On September 13, 2007 I attended  the GREAT LAKES ENERGY DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE  (they re-named the wind-on-the-lake task force) in the Thompson Hine LLP law firm’s office on the 39th floor of the Key Building in downtown Cleveland.

As I've continued to plug away and progress with East Cleveland technology plans with fellow RealNEO partner Norm Roulet we thought it would be fitting to share some exciting  developments. This terrific Tudor transformation at 1894 Roxbury has been a joy to behold and though the historic preservation piece makes for a great story in its own right, I've been more invigorated by the potential to incorporate a series of sustainable strategies to ensure that this becomes a model green and smart home for East Cleveland homeowners to aspire to. This has offered a wonderful practical, experiential consulting opportunity. The technology coming into play to make this all happen has been another great learning point.  I now sit typing from the Roxbury estate with the luxury of a Skype smart phone, top of the line iMAC 24 inch widescreen desktop and the makings of our very own test server at my fingertips. I also had the good fortune to (just yesterday) secure thousands of dollars of computer equipment to enable the creation of an actual computing lab, hacking site and cluster at the Hough /Star Complex in East Cleveland. Now I am in the process of securing the latest Ubuntu downloads for both server and desktop whilst writing this very blog post. Our WiFi is up and running here , humming along at a robust and hardy 11 MBps.

In a hurry to get to work?

We all run a few minutes late, we all hate rush hour commuting (those of us who can not or will not take RTA).  The point is that people seem not to drive during rush hour, but it is more a positive display of the chaos theory.  The graceful and sometimes not so graceful act of careening your vehicles down a paved road is a recipe for disaster..  The, to often, played game of "get so close that nobody can sneak in" results in accidents like the one show above.

By RAY RIVERA

The Wind - a cute short two minute video from Germany (in English).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mTLO2F_ERY

As a resident of NEO and of the USA you need to read Mr. Rokakis.  I picked this up via Brewed Fresh Daily who got it from Roldo

Where do we go from here? 

Carpe diem is one way to say it, but when I saw the glass pedestal cake plate on the sunny bank of the Lower Shaker Lake I had a feeling  “seize the day” was being exercised in the superlative.

I've enlisted the kids in the neighborhood to let me know of the most recent demolitions.  West 34th St. is the most recent victim of these random hits (Address 3872, south off Denison).  

Creating these gaping holes is not how to save the city.  If there was some actual vision or plan to make use of these demolished properties, then I could see the rationale.  To the people living with the bulldozers--it's as if someone has dropped a bomb on their street.  (I will have to buy a digital camera to record the devastation a la Jeff Buster).

From: http://www.treehugger.com/ and http://www.stumbleupon.com/mainpics/1848026.jpg

"Thank you for your interest in One Laptop Per Child. Our mission is to provide a means for learning, self-expression and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education. While children are by nature eager for knowledge, many countries have insufficient resources to devote to education—sometimes less than $20 a year per child. Imagine the potential that could be unlocked by giving every child in the world the tools they need to learn, no matter who they are, no matter where they live, no matter how little they may have.

If you'd like to donate an XO laptop today, simply click the donation button on the right, above the photo. A donation of $200 will pay for and deliver one XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, $400 will pay for and deliver two XO laptops, and so on.

Starting November 12, One Laptop Per Child will be offering a Give 1 Get 1 Program for a brief window of time. For $399, you will be purchasing two XO laptops—one that will be sent to empower a child to learn in a developing nation, and one that will be sent to your child at home. If you're interested in Give 1 Get 1, we'll be happy to send you a reminder email. Just sign up in the box to the left and you'll receive your reminder prior to the November 12 launch date.

Once again, thank you. We sincerely hope you'll join our growing community of people working to create a connected, educated, enlightened future for the world's most essential resource—its children."
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After the presentation by authors  John Mearsheimer (left) and Stephen Walt (right)  of the The Israel Lobby at Case’s Ford Auditorium last night,  I approached  Alice Bach, the tenured Case prof  (on the stage between the authors) and complimented her on her perspicacity shown in arranging  Mr. Mearsheimer's and Mr. Walt's visit to Cleveland.

Barrels of fun, with a message

Location has always been the key to selling products, this machine has no restriction. Wherever the customers, the machine can be placed, static or mobile. It has its own internal supply of DC energy. Should power cuts occur, it will carry on operating when conventional machine stop. No matter if the skies are grey, rain or even at night, 365 days a year.

Let’s say it’s 2:30 in the morning in August in Downtown Cleveland, you are a homeless guy in your fifties named  Mr. Baskin, and you are in the grassy walkway area (pictured in daytime above) behind the County Administration Building.   And you’ve got to go.

Like millions of Americans, Oprah has been diagnosed with thyroid disease.  We know that there is an environmental stressor causing this autoimmune failure.  Maybe, now there will be more of an attempt to pinpoint the cause and spare our children from this silent epidemic.  It mostly affects women (due to body fat?) So ask yourself, what do we add to our water?  It's not just an urban problem--it's a suburban problem, too.  It's not just a Lake Erie problem, it's a Lake Michigan problem, too.  So, maybe the soccer moms will want to do something about it?  Especially, if Oprah leads the charge.

Ask a die-hard altpower fan if they’ve ever seen a functional wind turbine in the urban jungle, and chances are, the answer is no. Today we bring you some exclusive footage of this rare species. This Skystream 3.7, built by Altira-backed Southwest Wind Power, sits atop a remodeled corner house in San Francisco’s Mission District. The blades sit on a skinny 45-foot pole dropped in by crane. Here is the turbine in action on Wednesday’s windy afternoon.

Why Protesters Are Playing
Ping-Pong in Your Parking Space

 

September 21, 2007

First Renewable FIT Introduced in U.S.

Prices for solar and biogas introduced in the Michigan Renewable Energy Sources Act would be the best in North America.
by Paul Gipe
Lansing, Michigan [RenewableEnergyAccess.com]
Patterned after Germany's highly successful Renewable Energy Sources Act, Veteran Michigan Assemblywoman Kathleen Law submitted a bill to the Michigan House of Representatives earlier this week that creates the first comprehensive renewable energy feed-in tariff (FIT) introduced into any U.S. legislature.

Like the German law which has powered the country to world leadership in wind, solar, and biomass energy—and created nearly one-quarter million new jobs in its booming renewable energy industry—proponents of the bill are hoping the tariff will revive Michigan's flagging economy.
"We are extremely excited that Michigan has joined the ranks of so many progressive states in making the commitment to reduce our carbon footprint," said Subhendu Guha, President of United Solar Ovonic, which is headquartered in Michigan and is a leading manufacturer of thin film solar cells. "Policies like this will create new jobs in Michigan and will help maintain a cleaner environment."
The tariffs proposed in HB 5218 (2007) are equivalent to those in Germany and would be the highest in North America if the bill is made a law.
• Hydro less than 500 kW: $0.10 USD/kWh
• Biogas less than 150 kW: $0.145 USD/kWh
• Geothermal less than 5 MW: $0.19 USD/kWh
• Wind: $0.105 USD/kWh
• Wind energy from small wind turbines: $0.25 USD/kWh
• Rooftop solar less than 30 kW: $0.65 USD/kWh
• Solar façade cladding less than 30 kW: $0.71 USD/kWh
Other legislatures in the U.S. and Canada have considered or are reviewing similar FIT programs. The province of Ontario launched its Standard Offer Program (SOP) in 2006, and a bill for solar energy tariffs was introduced into Hawaii's legislative assembly earlier this year. However, neither are as comprehensive as the FIT proposed by Assemblywoman Law.
While Ontario's SOP is seen as a very important step for FITs in North America, the proposed tariffs for solar energy in the Michigan bill are more than 50% greater than the equivalent tariffs in Ontario. Likewise, the proposed tariff for biogas is nearly one-third greater than that in Ontario. The Michigan proposal also includes tariffs for geothermal energy, a technology not covered by Ontario's SOP.
Renewable tariffs, like those in HB 5218 (2007), encourage homeowners, farmers, and businesses to sell their renewable energy for a profit by allowing them to "feed" their electricity into the grid. Many people call such tariffs "Advanced Renewable Tariffs," because the price paid per kilowatt-hour of electricity differs by technology.
For example, because solar is more expensive than wind on a cost per watt basis, the tariff for solar energy is much higher than that for wind energy so that homeowners can profitably install solar panels on their roofs across the state.
HB 5218 (2007) is also the first bill to propose wind tariffs differentiated by wind resource intensity, as is used in France. These differentiated tariffs limit potentially excessive profit from commercial wind farms at windy sites while allowing profitable development in less windy areas. This is important in a state like Michigan so farmers in the interior of the state can profitably develop their wind resources.
The bill has been referred to the Committee on Energy and Technology. Before becoming law, the bill must pass both the House and Senate and must be signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm who has made renewable energy a key element of her administration.
In the spring of 2007 Governor Granholm traveled to Germany. After returning she was quoted in the Detroit News as saying, "In Germany they created 170,000 jobs by changing the incentives for the use of wind and solar. We ought to be doing the same thing in Michigan."

Expect more stories like the incredible sink hole that swallowed my backyard.   The infrastructure of Cleveland and the inner ring suburbs is crumbling.  Instead of repeating the same mistakes, Cuyahoga County needs to find a way to reimburse these homeowners and collectively allow these stream corridors to revert to their natural function.  It is certainly the most cost effective way of fixing this problem and it will serve the dual purpose of cleaning our waters and regreening our community.

I think this is illegal and outrageous and corrupt that our Cuyahoga County web site is actually hosting and promoting a private for profit financial venture - go to the county web site and click on kennedymart and you'll be asked to ID yourself before you get any info.  I won't give my info.   This is why NEO is headed down...our  "Government"  is in the pockets of businesses while we are paying our government employees salaries.  We are losing our pants twice!

Brutalism against Breuer in Cleveland, Ohio.