More Solar Brews in Colorado

Mmmm beer powered by the sun. First it was New Belgium and now it's Odell's. Colorado breweries keep generating electricity from the the sun's FREE rays. So pick up a sixer of Fat Tire or 90 Shilling and support those who support renewable energy. You won't regret it.

Colorado Brewer Learns Lesson About Green Marketing

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Kudos to New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colorado for releasing a sustainability report on their environmental footprint and for demonstrating that a corporation can have integrity and humility and still be successful.

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.

Biofuels Are Beginning to Get a Bad Rap

Biofuels may not be all they are cracked up to be. This meme is starting to permeate the major media as more science comes out. In addition to science we also have economics. The price of food is going up because farmers want to cash in on the ethanol crop, not to mention the price of beer. It is interesting to say the least. My opinion is that we jumped on this biofuel band wagon with too much haste. Now we are paying the price.

Biofuels Could Be a Bit Tricky

This editorial in the Washington Post, "The Problem with Biofuels", brings up some really good points. Biofuels may not be the magic bullet that we are looking for to get us off fossil fuels. I'm ok with that. We don't want to create larger environmental, social, and economic problems than we already have. Plus I don't want the price of beer to go up. So let's continue to study this more!

The 1st Post Always Runs in Circles and Makes Me Dizzy

The first post of a new blog can be, for me, rather intimidating. It's a psychological speed bump that takes a bit of effort to surmount but after a few erasures and back spaces (and a nice pint of Dale's Pale Ale) the post comes out just fine. So here we go...

The Denver Sun Sponge is what it says in the title bar up top there, but it may also be more than just commentary on renewable energies from a local and sometimes national perspective. (Of course, having too many themes, I run the risk of diluting the impact of this blog. Hopefully this thing won't get too out of control for you folks. If it does then please, dear reader, bring me back into line, in the comments section.) To further clarify the mission statement, I'll have to get a bit personal. As I get older and crazier, I am becoming more cognizant of my impact on my immediate environment. At the same time, this cognizance is also expanding to a more global perspective. For example, I am not only concerned about the energy consumption in my house or while driving my car to work, but I am beginning to become aware of where things like food, clothing, and toys are made and how they make the journey into my hands. So, an over-arching theme of localization may sprout from this blog. Think local food and energy production and then let your imagination riff on it. You can call me weird, or a dirty effin' hippie, or a communist (all terms attributed to me by various conservative minded entities over the years) but it really has nothing to do with political philosophy or economics or whether or not I wear patchouli. It has everything to do with accumulating as much knowledge as we can about ourselves and our environment and most importantly leaving this crazy and wonderful planet somehow better off than we found it. Is that really too much to ask of myself and of anybody else? Let me know! Feedback is king.

So with that, and for better or for worse, the Denver Sun Sponge begins...