Nominate a MD Clean Energy Center Awardee

Each year the Maryland Clean Energy Center recognizes a few individuals and organizations who have done outstanding work to advance clean energy and energy efficiency in Maryland for their leadership, partnership, advocacy, and overall championship of the sector. Nominations will be reviewed and winners will be chosen by an Awards Committee. Awardees will be announced at a luncheon during the Maryland Clean Energy Summit to be held October 16, 2013.

Click here for more information about the nomination process and award categories.

 

Green News & Events, March 12

by Susanna Parker

Maryland Senate Passes Offshore Wind Bill

The third time is the charm – after proposing offshore wind bills in 2011 and 2012, Governor Martin O’Malley’s Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act of 2013 passed in the Maryland Senate on March 8. The vote, which had a large favorable margin in the Maryland House, passed in the Senate 30 to 15. The passage of this bill would allow Maryland to hire a private developer to build a series of turbines off the coast of Ocean City. The higher rate for offshore wind, and the cost of development, would require Maryland residential ratepayers to pay an additional $1.50 a month after the turbines are constructed. Maryland businesses would also pay a monthly surcharge of 1.5 percent. O’Malley has framed the monthly charge as a low but necessary cost in establishing an industry in Maryland that has both high potential for green energy but comes with multi-billion dollar start-up costs.

Maryland joins several other states including New Jersey in establishing “carve-outs” for green energy in their state energy budgets. These carve-outs have driven growth in other states, and wind energy advocates hope that the bill will kick-start the offshore wind industry throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Mike Tidwell, executive director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, is optimistic about the effect the bill will have on Maryland’s economy, stating that “it’s a driver of innovation that will create jobs, enhance our economy, improve public health, and protect the climate.” For more information on the bill, read the Washington Post article here.  Visit the Chesapeake Climate Action Network to find out how to thank your Senator for their vote.

New York Times Comes Out Against Keystone XL Pipeline

In an editorial published March 11, the New York Times urged President Obama to reject the pipeline that would funnel Canadian tar sand oil across the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. The Times editorial comes shortly after the State Department’s report stating that the pipeline would have little environmental impact because Canada would develop the tar sand oil with or without the pipeline, therefore building it or not would have no long-term effects. The Times, however, points out that rejecting the pipeline would require Canadians to “play a larger role in deciding whether a massive expansion of tar sands development is prudent.” The lack of a U.S. pipeline would force Canada to build one that spanned their own provinces, a project that has already been delayed due to concerns about the potential environmental impact.

The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would traverse 875 miles of the United States and transport 830,000 barrels of crude oil daily to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The process of extracting, refining, and burning tar sands oil is a dirtier process than that for standard crude, yielding annual greenhouse gas emissions that are roughly 17 percent higher. Additionally, the tar sands and the boreal forest that holds them are major carbon sinks; by extracting the tar sands we both add carbon to the atmosphere and take away a method of removing it. The Times urges President Obama to reject the project, stating that “a president who has repeatedly identified climate change as one of humanity’s most pressing dangers cannot in good conscience approve a project that can only add to the problem.” Read the full editorial at the New York Times.

Upcoming Green Events

• Bidder 70, Friday, March 15, 7:30 pm, St. Columba’s Church, Washington DC

Environmental activist Tim DeChristopher was sent to jail at age 21 for bidding on, and winning, millions of dollars worth of land parcels under false pretenses at a Bureau of Land Management auction. His actions drew ire from gas and oil companies, and applause from environmentalists; Bidder 70 documents DeChristopher’s trial and conviction. Part of the DC Environmental Film Festival, Friday’s screening will be hosted by Ray Suarez and feature musical guests Magpie. Tickets are $7 at the door, seating is limited. For more information on the screening, please visit the event’s Facebook page.

• Save a Birding Hot Spot! Sunday, March 17, 9 am – 11 am, 20500 Zion Road, Laytonsville, MD

Join the Montgomery County Sierra Club, the Montgomery Bird Club, and the Department of Environmental Protection to remove invasive plants from the Blue Mash Nature Trail. The area, a haven for birds and wildlife, has seen its bird diversity drop off due to non-native plants. Bring your clippers, saws, and loppers, and help restore a wildlife habitat. For more information and to RSVP, please visit here.

• Recycling 101 – Make Recycling Your Business! Thursday, March 21, 9 am – 12 noon, Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD

Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste Services presents a workshop featuring information on implementing a successful recycling program in the workplace. Learn about Montgomery County’s recycling requirements, how to reduce waste, and where to buy products made from recyclable materials. The cost is $10 per person. For more information and to RSVP, please visit here.

Susanna Parker is a recent college graduate and volunteer with Bethesda Green. Her interest in sustainability leads her to look for green solutions in uncommon places.

 

Altenera Technology: Catching Good (Wind) Vibrations

BreezBee® Wind Panels (Photo by Altenera Technology)

by Dan Kulpinski

Wind does more than make turbines spin: It also causes objects to vibrate. What if the energy in those vibrations could be tapped to generate electricity, using a method that is silent and has no moving parts?

Altenera Technology, a Bethesda Green incubator company, is developing a new device to do just that. Their modular BreezBee® Wind Panel prototype holds many “reeds” that vibrate in the wind. By utilizing a magnetic field, the device transforms the vibrational energy into an electric current.

The reeds can be assembled in panels of any shape and size, which can be connected together like Legos. The panels are light and have no moving parts — both big plusses in cities.

“It’s really the first, practical wind solution that’s good for residential locations because it doesn’t have rotating parts,” said Chase McCarthy, chief business development officer. “You can use sites that never would have been considered for wind before with this wind panel, because it’s small, light and silent.”

Because tall buildings create unusual wind patterns, there’s plenty of opportunity for small-scale wind power in urban areas. “You have very turbulent wind conditions in cities,” said McCarthy.

Altenera’s wind panels could go atop roofs, or form a kind of webbing in the framework of municipal sites such as bridges and water towers, or be used in mobile arrays for military or other purposes.

Chief Technology Officer Morris Kaplan proved the concept when he built a reed-like power source for sensors in remote, hard-to-access industrial equipment. Since beginning work on the technology, he’s filed two patents for Altenera and registered the BreezBee® trademark.

Solar house with BreezBee® Wind Panels. (Image by Altenera Technology)

“Although we’re competing with small turbines, our model is really closer to solar’s,” said Kaplan, who is an internationally recognized researcher in the modeling, design and fabrication of various mechanical and electro-optical components. “We use the same infrastructure and same electronics as solar. We think of the panel as a missing link between utility wind farms and the residential, solar panel market.”

In fact, the wind panels complement solar panels and could be easily installed by solar power companies at the same time they put solar on a roof.

As a start-up company, Altenera seeks to put some financial wind in its sails. “We’re building early-stage prototypes and looking for funding to take it to the final stage,” said McCarthy.

Dan Kulpinski is a freelance writer who covers environmental science and sustainability topics.

 

Fiscal Cliff vote extends energy tax credits

While most of the inside-the-beltway punditry focused on congressional dysfunction and political brinkmanship over the New Year’s Day fiscal cliff vote regarding federal tax rates, the legislation includes a section — Title IV, Energy Tax Credits — that extends retroactively a number of energy credits from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013.

The legislation covers tax credits for homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes (see Section 408) and addresses wind energy, geothermal, biodiesel and more.

To download the legislation go to American Taxpayer Act.

Bethesda Green plans to organize an information forum early this year to review some of the details and current status of federal and state energy tax credits. Stay tuned.

 

Green News & Events, Dec. 11, 2012

by Susanna Parker

Montgomery County & Catalog Choice Work Together to Reduce Waste

‘Tis the season for masses of unwanted catalogs stuffed into our mailboxes, cluttering our counters, and giving us headaches — but it doesn’t have to be!

Montgomery County has just announced a formal partnership with Catalog Choice, the free online service that has been helping us opt out of catalogs, credit offers, and other unsolicited hard copy since 2007. Working together, Catalog Choice and Montgomery County have created a dedicated website solely for Montgomery County residents and businesses. The website allows you to search for senders by name and request your removal from their database. To do so, you need the Customer Number and Key Code, which are both found on the mailing label. Once you’ve entered that information, you can submit your request to the company, and so long, junk mail! Do yourself and the environment a favor; opt out of unsolicited mailings, prevent that headache, and help reduce waste!

O’Malley to Push For Offshore Wind in 2013

Legislation to fund offshore wind farms has failed to pass the Maryland General Assembly twice, but that has not deterred Governor Martin O’Malley from his continued support of the plan.

According to the Maryland Gazette, in late November O’Malley sent a letter to President Barack Obama encouraging him to look to Maryland as a leader in clean energy options. O’Malley wrote that the state has “chosen to aggressively develop our vast offshore wind resources.” However, O’Malley’s plan may be imperiled by the potential expiration of the federal wind energy tax credits. These credits, set to expire New Year’s Eve, give energy companies 2.2 cents for every kilowatt hour of wind power they produce for the first ten years. This credit helps companies make the changeover to wind power without passing extra costs down to the consumers.

O’Malley supports the extension of these tax credits, but will push the offshore wind legislation regardless of the credit. There are still concerns about the language of the potential bill; State Senator Catherine E. Pugh argues that, since the bill is asking the public to pay for the changeover, there should be inclusiveness in ownership. Pugh is also a proponent of accessing Maryland’s natural gas resources, citing its lower costs and potential for job creation. Takkira Winfield, spokeswoman for the Governor’s office, says that while they’re hoping to introduce something similar to last year’s legislation, the details of the bill are still being worked out.

For more details, please read the full Maryland Gazette article here.

Upcoming Green Events

• Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary Volunteer Day, Sunday December 16, 9 am – 12 pm, 15200 Mount Nebo Road Poolesville, MD.

Join the Washington Farm Animals Meetup Group for a volunteer day at Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Poolesville. Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary non-profit organization whose 400-acre property serves as a refuge for both farm animals and wildlife. The volunteer activities will consist of feeding the refuge’s populations of goats, sheep, pigs, horses, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits, as well as cleaning their stalls and providing the animals with fresh water. RSVP via the Washington Farm Animals Meetup Group.  If this is your first time volunteering with Poplar Spring, please be sure to fill out and bring their volunteer application  and waiver.

• GreenWheaton’s Alternative Lighting Program, Thursday, Dec. 20, 7 – 8:30 pm, All Eco Center, 2662 University Blvd, Wheaton, MD.

Experts discuss Street Lighting in Wheaton MD.  Learn about the County’s plans for upgrading to more energy efficient lights and Wheaton’s prospects for approving more energy efficient/dark sky friendly decorative light fixtures for downtown Wheaton.  More info available here.

• Save Rock Creek Park Trees, Friday, December 21, 1 – 3 pm, Rock Creek Park trail head on Albermarle Street, NW.

Join the Rock Creek Conservancy and the National Park Service to save park trees from the chokehold of English ivy, an invasive vine that grows up tree trunks and eventually weakens and kills its host tree. Volunteers will cut ivy from the trunks with hand tools which, along with gloves and training, will be provided onsite. To register, please visit their calendar at RockCreekConservancy.org.

Susanna Parker is a recent college graduate and volunteer with Bethesda Green. Her interest in sustainability leads her to look for green solutions in uncommon places.

 

Improve the Chesapeake Bay with WGES CleanSteps® Carbon Offsets

WGES CleanSteps® Carbon Offsets, offered in partnership with Bethesda Green, is a green product that allows you to support clean air and water projects in the Chesapeake Bay region.

A carbon offset represents a greenhouse gas emission reduction made in one place to compensate for emissions created in another place. With WGES CleanSteps Carbon Offsets, you can counterbalance the environmental impact of your natural gas use from everyday activities such as heating and cooking. WGES CleanSteps Carbon Offsets are derived from verified emssion-reduction projects (intermodal transport and methane gas capture), and they are unique because they also fund new local carbon offset projects managed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, such as tree plantings along rivers and streams.

Since the launch of WGES CleanSteps Carbon Offsets in September 2010…

• More than 50,000 carbon offsets have been matched to WGES customers’ natural gas usage.
• More than $400,000 in contributions have been made to the Carbon Reduction Fund managed by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
• The funds have been used to plant 9,000 trees in Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick and Talbot counties in Maryland and to start a nutrient-management project.

When customers choose WGES for their natural gas supply, they can match 100% of their natural gas use with WGES CleanSteps Carbon Offsets. And as part of its partnership with Bethesda Green, WGES is offering special pricing for Bethesda Green members.

For more information about WGES CleanSteps Carbon Offsets and to enroll at special pricing, visit www.wges.com/greenspecialoffsets.

 

Circle of Support for Offshore Wind Power

The Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN) is helping organize hundreds of Marylanders on Monday night April 2 to form a “Circle of Support” around the Maryland State House in Annapolis to encourage lawmakers to embrace offshore wind power.

Attendees will literally form a continuous ring of people around the capital building. It will be a powerful way to convey a very positive message: This circle represents our unified appreciation of leaders who have fought so hard to advance legislation this year to build a clean-energy wind farm off Maryland’s Atlantic coast.

When’s the last time citizens formed a ring around the State House in Annapolis? No one – not even long-time activists and lawmakers – can recall it ever happening before. How many people will it take? Several hundred at least, according to CCAN, which is why they need your help.

Free buses to Annapolis are available.  More details about the event can be found here.

 

Environmental Film Festival Kicks Off

This year, the Environmental Film Festival celebrates its 20th Anniversary in the Nation’s Capital. The festival runs March 13-25, 2012, and features 180 documentary, narrative, animated, archival, experimental and children’s films. Most screenings include discussion and are free.

Bethesda Green is participating in the discussion after the Thursday, March 15, 7 pm showing of Cape Spin: An American Power Struggle at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle St. NW, Washington, DC, near the Tenleytown/AU Metro station. Cape Spin examines the unusual political alliances lined up for and against a major wind farm proposed for the middle of Nantucket Sound.

CAPE SPIN: AN AMERICAN POWER STRUGGLE

 

Green News & Events, Feb 1, 2012

by Dan Rudt, www.MoCo-Sustain.com

County Residential Energy Rebate Funds Nearly Depleted

The Montgomery County Residential Energy Efficiency Rebate Program introduced in August 2011 is reaching the end of its $1.1 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding. To date, the program has provided incentives to 845 homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements to their single family homes, town homes and condominiums. Eligible improvements include the purchase of Energy Star kitchen appliances, duct sealing and attic insulation, to new furnaces and central air conditioning, among other things. Any given home may qualify for up to $3,000 in rebates.

A visit to the rebate program website indicates the fund has $0 left, but the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (MCDEP) has told us there is a very small amount of funding still available from program reserves. In addition, small amounts are anticipated to become available from projects that are not completed or liquidated.

To manage applications from this point forward, MCDEP is implementing a wait list process. A homeowner who qualifies and wishes to apply should go to the website and log-on and register as if applying for a rebate. The wait list will only take basic information. If funding becomes available, the homeowner will be emailed with instructions to log-in and complete the remainder of the application. This will all be done on a first-come, first-served basis.

What If I Have Already Been Approved?

Homeowners who have already been approved have their funds reserved for them. As long as they complete the agreed upon improvements, meet the program requirements and submit invoices within 90 days of approval, they should receive their rebates. If they miss the 90 day deadline, MCDEP says they will be notified by email that their rebate is in jeopardy. Failure to respond to that email may result in the loss of the rebate.

What If I Applied and Was Denied?

The DEP says it has adequate funds for homeowners who applied by January 29 who were denied, but from whom additional information was requested. “Those individuals will be our first priority to get approved so they can proceed with their projects,” said Senior Energy Planner Eric R. Coffman. Those homeowners should promptly clear up questions about their eligibility, (e.g., whether the equipment they are purchasing qualifies for the rebate) to avoid having the funds for which they applied released to others on the wait list. Coffman indicated his department would move very quickly to clear up outstanding questions and allocate the last of the funds to qualifying applicants.

O’Malley Renews Efforts for Offshore Wind Energy

The Legislature is in session, and Governor O’Malley has released his 2012 agenda. This year, the governor hopes to pass the Maryland Offshore Wind Energy Act that was put on hold in 2011 following debate in both chambers. This past autumn, the Maryland House Economic Matters Committee and the Senate Finance Committee convened study sessions to examine policies and to weigh the benefits of offshore wind for the state. Maryland is obligated to develop renewable sources of electricity by a state law passed in 2008 requiring electric utilities to purchase 20 percent of the electricity they sell from renewable sources by 2022.

The bill before the legislature is designed to encourage private investment in wind energy by establishing an offshore wind renewable energy credit (OREC) similar to that created by a bi-partisan New Jersey legislature to facilitate offshore wind construction in that state. O’Malley believes that the OREC model he has proposed would enable at least a 450 MW project to be built, creating an estimated 1,800 construction jobs and 360 ongoing maintenance jobs. Wind advocates say the 100 or so ocean-based wind turbines could produce electricity equivalent to 70 percent of Maryland Eastern Shore’s current demand.

The bill would limit the anticipated rate impact to $2 per month for the average residential customer. The $2 increase would not take effect until 2017. Last fall, Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies conducted a poll for a coalition of environmental, business, labor and faith groups called Marylanders for Offshore Wind. The poll asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with the following statement: “I would be willing to pay $2 more per month on my electric bill if a greater percentage of my electricity came from clean, local offshore wind farms, instead of coming from coal, oil, and gas.” Sixty-two percent of respondents agreed with the statement.

Pepco Buys WaterShed

The University of Maryland announced on Monday (1/30) that it will sell WaterShed, the top prize winning home in the 2011 U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon, to Pepco for an undisclosed amount. The sale was announced at a campus celebration honoring the WaterShed team’s achievement. Under the agreement of sale, Pepco will cover WaterShed’s outstanding project costs and pay for its transport and reassembly at a PEPCO facility in Montgomery County. The precise location has not been chosen yet.

The University of Maryland entry was awarded the Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon architecture prize and declared the overall winner in a contest that included 19 other collegiate teams from Belgium, Canada, China, New Zealand and the United States. Decathlon competitors were challenged to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive. Like the other competition entrants, WaterShed is a solar powered home. Unlike the others, it also conserves, collects, filters and reuses water. Its unique design elements, such as “manufactured wetlands” that help reduce storm water runoff and its patent-pending indoor waterfall that provides humidity control in an aesthetically pleasing manner, set WaterShed apart from the competing solar homes.

“The WaterShed team took on a double challenge when it built a house that would run on the sun and address a significant source of Chesapeake Bay pollution, so its first-place performance on the international stage was more than a major source of pride,” said Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. “We’re extremely pleased that Pepco has agreed to provide a permanent home for WaterShed, so that its educational impact and research can continue.”

Under the arrangement, Pepco and the University will partner on the prize-winning home’s operation, monitor its performance, conduct ongoing research and work closely on designing educational materials about WaterShed. The house will serve as a “living classroom” and a “living laboratory” to demonstrate smart, clean energy options, blending its original technological and design innovations with Pepco’s own advanced technology, such as its smart thermostats and home-based electric vehicle charging stations. Pepco plans to open WaterShed to the public for conferences, educational presentations and occasional public tours. It will also serve as an energy testing facility. University researchers will continue measuring performance of its various systems to assess its long-term operation. Student members of the team that designed and built WaterShed will serve as docents once the facility opens, explaining to visitors the house’s capabilities and design features. (Photo: Jim Tetro)

Hudson Trail Outfitters Switches To Wind Power

Clean Currents, a leading retail provider of wind power in Maryland and the District of Columbia, announced on January 24 that Hudson Trail Outfitters (HTO) will purchase renewable wind energy for its Maryland and DC locations.  HTO has committed to purchasing Green-e Energy certified wind power from Clean Currents for 100 percent of its Annapolis, Rockville and Tenleytown stores’ electricity.

HTO’s switch to wind energy will avoid one-and-a-half million pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions annually – or the equivalent of removing 133 passenger vehicles from the road for an entire year.

Hudson Trail Outfitters is a popular outdoor clothing and gear retailer that opened its doors in 1971. Today the company has stores in Fairfax and Pentagon Row in addition to Annapolis, Rockville and Tenleytown.

“Hudson Trail Outfitters exists only to be recognized as the leader in all things ‘Specialty Active Outdoors’ related – the company’s 40 year history has been rooted in health, in happiness, and in the preservation of the environment.  We believe that making the switch to wind power through Clean Currents supports the core initiatives of the company.  Today, HTO, Ltd remains focused on environmental awareness, community preservation, and on being an active participant in prolonging & maintaining the future growth of the environment around us,” said Sandy Cohan, General Manager of HTO, Ltd.

Clean Currents, which has supplied wind power through the grid to residences and businesses since its founding in 2005, now claims more than  9,000 residential and 500 commercial customers across Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Clean Currents is a registered Benefit LLC and B-Corporation.

“We’re very excited to be partnering with a locally based company that is similarly passionate about the environment as we are,” said Ron Rodriguez, Vice President of Business Development at Clean Currents.  “Providing clean wind power to Hudson Trail’s Maryland and DC locations represents a real synergy between companies that are dedicated to making our world a greener place,” added Rodriguez.

Upcoming Green Events

Bethesda Green First Thursday Happy Hour: Warm up for Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb 2, 5 – 8 pm, The Wine Bar, Doubletree Hotel lobby. Join Bethesda Green for casual conversation and social networking. Win a romantic dinner for two at The OZ restaurant.

■ Hear about Bethesda Green’s community outreach plans

■ Briefing about new website, mygreenmontgomery.org

■ Enjoy light appetizers

■ Happy-hour-priced beer, wine and specialty drinks

■ Raffle for gift card — dinner for two at The OZ, the Doubletree’s signature restaurant

RSVP through Meetup

Documentary film: “Bag It: Is your life too plastic?”  Saturday, Feb 4, 7:30 pm- 9:30 p.m.  Washington Ethical Society (library), 7750 16th Street, NW, Washington DC 20012 (0.7 miles from Silver Spring Metro Station; S4 Metrobus). “Bag it: Is your life too plastic?” is an eye-opening and funny documentary film that navigates the plastic world.  Are plastic bags necessary? What are plastic bags made from? What happens to plastic bags after they are discarded? The 65-minute award-winning documentary film will give answers to this questions.  65 min. movie followed by 30 min. discussion.  Snacks provided; $5 donation requested.  RSVPs helpful but drop-ins welcome. Sponsored by the WES Earth Ethics Committee. Email for movie information and RSVP: EarthEthics2@verizon.net or call Sue Jacobson, 301-309-6731.

Bethesda Green Education, Outreach and Marketing (EOM) Group Meeting, Wednesday, Feb 8, 4:00-5:30 pm at Bethesda Green, 4825 Cordell Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814. We’re on the second floor above the Capital One Bank branch on the corner of Woodmont and Cordell. A team of volunteers, EOM supports all of Bethesda Green’s communication efforts. From recycling to energy efficiency, sustainability to green building/design, EOM expresses the organization’s various areas of expertise in a clear and concise manner via various media.  New members are welcome to join.

Specifically, EOM:

■ Designs and schedules educational programs

■ Collects and shares best practices

■ Engages in general marketing for Bethesda Green

■  Manages all aspects of the website

■ Creates content for the newsletter

■ Uses online tools for outreach purposes

For more information, contact Bethesda Green Communications Director Dave Heffernan, dvheffernan@bethesdagreen.org.

Green Matters: Urban Farming Pioneers, Friday, Feb 24, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm, Brookside Gardens. This year’s Green Matters will kindle your inner urban farmer and entice you to think about food production in wholly different ways. We’ll highlight innovative approaches to feeding the world’s population. For complete information about speakers and sessions, visit this page.

Bethesda Green’s Third Annual Fields of Green Internship Fair, Saturday, Feb 25, 10 am – 2 pm. 4825 Cordell Avenue, Second Floor above the Capital One Bank. The Internship Fair provides college-age young people an opportunity to meet representatives from a number of companies and non-profits offering job experience in the green business sector. More than 20 companies will be in attendance. Learn about academic and government programs, as well as a variety of internships, including those with our own Green Business Incubator companies.

Employers: Is your organization looking for some stellar interns this summer? Or, perhaps your organization has a need for interns year round?  If so, we have an excellent opportunity for you to participate in.  Right now we are in the process of inviting employers looking for highly qualified candidates to sign up to be a part of our internship fair.  Not only will you meet the candidates for the internships face-to-face on Feb. 25th but your internship posting will be widely shared among our diverse network as well as posted on our Fields of Green webpage leading up to the event.  In year’s past we have matched many amazing candidates with wonderful green job sector opportunities.

Help us develop the next generation of green leaders and promote local job creation by participating in the Fields of Green Internship Fair!  We accept both paid and unpaid positions at the fair.

Interested in Sponsoring the Fields of Green Internship Fair?  Get details HERE.

Have a job or internship to offer? Download and fill out the Job Description Form HERE.

Check out more details and internship opportunities here.

For more information, please contact Sharon D’Emidio at sharon@bethesdagreen.org.

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Dan Rudt is the editor of Montgomery County Sustainability News, or MoCo-Sustain.com, a daily news Website serving the local area with environmental sustainability news, information and events.

 

Green News & Events, Dec 19, 2011

Exelon-Constellation Merger Clears Major Hurdle

Governor Martin O’Malley announced on December 14 that the State of Maryland and the Maryland Energy Administration have reached a settlement with Exelon Corporation and Constellation Energy. The terms must be approved by the Maryland Public Service Commission by January 5 for the merger of Exelon and Constellation, the parent company of Baltimore Gas and Electric, to occur.

The Governor played hardball for months with Chicago-based Exelon, and came away with over $1 billion in promised investment into the Maryland economy. Exelon has agreed to provide Maryland with:

• 120 MW of new natural gas generation
• 125 MW of land-based wind generation
• 30 MW of solar generation
• $30 million investment in the state’s offshore wind development fund
• $2 million to Maryland public universities to fund wind energy research
• $90 million towards development of the State’s planned 10 MW of animal-waste fueled generation
• PSC retains jurisdiction to spin off BGE in certain instances in the future, including Exelon bankruptcy, nuclear accident, or repeated violation of PSC Orders.
• $50 million for approximately 12,500 weatherization improvements for low- to moderate-income families
• $10 million to provide assistance to 22,000 families in paying their electricity bills
• Creation of over 6,000 jobs in Maryland

Mike Tidwell, director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network said, “Governor O’Malley has achieved fairness for ratepayers and a big leap forward for the environment with this agreement. Future Marylanders will look back on this date as a real turning point for clean air and the fight against global warming.”

Solar Energy Sets New Records in Third Quarter 2011

It was a very productive summer for solar panel installers. The third quarter of 2011 was by far (and so far) the busiest quarter of a busy year. More U.S. solar electric capacity came online in Q3 2011 than all of 2009 combined, and Q4 2011 is predicted to be even larger, according to a report released December 14 by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Here are some of the numbers from that report:

• Through Q3, the U.S. solar industry has installed more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar capacity in 2011, already surpassing the 2010 annual total of 887 MW
• Grid-connected PV installations in Q3 2011 grew 39 percent over Q2 2011 and 140 percent over Q3 2010
• The utility PV market installed over 200 MW in Q3 2011, a greater than 400 percent increase in installations over Q2 2011
• The residential PV market grew 21 percent over Q2 2011 to reach nearly 75 MW

The next year or two may not be as rosy as 2011. The SEIA reports a concern in the solar industry about the scheduled expiration at the end of this month of the “1603” U.S. Treasury Department Program that provides funding assistance for commercial energy installations. The program is part of the Recovery Act and will expire without renewal by Congress. As Shayle Kann, Managing Director of the solar practice at GTM Research put it, “U.S. solar is entering 2012 with a sense of cautious optimism.”

Nick’s Farm Get’s Another Season; Issue Not Settled 

Organic farmer Nick Maravelli agreed on Wednesday, 12/14, to drop his lawsuit against the Montgomery County Board of Education. In return, the county government gave him an extension on his lease through August 15, 2012. The lease had been scheduled to expire on December 31, 2011. That does not mean his fight is over, however. According to the Gazette, the county still plans to use the land for soccer fields. The newspaper reports Montgomery County Director of Public Information Patrick Lacefield as saying, “Since we are not going to be breaking ground before August 15, and since he dropped the lawsuit, we gave him an extension. From our standpoint, this does not change our schedule…or our intent.” Still, the Potomac Patch suggests Maravell welcomed the temporary agreement. “It gives me hope that we can continue to advance our desire to use the fields for education services,” he said.

Maravell has leased from the board of education and farmed the land on Brickyard Road in Potomac since 1980. The board voted in March, 2011 to lease the land to the county for use as soccer fields. Maravell and others who want to save his organic farm have proposed that it be used as an outdoor agricultural education center for Montgomery County students. The Delmarva Farmer writes, “The Chesapeake Sustainability Institute, a tax-deductible 501c3, is already working to develop the educational center in the event,” that the county allows the Brickyard Road farm to remain in business.

Upcoming Green Events

First Thursday Happy Hour @ BlackFinn, Thursday, Jan. 5, 5-8 pm, 4901 Fairmont Avenue, Bethesda. Ring in the New Year w/Bethesda Green. Join us for casual conversation and social networking.

What’s your New Year’s Green Resolution?

Jot it down with your name and email address. Bring your Green Resolution to the Happy Hour for a chance to win a BlackFinn gift card. We’ll share ideas and publish highlights on our website.

* Hear about upcoming Bethesda Green events
* Meet members of our Green Business Incubator
* Learn what you can do to make a difference in your community

RSVP through Meetup

Bethesda Green Education, Outreach and Marketing (EOM) Group Meeting – Newcomers Welcome! Wednesday, January 11, 4:00 – 5:30 pm., 4825 Cordell Ave., corner of Woodmont Ave., Suite 200, above the Capital One Bank, Bethesda. A team of volunteers, EOM supports all of Bethesda Green’s communication efforts. From recycling to energy efficiency, sustainability to green building/design, EOM expresses the organization’s various areas of expertise in a clear and concise manner via various media.  New members are welcome to join. Contact Bethesda Green Communications Director Dave Heffernan, dvheffernan@bethesdagreen.org.

Future Harvest – Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, 13th Annual Conference, “Farm to Institution: Making Local Food Economies a Reality” January 13-14, National Conference Center, Lansdowne, VA. Two keynote addresses on local food economies, six learning tracks, pre-conference workshops, farmer panel on advocacy and much more! Information and registration here.

MLK Day of Service 2012, Monday, January 16, 1:00 – 3:00 pm. Montgomery County will be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at North Bethesda Marriott Hotel and Conference Center and at two satellite site locations (Universities at Shady Grove in Gaithersburg and the Silver Spring Civic Building). That is followed by a tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. at Strathmore Hall at 4:00pm. Volunteers can sign up to participate in this exciting event and learn about the great work that local organizations are doing, find out ways to get involved, and make a difference. More information and registration here.

Help the Hungry Food Drive:  Support those in need by bringing non-perishable food items to the Bethesda North Marriott.  Food collection will be located near the Montgomery County Volunteer Center table.  Donations will go to Manna Food Center.

2012 “Keep Winter Cold” Polar Bear Plunge sponsored by CCAN, Saturday, January 21, 2012 at 11:00 am, The Beach at National Harbor, Maryland. For seven years, groups of people who care have plunged into cold bodies of water in our region to fight climate change, bring back the Arctic sea ice, and save polar bears. The Polar Bear Plunge is the Chesapeake Climate Action Network’s biggest annual fundraising event. The money we raise during the plunge goes to support our programs to combat global warming at the state level in our area. Information here.