Solar Panels installed

Bob Galipeau of the Trolley Crossing Farm in Bellingham attended the Energy Sense Presentation on Dec 10, 2008 (Part 1, Part 2), made arrangements for solar panels to be installed, and the project is being completed now. The pictures below show two views of the panels on the barn roof.



Bob, thanks for sharing these photos. This is good news!

Updated 9/12/09:
If you would like to view the solar panel performance you can view the statistics online here.

Become a fan and loose weight (CO2 weight)

Lose Weight Fast! (of C02 that is) Try it now, for free!

NativeEnergy’s carbon diet: Drop 30 pounds every day just by becoming a NativeEnergy fan on Facebook and posting!

Join the 30-pound challenge! For every fan whom we add to our Facebook page between now and September 30, 2009, NativeEnergy will reduce 30 pounds of carbon pollution– that is the same amount of carbon pollution made by the average American driving to and from work in one day.

Tell all your friends! Share this page on your Facebook wall – or anywhere else - so everyone else can neutralize their commute for a day in September as well!

The carbon reductions for the NativeEnergy “weight-loss” program will be generated by the Greensburg Wind Farm in Greensburg, KS, the little town that is rebuilding as the greenest town in America.

As a NativeEnergy Facebook fan, you will get our weekly blog updates and be part of a community of people who are supporting practical ways to fight global warming, just like you!
BONUS-Every week day between now and September 15th a question will be posted to the NativeEnergy page, when you answer that question we will offset an additional 30 pounds for each day that you post.

Get involved, lose some weight! Join our facebook page!

11 Steps to save money and reduce your energy use

1. Replace your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Start with your five most frequently used lights. CFLs are now brighter and faster and save about 66% of the electricity used by an incandescent bulb. Every bulb helps!
2. Turn all computers, televisions and electronics entirely off when they are not in use to cut your "phantom" or hidden energy use. You can do this easily by plugging all electronics into a combined surge protector/power strip with a single on-off switch. Unplug phone and electric toothbrush chargers when they finish charging.
3. Home heating is one of your major energy needs. Install an Energy Star programmable thermostat. Setting the thermostat to 70 degrees or lower in winter and 78 degrees in summer will result in dramatic savings. Program it to lower the temperature 10 degrees at night or anytime no one is home during the day.
4. Saving water saves energy. Fix plumbing leaks and install aerators on faucets and low-flow shower-heads. Take shorter showers and turn down the temperature on your water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees. If you are gone for a long period of time, set the thermostat at “vacation” or the lowest setting. If you replace your water heater, consider a “tank-less” or “on-demand” system.
5. Increase the energy efficiency of your home. Weather-strip and caulk gaps in windows and doorframes. Insulate attic, walls, floors, ceilings, ducts, fireplaces, and plumbing penetrations. Then, increase the efficiency of your heating system, appliances, and fixtures. The next time you replace one of these items, look for the Energy Star seal. Meanwhile, keep coils under the refrigerator free of dust and debris, run the dishwasher and washing machine only when full. Call or visit the website of National Grid for more tips to save electricity and natural gas.
6. Cut the carbon from your car. Your car is a major contributor to your carbon pollution footprint. Carpool to work or ride the train - carpool to station parking lots to save on the parking fee! Drive efficiently: avoid frequent start-stops, keep tires inflated to maximum pressure, and remove unnecessary weight from the vehicle. When you replace your vehicle, choose a more fuel-efficient car.
7. Complete a simple on-line, home-energy audit to find out how much energy and money you can save at home. (You can also set up a free "in person" audit through MassSAVE by calling 1-866-527-7283)
8. Reduce, reuse, recycle, re-buy. Power down your lifestyle and embrace your inner “frugalista”! Craigslist and the local Freecycle are simple networks where you can locally buy, sell, or give away items or services. By limiting your consumption and purchases of goods produced using non-renewable resources, you will use much less and spend less.
9. Use the sun and wind to dry clothes. Whenever possible, use a clothes line instead of an energy hog clothes-dryer.
10. Join the "Clean Energy Choice" campaign to help raise money for Franklin solar projects! National Grid’s "Green Up" program sends more power from renewable sources into our electricity system by pooling small, voluntary tax-deductible contributions added to consumers’ monthly bills. If 150 Franklin households sign up by September 30th, the Town will be eligible for a $25,000 grant to install a demonstration solar electric system on a school or other town building. Sign up at ww.nationalgridus.com/masselectric/home/energychoice/3_renewable.asp
11. Take a bite out of Global Warming. Small changes in the way you select, purchase, and grow your food will reduce your carbon foot print and often save you money, too. You can choose to eat organic, reduce meat consumption, avoid processed foods, buy locally grown foods, and choose foods that have the least packaging – all steps that will cut the energy used to produce and ship the food you eat. Simple measures add up, and there are many more things you can do!
    
    For more information on more simple ways to save money and help the Earth, contact the non-profit Franklin Area Climate Team, which will be starting “Low Carbon Diet” groups this spring. Email FranklinAreaClimateTeam@yahoogroups.com

Cutting through the hype (video)

Greg Craven helps to cut through all the hype:

You know that whole shouting match about global warming? I know it seems like such a noisy mess that it's easy to tune out. But here's a thought for you: while we debate whether humans can really change the climate or not, we are at the same time running the experiment. The kicker is, no matter what the outcome of the experiment, we're in the test tube! So it seems clear that we'd better get to the bottom of the controversy as quick as possible. But how do you know which side to believe?

How does that logic work for you?

350 is the number!

The following is the text of email just received from Bill McKibben at 350.org.

Dear friends,

For once, this email isn't asking you to do anything at all. It's merely sharing the news--the amazing news--that arrived about 45 minutes ago at 350 headquarters.

Rajendra Pachauri is the U.N.'s top climate scientist. He leads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which every five years produces the authoritative assessment of climate science. Their last report, in 2007, helped set the target of 450 ppm (parts per million of CO2) that many environmental groups and national governments have adopted as their goal for Copenhagen.

As you all know, that number is out of date. When Jim Hansen and other scientists looked at phenomenon like the Arctic ice melt of the last two summers, they produced new data demonstrating that 350 is the bottom line for the planet.

But it's been hard to get that news out to the powers that be.

So today it comes as enormous and welcome news that Dr. Pachauri, from his New Delhi office, said that 350 was the number.

"As chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) I cannot take a position because we do not make recommendations," said Rajendra Pachauri when asked if he supported calls to keep atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations below 350 parts per million (ppm).

"But as a human being I am fully supportive of that goal. What is happening, and what is likely to happen, convinces me that the world must be really ambitious and very determined at moving toward a 350 target," he told Agence France Presse in an interview.

It's your work that has made this breakthrough possible. In fact, Pachauri specifically cited the last big piece of news for 350: the decision of 80+ small island nations and less developed countries to endorse the 350 target.

"I think this is a good development," said Pachauri. "Now people -- including some scientists -- see the seriousness of the impacts of climate change, and the fact that things are going to get substantially worse than what we had anticipated."

This news makes it much easier for all of us to push hard leading up to the International Day of Climate Action on the 24th of October (signup to start or attend an event at www.350.org) , and the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen this December.

It's clear now that science is powerfully on the side of the 350 target. Now we need the political world to follow suit. You will make that happen in the next two months. Oct. 24 is officially 60 days away, and we're building just the momentum we need to make it count.

Thanks for all you do,

Bill McKibben