Visit the Action Center at NWF and sign onto the Declaration of Energy Independence in time for Earth Day.

We call on the Congress to finally push aside the obstruction of the polluter lobby and stand with America’s Clean Energy Patriots. We call for America’s elected leaders to join us as Clean Energy Patriots and deliver on the promise of a clean energy revolution and climate action now.

Jeff was recently working on a clean energy site visit with Senator Durbin. After a thorough and frustrating effort however, he was told by Durbin’s office that his schedule wasn’t going permit it. Despite that, he has been working on a number of other opportunities and needs our help. They are:

1. A Media Tour of Clean Energy Jobs

Plans are being made to team up with the Chicago office of the Union of Concerned Scientists to take some local media on a tour of clean energy companies the first week of May. This will coincide with the release of the new language. Unlike the Durbin site visit, Jeff is now looking for manufacturing or assembly sites of clean energy technology. Please let us know if you know of a company that has a manufacturing facility or if you have any ideas about a potential stop for the reporters We will forward the info to Jeff.

2. Social Networking effort – Losing the clean energy race to China

If you have a Facebook, Twitter, or other social media account, we strongly encourage you to distribute this recent report and/or article about China taking the lead in clean energy.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/environment/2010-03-25-china-clean-energy-investing_N.htm

“Countries around the globe are jockeying for leadership in clean-energy production, and according to a report released today by the Pew Charitable Trusts, China is poised to win”.

3. Grassroots Media Push

Please help Jeff identify any local cable or internet shows that we can pitch to talk about the new legislation coming out of the Senate. This is also the time to start drafting a letter-to-the editor from companies asking for leadership on climate and energy in D.C.

Please let us know what you need to facilitate any of these efforts (such as draft letters or pitches to the media). We will be happy to get the info from Jeff for you.

On a final note, Jeff would appreciate it if you could please take a minute to explore a new website from EDAF called Less Carbon, More JobsBusiness Leaders: www.LCMJBizLeaders.org. The site, an extension of the Less Carbon, More Jobs effort, and is intended to be a go-to resource for a national network of supportive small and medium-sized businesses in the renewable and efficiency sectors. It provides information on why a cap is good for business and highlights business support (through op-eds, ads, lobby days, etc.) for climate legislation. Businesses can also sign up to “join the network” which means they’ll get periodic legislative updates and notices of opportunities on White House events, opportunities for funding, etc.

The basic outcome of the meeting was we should all be pushing for this. Grassroots campaigns work and we have the ability to mobilize as such. We believe, a loose coalition was formed and are intent on informing the Illinois public of the continuous blocking of incentives by the utilities and the listless attitude of the Assembly.

For more info on Illinois Climate Action visit http://www.ilenviro.org/

San Francisco – February 4, 2010

Chicago – February 9, 2010

Topics Covered:

• Carbon Management After Copenhagen
• Green Marketing in the Age of Radical Transparency
• Can IT Solve the World’s Problems?
• When Green Business Meets Cleantech (SF only)
• The Green Economy Meets the Great Lakes (Chicago only)

For more information visit GreenBiz.

• San Francisco Spring Festival – April 10th-11th
• Chicago – May 22nd-23rd
• Seattle – June 5th & 6th
• Washington DC, October 23rd-24th
• San Francisco Fall Festival – November 5th-7th

Check with Green Festivals for updates.

Become a Green Festival Volunteer .

2.   Americans have the right to connect their solar energy system to the grid with uniform national standards.
Currently, each state (in some cases, each utility) has a unique process for connecting solar systems to the local electricity grid. National interconnection standards will create a uniform process and paperwork, creating a simple process for the homeowner. Connecting a home solar system shouldn’t be any more complicated for the homeowner than setting up an Internet connection.

3.   Americans have the right to Net Meter and be compensated at the very least with full retail electricity rates.
Residential solar systems generate excess electricity in the middle of the day, when the owners aren’t usually at home. Net metering requires the utility company to credit any excess generation to the customer at full retail rates at a minimum – effectively running the electricity meter backwards when the system is generating more electricity than the occupants of the house are using. Allowing customers to net meter is critical to making solar an economically viable option for most homeowners.  Setting a minimum threshold of full retail rates also ensures the option of creating feed-in-tariffs.

4.   The solar industry has the right to a fair competitive environment.
The highly profitable fossil fuel industries have received tens of billions of dollars in subsidies from the federal government for decades. In addition, fossil fuel industries are protected from bearing the full social costs of the pollution they produce. The solar energy industry and the public expect a fair playing field, with all energy sources evaluated based on their full, life-cycle costs and benefits to society.  Therefore it is critical that solar energy receive the same level of support, for the same duration, as the fossil fuel industry.

5.   The solar industry has the right to equal access to public lands.
America has some of the best solar resources in the world, which are often on public lands overseen by the federal government.  But even though oil and gas industries have been granted access to 45 million acres of public lands, the federal government has yet to approve a single solar project application for development.  Solar is a clean, renewable American resource and access to public lands is a critical component of any national strategy to expand our use of renewable energy.

6.   The solar industry has the right to interconnect and build new transmission lines.
Over the last 100 years, the transmission grid in the United States has been built as an uncoordinated patchwork of local systems.  A decades-old power grid forces solar generators to play by decades-old rules for planning, building, and paying for access to the transmission grid.  Expanding the use of renewable energy in the United States will require policies and investments that allow remote areas rich in solar resources to connect to major population centers with significant demand for electric power.

7.   Americans have the right to buy solar electricity from their utility.
Many utility companies have never thought to offer their customers the option to purchase clean solar energy, rather than dirty energy from coal or other fossil fuels. Nation-wide over 90% of people support increased use of solar energy, and over three-quarters believe it should be a major priority of the federal government. Despite this, only around 25% of utility customers in the US have the ability to actually purchase clean, renewable power from their utility, and only a tiny fraction of those programs offer solar energy.  Utilities should be required to offer the electricity source that their customers want.

8.   Americans have the right to – and should expect – the highest ethical treatment from the solar industry.
Solar energy systems are an investment as much as a physical product. Consumers deserve top-quality information and treatment from solar energy providers and installers. Consumers should expect the solar industry to minimize its environmental impact through panel recycling and other programs, and communicate information about available incentives in a clear, accurate and accessible manner. Finally, consumers should expect that solar systems will work better than advertised, and that companies will make every good faith effort to support solar owners over the life of their systems.

Sign the Solar Bill of Rights



• San Francisco Spring Festival, April 10th-11th
• Chicago, May 22nd-23rd
• Washington DC, October 23rd-24th
• San Francisco Fall Festival, November 5th-7th
• Seattle, May -  Day TBA

Check with Green Festivals for updates.

Climate Change Debate

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2746