Archive for the ‘Social Responsibility’ Category

Can it really be done? Skeptical Science brings you “A Plan for 100% Renewable Energy by 2050.”

I’m posting a link to an interview that Grist did with Ray Kurzweil purely because it is so optimistic about the growth of solar energy.

Kurzweil, is considered a “futurist” – someone who tries to predict the future of human society or life on earth using systems thinking. He accurately predicted the growth and use of personal computers based on his law of accelerating returns. Now he is predicting that we can meet all of our energy needs from solar in 20 years.

Read more: “Futurist Ray Kurzweil isn’t worried about climate change,” by Lauren Feeney

It’s that time of year in New England – beautiful fall foliage, frosty mornings, vistas that take ones breath away. It’s also the time to put the gardens to bed and hope that we have enough food stored to last us through the winter. Who am I kidding? I, unfortunately, am not that good of a farmer. We’d surely starve if we had to live off my garden. Luckily, we can rely on local farmers to keep my family fed through the winter.
But there is one type of farming our family has excelled at – growing electrical energy at our home. Speaking as someone who works full time, this type of farming can’t be beat. I don’t need to put it away for the winter, I don’t need to mulch it, I don’t need to build a barn to shelter it from the winter winds. With the generation of solar electricity, you plant once and enjoy the harvest day after day, year after year. There is nothing we have found quite as satisfying as watching the electric meter spin backwards. We have managed, over the years, to conserve enough and “plant” enough to generate all the electricity we use each year.
We even grow some forms of heating energy too, the passive solar and solar hot water panel forms of heating. We have yet to fell and split our own fire wood – we get help from our neighbor with that. We stick to and recommend highly the no maintenance energy garden. It is an investment in the next quarter century of energy, with a great return on the investment both from price stability and environmental perspective. I sleep better at night knowing I am doing what I can to leave this planet a little greener for the next generations. 

As I wrote in the children’s song “What’s a Watt?”:
What’s a Watt? It’s what I’ve got, growing in the open air.
Out on a pole, or on the roof, raising them without a care.
They’re incredible, hardly edible; Watt’s don’t do any harm.
What’s a Watt? It’s what I’ve got, growing out on the farm.

We started out small, just a panel that’s all, added some more when we could.
They don’t need watering, no messy stalls. They don’t need any food at all.
What do you need to raise a Watt? Sunshine certainly helps.
They don’t pollute the environment. Energy that heaven sent….

What can you do with a bunch of these Watts? You might be curious to know.
Light up the night, keep computers bright, they can actually run the whole show.
We watch our Watts and how we use them. Conserving certainly helps.
No matter where you live or work, you can be an energy farmer too…

So if you care about keeping the New England landscape pristine and the maple trees beautiful, take action, small or large, but do something to reduce your use of fossil fuels. Become a farmer of energy. Whether you start with simple conservation measures – buying food locally, making a home-cooked meal using minimal packaging, weatherizing your home or whether you take the plunge into a renewable energy system or an electric vehicle, positive actions heal in more ways than one.
Now a word of warning – farming energy, while clean, quiet and non-polluting, is addicting. I confess – I am happily addicted to growing my own energy and then using as little of it as I can. There are a lot of addictive habits out there to lure us and ensnare us. Getting hooked on energy conservation and renewable energy production is the best. I encourage one and all to joining the quickly growing ranks of energy farmers. You won’t regret it.

Dori Wolfe
Co-Founder and Treasurer, groSolar
Strafford, VT Resident

A groSolar installation on Burlington, Vermont’s City Market is featured on the US Department of Energy’s Energy Empowers website. Read the article, “Milk, eggs and solar: grocery co-op puts photovoltaics to work.”

Back in February we told you about our sponsorship of Leilani Munter, a green racecar driver. An oxymoron? No, Leilani spreads the message of environmental stewardship to over 75 million race fans. She was also just featured as a Green Hero.

Check out the Green Heroes webisode featuring Leilani.

A friend of our CEO, Jeff Wolfe, sent this cartoon to him and boy does it speak volumes. Click on the picture below to see the full image size or Follow The Link.

“Only when the last tree is cut; only when the last river is polluted;

only when the last fish is caught; only then will they realize that you cannot eat money.” -Cree Indian Proverb

Some of you may have already seen the image below – it shows the surface area required to power the world with solar power. The image was originally created by the Land Art Generator Initiative and has found its way across many solar blogs, news sites and green websites.

Take a look at the image. There will be around 8 billion people in the world by 2030 and it will still only take a relatively small  land area to provide power for our needs. Just think if everyone did their part by putting solar on their roof to provide for some of their own power…

As you well know, we’re in the business of the sun but let me wax poetic for a moment about water. Specifically where your water comes from. I recently spent a few gorgeous days in the Florida Keys. They are paradise with great food, lots of activities, incredible sunsets, white sandy beaches and ocean side pools. They also have thousands of tourists visit each month whom in addition to relaxing with a good book by the pool also shower, drink water and use the toilet. I found out when I was there that the potable water for Key West is pumped in from over 100 miles away on the Florida mainland. (In defense of the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority, they have a couple of seawater desalination plants which produce freshwater from ocean saltwater- impressive technology.) So needless to say water conservation is a big issue and bottled water is a big industry. But is it sustainable? We talk about peak oil but what about peak water?

So, where is this long-winded post going? It’s a message to be conscious of where your water comes from and what you do with it. The city of Concord, MA recently banned the sale of bottled water in their town. The bottled water industry ($10 billion dollars) is obviously not very happy about this but why do they have to tell me that my tap water isn’t good enough? We at groSolar recently took the No Disposable Water Bottle Pledge to not purchase disposable water bottles. A number of employees also harvest rainwater to use for plants and gardens. Can you commit to not purchasing disposable water bottles? Help the environment and save yourself some money!

And check out The Story of Bottled Water, from the people who brought you The Story of Stuff.

One of our very own Outside Sales Reps has been training for a 100 mile bike ride to take place in June. Bill Dudjoc, who covers sales in CT, started training for the ride at the beginning of this year. He is riding as part of the Team in Training which raises money and awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Bill’s century ride will begin in Stateline, NV and continue north around Lake Tahoe entering CA before coming back around the lake. Bill has been training an average of 6 days a week for this ride and will have biked more than 1500 miles by the time the ride takes place in June. He has also raised over $6,500 and expects to hit $7,000 by June.

Go Billy Go!

The MetLife Cycling Team Powered by groSolar has started their 2010 racing season with the Tour of the Battenkill in New York and the Turtle Pond Circuit Race in New Hampshire. groSolar is sponsoring the team for the season which covers more than 40 events around the country.

As groSolar’s CEO, Jeff Wolfe, said,”We’re proud to sponsor the MetLife team and we believe they are excellent ambassadors for groSolar’s message – that solar power is a lifestyle choice with a global impact. In the race to save the planet, we are determined to install solar on as many rooftops as possible. The MetLife team is exceptional group of athletes committed to practicing and promoting sustainable living, encouraging healthy ideals while racing at an elite level. It’s a great fit for groSolar, and we hope that cycling fans will take note and adopt clean, sustainable energy practices as well.”

You can read more about the MetLife Cycling Team’s environmental responsibility on their website.