Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country
Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country is a “hands-on” green-construction training program involving Native American tribes in the upper Midwest, architects and landscape architects, builders and contractors, and students and faculty from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The project is oriented toward community development on Indian reservations through technology transfer and job skills training in sustainable housing construction techniques based on natural systems, organic materials, local labor, and energy efficiency. Read more
Watch out, Wal-Mart–Wind Manufacturing is the New Kid on the Block in Arkansas
Watch out, Wal-Mart. When it comes to the Arkansas economy, there’s a new kid on the block: wind energy manufacturing. “Since we’ve targeted wind, we’ve had five manufacturers locate in the state, and they’ve invested a total of $370 million and created about 2,900 jobs,” said Scott Hardin of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. Read more
Lost Creek Wind Farm Turbines Made in the USA
Farmers in DeKalb County, Mo., who depend on corn, soybeans and pasture land for their livelihoods will soon gain another source of income: annual payments from the Wind Capital Group, which is leasing space on their properties to create the largest wind farm in Missouri. Lost Creek Wind Farm will cover 32,000 acres and produce enough electricity to power 50,000 homes. The project will also create short-term construction jobs and ongoing operations jobs as well as infrastructure benefits for DeKalb County. Read more
Former Ford Plant Renewed as a Renewable Energy Manufacturer
Wixom, MI – Ford Motor Company’s vacant Wixom, Mich., plant is slated to be converted to a solar and battery power manufacturing center beginning early next year and will come on line in late 2011. The 52-year-old factory will be retooled to house three clean energy manufacturers: Clairvoyant Energy of California, Xtreme Power of Texas, and the Swiss company Oerlikon Solar. Read more
Lessons from the Gainesville Feed-In Tariff Program
At the start of the 20th century, the city of Gainesville, Fla., installed modern municipal water, electricity and sewer systems, which made it an attractive location for the University of Florida and helped it become a major educational and cultural hub in the state. Now, more than 100 years later, Gainesville is once again taking bold steps, this time to become a national clean energy pioneer. Read more
Sunrise Solar Inc.: Powered by Passion
Few would have predicted the meteoric rise of Sunrise Solar Inc., a Midwest manufacturer of solar-powered attic fans, when company president Bill Keith launched the business in 2003 from his garage in St. John, Indiana. Keith, however, was so confident of the company’s eventual success that he mortgaged his own home to finance the start-up business. Read more
Seattle Machinists Apprenticeships Trains Next Generation of Windmill Workers
Journeyman machinists are retiring at a rapid pace throughout greater Seattle. To offset the dwindling workforce, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 160 is teaming up with area companies to offer a multi-year apprentice program that brings fresh hands into the industry.
Michigan’s Sun, Wind Sprout New Clean Energy Jobs Sector
MANISTEE, MI - Every half-century or so since its founding in 1841, this stubborn Lake Michigan port city, which cut hardwood for lake steamers in the 19th century and built parts for Detroit carmakers in the 20th, has endured the optimistic surge and demoralizing retreat of economic transition. Last month, on the kind of cold, wet, early spring day that makes residents question their allegiance to northern Michigan, Manistee latched onto what it believes is the next era of industrial opportunity, a future built quite literally out of thin air.
Babylon’s Lending Program Produces Improved Home Energy Efficiency
The Town of Babylon New York has come up with an innovative way to secure upfront capital for a large-scale energy efficiency and weatherization retrofit program for residential buildings.
Vision Energy’s $1 Billion Wind Bet in Illinois
Residents of Kankakee County, Illinois are ready for the new clean energy economy. Inspired by the calls for more green jobs during the 2008 presidential campaign, a local group of business, education, and government leaders is working to make green-collar jobs a reality in their region. They recognize the potential for green-collar jobs to transform the local economy while also benefitting the country and the environment. They also see investment in wind energy as the wave of Kankakee’s clean energy future.
