University of Colorado to Receive $450,000 to Accelerate Solar Energy

Here's some excellent news for the University of Colorado. The U.S. Department of Energy has given a $450K grant to the university to help advance concentrated solar power technology. I think it's a pretty good idea for the government to invest in universities to help advance and reduce the cost of various technologies. This is an investment in our educational system, which is ultimately an investment in our communities. Plus, is there a better investment other than our schools? Students receive the enlightenment through discovery and the eventual innovation and subsequent intellectual property stays within the U.S. It's a win/win no?

MIT Study: Companies Up Commitment to Sustainability

The MIT Sloan Management Review recently completed a study that determined more and more corporate leaders are committing to sustainability practices. I would imagine that any intelligent business leader is going to implement triple-bottom line practices throughout their enterprise. Putting policies in place that tend to the social, environmental, and economic stakeholders of your company will do several things for your company. For one, business sustainability practices will save you money. Two, these practices will lessen your company's impact on the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. And three, your reputation amongst your employees and the community will be enhanced. The end result? Your employees are happy and they produce more, you help save the planet and conserve resources, and you make lots of money. What's not to like about business sustainability? Oh and if you stay true to these sustainability principles your company will last for a long, long time.

Study: By 2030 World Can Run On Renewables

Headlines like this excite me to no end. Here are some scientists from Stanford and University of California who say that they have a detailed plan to power the planet with clean, renewable energy in just 20 years. Some of the highlights include implementing hydrogen fuels cells to generate electricity, using offshore and onshore wind turbines, implementing a smarter grid, accessing geothermal, and making sure we aren't wasting any energy in our buildings or transporting materials. This study (Part 1 and Part 2) published in  Energy Policy journal is comprehensive and stunning. Everything from the financial cost of implementing renewables globally by 2020 to the amount of mined rare earth materials is included. Converting from fossil fuels to renewable energy is completely doable, as long as we start thinking about building the future and not building a bridge to the past. I'm ready, are you?

Degrees in Sustainability: Risky or Worth It?

Even before reading this great article I'd have to say that a sustainability degree is about as noble as a science, engineering, or liberal arts degree (ahem, a shout out to all my English lit. sisters and brothers). As well, I think that type of degree is full of fiscal and common sense. I would hire a person in a second who has spent numerous semesters analyzing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of our daily actions. It doesn't matter what kind of business or organization you own or work for, there are sound methods for making that entity more sustainable and in turn more profitable. Sustainability makes sense in the short term and in the long run, and our society would be better off if there were more generations that were being educated in this manner. So, if you're reading this then I give two thumbs way up to a sustainability degree. Totally worth it!

MIT Charged Up about Its Energy Efficiency

The folks at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are showing the world how smart they really are by taking advantage of one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint and save money - energy efficiency. As we've revealed before here on Denver Sun Sponge, the quickest ROI isn't gained by installing solar panels, or adding solar thermal or a wind turbine, but is gained by implementing energy efficiency upgrades to a residential or commercial building. From this article in the Boston Herald, MIT hopes to reduce it's electricity use by 15% in three years, which, according to their projections, would help them save a cool $50 million in energy costs. Wow, $50 million sure could by a lot of physics textbooks.

RETool: Opportunities in the New Energy Economy

The next RETool class at the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Colorado starts on January 28th. I took this class last year and was impressed at the quality of education and instructors. Here's the line-up:

• Friday, January 28 - Renewable Electric Power
• Friday, February 18 - Understanding Smart Grids
• Friday, March 18 - Renewable Transportation Energy
• Friday, April 22 - The Promise of Energy Efficiency

This is a great way to enhance your energy industry knowledge and meet some really interesting people. Check it out!

CU-Boulder Appoints First Director of Campus Sustainability

The University of Colorado is moving in a sustainable direction with the recent hire of Moe Tabrizi, Director of Campus Sustainability. Mr. Tabrizi is going to need all the support he can get with the university's ambitious sustainability goals. Just look at how ambitious these goals are:

“…reducing energy consumption by 20 percent, water consumption by 10 percent, petroleum use by 25 percent, and paper use by 20 percent, all by 2012.”

Those are nice and aggressive goals for a campus. Hopefully these are contagious to the rest of the community and surrounding cities. It seems like the Campus Sustainability Office is going to place an emphasis on communicating the progress to the campus and the surrounding community. Communicating all efforts will go a long way towards increased adoption of sustainable behavior. Congrats to CU - Boulder and to Mr. Tabrizi!

Sustainability Roadmap Outlines a Greener Path for Hospitals

If there is one industry that could use a good dose of sustainable practices infused into its culture, it's healthcare. A consortium of healthcare affiliated groups created a web site called, Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals. It's a place where hospital professionals can go and share sustainability information as well as discovering where they can improve efficiencies, eliminate waste, and be more mindful towards the environment and their patients. This web site is a positive step in the right direction and it would be nice if all industries had a social place to learn about the immediate impact business sustainability practices can have on the "triple bottom line".

We Need More Programs Like the Key West High School Alternative Energy Center

The students these days are really fortunate to have alternative energy programs like this. I think that this is a positive sign renewable energy is beginning to take root in our collective psyche unlike in the 1970s during the last energy crisis. I could be naive here because I was knee high to a grasshopper when the oil crisis happened in the 1970s. But people I've talked to that were conscious during that period said there was an emphasis on finding alternative energies but the momentum evaporated when oil became cheap again.

What makes this time different? There is more of a focus in our educational system on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability at the high school level and even at the grade school level. Our future policy makers and business leaders are being educated today on alternative energies. This simply means that renewable energies and energy efficiency and sustainability practices will permeate our society and flourish at a much greater rate than today. That's my theory anyway and it gives me great hope for the future.

So when get a chance you have to check out the Key West High School Alternative Energy Center blog and leave a comment of encouragement for these students. And dear readers if you know of any school programs like this in Colorado please list them in the comments!

Denver Green School Debuts K-8 Program

I wish there were school's around like this when I was a kid. Learning math and science through the "lens of sustainability" is a great idea. The founders of the Denver Green School says that it has, "a vision of being a beacon for Denver Public Schools (DPS) and really the country on what a school dedicated to sustainability can mean." Kudos to the Denver Green School and their forward-thinking mentality.

Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmetic, and Sustainability

Great article written by Paul Valenta on the importance of educating our children (and ourselves) on the benefits of energy efficiency. As I've said before, altering our residential and commercial buildings to use energy more efficiently not only makes our air, water and land cleaner it saves us cold hard cash. Here's a good quote from the article that sums it up:

"Children should understand that we use fossil fuels for almost everything and that they account for roughly 80 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. One of the cheapest ways to reduce CO2 emissions and reduce our use of fossil fuels is through energy efficiency – using less energy to provide the same service or using the same energy to provide more services and consuming renewable energy."

U.S. Losing Edge in the Clean Energy Sector

I keep seeing more and more of these types of headlines and I can't say that I am surprised. We've been losing manufacturing jobs in other sectors as well for the last 20-30 years. But another troubling aspect that the article brings up is that we are also losing "research and development activities" to other countries. When the likes of IBM and Intel are setting up R&D shops in China you know that the U.S. is going to lose even more of their competitive edge. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the U.S. is going to have to rapidly develop some smart and progressive manufacturing, economic, and educational policies and investment strategies if we want to keep up with other countries of the world. Are we up to the task?

CSU to Boost Solar Power and Become Largest University Installation in Nation

Way to go Colorado State University. Not content with third place, CSU is going for the number one position in the nation for university solar power. One of the interesting points in the article is that CSU has realized that prospective students and their parents are paying more attention to universities that have "green" policies. CSU can now use the solar installation as a recruiting tool. Also, with higher education budgets tight these days, solar on the Front Range makes economic sense because once the initial capital outlay for the solar modules occurs, one never has to pay for fuel (the sun's rays are free!). So future fluctuations in natural gas or coal prices will have reduced impact on their electricity budget. How's that for a little risk mitigation?

Ecotech Institute Lands in Metro Denver

This is cool. The Ecotech Institute is an accredited educational institute specifically devoted to green collar jobs east of Denver. The boom of green jobs has created a market to educate those eager to learn about the clean energy economy. However, it seems like many universities have thrown "green" programs together to capitalize on the renewed interest in clean energy technology. Not all programs are half-baked but it pays to do some research beforehand to see exactly what how those programs will prepare you for the green workforce. I'm glad to see that the Ecotech Institute's primary mission is to train for renewable energy and sustainable design. I look forward to reviewing their curriculum when they start classes.

Solar in Schools Adds Energy to California Solar Rush

I like this idea of teaching K-12 students about solar energy. It's hard enough educating working adults about the benefits of renewable energy, so why not start a little early? This program, titled the Solar School Initiative is done in California with help from the state's large utility, PG&E. The students get to observe a ground-mounted, one-kilowatt photovoltaic system located on school property. What is incredible is that PG&E has already contributed $9 million to the Solar School Initiative program. I wonder if Colorado's large utility, Xcel Energy, would be open to a program like this? I truly believe that investment in renewable energy education will not only help us adopt clean energy at a faster rate but also help Colorado meet its CO2 emission reduction goals and renewable energy standards.

Second RETool Class: Smart Grids

I'm quite excited for the next RETool class up at the Leeds School of Business in Boulder, Colorado tomorrow morning. We will be learning the technologies, economics, policy, and commercial prospects of smart grids including:

• Critical performance factors
• Current costs
• Local, state, and federal incentives
• Adoption rates of the technology
• Job creation and identification

If you'd like to join us you can acquire more information by clicking here. I really am enjoying this program immensely and if you'd like me to give you more of my perspective just leave a question in the comments section.

Education: Sustainable Technology Institute in Idaho Springs, Colorado

Speaking of education, there's a school up in Idaho Springs called the Sustainable Technology Institute. Their mission is, "to provide job training and encourage practices which lead to increased environmental responsibility and healthy, self sufficient lifestyles." They offer classes and training on renewable energy, as well as community workshops. Looks like a good thing to explore for all you mountain folk this side of the continental divide. Check STI out here.

As Colleges Add Green Majors, Classes Fill Up

Excellent news in the USA Today article. There seems to be a lure to "being green" and sustainable amongst the younger generations. I'm glad it's taking hold. I wish it would take a firmer hold within my generation and my parent's generation (the "baby boomers"). I guess traditionally it takes awhile (i.e. generations) for ideas and concepts to evolve and change for the better. I just don't know how much patience good 'ole Mother Earth has.

Instructor Prepping for Wind Energy Technician Program

There's good news for the folks up in northeastern Colorado. They are starting a new wind energy technician program at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado. From the looks of it the person starting the program is well qualified and jazzed about wind turbine technology. We definitely need more training for our renewable energy workforce.

UT Creates Director of Sustainability Post

In my post on Saturday called, "The Life of a Sustainability Officer" I mentioned that we are going to see more and more sustainability officers in the coming years. Well it looks like the University of Texas has just hired a sustainability director for their entire campus. It's a good thing that our public institutions, like our universities, are interested in saving money and greeting a cleaner, greener campus.