News
January 2009
http://coloradoenergynews.com/2009/01/governor-dedicates-solar-power-system-at-csu-pueblo/
http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAPR1363.htm http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=4705&contentId=7050325 http://www.blackhillscorp.com/news09/011409.htm
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter; CSU – Pueblo President Joseph Garcia; BP Solar, Vice President of Strategy, Debbie Strachan; Black Hills Energy, Vice President of Colorado Electric Operations, Gary Stone; Smart Growth Advocates, Vickie Massam >>
December 2008
A coalition of four
environmental and community groups say that Black Hills Energy is
making an insufficient commitment to improving energy efficiency and
providing clean, renewable sources of energy, such as wind and solar
power, before choosing to build new fossil fuel power plants to meet
the needs of its customers in southern Colorado.
The coalition,
consisting of Western Resource Advocates, the Sierra Club, Smart Growth
Advocates and Better Pueblo, submitted formal testimony this week to
the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC), charging that Black
Hills has failed to appropriately consider readily available clean
energy opportunities. >>>
November 2008
The unveiling of the SkyTrough(TM) on
October 10, 2008, in Arvada, Colorado. More than 300 guests attended
the event including the Honorable Bill Ritter, Governor of Colorado,
who presided over the unveiling
ceremony. SGA President,Vickie Massam with SkyFuel
CEO, Arnold Leitner. http://cbs4denver.com/video/?id=47837@kcnc.dayport.com
September 2008
SGA intervene in Black Hills' resource plan presented to the Public Utilities Commission...SGA's particular interest in the referenced case revolve around Black Hills' limited commitment to including renewable energy in its resource mix. It is SGA's belief that the opening utility markets to renewable resources will improve the benefits that innovations in renewable technologies can bring to utility customers. These benefits include reduced costs associated with generating energy from renewable sources, as well as direct and indirect, social, economic and environmental benefits brought by reducing the amount of fossil fuel which must be extracted and burned.
Twin Palms publication, Phuket, Thailand - "Accidental Activism - Life as a renewable energy advocate in Pueblo, Colorado is its own reward" Vickie Massam
Proud endorsers of Amendment 58 initiative - "Enough is Enough" www.asmartercolorado.org
Spanning 100 days, the national tour will bring interactive educational exhibits to 50 cities in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota and Colorado. The exhibits, powered by solar energy, will be transported by colorful biodiesel-fueled trucks. http://www.CityTourforSolar.com
The Pueblo public exhibit has been made possible by Smart Growth Advocates and the following Community Champions:
Black Hills Energy, Board of Pueblo County Commissioners, Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pueblo Community College, Pueblo Technology Alliance, Sangre de Cristo Art Center, Sierra Club Sangre de Cristo Group, Solar Roast Coffee, Southeastern Colorado Renewable Energy Society, Sustainable Pueblo, and Xcel Energy
“Bringing hands-on real world expertise through SunEdison’s educational City Tour for Solar is a wonderful opportunity for Pueblo," said Vickie Massam, Smart Growth Advocates President. “Pueblo has the solar resources to benefit from the new economy, attracting high paying jobs which can’t be outsourced.”>>>
With their hoods open to show off new devices to reduce diesel emissions and energy usage, school buses from Pueblo City Schools and District 70 were the center of attention at Gateway Park Wednesday.
Representatives from both Pueblo school districts as well as Metro Transit, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency gathered near the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo to celebrate the retrofitting of buses.
Jim Martin, executive director for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, applauded Pueblo for making the innovative project a reality, setting the bar for other communities....
Brenda Broyles, a representative of Metro Transit, said she looks for 10 to 12 of their buses to be retrofitted, as part of a project began by settlements with Xcel Energy and local and statewide groups, as well as a settlement with the CDPHE.
Carol Rushin, acting regional administrator for Region 8 of the EPA, estimated 9,000 students in Pueblo ride the bus each day for a total of 270 hours per year on school buses. Nationwide, 40,000 school buses have been fitted with these devices with the help of the EPA.
"We're celebrating because a clean bus fleet will be serving the community of Pueblo," Rushin said. "Together you've made going back to school a little healthier for 9,000 students." . >>>
Bus Retrofit Project Means Cleaner Healthier Air for Pueblo School Children and other Bus Riders
The department partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Sierra Club, Better Pueblo,
July 2008 Colorado
State University-Pueblo soon will be the home of a solar
electric system in excess of one megawatt, one of the largest such
systems for
an education facility in the United States.
Under this innovative arrangement with Black Hills Energy
(formerly
...The
system will be constructed on the east
side of campus between the physical plant complex and the softball
fields on a
strip of land that could not easily serve any other purpose.
“We
view this as an extension of the commitment the
University and the CSU System have made to renewable and sustainable
energy,”
said CSU-Pueblo President Joseph Garcia. “Because this solar
array will be
visible from new facilities being constructed to support our new
athletic
programs and the planned development on our eastern campus border, it
will serve
as a strong statement about the University’s commitment to
supporting
sustainable energy resources.”
July 1 - Local NonProfits Help Pueblo Senior Stay Safe and Comfortable "–A Pueblo senior citizen is the thankful owner of a new, high-efficiency water heater, thanks to the joint efforts of several local nonprofits and utility companies. When Pueblo-based Smart Growth Advocates had a few hundreds dollars left over from a Colorado Department of Health and Environment grant, they contacted Energy Outreach
June 2008:June 10 - 11 Virtual Energy Forum.
June 6 - 8 CREC Conference at the Pueblo Marriott Convention Center.
April 2008
- A Seattle-based company... unveiled a global wind map
..on the Internet. Officials with the company,
3TIER, says the map is part of a "Remapping the World" initiative that
"will change the way we look at the world's renewable energy resources
through sophisticated
mapping
technology." Kenneth Westrick, 3TIER CEO. (excerpt from 25 x 25 newsletter) Colorado
Muncipal League April 2008 "Powering
a Community" by Jeanne Fenter, Vickie Massam and
Wayne Snider
Spring
2008 CSU-P "Looking
Forward, Going Green"
Colorado State University-Pueblo President, Dr. Joe Garcia trumpets
CSU-P's sustainable initiatives
