Sunday, February 15, 2009

Denver Sun Sponge Is One Year Old!

One year ago today was the first post on Denver Sun Sponge. I guess I need to do the obligatory reflection and bask in a wave of nostalgia. But first I'll start with some of my personal goals for the blog.

I started this blog with three goals. One was to educate myself on the renewable energy industry. Two was to educate the public on renewable energy. And three was to improve my writing skills in the blogging forum. I know that I've learned much about the industry through reading, posting, and commenting on news articles. Another supplement to my education (and one that has reduced the amount of posts) has been classes at Red Rocks Community College in their brand new renewable energy program. I've always had a bit of fondness for community colleges. There are people there trying to reinvent themselves as they realize the industries they have worked in for many years is slowly dying. Plus community college teachers all have day jobs and understand the application in the real world. But I must say that a year of educating myself on renewable energy is just the beginning. (Secretly, I wish I started 10 years ago.) I do look forward to many fruitful years of Denver Sun Sponge.

As far as the other goals (educating the public and improving my writing) well that will have to be judged by you folks. I know that my readership has been low over this past year, and it is my desire to increase it far beyond the current state. I've started posting on Twitter to complement the blog. It's been a fascinating exploration of new media and I've met a few interesting people through Twitter. All in all I hope to increase readership through additional new media marketing methods (and some traditional ones as well). It should be an interesting year.

Finally, I'd just like to say thanks to the many unsung heroes (and heroines) of the renewable energy community. There are a lot of people out there working to make Colorado the renewable energy thought-leader of the world. There are also a lot of people around the world who work tirelessly and without much fanfare to make sure that planet Earth starts using renewable energy sources for our electricity, heat, and transportation. To them I say thanks.

Oh and one more thing. I'd like to give a shout out to the person who came up with the name of this blog. DHill, you know who you are.

Thanks for reading everybody.

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Wishful Thinking

*Before adding PV, wind, or solar thermal to your residential or commercial structure, the first step is to analyze this structure's energy consumption through a professional energy audit. I'd like to see some public education on the importance of an energy audit for any structure. Remember Smokey the Bear's forest fire shtick drilled into our heads over the last few decades? How about something like, "Henry the House" desperately wanting to know how much energy he consumes and wastes throughout the day?

*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?


*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?

*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.

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