From the Director's Desk
What Gets Measured, Gets Fixed
I know a lot of you don’t read a newspaper every day. So much attention goes to what’s online and then secondarily to TV. That’s not a bad thing, but I do read the newspaper – several of them on a regular basis – and it’s an opinion article I saw in the San Diego Union Tribune that I want to tell you about. Interestingly, it’s regarding something new online: The San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard. Read more.
Clean Vehicle Rebates Under Way
Program for electric vehicles launched
California takes another step toward a future of clean transportation this month with the initiation of the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, according to Mike Ferry, administrator for the project and head of CCSE’s transportation programs. Read more.
Does Building Green Make Cents?
Exploring the economics of commercial green buildings
While questions have arisen about the potential crushing effects of the current economic situation on the trend toward green commercial building and retrofitting, a team of economic researchers has concluded that the value of green building remains strong.
Speaking at a workshop titled “Doing Well by Doing Good: Green Office Buildings” hosted by CCSE in February, Dr. Nils Kok, a professor at Maastricht University in the Netherlands and a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley, presented an analysis of the financial performance of green office buildings in the United States. The study is based on actual market transactions and not simply engineering estimates. Read more.
Help Create a Sustainable Future
CCSE volunteers make a difference and have fun
Whether you want to explore green career opportunities, expand your horizons or simply lend a hand, being a volunteer at CCSE is a great way to become an advocate for a more sustainable energy present and future. More than 30 local residents met for a volunteer orientation at CCSE held March 9. You can join in the fun during a volunteer information event at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6. Sign up at our website. Read more.
Solar Panels Get Local
Kyocera Solar plans San Diego-based manufacturing
News cameras were rolling as Kyocera Solar, Inc. announced plans to begin manufacturing solar modules in San Diego during a press conference held March 3 at CCSE. Production will be at Kyocera’s Balboa Avenue facility, which is directly across the street from CCSE and was unavailable for the media event because of defense contract agreements. Read more.
Fuel Cells for Home and Work
Clean energy technology scaled down
It was standing room only when more than 300 people attended two workshops on combined heat and power fuel cells held at CCSE on March 8. The learning center was packed with architects, building contractors, facility managers and homeowners who were eager to learn about how fuel cell technology has been scaled down to fit homes and small businesses. Read more.
RETECH Focuses on Energy Policies
Meeting explores renewable energy marketplace
Renewable energy development is this generation’s “shot to the moon” declared Carol Browner, White House energy coordinator, to members of the renewable energy industry, educators, politicians and others gathered for RETECH 2010 in Washington, D.C., Feb. 3-5. Read more.
Energy Info You Can Use
Online resources for technologies & PACE programs
Why would you grow plants on your roof? What are these new clean energy loans Mayor Jerry Sanders is talking about? The answers to these questions and more can now be found on the CCSE website. Read more.
Community Energy Action Hero
Food with an environmental mission
With the motto of saving the earth – one pizza at a time – Pizza Fusion, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., serves up a menu with fresh, organic ingredients and a commitment to running an ecologically sustainable business. Read more.
 Inside the ERC
CCSE’s Energy Resource Library now has its complete catalog of books, DVDs and tools online with advanced hold for items you want to check out. Simply search by subject, author, title, manufacturer, name or type, and if what you want is available, you can put a hold on it until you come by CCSE to complete the check-out process. Go to the library website.
Display
ClearEdge5 Fuel Cell System
The ClearEdge5 is a combined heat and power ( CHP) energy system based on fuel cell technology. The compact system, which has been designed for small commercial and residential units, efficiently converts natural gas into both electricity and heat. How does it work? Well, the fuel processor converts natural gas into ultraclean hydrogen through a catalytic process, as opposed to burning the natural gas, reducing pollution. The hydrogen is processed through a fuel cell stack, creating a direct current ( DC) power and heat. The power conditioning unit converts the DC electricity into alternating current ( AC), which then ties directly to the main electrical panel, providing steady continuous power for your electricity needs.
Read more.
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Tool
Hobo Weather Station
The HOBO U30-NRC Weather Station is a rugged data logging system that can be easily reconfigured and adapted to a wide variety of applications. This station features up to 15 channels of environmental data that can be measured and recorded, and later analyzed with HOBOware® Pro software.
Read more.
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Book
Fuel Cells: From Fundamentals to Applications
Discover the basic electrochemical principles and the engineering aspects involved in the development and commercialization of fuel cells. This book provides a lucid description of the applications and techno-economic assessment of fuel cell technologies along with an in-depth discussion of conventional and novel approaches for generating energy.
Read more.
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DVD
“A Convenient Truth: Urban Solutions from Curitiba, Brazil”
Cities should be a solution not a problem for human beings. The city of Curitiba has demonstrated for the past 40 years how to transform problems into cost-effective solutions that can be applied in most cities around the world.
Read more.
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 Event Calendar
Did you know CCSE offers free, ongoing workshops on energy efficiency, solar energy, green building, transportation and climate change? Register now! Click on the links below or call (866) SDENERGY.
Solar Shade Workshop
Date: Monday, Mar. 15, 2010
Lighting Questions and Answers
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 17, 2010
Solar Water Heating Basics for Home Owners
Date: Thursday, Mar. 18, 2010
Green Bathrooms
Date: Thursday, Mar. 25, 2010
Solar Careers and Opportunities
Date: Monday, Mar. 29, 2010
Integrated Passive Solar Design
Date: Wednesday, Mar. 31, 2010
Other Events
Earth Hour 2010
People around the world will come together to make a statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour participation is easy – simply flip off your lights on March 27 at 8:30 p.m. local time. For more information, visit their website.
Buy Clean Energy 2010
This yearlong campaign centers on the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and encourages individuals and businesses to promote the use of clean energy in the U.S. by switching to renewable electricity. A program of the Center for Resource Solutions and Green-e, their website provides three simple steps for consumers to follow to help with a goal of one billion kilowatt-hours purchased through the campaign.
Corporate Energy Efficiency
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change is sponsoring a two-day conference titled “From Shop Floor to Top Floor: Best Business Practices in Energy Efficiency” in Chicago on April 6-7. Top-level corporate officers will present successfully implemented exemplary energy efficiency strategies. For an agenda and registration, visit their website.
Living Building Challenge
Organized by the Cascadia Region Green Building Council, the Living Building Challenge is a call to the nation’s builders to commit to environmentally sound projects and to share their ideas and methods used in green building. It is both an online community with a breadth of resources and a certification program covering all scales of buildings. You can learn about the program and attend workshops at a Living Building Challenge Road Show on March 25 at the University of San Diego. For details, visit their website.
New Ventures and Clean Tech
The San Diego Venture Group, a nonprofit that fosters ideas on how to form, fund and build new ventures, is holding a Clean Tech breakfast meeting on April 20 from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency in La Jolla. CCSE is cosponsoring the event. To see a list of panelists and registration, go to their website.
Solana Beach Sustainability Month
The City of Solana Beach has named March as their “Sustainability Month,” with a weekly series of speakers and the 2nd Annual Green Fair to be held at Fletcher Cove Park during the afternoon of March 26. CCSE’s Jeremy Hutman, program manager for PACE programs, will speak about property assessed clean energy ( PACE) financing and other CCSE educational and incentive programs at the city hall at 6:00 p.m. on March 16. CCSE will also participate in the Green Fair. Visit the city’s website for more information.
The Energy that San Diego Drinks
The Sustainability Alliance of Southern California is sponsoring a panel discussion about the potential energy savings that could come from reducing water consumption in the San Diego region at CCSE on Tuesday, March 16, 6:00-9:00 p.m. For information and registration, visit the Sustainability Alliance of Southern California website.
Women in Green Forum
This forum highlights leaders of the environmental movement by bringing together an international audience focusing on the latest green innovations at the Pasadena Convention Center, Sept. 1-2. For information and registration, go to their website.
Green California Summit & Expo
Get up-to-date on the policy innovations, technologies, strategies and best practices that are keeping the Golden State on the cutting edge of the green revolution at this event at the Sacramento Convention Center, Mar. 15-17. For information and registration, go to their website.
Employee Spotlight
Drew Henley
Program Coordinator
Special Events
Drew Henley plays a vital role in creating community and special events. He works closely with local businesses, organizations and individuals who sponsor and participate in CCSE events as well as coordinating CCSE’s involvement in other activities in the community.
Prior to joining CCSE, Drew was the director of business operations at Lights Out Development. He was also a consultant for Henley Assessments and Consulting, a family-owned management consulting firm where he conducted research, data collection, economic forecasting and statistical analysis.
His previous work experience includes being a sports performance coach, personal trainer and mortgage consultant.
Drew has a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Greening Your World® Monthly Tip
Plants that Clear the Air
Certain houseplants are better than others at helping remove some harmful volatile organic chemicals from indoor air. That’s because they’re adapted to tropical climates and growing under dense canopies with low lighting, which requires them to be very efficient in processing gases necessary for photosynthesis. Try ferns, dracaena (dragon tree), ficus (weeping fig), dieffenbachia (dumb cane), orchids, spider plants, pothos and others a nursery may recommend. Your family may breathe a little easier.
Notable Quotable
“Just as mankind has the power to push the world to the brink so, too, do we have the power to bring it back into balance.”
- HRH The Prince of Wales,
UN climate conference COP15 (Dec. 2009)
Stand for Less
Help us STAND FOR LESS. So that everyone can enjoy life more.
Please take a few minutes today and join us at www.standforless.com.
Contact Us
Energy Connection is a monthly e-newsletter of the California Center for Sustainable Energy.
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