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Earth Saving News > August 18, 2009
Let the sun shine in: America’s first
solar energy plant opens.
Earlier this month, energy giant
eSolar announced the opening of the first solar thermal energy plant in the U.S.
Located in southern California, the Sierra SunTower will be able to power up to
4,000 homes near Los Angeles. eSolar claims that just 25 square miles of
mirrors and towers could power the entire state of California!
Not only is
this energy clean -- the plant will offset more than 7,000 tons of carbon
dioxide every year -- but it’s also affordable. Nearly every home buying energy
from the plant will see their energy bills decrease. The added bonus: the
project created 300 constructions jobs and 21 permanent jobs at the plant.
This new
opportunity is timely, as support for energy reform and alternative energy
continues to grow. A recent poll showed that a majority of Americans like the Clean
Energy Bill, also
known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES). ACES would revise previous energy legislation to establish new efficiency
standards, encourage use of renewable energy, and create green jobs. Not up on
what’s happening with Congress and ACES? Read the Environmental Defense Fund’s Climate411
Blog to catch up.
Bring grass roots to a Park(ing) lot near you.
More than
half the world’s population (and more than three-quarters of Americans) live in
urban or suburban locales. Sadly, it’s getting harder and harder to come by
wide open, green public spaces in these areas. That’s why EarthShare member Trust
for Public Land works to ensure that parks are built, preserved, and sustained
so you can enjoy the outdoor green spaces so necessary for our well-being and
quality of life.
As part of
that important work TPL sponsors Park(ing) Day, a cool, interactive public campaign that
helps generate awareness about the value of public parks, especially in urban areas. The premise: you build your
own urban park in a public parking spot! Last year more than 600 “parks” popped
up around the world to help draw attention to the importance of urban parks. This
September 18, Park(ing) Day will once again take to the streets of
your community. Hit their website for
all the tools you’ll
need to find a location in your area or to start your own!
Jump on your bike for CarFree Day!
World Car Free Day is September 22, giving you the
perfect opportunity to try out a new way to commute. More Americans are biking
to work each year, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. From
2003 to 2007, nearly 200,000 additional bikes hit the streets, increasing ridership by more than 37%. Having more bikers on the road has spurred innovation in bike
technologies, inspired
communities to develop bike sharing programs, and taken thousands of cars off the
road each day.
With more
bikers out and about, the safety and quality of trails is a serious issue. Rails-To-Trails Conservancy works to build walking and biking
trails by converting defunct railroad tracks. In September Team RTC will bike 300 miles from Manhattan to Washington, D.C. to
raise awareness about climate change and help achieve their goal of having 90
percent of Americans living within three miles of a rail-trail or connecting
corridor by 2020. See you on the trails!
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The solar plant is great news! Global warming is a bigger concern to us then a lot would like to admit. There should be more emphasis put into global warming. More campaigns should be created, because I don't believe that most are just blowing the situation off.
Posted by: sbirk82@hotmail.com | September 17, 2009 at 03:25 PM
Sounds good! I wish there would be more focus on Wind Turbines though.
Posted by: Justin | September 16, 2009 at 03:32 AM
Hello, Dan – Thanks for your feedback! It’s great to hear from you.
We’re sorry you had trouble finding the info about creating your own Park(ing) lot “park”! The full article about Park(ing) Day on our site offers a link to the official event details through www.parkingday.org. They’re the organization that’s helping people build public parks in parking spaces on September 18. They have all the tools and resources you need to get your idea off the ground and help build awareness about the importance of public spaces.
We love your suggestion about smaller home solar projects and we plan to develop a ‘green tip’ around that and other home energy alternatives very soon! In the meantime, we’d like to share a previous story that discussed how implementing energy-saving home improvements like photovoltaics, solar water heaters, small wind systems and fuel cells can save you money (http://www.earthshare.org/2009/02/earth-saving-news-february-5-2009.html).
We hope this is helpful. Please keep your comments coming!
Posted by: EarthShare | August 19, 2009 at 04:16 PM
"..Find out how you can make a fun, innovative statement about the importance of urban parks by building your own temporary park!"
So where is the information to do the above.?
Also small home solar projects might interest many people in solar as a whole new way to clean power and sooner.
Posted by: Dan Ciaramella | August 19, 2009 at 02:15 PM