hourly. It took four to five days just to get to Indiana, but we finished the entire trip by towing for a few days.” That would be the first of many odysseys Ron would take on the road to a smarter energy future, including one student solar competition that Georgia Tech won.
IEEE invited Ron to become one of the country's first seven Congressional Fellows so he moved his family to Washington, D.C., in 1973. He coordinated a technology assessment and worked with senators including Gaylord Nelson on two of America’s first-ever solar legislations. Those bills passed easily since the nation was in the grips of the first OPEC oil embargo.
In one bill he worked on, Congress created a “Solar Energy Research Institute” (now the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Golden). Ron was invited to join about a half-dozen others in July 1977 to make this institute a reality. He later became “SERI’s man in Washington” for lobbying and other duties. Ron worked with then-SERI-director Denis Hayes (founder of Earth Day, and Ron’s “Number One personal hero”) to write the U.S. position paper for a 1981 UN-sponsored conference on renewable energy in Nairobi, Kenya. They had “lots of fun” working on this event and other SERI efforts, but that was only through1980. Soon after that, the Reagan administration dramatically slashed SERI’s budget and changed America’s emphasis away from clean energy almost overnight.
Voluntarily, Ron returned to Georgia Tech in 1982 to lead contract work with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Sudan. Despite what has happened since, Sudan was then the best solar energy program in Africa. Ron then worked on analysis & modeling of lightning at EMA in Lakewood until his forced “retirement” in 1993, but still dabbled in solar energy throughout. He even applied to join the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to provide a greater voice for solar with the utilities.
In 1995, the American Solar Energy Society (with its headquarters in Boulder) and others challenged Ron to form a Colorado chapter. The Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) was founded the next year, with Ron serving as its Secretary for the next eight years. He joined the ASES Board in 2002, and went on to serve as Chair. He also developed a charcoal-making stove during this period based on his experience in Sudan.
 Ron’s Net Zero Energy House
Ron and CRES were major supporters of the University of Colorado’s entry into the 2002 Solar Decathlon, a bi-annual Department of Energy competition that has students build a commercially viable house on the Washington Mall that produces at least as much energy as it consumes. The CU house won, they brought it back to Boulder, and (in a closed bid) Ron and his wife bought it in 2004. Buying a piece of land atop Lookout Mountain, Ron spent a great deal of time creating a foundation and basement on which to place the house ( “the spiral staircase was especially challenging”), and added a 10,000-gallon storage tank for their rooftop solar thermal energy system. Ron has since improved on the home’s original “net zero energy capabilities,” and serves as a vivid example of how someone walks his talk.
Ron has continued to advocate for solar energy, even serving as a “citizen intervener” at PUC hearings. He admittedly took the “most extreme position” in the PUC’s recent efforts to raise Xcel Energy’s energy efficiency goals. And even though those goals are now higher, “they still aren’t as high as Xcel’s EE goals in Minnesota.”
Biochar? Biochar!
What has really become Ron’s passion over the past few years, though, is biochar, a process for creating charcoal through the pyrolysis (low oxygen processing) of biomass. When placed in the ground, this charcoal actually helps pull carbon out of the atmosphere and sequester it for possibly thousands of years. Ron first heard about biochar while organizing an ASES 2003 renewables-hydrogen conference in Washington. His quest to spread the word about biochar has since taken him to international conferences in Brazil, England, and Australia, and helped bring the biochar world to Boulder and Iowa in 2009 and 2010. He helped organize the U.S. Biochar Initiative, and continues to experiment with char making and use on his own.
Biochar - which used to be called agri-char or Terra Preta - might be a new concept to many of us, but it has actually been around for centuries. For millennia, natives of the Amazon jungle used it to increase the productivity of their soil. And experts like NASA’s James Hansen see it as a key technique in heading off climate change. Biochar could be used with beetle-kill trees spreading throughout the Rocky Mountains.
And while lowering our carbon footprint through efficiency and renewables is certainly essential, Ron stresses that “people don’t realize just how much carbon needs to be removed from the atmosphere, and just how quickly that has to happen.” Ron is convinced that biochar - on a large scale - is the big swing we must take to reduce our existing carbon footprint.
What You Can Do
As for what you can do to help in this effort, Ron believes home owners should get an energy audit for their own home to see how they can save energy and money. Beyond that, installing solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is becoming cheaper, easier, and more important than ever. And while the economics of installing a solar thermal hot water system has great economics, “Colorado could do a lot more to incentivize it.”
Beyond that, Ron continues to stress the importance of really reducing our carbon footprint. “We must begin efforts toward carbon-negativity as soon as possible, but there are no policies for that in the USA. Listen to Jim Hansen, as he was the first person to bring most people’s attention to the need to keep us below 450ppm of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere.” Ron is confident that we can still get back down to a more-normal level of 350pm by 2050 “if we do everything right.”
“It all comes down to ethics,“ Ron says. “Do we want to cause this much harm to the developing world, not to mention harming our children? We can’t remove CO2 for free, and the polluter (i.e., the developed world) should pay.”
On a personal note, Ron has been one of my main conduits into the clean energy space over the past decade. He also serves as a constant reminder of how one should never actually retire, even after they’ve reached retirement age. I always appreciate the wealth of contacts in his overstuffed little black book, and feel like I now have a similar (but still smaller) database of my own. And be sure to wear comfortable shoes if you ever want to follow him around from one session to another at the state capitol, as he still takes the stairs two at a time! From his work, to his home, to his unending devotion to leaving a cleaner future for his five grand-daughters, Ron Larson is indeed a true pioneer of sustainability.
Phil von Hake is a Communications Consultant for Clean-Technology and Green-Future Issues. He has served as Communications Director for the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, and has helped promote numerous clean-energy events throughout Colorado.
By: Lisa Greim
We have conflicting environmental priorities in this house.
First, we respect the Earth and do what we can to reduce our impact. This means eating organic and local when we can. We use compact fluorescents and keep the thermostat low. We minimize packaging and recycle.
Second, we prefer a low-whining environment. At least I do.
I have two teenagers, so this environmental initiative requires the purchase of Oreos and 12-packs of Diet Coke, cute outfits and sulfate-laden shampoo from the discount store that preserves the 15-year-old’s bangs, which are purple.
In a nation whose cultural touchstone is shopping, how do you raise children to swear off material goods and take up green habits?
Short answer: You pick your battles.
One trend on my side is that young people have made eco-sense and healthy living cool. You’re not branded a nerd if you carry a reusable water bottle, eat vegetarian or ride your bike to school. Trips to the Farmer’s Market have been standard weekend fun since my kids were babies, and they still compete to see who gets to collect raspberries from the bramble in the side yard.
This really helps.
Here are three battles I believe are worth fighting:
Recycle:
Every Thursday, our family of three, plus frequent guests and a trio of cats, puts out the smallest garbage can and the biggest recycling bin on the block. It’s a visual reminder to my kids that tossing their Coke bottle into the recycling does make a difference.
Before our trash hauler implemented single-stream recycling, we took newspaper, glass, cans and milk jugs to the curb and hauled everything else (office paper, plastics, pasteboard, juice cartons, corrugate) to a recycling center once a month – more than most people are willing to do. Now, almost anything made from paper, plastic, metal or glass goes into one container and the garbage people take it away.
How To Do It:
Make recycling as simple as possible. Put containers around the house – in bathrooms, under your desk, in the room where you read magazines or pay the bills, in the family room where aluminum cans congregate. Empty them into a big bin labeled specifically for recycling. Ours came from Home Depot, replacing a regular trash can that often got emptied into the garbage truck by mistake.
More Info: Earth911.com lets you search for recycling centers by material and zip code.
Thrift:
The growth of eBay and Craigslist tell you used stuff is now cool. Once my daughter realized $25 would go a lot farther at consignment stores, she was sold. “Instead of spending $20 on a shirt, I spend $5 and then I have more money and more cute stuff,” she says. Then she figured out that consigning her own castoffs meant store credit for yet more cute stuff. Bonus!
Her friends also swap clothes, something I would have died before doing at her age. A faster-growing pal sends bags of outgrown items, and my daughter passes stuff to her petite friend Kathy and her two sisters. Their family Christmas photo featured the middle sister wearing a shirt that my daughter bought at a consignment store.
How To Do It:
Throw a clothing swap. This is a surprisingly fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Invite girlfriends of any age and tell them to bring their castoff clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry. Kick the men out of the house, provide changing spaces, mirrors and shopping bags, and serve snacks and wine if age-appropriate. Everybody gets to declutter, goes home with something new and nobody spends a dime.
More Info: ConsignmentPal.com lets you search for used stuff stores by state, including eBay dealers who will handle listing, selling and shipping for a percentage of the sale.
Energy Use:
Here, I admit it, I nag. I send people back upstairs to turn off the lights and tell them to get out of the shower. I allowed the use of a space heater for a chilly bedroom, then pulled the plug when it blasted all night while the child stripped down to underwear and slept on top of the covers. I am meeeeen.
And here, also, habit is my friend. I don’t think my kids even know that you can adjust the thermostat, or run the dishwasher or laundry with less than a full load. They grab a blanket to watch TV because that’s what we’ve always done.
How To Do It:
One of my most powerful tools has been disclosure. “How much do you think our Xcel bill was last month?” I asked one January. Their first guess was $30, about $200 too low. It led to a discussion about choices – if we chose to turn off lights and put on sweaters, we would have more money to spend on fun.
More Info: Many tips for eco-friendly living can be found at Global Stewards: http://www.globalstewards.org/ecotips.htm
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