Unfortunately and once again, severe thunderstorms are headed straight for us, so we’ll be canceling the screening of Urban Roots tonight. Since we’ll be screening DIRT! on Sunday August 21, we’ll have to see about a rain date for Urban Roots.

URBAN ROOTS!

We’ve all got some urban roots, don’t we? Well, a small group of Detroit natives have discovered that their urban roots, and brought them to the center of a farming revolution! The movie, URBAN ROOTS, directed by Detroit-native Mark McInnis details the powerful story of a small group of unique individuals involved in Detroit’s inner-city agricultural movement.

The documentary from Tree Media (produced by Leila Conners and Mathew Schmid and directed by Mark Mac-Innis) the film follows the urban farming phenomenon in Detroit. Urban Roots is a timely, moving and inspiring film that speaks to a nation grappling with collapsed industrial towns and the need to forge a sustainable and prosperous future.

While it follows the inspiring stories of several agricultural programs, each story in Urban Roots is designed to address a specific issue. Not only are the organizations amazingly productive and emotionally driven, but the people tilling the soil and picking the harvest have fantastic stories to tell!

Speaker: TBA

Ismail Ocasio was born and raised in Brooklyn NY. A passionate community organizer and advocate for urban justice and equality. Ismail has worked on several youth based initiatives ranging from employment and economic development to broader humanitarian issues, with a clear focus on disadvantaged and marginalized populations. As an Intermediate Architect he holds a Bachelors of Architectural Technology from New York City College of Technology and has worked as a design consultant on several residential, commercial, and community based applications.  He is an accredited BPI Building Analyst, Multi-Family Building Analyst and Envelope Professional. He continues to spend his free time volunteering as a youth mentor and program organizer. He is an advocate for community revitalization, self-determination, and engaging faith based initiatives to contextualize environmentalism in the spiritual dialog.

Please join us in welcoming Ismail to the Solar One family!

April 14, 2011 from 7-9pm

Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, 44 Charlton Street (at Varick Street), New York, NY, 10014.

A networking reception will follow the event.

General admission is $25, and student admission is $10. Advanced registration is required at www.cleanecnyc.org.

Panelists:

• David Bragdon, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
• KC Sahl, NY Project Director for NRG Bluewater Wind
• Jacob Susman, CEO of OWN Wind Energy
• Russell Tencer, CEO of Wind Products, Inc., a recent graduate of the NYC ACRE incubator

Clean Energy Connections is sponsored by NYSERDA and Con Edison’s Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs; Greentech Media is the media sponsor for this series.

Last Thursday, Solar One partnered with Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Green Screens program to show Carbon Nation, Peter Byck’s climate change solutions documentary. The screening on Thursday was a phenomenal success, with a full house, a great discussion with director Peter Byck, Solar One Executive Director Chris Collins, Solar One Green Workforce Development Director Diallo Shabazz and “green hawk” Dan Nolan. Thanks to everyone who was able to come!

However, if you weren’t able to be there, you can still see Carbon Nation this week at the Cinema Village at 3:30pm and 7pm from now through Thursday February 17. You can get tickets HERE!

After Thursday, Carbon Nation is going on the road, and if you happen to live in one of the following cities, you’re in luck:

Los Angeles, CA- February 18
Austin, TX- February 25
Portland, OR- March 4
Seattle, WA- March 4
San Francisco, CA- March 11

Group tickets are available for the above screenings- please contact Jackie Papier, jackiepapier[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Solar One has partnered with Superintendents Technical Association (STA) to reach building operators in New York City and provide them with an “Intro to Green”. Although targeted towards superintendents, property managers and coop board members could also benefit from this technical seminar.

On Monday, October 18th from 6-9pm, a new three-hour course will introduce the concept of green and how it relates to buildings in New York City.

This introductory course will help building operators, property managers, and coop boards manage their buildings in a more energy efficient and cost-effective way. The course will orient building stakeholders in green terminology and concepts; review NYC’s new green laws for existing buildings; discuss NYSERDA incentives available for New York buildings; and determine if future education and/or certifications may be right for the attendees.

For more information or to register, please visit nycsta.org

Monday, October 18th, 6-9pm
230 E 90th St.
Pre-register: $55.00
STA Member & non-members: $65.00 at the door

For more information, contact Mary Tchamkina at Solar One:
646-576-5663
mary@solar1.org

NYC-ACRE and Solar One come together to showcase some of the newest wind and energy projects in NYC, while providing invaluable and practical discussion on how to further establish a cleantech market in NYC.

SPEAKERS:
Micah Kotch, Director of Operations at NYC-ACRE at NYU-Poly
John Humphrey, Co-Founder of Sollega Inc.
James Gallagher, NYCEDC Senior VP for Energy Policy
Russell M. Tencer, CEO of Wind Products LLC
Diana Pangestu, Energy $mart Communities Coordinator at Solar One

Wine & Cheese networking reception to follow!

LOCATION:
NYC-ACRE at NYU-Poly, 160 Varick Street, aka 10 Hudson Square,
12th Floor, New York City

FREE EVENT!
Please RSVP by March 15 as space is limited: www.solar1.com/acre-cleantech

NYC-ACRE and Solar One come together to showcase some of the newest wind and energy projects in NYC, while providing invaluable and practical discussion on how to further establish a cleantech market in NYC.

SPEAKERS:
Micah Kotch, Director of Operations at NYC-ACRE at NYU-Poly
John Humphrey, Co-Founder of Sollega Inc.
James Gallagher, NYCEDC Senior VP for Energy Policy
Russell M. Tencer, CEO of Wind Products LLC
Diana Pangestu, Energy $mart Communities Coordinator at Solar One

Wine & Cheese networking reception to follow!

LOCATION:
NYC-ACRE at NYU-Poly, 160 Varick Street, aka 10 Hudson Square,
12th Floor, New York City

FREE EVENT!
Please RSVP by March 15 as space is limited: www.solar1.com/acre-cleantech

Saturday September 19th

Short: Blue Marble Ice Cream (from From Elegance to Earthworms)

Feature: Burning In the Sun
WORLD PREMIERE! 26-year-old Daniel Dembele decides to return to his homeland in Mali and start a local business building solar panels – the first of its kind in the sun drenched nation. Burning in the Sun tells the story of Daniel’s journey growing the shaky startup into a viable company and of the business’ impact on Daniel’s first customers in the tiny village of Banko. Taking a controversial stance on climate change, poverty, and African self-sufficiency, the filmmakers shed light on progress in Africa, and infuse optimism across culture. This 2008 IFP Documentary Lab selection will be shown in collaboration with Rooftop Films and IFP.

Speakers: Cambria Matlow and Morgan Robinson (Directors)

Cambria Matlow is a founding filmmaker of Birdgirl Productions, and Burning In The Sun marks her debut as a documentary feature director. She began production of the film in 2005 and has garnered national support from LEF Foundation and the Brooklyn Arts Council. Before her work with Birdgirl, Cambria directed and lensed several short narrative films which crossover styles lending a ‘documentary’ feel to fiction filmmaking. Cambria’s abilities are anchored by her dynamic background in filmmaking, foreign language ability, rich intercultural experience and political awareness.

Morgan Robinson worked as field producer and cinematographer for documentary filmmaker John Halpern. Previously he worked in the production department of Spike Lee’s HE GOT GAME andSUMMER OF SAM. Currently, In addition to co-directing Burning in the Sun, Morgan works for Punched in the Head Productions making MTV True Life documentaries. Morgan wrote, directed and produced the award winning short film CATABASIS, and JI DUMA: BRING THEM WATER.

Empire State Development Corporation Division of Minority & Women’s Business Development in collaboration with U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency present a full-day program designed to help you prepare your company for new business opportunities in energy efficiency, green building construction, alternative energy technologies and more.  Learn the information you need to identify new projects, understand what qualifications you will need to bid on them and advance your company in the energy efficiency and green technologies market.

New stimulus funds, new tax incentives, new legislation, new energy efficiency programs and new energy efficient technologies are creating new business opportunities for construction professionals, construction managers, general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, professional service consultants and financial professionals to grow and expand their business.

Diana Pangestu of SolarOne/NYSERDA will be exhibiting and distributing information about NYSERDA’s programs in energy efficient building technology.

Bank of New York Mellon

101 Barclay Street, NYC

Register here

The 2nd Avenue Street Fair, which is being held on 3rd Avenue due to construction, will feature a Green Block on Sunday, June 7th, 11AM-5:30PM. The block will consist of vendors who sell green products and services as well as non-profits and government organizations who promote environmental programs and education. Our very own Diana Pangestu of Solar1/NYSERDA will be there, so please come by to find out about the programs available to help you make your home or business energy efficient!

The 2nd Avenue Street Fair is put on by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and is one of the oldest and largest street fairs in New York City.

2nd Avenue Street Fair (held on 3rd Ave)

3rd Ave between 66th and 86th Streets

Sunday, June 7, 11 am – 5:30 pm

On Sunday, May 31, join a city-wide gathering of innovative individuals, local groups, nonprofits, government organizations, and local businesses who are transforming today’s energy, climate, and economic challenges into visionary opportunities.  The event features workshops, panels, music, art, food, info tables, and more. Speakers will specifically address how YOU can make a direct impact in their area of expertise. Topics include: Renewable Energy & Efficiency, Green Jobs, Food Justice, Conscious Health and Living, Locally Supported Agriculture, Climate Change, DIY Art, Rooftop & Community Gardens, Media Activism, Resilient Neighborhoods & Communities, Local/Alternative Currency, and more.

Don’t miss Diana Pangestu of Solar1/NYSERDA, who will take part in the “Less is the New More” panel at 3:30 pm.

This event will celebrate the launch of Evolver.net, a social network for conscious collaboration, and mark the beginning of their off-line community, Evolver NYC.

May 31, 2009 – 1:30-5:30 PM
St. Marks Church in the Bowery, corner of 10th St. and 2nd Ave.
$5
RSVP: EvolverTownHall@gmail.com
http://evolver.net/event/townhall

This past Friday, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced an innovative plan that will help curb NYC’s greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously providing jobs for those most in need of them.  The Go Green! Cooking Oil Recycling Program will employ formerly homeless and incarcerated individuals to pick up used cooking oil from local city restaurants free of charge; the oil will then be sold to companies that conduct biodiesel conversion, cutting down on the use of standard diesel gasoline – among the dirtiest of hydrocarbon-based fuels – in commercial vehicles in and around the city.

The service will be conducted by RWA Resource Recovery, a venture of The Doe Fund and its Ready, Willing and Able Community Improvement Project.  To date, RWA Resource Recovery has collected nearly 725,000 gallons of biodiesel since its inception in early 2007, an amount that should increase at a substantial rate under the new agreement; in March alone, RWA added 50 new client businesses around the city.  Overall, through this community improvement project, The Doe Fund has aided more than 3,000 formerly destitute New Yorkers in their quest for self-sufficiency.  The program will also partner with the Lower East Side Ecology Center, which will conduct education and outreach by training local students to serve as “eco-consultants” to help recruit other businesses into the program.

In addition to this venture, which will expand to neighborhoods in upper Manhattan over the next few weeks, the state will provide further incentives for biodiesel through tax credits for users and producers of the alternative fuel.  Given current economic and employment trends, the Go Green! Cooking Oil Recycling Program will provide much-needed hope and opportunities while at the same time making progress towards a cleaner city.

Sources: “Speaker Sheldon Silver and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer Announce Free Cooking Oil Recycling Program for Local Restaurants”, press release – 4/24/09, Manhattan Borough President’s Office official website (www.mbpo.org); RWA Resource Recovery website (www.rwarr.org); The Doe Fund website (www.doe.org); Lower East Side Ecology Center website (www.lesecologycenter.org).

GO GREEN LES Allen Mall 6 Green Celebration
Saturday, April 25th, 2 p.m.
Allen Mall 6 (Enter at Allen and Rivington)

Come celebrate with Time’s Up! and GO GREEN LOWER EAST SIDE as we bring one of the malls on Allen Street to life the Saturday after Earth Day!

The DOT has a bike lane redesign in the works for Allen St and we’re excited by the potential for revitalization on the mall in the middle of Allen St. 

Times Up! will be offering FREE Bike Repair Education, Helmet and Safety Checks, and FREE Seed Planting Workshops

Other activities and events include:
FREE Green Maps for all
FREE Energy Efficiency Assessments & Evaluations
FREE Green Jobs summer training for students
FREE CFL Bulb Giveaway

Also check out the Youth Photo Exhibit and Vision for the Mall and Avenue of the Immigrants Exhibit

Other Group Involved:
Solar One, NYSERDA Energy $mart Communities, Green Maps,  Win Win Campaign, Hester Street Collaborative, Green Market, LES Boys and Girls Club, LES BID, EcoBizNYC, NYRP, AAFE, Manhattan CB3, NYC Parks and Recreation

Also With:
Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, NYS Senator Tom Duane, NYS Senator Daniel Squadron, Councilmember Alan Gerson, Councilmember Rosie Mendez, Asseblymember Brian Kavanagh

The sun may soon bring something new to the Empire State.  According to a press release issued Tuesday by Governor David Patterson’s office, New York is about to get its first solar cell factory.

SpectraWatt, a spin-off of Intel Corporation and relative newcomer to the solar scene, will set up shop in Hudson Valley Research Park and expects to be ready for production by early 2010.  Their upstate factory will process and manufacture the silicon-derived “cells” which other firms will turn into those familiar icons of renewable energy – the typical solar panel that is making its appearance on more and more buildings and homes throughout the country.

SpectraWatt anticipates an initial production capacity of 60 MW in its first year, bringing 100 new jobs to New York.  By 2012, the facility is expected to operate at a full capacity of 120 MW and 161 employees.  The state will supply $3 million of the $81 million projected cost through the Empire State Development Corp. and an additional $1.5 million through NYSERDA.  In addition, for relocating to the Poughkeepsie-Dutchess Empire Zone, the company will receive a significant tax break, as well as 200 metric tons of solar grade silicon (the raw material for most photovoltaics) per year from Globe Specialty Metals, another company that recently announced its intentions to move to the area.  In exchange, Globe will receive 40 MW of hydropower from the state.

Established in the summer of 2008, less than a year later, SpectraWatt is poised to become a green job pioneer in New York.  Given recent trends, it is unlikely to be the last.

Sources: “SpectraWatt Sets Up Headquarters in New York”, press release – April 7 2009, www.spectrawatt.com; “SpectraWatt to Tap Local High-Tech Pool”, Pougkeepsie Journal, April 8, 2009; “Governor Paterson Announces New Solar Cell Manufacturer to Move to Dutchess County”, press release – April 7, 2009, www.ny.gov/governor; Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation website, www.thinkdutchess.com.

Political proclamations and big gusts of wind often go together.

This paradigm of civic symbiosis was never more true than last Tuesday, when Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced plans to markedly boost his commonwealth’s wind power capacity by 2020.  While Massachusetts currently produces just 7 MW of wind-generated energy annually, Patrick hopes to ramp up production to 2000 MW – enough to power 800,000 homes and 10% of overall anticipated need – by the end of the next decade.  The ambitious policy will supplement his administration’s recent commitment of 250 MW of solar power by 2017.

The announcement also comes on the heels of the DOE’s 2007 decision to locate one of two planned Wind Technology Testing Centers there, spurring speculation that Massachusetts could join California as a leader in forging a green economy.  In a statement issued by Governor Patrick’s office, the new center will provide a framework for the “economic rewards of technological development, entrepreneurship and jobs.” Assuming an even greater commitment to clean energy policy at the federal level by the incoming Obama administration and new DOE honcho Steven Chu, this is a trend that should continue.

Though some hurdles remain in getting locals on board (one proposed Cape Cod offshore wind farm comes to mind), Massachusetts Secretary for Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles noted that last year’s incentive-laden Mass. Green Communities Act has “municipalities around the Commonwealth… lining up to bring wind power to their communities.”  In part to alleviate concerns about the blight of turbines on the seascape, the state is also formulating a comprehensive ocean-management plan to identify other suitable locations for “appropriate-scale renewable energy facilities.”

The initiative is part of a broader attempt to reduce the commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 and 25% by 2020, as mandated by the 2007 Massachusetts Global Warming Solutions Act.

Sources: “Patrick sets 2000-MW wind-power goal”, Providence Business News; “Deval Patrick unveils big push for wind power”, Your Industry News; “Residents upset over Cape Cod wind-farm plan”, www.sfgate.com; “Massachusetts Moves Closer to Having Nation’s First Offshore Wind Farm and More Secure Energy Future” (press release; Jan. 16, 2009), www.capewind.org; “”Summary of S. 2768, The Green Communities Act”, Conservation Law Foundation; “Senate Bill, No. 534″, “Governor Patrick Sets New Goals for Wind Power” (press release; Jan. 13, 2009), www.mass.gov.

“…Call it CSI: Thermal Police — energy experts armed with mostly low-tech tools but strong sleuthing skills, finding flaws that let the air inside a house go through a full exchange with the outdoors twice an hour, instead of once every two or three hours.

Correct those flaws, and heating and cooling costs are typically cut by 20 percent to 30 percent, a saving of more than $1,000 annually in some households. In addition, carbon dioxide emissions and the strain on the national electric and gas systems are reduced.

About 140,000 houses will be weatherized with public help this year, a total that President-elect Barack Obama has promised to raise to one million, to reduce energy consumption and cut energy costs for households and taxpayers, who often absorb those costs for the poor. This would represent a historic shift in emphasis for the federal and state governments, reducing poor people’s energy bills instead of helping to pay them. [NY Times | Full Article]

For more information about weatherization services or training in your community, contact the Community Environmental Center or Solar One!

Soon to be the largest wind farm in the state, the Milford Project will create about 275 jobs during construction and is also the first to be completed in conjunction with the federal Bureau of Land Management. Click here to read the project overview and here for a map of Utah’s wind potential.

Sources: “First Wind Begins Construction on Milford Wind Corridor Project”, First Wind (press release); “Bureau of Land Management approves Milford Wind Corridor”, Emerging Energy News;“BLM clears way for Milford wind corridor”, The Salt Lake Tribune;“Milford Wind Corridor Project Overview with Land Ownership”, Office of Governor, Utah; “BLM: Utah: Wind Energy”, “Utah Wind Power Potential”, U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management; “California in Brief: Los Angeles – City Council approves wind-power deals”, Los Angeles Times (Dec. 20, 2007); “Utah wind farm to benefit L.A.”, Deseret Morning News (Dec. 21, 2007).

Solar One’s Building Performance Training Program is wrapping up an incredibly successful session with Manhattan Comprehensive Night and Day High School next week. Working in tandem with technicians at the Community Environmental Center, Solar One’s parent organization, students are getting hands-on experience and training on how to assess the energy efficiency and overall building performance of single family homes here in New York City. Today we visited a residence in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn that qualified for a state-funded NYSERDA Residential Program. Students measured boiler efficiency, checked for moisture damage and practiced looking for air leaks using a blower-door test and other equipment. Their final recommendation was to increase insulation in the basement and attic cavities to make the building envelope tighter.

To learn more about our Green Jobs Training program, please click here. For more info about NYSERDA incentives and programs please contact our Energy $mart Communities Coordinator, Diana here.

The announcement is yet more evidence that Oregon’s incentive programs for renewable business seem to be working. Thanks to the state’s Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC), which provides tax breaks of up to 50% on capital investments of up to $20 million for renewable energy projects, solar manufacturers are moving there in relative droves. SANYO joins three other companies that shifted their operations to Oregon last year alone – German-based SolarWorld, and Solaicx and Peak Sun Silicon, both of California. All in all, a study released this past spring by ECONorthwest projects that the two energy tax credit programs combined (the Residential Energy Tax Credit program being the other) would “create nearly 2,100 new jobs, boost economic output by $178 million and cut energy costs by $60 million” over the next fifteen years.

The factory will join SANYO’s Carson, CA manufacturing plant and expansion at other production facilities in Japan, Hungary and Mexico to boost the company’s expected PV output to 340 MW globally by the end of 2008 and 600 MW by 2010. Among its other solar ventures, in 1997 SANYO introduced its highly efficient HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin layer) solar cells, which combine single crystalline cells with amorphous silicon to achieve an impressive 20% conversion efficiency rating. Also check out SANYO’s Solar Ark in Japan, the world’s largest solar-generating structure and a state-of-the-art science center.

Sources: press release (us.sanyo.com); Oregon Department of Energy; “Oregon Welcomes Yet Another Solar Maker, Sanyo”, earth2Tech;“Economic Impacts of Oregon Energy Tax Credit Programs in 2006″, ECONorthwest; “SB 819 Passes Out of House Committee by unanimous vote”, Pacific Northwest Energy and Sustainability Venture blog;“Sanyo to Build Solar Cell Plant in Oregon”, GoodCleanTech; “Sanyo chooses Oregon site for new solar PV ingot, wafer factory”, Photovoltaics International; “Solar Manufacturing Takes Flight in the United States”, US Department of Energy, EERE News; “Big Photovoltaic Price Drop Due to Large Silicon Supplies?”, FuturePundit; “PV Status Report 2007″, EU Joint Research Centre, Institute for Environment and Sustainability; “Japan’s Sanyo to Build New US Plant”, AFP wire report.

For an accomplished and lucky few, Christmas comes in September.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation announced the winners of its annual “genius grants” this week. The selection is notable for its stimulating eclecticism; this year’s roster includes a plant evolutionary geneticist, an architectural preservationist, a Mesoamerican anthropologist, a traditional basketweaver, a medical historian and a stage lighting designer, in addition to the regular litany of artists, musicians and writers. Also new to this club of the talented, passionate and committed is Wisconsin urban farmer Will Allen.

Since 1993, Allen has been simultaneously developing groundbreaking, sustainable agricultural techniques while providing invaluable community service in the form of educational programs and affordable food for low-income urban populations in Milwaukee, Chicago and other locations in the upper midwestern United States. Co-founder of the Milwaukee-based non-profit Growing Power, Allen eschews the “back to the land” philosophy prevalent in the sustainable agriculture movement for the cultivation of small but efficient urban plots and a vertical business model that includes grassroots distribution networks. His approach also addresses issues of health awareness and diet with a focus on the prevention of obesity and diabetes, conditions known to afflict low-income communities in particular. (For an entirely unrelated but equally current story on the effects of obesity and fast-food diet on children’s health, click here.) Allen’s innovative farming techniques include “use of raised beds, aquaculture, vermiculture and heating greenhouses through composting”, all of which attempt to maximize yield in limited space – generally the only space available in urban locations – while keeping energy use and other costs at a mimimum.

The fellowships – awarded by the Chicago-based MacArthur Foundation since 1981 – are accompanied by a $500,000 stipend with “no strings attached”. Nominees are selected by an independent panel and are unaware of their consideration until notified. One of this year’s grantees, John Ochsendorf of MIT’s architecture department, exclaimed, “I had to sit down… It changes everything. This is validation.” Notes MacArthur Foundation President Jonathan Fanton, “Generally there’s a pause and expressions of disbelief. I’ve had people drop the phone or say they need a minute because they feel weak.”

So when that phone rings next September, it may be best to answer sitting down. The holidays just might arrive a few months early…

Sources: “MacArthur Foundation awards 2008 ‘genius grants’”, Associated Press; “Urban Farmer’s Work Honored”, Milwaukee Sentinel-Journal; “Fast Food Hits Mediterranean; a Diet Succumbs”, New York Times; John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation website (www.macfound.org); Growing Power website (www.growingpower.org); African American Environmentalist Association website (aaenvironment.blogspot.com)