What happens when you don't manufacture enough domestically: (And act like a country full of spoiled bullies)

US asks private groups to ease bullet shortage
By Christopher Bowe in New York
Published: May 27 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: May 27 2004 5:00

Even in the age of unmanned aerial vehicles, satellite-guided bombs and night-vision goggles, the US army cannot fight a war without its most basic necessity: bullets.

And with more troops in Iraq, more intense combat than expected and the need for almost every soldier from frontline infantryman to rearguard logistician to be prepared for an ambush, the army suddenly finds itself in something of a bullet crunch.

According to a requisition last week by the Army Field Support Command, the service will need 300m to 500m more bullets a year for at least five years, or more than 1.5m a year for combat and training. And because the single army-owned, small-calibre ammunition factory in Lake City, Missouri, can produce only 1.2m bullets annually, the army is suddenly scrambling to get private defence contractors to help fill the gap.

The bullet problem has its roots in a Pentagon effort to restock its depleted war materiel reserve. But it has been exacerbated by the ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, where rearguard and supply units have been thinly-stretched throughout the countryside, occasionally without active duty combat soldiers to protect them.

The army's formal solicitation acknowledges that its current manufacturing abilities have been all but exhausted. "Increasing military contingencies have created a situation where the capability to produce small calibre ammunition through conventional methods has been fully exercised," it said.

Specifically, the army is looking for 300m more bullets annually, potentially rising to 500m a year.

Alliant Techsystems, which runs the army-owned factory in Lake City, is in talks with the military about remedying the bullet production shortage, insisting it could...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 5:47 AM

 
Kucinich Asks Bush To Take Steps To Reduce Gas Prices
75 Democrats Sign Letter

POSTED: 10:33 am EDT May 26, 2004
WASHINGTON -- Seventy-five U.S. House Democrats, including five from Ohio, called on President Bush Tuesday to take several steps to combat rising gasoline prices.

The Democrats claim in a letter obtained that recent mergers between several large oil companies could have set the stage for price gouging practices, and they asked Bush to investigate.

"There is substantial evidence that anticompetitive practices by domestic corporations -- made possible by recent mergers -- are partly to blame for high gasoline prices.

"We believe only an increase in government oversight can restore the transparency and accountability consumers need," the Democrats said in a letter sent to Bush.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who led the effort after getting NewsNet5.com's gas rage petition, said the president should take six steps to ensure lower gas prices, which included...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 2:45 PM

 
(Bidiesel is produced mainly from vetegable oils, therefore it boosts demand for farm produce.)



Biodiesel Helping to Clean Up the Air, Human Health Benefits Reported

Dear Biodiesel Alliance-Backers Supporters:

With the month of May designated as National Asthma Awareness Month and increasing concern about the effects of diesel exhaust on human health, there is growing interest in how cleaner-burning biodiesel improves air quality to aid people with respiratory ailments as well as the general public.

The President of the American Lung Association of Washington, D.C., a physician, states that biodiesel can improve air quality and improve public health. From a college student and school bus driver with asthma, to workers at a Kansas Salt Mine and an Iowa aluminum manufacturing plant, to firefighters and leaf blower operators in Missouri, people across the country report that they are breathing easier with biodiesel.

We hope you will take a moment and tell us YOUR STORY about health & environmental-related experiences with biodiesel, too! Just Click here, and fill out the form provided.

More information about their experiences is available in a news release at Biodiesel Helping to Clean Up the Air, Human Health Benefits Reported.

You can help support biodiesel by forwarding this exciting news to others who may be interested. Thanks in advance for your support.

Joe Jobe
Executive Director
National Biodiesel Board
- posted by AquarianM @ 2:37 PM

 
Mo. Plant Makes Oil From Turkey Offal

May 24, 6:10 PM (ET)

By MARGARET STAFFORD

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Someday, if the hopes and dreams of investors in a small plant in southwest Missouri come true, Americans may be using oil derived from what is left of a turkey after it has gone through a rendering plant.

The blood, guts, skin, feathers and bones, called turkey offal, are being converted into oil at the plant in Carthage, about 50 miles west of Springfield. Owners of the plant announced this week that they have begun selling between 100 and 200 barrels of the oil per day.

The plant is operated by Renewable Environmental Solutions, based in Downer's Grove, Ill., which is a joint venture of ConAgra Foods Inc. (CAG) and Changing World Technologies, Inc.

A method called Thermal Conversion Process converts the offal from turkeys at a nearby Butterball plant into oil, fatty acids, natural gas, minerals and carbon.

The process can convert any carbon-based form, essentially by speeding up the method the earth uses to break down dead plants and animals into petroleum hydrocarbons. Using specific heat, pressure and water, the feedstock's long molecular chains are broken into gas that is recycled to run the plant, water that is returned to municipal water streams and the other products that are sold.

The advantages of the process are significant, according to Brian Appel, chairman and chief executive officer of Changing World Technologies.

He said it uses far less energy than other waste-to-energy products, creates fewer toxic emissions and destroys most pathogens in the feedstocks, while creating environmentally friendly fuels and fertilizers.

If the process becomes widely accepted, it would reduce the mountains of animal waste accumulating in the world, help reduce global warming and prove that...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:23 PM

 
Good news for farmers - demand for vegetable oils may be on the rise:

Drivers Eye Vegetable Oil As Cheap Fuel

May 24, 7:26 AM (ET)

By LAURA WALSH

WESTON, Conn. (AP) - As the nation grapples with pumped-up gas prices, car owners are turning to their favorite restaurants for a solution: recycled vegetable oil.

Environmentalists have been using the fuel alternative for years as a way to cut back on sooty emissions, but as gas prices soar above $2 a gallon, they say their "veggie cars" are also a great way to save some cash.

Every two weeks, Etta Kantor drives to a local Chinese restaurant to fuel her blue Volkswagen Jetta. She calls ahead and the owner knows to put aside a few buckets of used oil just for her. At home, Kantor uses a colander and a bag filter to remove water and any food particles.

The vegetable oil is then poured into a 15-gallon tank that sits in the back of her Jetta, where a spare tire would usually be kept. With a touch of a button, located above the radio, Kantor can switch from diesel fuel to vegetable oil in seconds.

"Oh, I zip around town, go fast on highways. It's not any different," said Kantor, 58, of Weston.

Restaurants have to pay to get rid of their old vegetable oil and are happy to give it away for free.

"It saves us a couple of dollars and it helps to save the environment a bit so I thought, 'Why not?'" said Shawn Reilly, a co-owner of Eli's On Whitney, a restaurant in Hamden.

Reilly estimates that it costs between $40 and $60 a month to have the oil removed otherwise.

The restaurant's only oil collector, Bridgeport resident Aaron Schlechter, says he picks up about 30 or 40 gallons twice a month from Eli's. He uses it to fuel his car for his 170-mile commute every day to his job as an environmental consultant in Staten Island, N.Y.

"The only way that I can assuage my guilt by driving this awful distance is by driving something that isn't consuming fossil fuels and has much more environmentally friendly emissions," Schlechter, 29, said.

Vegetable oil is becoming such a rage that a Massachusetts company called Greasecar, is buying it in bulk from a distributor and selling it to local customers. It sells for 90 cents a gallon, said company founder Justin Carven.

Since 2001, Greasecar has also been selling conversion kits, like the one in Kantor's car, that allow diesel cars to run on the recycled oil. The kits only work on diesel engines. About 200 kits were sold in the past year, Carven said.

A standard conversion kit sells for $800 at Greasecar.

"Once you install it, though, you are saving hundreds and hundreds of dollars," he said. "The product usually pays for itself within the first year."

Using the conversion kit, the car must be started and stopped on diesel fuel. A separate fuel tank is installed to hold the vegetable oil. Once the car is running and the vegetable oil has heated up, it can be switched over to run on just the vegetable oil.

The oil must be heated because it is thicker and tends to congeal in the cold weather, Carven said.

Similarly, Liquid Solar in Ithaca, N.Y., has contracts with a few local restaurants to collect their used vegetable oil. And in Santa Rosa, Calif., a group of 50 people have formed a co-op to buy the oil in bulk from a local manufacturer and then filter it for their own use.

Although the Environmental Protection Agency has given a stamp of approval for vegetable-based biodiesel, it hasn't...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:18 PM

 
The Art of Natural Building
Design, Construction, Resources
Edited by Joseph F. Kennedy, Michael G. Smith and Catherine Wanek

The search for housing that is healthy, affordable, and environmentally responsible is leading a growing number of people to take a fresh look at building techniques long shunned by the modern construction industry. Recently, books on specific techniques such as straw-bale construction, cob or rammed earth have become available, but there has been little to introduce the reader to the entire field. The Art of Natural Building fills that void wholly by being a complete and user-friendly introduction to natural building for non-professionals as well as architects and designers. From straw bale and cob to recycled concrete and salvaged materials, this anthology of articles from leaders in the field focuses on both the practical and the esthetic concerns of ecological building designs and techniques. Above all, this empowering guide demonstrates that anyone can design and build a home from natural materials that is beautiful, low-cost, and environmentally-sensible. Profusely illustrated, The Art of Natural Building is divided into five sections. The first provides an overview of the natural building movement from the various perspectives of sustainability, lifestyle, and health. The second section looks at planning and design, followed by a section that focuses on specific techniques and the vast variety of materials used in natural building. Next, examples of diverse natural dwellings are shared—from a Hybrid Hobbit House to a thatched studio and a cob office. Finally, complementary systems, such as solar appliances, composting toilets, and alternative power systems are covered. Packed with additional resources and a bibliography, this is the encyclopedia of natural building!


All three editors are central practitioners in the natural building movement. Catherine Wanek is the publisher and editor of The Last Straw Journal. Joseph F. Kennedy has expanded the boundaries of ecological architecture with NASA's space station habitability module. Michael Smith is the author of The Cob Cottage (Chelsea Green, 2001), among other books.

http://www.newsociety.com/bookid/3697
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:55 PM

 
A very unique and wonderful movie about a special place at the heart of Madison, WI: http://www.streetswithoutcars.com
This is an absolute trasure, leave off the big time politics and environmental discourse and take a look at one of the most unusual places that grace this country.
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:01 PM

 
From GRACE:

Vote for The Meatrix!

The Meatrix has been accepted in the Annecy 2004 Film Festival in the "Short films for the internet category". Annecy is the top animation festival in the world, so this is a great honor for the creators of The Meatrix, and is a great opportunity to educate even more people about the issues with factory farming.

You can view all the nominees' movies at http://www.annecy.org/home/index.php?Page_ID=468.

Voting is online, so please go and cast your vote for The Meatrix, and help us spread the word about factory farming. (You have to scroll down almost to the bottom of the page.) Click on "pour voter, cliquez >>ici" to vote.

Voting ends June 11th.

For those not familiar with Annecy, it's an international film festival held every year in France with 5500 attendees, 350 journalists, over 1400 films from 50 countries with more than 260 films in the official selection. This festival is dedicated solely to animation.

Please feel free to pass this on to friends.

The Meatrix continues its unprecedented success all over the world - we'll be sending you an update shortly, to let you know how the film is impacting people globally and to share our plans with the movie. We also have some exciting new projects happening at GRACE, which we are looking forward to sharing with you.

Thanks for your support!

- The Meatrix team


==============================================
The Meatrix: http://www.themeatrix.com/
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:24 PM

 
Does election fallout bode ill for India tech?
Last modified: May 18, 2004, 8:35 AM PDT
By Ina Fried and Dinesh C. Sharma
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

update A change of governments in India rattled financial markets there, but analysts said it will do little to stem the tide of technology jobs being outsourced to the populous nation.

"The trend toward offshoring in (information technology) is so powerful and has such momentum that I don't think there is going to be any immediate impact," said Marc Hebert, executive vice president at Sierra Atlantic, a company that helps large businesses manage enterprise applications from software makers such as PeopleSoft and SAP.

(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:21 PM

 
Study supports controversial offshore numbers
Last modified: May 17, 2004, 4:15 AM PDT
By Ed Frauenheim
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

A new report by Forrester Research defends the company's controversial assertion that more than 3 million U.S. jobs will move offshore by 2015, and even raises the estimate of positions at risk in the near future.

The report, being released Monday, projects that 3.4 million jobs will move overseas in the next 11 years, roughly the same as the 3.3 million long-term figure it estimated in its original study two years ago. The 2002 survey by the Cambridge, Mass., firm contributed to the political firestorm surrounding offshore outsourcing after its findings were widely circulated in the press and elsewhere.

Forrester also increases its near-term estimate of lost jobs by 240,000 in its new report, projecting that a cumulative total of 830,000 positions will have moved offshore by 2005. The research reinforces earlier Forrester findings that were cited by Sen. John Kerry, before he became the all-but-official Democratic presidential nominee, in introducing legislation last year to regulate the call-center industry.

Ironically, the new report said...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 1:45 PM

 
From Earthtech at Yahoo Groups;

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 13 May 2004 09:54:32 -0500
From: "Ed Blume" eblume@renewwisconsin.org
Subject: Midwest Renewable Energy & Sustainable Energy Fair

I copied below a column about the Renewable Energy and Sustainable
Living Fair of the nonprofit Midwest Renewable Energy Association.

I want to share the column for two reasons -- first, to let people know
about the Fair and encourage them to attend; second, to invite anyone
and everyone to use the column in any upcoming newsletter they might
publish and to post it on any appropriate Web sites and list serves.

Ed Blume
Communications/Outreach
RENEW Wisconsin
222 S. Hamilton St.
Madison, WI 53703
608.819.0748
http://www.renewwisconsin.org

Feature material
Contact:
Katy Matthai
Midwest Renewable Energy Association
715.592.6595 katy@the-mrea.org

Fantastic Fair Features Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living
by Tehri Parker, MREA Executive Director

Wisconsin welcomes one of the country's most unique
gatherings in Custer, Wisconsin, seven miles east of Stevens Point, on
Friday June 18 through Sunday, June 20, 2004.

Thousands will gather from across the country and from as
far away as Europe for the 15th annual Renewable Energy and Sustainable
Living Fair, the largest and oldest of its kind in the world.

Sponsored by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association
(MREA), it's like no other fair in Wisconsin. The fair presents
classes, workshops, lectures, music, vendors and displays on renewable
energy systems - wind, solar, wood-burning furnaces and biomass
digesters. There is also information on alternative construction -
straw bale houses, green building techniques, super insulation, and
underground homes; as well as food and gardening - vegetable seed
saving, herbs for everyday and planting a yard without a lawn. Three
in-depth workshops cover solar water heating, PV (photovoltaics) solar
electric systems, and cordwood masonry.

Exhibitors will offer advice and products on energy and
sustainable living, including wind turbines, solar panels, landscaping,
gardening, energy efficient appliances and energy conservation.

Fairgoers can take in over 120 workshops and visit with more
than 175 exhibitors.

The ReNew the Earth Institute, located on the twenty-acre
fairgrounds, houses the MREA's offices and showcases practical
applications of solar electricity, wind energy production, green
construction, and renewable heating. Renewable home tours, originating
from the fair on all three days, show similar construction and energy
applications in nearby residences.

This year's fair also features several nationally renowned speakers -
Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now!; Richard
Perez, publisher and editor of Home Power magazine; John Stauber,
founder and executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy;
and, Richard Heinberg, author of several books, including The Party's
Over: Oil, War, and the Fate of Industrial Society.

Entertainment includes Baba Ghanooj on Friday night, with an
evening of favorite songs from the Beatles to Neil Young. Saturday
night, the Reptile Palace Orchestra, will play Balkan, Middle Eastern,
blues, swing, and metal-influenced music. .

Every great fair offers delicious food, and the day begins
with a breakfast cafe, which later transforms into a pizzeria serving
organic pizza and beer from Central Waters Brewery.

Camping is available at the nearby Portage County
Fairgrounds in Amherst. The site's grassy lawn and scattered trees
accommodate tents, car campers and RVs.

Fair admission for adults is $10 per day or $25 for the weekend. Admission for seniors and students is $8 per day or $15 for
the weekend. Children under 12 are free.

Full details on the Fair are available at the MREA Web site
at www.the-mrea.org , or by calling 715.592.6595.

Like every fair, the Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living
Fair offers something for everyone. Don't miss it, June 18-20, Custer,
Wisconsin, just east of Stevens Point.

END
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:12 PM

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/14/2004
CONTACT: Patrick Strickler, (608) 262-7840, pstrickler@wisc.edu

UW-MADISON REACHES OUT TO HELP BUSINESSES, STRONGER ECONOMY

MADISON - In today's increasingly complex and competitive business environment, most companies need every available resource to survive and flourish. And, in today's challenging economic environment, helping businesses succeed can have the added benefit of building a stronger job base and, over time, a healthier tax base.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is in the first year of a new initiative to help businesses and, in the process, contribute to a stronger state economy. With a mandate from Chancellor John D. Wiley, the university opened the Office of Corporate Relations (OCR) in mid-2003 to provide a new, first point of contact for people looking for resources and help for a range of needs.

"It's an important role for a large public research university like ours," says Charles B. Hoslet, OCR's managing director. "We're finding that wherever we go, business executives, community leaders and people involved in economic development recognize the value of the university to their areas of need, whatever that may be."

Led by Hoslet, OCR's business-relations experts have discovered that the business community in and beyond Wisconsin is very interested in tapping into the resources of one of the country's leading public research universities.

Businesses are finding help on the Madison campus in such areas as the recruitment of graduates and interns, continuing education and professional development programs, faculty expertise and company-sponsored research opportunities, and a wealth of new and emerging technologies available for licensing through the university's Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

In addition, OCR can help companies connect with expertise on other UW campuses around the state, Hoslet points out.

"There has been a great deal of interest in working more closely with the University of Wisconsin, here in Madison and on the other campuses," he says. "One of the issues that has confronted companies in the past is the sheer size and complexity of the Madison campus. We're trying to make it easier for companies to work with us. We connect them with the expertise they need, and follow through to make sure their questions are answered and their needs are met.

"We're also seeing the real connection between successful companies and a healthy economy, which is something we all have a stake in."

Hoslet and Bob Brennan, the former president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce who joined the OCR staff as a special consultant in late 2003, have been meeting with Chamber of Commerce executives and business leaders in many Wisconsin communities, making sure they are aware of the university's commitment to supporting a stronger Wisconsin economy.

"This is an effort we will be building on in the months ahead," says Brennan. "The reception we've received in community after community tells us there is real interest in learning more about how the university can play an even greater role in helping businesses and supporting economic development in Wisconsin."

In addition to its offices on campus and at University Research Park on the west side of Madison, OCR has established a Web site (www.corprelations.wisc.edu) that provides a menu of services for businesses, and information on how to contact the office.

"This new venture has been welcomed by companies all across Wisconsin and beyond the state as well," says Hoslet. "As we go forward, we want all parts of the business community to know that they can look to UW-Madison for help. That's what we're all about."
###


****************************************************
For questions or comments about UW-Madison's email
news release system, please send an email to:
releases@news.wisc.edu

For more UW-Madison news, please visit:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/

University Communications
University of Wisconsin-Madison
27 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331
- posted by AquarianM @ 2:55 PM

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5/14/2004
CONTACT: Nancy Gores (608) 265-3299, nagores@ wisc.edu

CONFERENCE TO ASSIST WISCONSIN PLASTICS MANUFACTURERS

MADISON- Plastics executives, business owners, and process engineers can learn about technology transfer opportunities of cutting-edge research that will re-shape the landscape of plastics engineering and manufacturing during a two-day conference at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The conference, titled " Innovative Plastics Manufacturing Technology," will be held Wednesday-Thursday, June 9-10, at the College of Engineering, 1550 Engineering Drive.

Organizers say new polymer engineering innovations can help Wisconsin plastics manufacturers remain competitive within the offshore, low-wage, global economy, particularly through manufacturing of high-end-value, advanced polymer products for various industries.

There will be hands-on sessions led by UW-Madison researchers to discuss results from ongoing industry pilot projects using emerging polymer processing technologies such as biopolymers and microcellular nanocomposites.

At a Wednesday evening banquet, keynote speaker Bruce Beihoff, director of innovation and technology for Whirlpool Corp., will speak about "The Process of Developing Innovative Processes: Opportunities for Wisconsin and the United States."

Employment in Wisconsin's plastics industry ranks 10th in the nation, totaling more than 53,500 jobs, and the state is ranked 12th in the nation for plastics shipments, totaling $9.9 billion in 2001, according to Plastics Data Source.

This university-industry conference to enhance economic growth is sponsored by a "Partnership for Innovation" research grant from the National Science Foundation. It's led by the UW Polymer Engineering Center and the UW E-Business Institute in partnership with the State of Wisconsin and other UW campuses, technical colleges and corporations in Wisconsin's plastics manufacturing industry cluster.

The conference agenda and registration materials are available at http://pec.engr.wisc.edu.
###





****************************************************
For questions or comments about UW-Madison's email
news release system, please send an email to:
releases@news.wisc.edu

For more UW-Madison news, please visit:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/

University Communications
University of Wisconsin-Madison
27 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Phone: (608) 262-3571
Fax: (608) 262-2331
- posted by AquarianM @ 2:55 PM

 
Excerpt from the Idaho Green Party news...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1. FREE TRADE PENDULUM SWINGING IN OTHER DIRECTION

The Idaho Green Party has sent letters to Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, Idaho
Attorney General Larry Wasden, and Governer Dirk Kempthorne inquiring about
committing Idaho to comply with draconian constraints on domestic
procurement (purchasing) policy included in the recently completed CAFTA and
proposed for FTAA. In the letters, we request details about the policy and
request that Idaho be removed from the arrangement, which could force Idaho
government agencies to purchase products and services from other countries,
jeopardizing the local economy. It would also mean that procurements would
be arranged through "free trade" practices that have no regard for social
justice, community economics, or environmental resources. The Idaho state
legislature passed a Joint Memorial opposing CAFTA last March urging "fair
trade, not free trade." In a related development, the recent WTO decision
that US cotton subsidies are illegal will have profound implications on
agriculture, the environment, and food security in the US. However, this
could lead to a paradigm change in corporate welfare practices - and will
corporate globalization finally be reconsidered?


Read the CAFTA letters and learn where to send your own:
http://www.idahogreens.org/Greenweb/Frame-Issues.html

D MacKenzie, "WTO ruling may spell end of farmer's subsidies," New
Scientist, 5/6/04:
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994962

Download our latest trifold, "Fair Trade, Not Free Trade":
http://www.idahogreens.org/Greenweb/Documents/Trifolds/fairtrade.pdf
- posted by AquarianM @ 11:54 PM

 
Issues discussion for independent family farmers:

http://www.farmweb.org/
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:18 PM

 
Kucinich in primary

Your vote for U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich in the May 18 Democratic primary will not jeopardize John Kerry's nomination.

Your vote for Kucinich will move the Democrats toward a progressive platform, which is necessary if they are to defeat President Bush.

A vote for Kucinich means a vote against the war. And Kucinich is the only Democratic candidate who is adamantly against re-instating the draft and who can credibly take that plank to the convention in July.

Full Story - 2nd item
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:50 PM

 
Next Tuesday May, 11th the world largest WindEnergy International Trade Fair in Hamburg starts.

More than 330 Exhibitors from 18 Nations will present their products and services.

AN Windenergie / Bonus will be showing the nacelle of its 2.3 MW/82 system live at a fair for the first time; this system is now also available as a variable-speed variant (2.3 MW/82-VS, Variable Speed).

GE Energy will show the complete nacelle of its new 2x. MW generation, available with different swept areas and with rated outputs between 2.3 and 2.7 MW.

REpower AG will show the nacelle and hub of its 2 MW flagship MM82/2MW.

Furthermore the manufacturers DeWind GmbH, Nordex AG, Gamesa Eólica, M. Torres and Suzlon Energy Ltd will be present in Hamburg.

National Pavilions of Denmark, Spain, UK and Finland will be realised.

In total WindEnergy experiences a surplus of exhibitors of 30% compared to the last show in 2002 and the number of international exhibitor has doubled to up to 119.

Don't miss this outstanding opportunity to meet with the whole branch. Register now and save money:
http://www.hamburg-messe.de/windenergy/we_en/start_main.htm

We are looking forward seeing you here in Hamburg

Best regards
your project management
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:47 PM

 
CNET.com special report on offshoring:

The next battlefields for
advanced technology
By Mike Ricciuti, Ed Frauenheim and Mike Yamamoto
May 7, 2004, 4:00AM PT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Few people know it, but the invention of the microwave oven can be traced back to an inquisitive engineer's sweet tooth.

It happened one day in 1946, the story goes, when Percy Spencer noticed that a candy bar had melted in his pocket while he was testing a new magnetron vacuum tube for Raytheon, as part of its radar research that began during World War II. Intrigued, he placed some popcorn kernels near the tube, and an egg, the next morning--and discovered that the intense heat had similar effects.

"Scientists familiar with magnetrons knew the tubes generated heat at the same time they radiated the microwave energy that made radar possible," reads the official history of the company, which was founded more than 80 years ago here near Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other crucibles of advanced research. "Spencer was the first, however, to discover that one could cook food using microwave radio signals."

History is full of accidental inventions like this, especially in the United States: Teflon, Coca-Cola and nylon all emerged as serendipitous offshoots of unrelated research. And that is exactly why many U.S. corporate and political leaders believe that it is imperative for the nation to maintain its emphasis on advanced research and innovative science. With more resources and policies concentrated on...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:35 PM

 
Excerpted from www.greenbiz.com's GREENBUZZ newsletter 04/25/2004:

Potlatch is First Publicly Traded U.S. Company to Be FSC Certified
Potlatch Corp. has become the first U.S.-headquartered, publicly traded forest products company to certify its forest management practices under the standards of the internationally recognized Forest Stewardship Council.

New Online Reporting Network Enhances Corporate Transparency
SRI World Group has launched a new global electronic reporting network that enables companies to more efficiently report their social, environmental, economic, and corporate governance information to investors.
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:13 PM

 
From CNET: (Not that I agree much with this one)

How India is handling
international backlash
By Dinesh C. Sharma and Mike Yamamoto
May 6, 2004, 4:00AM PT

NEW DELHI--Manoj Kunkalienkar doesn't panic when he hears stories about a potential U.S. backlash against India over offshore labor.

The president of ICICI Infotech, an outsourcing company based in Mumbai, India, says clues to the future of India's technology industry can be found about 4,000 miles away, at the other side of Asia.

"If you recollect, there was a negative...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 1:21 PM

 
March 9, 2004
Contact: Leah Martin
(312) 573-5491


Illinois Coalition for Jobs, Growth & Prosperity Launches Fight for Jobs
Group will hold Springfield accountable to stop Illinois job loss

A coalition of Illinois employer organizations unveiled their plans to reverse the decadelong trend of job loss in the state with an unprecedented coordinated campaign focused on elected officials and the public.

The Coalition for Jobs, Growth & Prosperity is launching a bipartisan effort to educate and inform voters about their elected officials’ actions with regard to protecting llinois jobs. The group will monitor votes and actions by lawmakers and support those who are working to keep jobs in Illinois. This effort is designed to encourage jobcreation initiatives and investments at the time when Illinois' rate of job loss far exceeds that of neighboring states.

"Illinois can be a powerhouse of economic development and opportunity," said Coalition member Jeffrey Mays, president of the Illinois Business Roundtable. "The loss of jobs can be turned around if we recognize the importance of investing in Illinois' economy. Unfortunately, we're now lagging significantly behind neighboring states in terms of employment opportunities and investment. This is not a recent phenomenon -- it has been years in the making. We fully recognize that the best way to turn the tide for jobs is through a cooperative effort with lawmakers. Today we're here to roll up our sleeves and get to the task of saving jobs for working men and women of our state. Their futures are in our control, and we do not intend to fail."

Recent reports show Illinois is dramatically falling behind in economic recovery efforts in comparison to neighboring Midwestern states. Currently Illinois only leads the Midwest in the leisure and hospitality employment sectors. The state has lost more than 162,000 manufacturing jobs since January, 2000 -- one of the worst job-loss rates in the nation. According to Douglas Whitley, president and CEO of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, a change in state policies can have the quickest and most positive effect on job creation in Illinois...(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 12:50 PM

 
Local industry echange groups and interconnectivity....this is an interesting and good trend.

Dan

Material Exchange Growing
2/9/2004

New Funding Helps BMEx Expand its Focus

The Business Material Exchange of Wisconsin (BMEx) assists companies, organizations and individuals that need materials by matching them with those that have reusable, surplus or by-product materials available. Those services will be expanded in the coming year to include the residential and community-wide sector.

After the Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce was awarded a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Reduction and Recycling Demonstration Grant Program of over %65,000 for the next 18 months, beginning Jan. 8, BMEx – a chamber program – was able to start focusing on more than just increasing its number of postings and exchanges.

Nearly $15,000 of that grant is designated towards revamping the BMEx website, which BMEx director Amy Loudenbeck anticipates will launch in May of 2004. Until the launch, the current site, www.bmex.org, will still be available for use.

BMEx members use the website to place materials on the exchange, and to search for and respond to materials already listed. If the adapting web site isn’t enough of an attractor, BMEx’s numbers speak for themselves.

(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 12:19 PM

 
Why is Dan posting articles about tree programs?

One of the priincipal reasons for having a green belt around a small town, aside from having a place for unemployed persons to grow their own food, is to provide a local source of hardwood and pine for local construction. Inexpensive portable sawmills make this a viable possibility. Everywhere the smaller community can rely on internal resources products and skills is one less vulnerability it has to the economic woes of the nation in general. However a combination of internal skills and cottage industry when networked with other small communities facing similar issues nation wide opens opportunity for bartering between various locations, especially if products are unique to a small community. That's why I'm posting articles about a forestry program in Beloit, WI. It's a small step in a good direction, and the growth cycle adds beauty to the surroundings, increases air quality, and decreases cooling energy requirements in summer. A healthy forestry program if combined with a ten mile wide green belt around the city could lead to a healthy sustainable lumber and value-added wood products industry. In-community barter might be encouraged as well.
- posted by AquarianM @ 12:12 PM

 
Beloit named `Tree City'

Beloit has been named a Tree City USA for the ninth straight year, City Manager Daniel T. Kelley announced this week.

The honor comes from the National Arbor Day Foundation, a Nebraska-based organization dedicated to encouraging tree care and tree planting programs across the country.

In order to qualify for the designation, communities must have a city tree ordinance, a legal tree governing body, a comprehensive urban forestry program and observance of Arbor Day.

``Beloit's tree planting program is a living memorial to the citizens' concern for the quality of life,'' said Lee Fassett, director of parks and recreation for the city. ``The beauty of the trees and their practical benefits will last for years to come.''

Communities designated as ``Tree City'' receive a flag with the program's logo and a walnut-mounted plaque. Winners also receive Tree City USA community signs.

Beloit has also been rewarded with the ``Tree Growth USA'' label, recognizing the city's work in planting and maintaining its tree stock.

Specifically, the city completed a full computerized inventory of Beloit's 30,000 terrace trees, paving the way for a tree maintenance plan.

(Full story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 11:58 AM

 
New tree at City Hall gives inspiration

Paul Rock
Daily News staff writer

The maple tree that was planted at Beloit City Hall Friday is barely 15 feet tall.

But it will eventually grow to more than 50 feet.

``It has a lot of strength in it,'' said Bruce Slagoski, terrace operations supervisor. ``It will give people a place to sit in the shade for lunch.''

Friday afternoon, several Beloit dignitaries joined Wayne Showers in ringing in another Arbor Day with another planting of a tree at City Hall.

Beloit has status as a member of the national Tree City USA program. To achieve this status, a city has to maintain an effective community forestry program. (Full Story)

- posted by AquarianM @ 11:56 AM

 
CNET:
Offshoring: Companies guarding 'secret sauce'
Digital Agenda Many U.S. tech businesses say they are adamant about keeping IP at home for now, even if they are considering some form of foreign outsourcing.
Wed May 05 04:00:00 PDT 2004 | Read Full Story
- posted by AquarianM @ 1:42 PM

 
Posted with permission from the author:

From: Geraldine Perry healthadvantage@comcast.net
Subject: USA products - 1st step: BUY LOCAL when possible

In any attempt to buy products made in the USA, why not start with food? Consider:

Agribusiness and its partner (in crime, some would say) the food industry represent about 1.5 trillion dollars of an approximately 11 trillion dollar economy. (Health care - or more accurately, sickness care - represents a similar, but growing amount, while the military is somewhere around double that.) Most of the money flowing into these economic sectors goes directly into corporate coffers and CEO paychecks, while we end up with toxic, nutritionless food, a trashed environment, and declining health - despite all the propaganda to the contrary.

By buying most of our food directly from small farmers (within 300 miles of where we live whenever possible), who farm responsibly and sustainably, we can accomplish several things:

#1. REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION. For example, our food production system now consumes 17% of the total US energy budget. Much of this use is not always obvious. For instance, 1 ton of chemical fertilizer requires 10 tons of crude oil to manufacture. In addition, the food we eat, on average, travels some 1300 to 1500 miles from market to table. Because of factors like these, estimates are that it takes 10 calories of energy to produce one calorie of food - when food is produced within the agribusiness model. This same agribusiness model has driven down the profit margin of the small family farmer from 40 cents in 1900 to less than 10 cents today for every dollar we spend for food. The rest (of our food dollar) goes to packaging, transportation, marketing and the increasing chemicals and other inputs used by the farmer, giving a whole new meaning to nutritionless food. Subsidies do little or nothing for the small farmer - it is the agribusiness and food conglomerates who actually benefit from your generosity and mine.

#2. IMPROVE HEALTH. 95% of the food now eaten by Americans bears NO resemblance to real food, the kind of food a farmer actually grows. Thus, most of us - even when we try and yes, even when we "eat organic" - are eating food that does nothing to help us maintain our health, and may in reality be making us sick over time. If you take a prescription for any health condition, your body is telling you it needs help NOW. Eating fresh, sustainably grown foods is the best way on earth to maintain and even improve health. This includes fresh, unpasturized, unhomogenized milk and milk products from pastured animals, meat from humanely treated, pasture-fed, HEALTHY animals, and chemical-free produce grown in well-managed, untreated soil. (Read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price.) When you are able to maintain health, or improve health through natural means, the medical cartels get less of your hard-earned money - and you get fewer chemicals in your body.

#3. HELP THIRD WORLD FARMERS, AND REDUCE WORLD HUNGER. Contrary to modern propaganda, global food production is great enough to provide at least 4.3 pounds of food for every man, woman and child in the world today. Even with falling grain production (due to over-farming) the US produces more than twice what we need to feed ourselves. Surprisingly and again contrary to modern propaganda, worldwide studies show that small farms are anywhere from 200 to 1000% MORE productive per acre than larger, agribusiness-style farms. Sadly, small farmers everywhere have been crushed by corporate agribusiness, but the situation is now especially dire in third world countries where trade agreements like the WTO have basically forced these farmers into the agribusiness model. This model requires them to grow "commodity crops" for rich countries and at the same time drop those indigenous crops which have fed and sustained these poor countries for centuries. Then, because this agribusiness model produces a world-wide over-supply of Commodity crops (mostly grains), third world farmers are driven out of business because they (and all other farmers) are forced to sell their commodity crops below production cost. When these small farmers go out of business, giant agribusiness corporations pick up their land "for a song." Subsidies help the agribusiness corporations of the rich countries, while small farmers everywhere are left "to the wolves" so to speak. And once again, the big money goes into corporate coffers and CEO pockets, while increasing numbers of people starve and the rest of us eat toxic, nutrtionless food. In reality world hunger is and always has been a political decision made by those who stand to profit from it. (Read World Hunger: Twelve Myths, Alternatives to Economic Globalization and also Stolen Harvest: The Highjackingof the Global Food Supply)

#4. IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT. Perhaps second only to the military, agribusiness (and its associated businesses) is a major polluter of or land, water and air. For example, the EPA has identified the runoff from assorted agribusiness activities as the greatest overall source of pollution in US lakes and rivers, responsible for about 70% of the pollution in these waters. At least half of our nation's rivers have been impaired in some way by agribusiness and more than 40% are so damaged they are not suitable for drinking, fishing or swimming. Runoff from nitrogen fertilizer is the single largest source of water pollution in the world, and it is seriously impacting freshwater and ocean fish populations. Then there are the 4.7 billion pounds of pesticides used worldwide - with over one billion used in the US alone. 28% of US lakes have advisories against eating fish which are contaminated with chemicals ranging from mercury to PCBs to dioxins to an assortment of other organochlorines and chemicals used in agribusiness activities. The world's fish supply has become so contaminated that some holistics are actually warning us NOT to eat most fish. In addition, most farmland today is dead, toxic and "in a condition to blow" (as in the dust bowl days) - directly as a result of agribusiness-style methods. I could go on but you get the picture.

#5. Last, by buying our food directly from small farmers, we can DIRECTLY AND EFFECTIVELY HELP LOCAL ECONOMIES AND AT THE SAME TIME REDUCE THE PROFITS OF THE CORPORATE CARTELS.

Geraldine Perry
healthasdvantage@comcast.net
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:31 PM

 
Outsourcing roundtable
May 4, 2004, 4:00AM PT

The controversy continues: What should be done about offshore outsourcing? What can be done about offshore outsourcing?

Protectionists on one side, free-market ideologues on the other--and all the rest of us are in between. With politicians already seizing upon the issue in advance of the November election, CNET News.com asked leading figures from the worlds of business, labor and academia for their insights.

(Full Story)
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:24 PM

 
THE BETRAYAL OF ADAM SMITH
Excerpt from
When Corporations Rule the World
2nd Edition
by David C. Korten


THE BETRAYAL OF ADAM SMITH
Excerpt from
When Corporations Rule the World
2nd Edition
by David C. Korten

It is ironic that corporate libertarians regularly pay homage to Adam Smith as their intellectual patron saint, since it is obvious to even the most casual reader of his epic work The Wealth of Nations that Smith would have vigorously opposed most of their claims and policy positions. For example, corporate libertarians fervently oppose any restraint on corporate size or power. Smith, on the other hand, opposed any form of economic concentration on the ground that it distorts the market's natural ability to establish a price that provides a fair return on land, labor, and capital; to produce a satisfactory outcome for both buyers and sellers; and to optimally allocate society's resources.

Through trade agreements, corporate libertarians press governments to provide absolute protection for the intellectual property rights of corporations. Smith was strongly opposed to trade secrets as contrary to market principles and would have vigorously opposed governments enforcing a person or corporation's claim to the right to monopolize a lifesaving drug or device and to charge whatever the market would bear.

Corporate libertarians maintain that the market turns unrestrained greed into socially optimal outcomes. Smith would be outraged by those who attribute this idea to him. He was talking about small farmers and artisans trying to get the best price for their products to provide for themselves and their families. That is self-interest, not greed. Greed is a high-paid corporate executive firing 10,000 employees and then rewarding himself with a multimillion-dollar bonus for having saved the company so much money. Greed is what the economic system being constructed by the corporate libertarians encourages and rewards. [See An Economic System Dangerously Out of Control .]

Smith strongly disliked both governments and corporations. He viewed government primarily as...(Full article)
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:22 PM

 
Adam Smith : The Forgotten Agrarian
by John C. Médaille

[The Agricultural System]... is, perhaps, the nearest approximation to the truth that has yet been published upon the subject of political economy, and is upon that account well worth the consideration of every man who wishes to examine with attention the principles of that very important science.
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

The Smith Everyone "Knows"

Everyone knows Adam Smith. They know his great treatise, The Wealth of Nations. They know him to be the philosopher of "self-interest" who put avarice at the core of his values positing a mystical "invisible hand" which will take care of everybody so long as everybody takes care of themselves. They know him to be the philosophical mainstay of industrial capitalism in which the ever-greater "division of labour" reduces the worker to a mere "servo-mechanism" of the machine. They know him as the prophet of unrestricted free trade and the champion of a "laissez-faire", "get the government off the backs of business" polity. Indeed, the ideas of Smith are the very ground of the economic and political life that we lead; hence, we absorb Smith in the very air that we breath, and know him so well that it is hardly necessary to read him at all; indeed, there are few who take the trouble to do so.

The only problem with this view is that, like so many things that everybody "knows", what they know does not happen to be so. In fact, there is no possible reading of Smith that will support the "readings" that Smith is usually given. In nearly every area that Smith is commonly cited, he expresses strong opinions against what has become the "common view" of Smith: Instead of praising greed, he warns against its pernicious effects; instead of denigrating labour, he puts it at the heart of all economic values; instead of supporting "capitalism" (a term he never uses), he warns that the mercantile class has interests which oppose the good of society. So then, was he not a supporter of laissez-faire (another term he never uses)? Yes, but a laissez-faire that means the opposite of what the term has come to mean. Was he not a supporter of our great manufacturing enterprises? Not really; such things were in the future, and Smith places not manufacturing, but farming and the well-being of the farm at the heart of the Wealth of Nations. And with that in mind, he deserves a re-reading, especially on those very points for which he is most praised or blamed, but only rarely understood.

Adam Smith and Labour ...(Full column)
- posted by AquarianM @ 4:18 PM

 
New CNET special report series on job outsourcing to run over several days...

The reality behind the politics
May 4, 2004, 4:00AM PT

Out of all the vitriol surrounding the offshore-labor question, remarkably few concrete suggestions have emerged to address this controversial trend.

In stripping away the hype, this CNET News.com special series examines the social, economic and political dimensions of offshoring and offers tangible steps that can be taken for the U.S. industry to maintain its historical lead in high technology. The report includes a poll of nearly 500 key industry decision makers, conducted jointly with Harris Interactive, the research firm that created The Harris Poll.

Day 1: U.S. needs reforms, not rhetoric

Government officials, business leaders and academics agree that the future of America's technology complex depends on education, professional training and research investment.

Day 2: Companies guarding 'secret sauce'

Although many U.S. technology businesses are contracting or considering some form of foreign outsourcing, they are adamant about keeping intellectual property at home--for now.

Day 3: How India is handling backlash

In stark contrast to the heated reaction among many U.S. workers, the country that is most associated with offshoring is both subdued and puzzled by the opposition that has arisen.

Day 4: The next technology battlefields

Rather than trying to reverse the outsourcing wave, the best way for America to fend off foreign competition is to invent technologies that will drive a new industrial cycle.


(Full story also gives a brief review of George Bush and John Kerry proposals to date to begin dealing with offshoring. Read more at:http://news.com.com/2009-1022-5198090.html?part=dht&tag=ntop)
- posted by AquarianM @ 3:45 PM

 
I've just added a link to a searchable database of products manufactured in the United States across all categories. The first step is buying anything you can from within the United States. See the description column on the left side of this page for the permanent link: http://www.madeinusa.org/

Dan
- posted by AquarianM @ 8:30 PM

 
Family farms and the decline of small municipalities:

One of the biggest impacts on small municipalities has to do with industrial agriculture and food production, a.k.a. fast food and corp farms. Many of these communities sprang up to support surrounding family farms, which have been in steady decline world-wide for decades. Two years ago, Mother Earth news ran a statement in an article that stipulated the median age for a family farmer in the U.S. was 65 years old. Our farmers are greying as our young people go into big city corporate jobs. Much of this has to do with the status given to farmers socially. They play a vital role and need a wide skill-base. We need to change society's perception of family farmers in a big way, a paradigm shift in our cultural thinking. There is no such thing as a "dumb farmer," farmers have to be very entrepreneurial and sharp to survive in today's business climate. They often go through years of learning in several diciplines and are far more willing to care for the land they farm than corporate farming operations. This article and the next one I am posting will be aimed at two points that small municipalities need to work diligently on, supporting family farms, and as much reliance on local resources and production as is possible.

Dan





In this issue May 1st, 2004

* Fleets Urge Engine Makers to Support Biodiesel
* Michigan School District Reports B20 Saves Money
* Washington Update
* Toledo, OH to Host New Biodiesel Fueling Station
* IL Gov Issues Executive Order for Biodiesel in State Vehicles



* KY Governor Celebrates Earth Day with Biodiesel
* Biodiesel Pumps Open to Public in Missoula, Montana
* FL Project to Evaluate Biodiesel at Airport
* Boats and Buses Use Cleaner Burning Biodiesel in Ft. Lauderdale
* Energy Technology Expo and Conference to Debut in August


Fleets Urge Engine Makers to Support Biodiesel


Medium duty truck and engine manufacturers could see fewer sales in 2004 if they don't show more active support of biodiesel, according to a survey presented to 26 auto and diesel engine manufacturers. The majority of surveyed fleet managers, 53 percent, said that support of B20 by automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and engine manufacturers will definitely or most likely be a factor in their decision to purchase the products of those companies.

The survey of 53 fleets representing more than 50,000 diesel-powered vehicles found that the vast majority, 91 percent, of fleets surveyed are in favor of using biodiesel. Forty-five percent of fleets surveyed are currently using some blend of biodiesel, and among them a 20 percent blend (B20) is the fuel of choice. Of those using biodiesel, 96 percent said they would recommend B20 use to other fleets.

I've never seen higher customer approval ratings anywhere, said Steve Howell, technical director to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). These results show the average fleet manager sees the use of B20 as transparent and even beneficial to his operation. And fleet managers know what they are talking about since they are on the line to make sure their fleets run smoothly.

The survey showed that fleet managers see uniform OEM acceptance of B20 as one of the last barriers to broader biodiesel use.

Fleet managers should use their significant market power to demand B20 support from their OEM or take their business elsewhere, said Joe Jobe, NBB executive director.

ASG Renaissance, a national technical and communications services firm, conducted the survey on behalf of NBB. Copies of the survey results and final report are available from the National Biodiesel Board on the Web at www.biodiesel.org/fleet_report/.


Michigan School District Reports B20 Saves Money


The first Michigan school district to switch its entire bus fleet to B20 has logged one million miles on the alternative fuel, and maintenance records reveal that the district has saved money as a result.

The district's 31 school buses, including 13 powered by Cummins, 2 powered by Mercedes, and 16 powered by International, have achieved this milestone with no challenges and no modifications, according to Wayne Hettler, garage foreman and head mechanic . The district also uses B20 in nine support vehicles including a foodservice truck and a Toro Diesel 3-wing mower.

Part of the incentive leading to the switch to B20 was the receipt of a grant in 2003 through the Michigan Department of Consumer and Industry Services which funded St. Johns for the incremental cost difference of the B20. Even though the grant ended in December of 2003, Hettler's been able to show his staff and the school board that they are still saving money by using B20. The main cost savings is on the extended intervals between oil changes.

I'm convinced that we are able to extend the oil changes because the B20 burns cleaner and isn't dirtying the oil as quickly, said Hettler. We're using oil analysis to determine the oil change times. We solely credit biodiesel for cleaning up the oil, thus saving the district the costs of oil, filters, labor and the like. We have our records for each bus before a single drop of biodiesel was ever put in the tank, up through our present usage. I challenge other fleets to read their fleet records and make these cost-saving changes after switching to B20.

Hettler also reports an increase in miles per gallon, and improved lubricity, leading to longer fuel pump life. Prior to April 02 we averaged one fuel pump change in our fleet per year. We haven't had to change any fuel pumps since April 02, he said.

According to the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Hettler has used the oil from more than 15,000 bushels of soybeans to fuel his fleet with biodiesel. There is much less smoke at the B20 level and both the mechanics and bus drivers have noted the difference, not to mention the kids, Hettler said. We're using soy biodiesel for the health benefits for all of us, the environment, and to support America's soybean farmers.



Washington Update

As a result of slow movement on the Transportation Bill, Senator Kit Bond
(R-MO) put on hold the pending extension bill, saying it would remain until Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) drops his objections to naming conferees. Bond later lifted his hold and announced there will be a meeting this weekend to come up with a number on total cost and a plan to move forward. The extension bill would temporally fund highway programs for another two months. Because current highway and transit programs expire again at the end of the month, Congress must pass another extension before the end of the week, or face the shutdown of these federal programs, which could lead to disruptions in state and local highway and public transportation projects. Thursday the House passed a two-month extension, and the Senate had hoped to pass similar legislation by the end of the week.

In other news from Washington, on April 23, the Senate Finance Committee held a briefing for those who support the energy tax package, which includes the biodiesel tax incentive in the Foreign Sales Corporation/Extraterritorial Income (FSC/ETI) bill (S. 1637). Last weekend Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) indicated FSC/ETI will likely come back to the floor early next week, and that negotiations were pending to reduce the number of amendments to fewer than six, for each side.

Also, earlier this week Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) unexpectedly offered his Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) legislation (3.1 billion gallons of renewable fuels in the first year of the program -- 2005, ramping up to 5 billion gallons in 2012) to the Internet Tax Bill. As a result, Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) quickly countered with a slimmed-down energy package as a second-degree amendment to Daschle's amendment. It was authorizing language only, and had no tax language; thus no biodiesel provisions. Both amendments were short of the 60 votes needed achieve cloture to end debate, and thus fell.



Toledo, OH to Host New Biodiesel Fueling Station

U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has announced the securing of $1.5 million in federal funds for the construction of a new biodiesel fueling station at the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority's (TARTA) main garage. U.S. Department of Transportation funds earmarked for Toledo by Kaptur will pay for the installation of the tanks.

"We have the ability to bring farm and city together through the use of new fuels in a multitude of applications, Kaptur said. Today's announcement is just the first chapter on how we, as a region, power a new future for fuels that will replace our reliance on imported petroleum with renewable energy that will make us energy independent and will create thousands of jobs at the same time.

A consortium of organizations including TARTA, the University of Toledo and Toledo Public Schools will implement a demonstration project to fuel their bus fleets with biodiesel as a result of the project.


IL Gov Issues Executive Order for Biodiesel in State Vehicles

At a Marathon gas station in Chicago, Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich announced in April a comprehensive plan to help stem skyrocketing gas prices in Illinois. In addition to broad legislation to protect consumers in Illinois from price gouging and pushing Washington to take steps to reduce reliance on foreign oil supplies, the Governor signed an executive order requiring state employees to use renewable fuels - like biodiesel and E-85 - in state-owned vehicles whenever practical.

Ultimately, if we truly want to bring down gas prices, we're going to have to stop relying on OPEC, stop using more gasoline than we have to, and start using more resources like ethanol, that are abundant here in Illinois, and in America, said Blagojevich.


KY Governor Celebrates Earth Day with Biodiesel

Biodiesel use is on the rise in Kentucky. As part of Earth Day celebrations, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher announced that all Kentucky State Resort Parks are now required to use B20 in diesel vehicles and equipment. He also announced that funding had been identified to offset the cost differential for B20 for public school buses in non-attainment air quality counties. The funding will be about $500 thousand over the next two years. Funding has also been identified for Kentucky municipalities to request funds for purchasing biodiesel for city and county fleets. Additional funding will also be provided for an idle reduction plan and other alternative fuel programs. According to the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, the changes fit into a new portfolio of programs begun by the US Department of Energy in Washington.


Biodiesel Pumps Open to Public in Missoula, Montana

Consumers, renewable fuel advocates and fleet managers celebrated the local availability of biodiesel at two Cenex Convenience Store locations in Missoula, Mont. on April 24. The Cenex (www.cenex.com) locations at 1108 West Central and 4570 North Reserve Street recently began offering B20.

We?ve seen a lot of interest from several local fleets, as well as consumers with diesel pickups and cars in the area, said Kyle Stensrud, petroleum division manager for CHS of Missoula, who owns and operates both locations. We see biodiesel as a growing opportunity for us at both locations that will bring in new customers and help us be an advocate for cleaner air.

Sustainable Systems (www.sustainablesystemsllc.com), a Montana biodiesel and biobased products company, is supplying the soy-based biodiesel to the stations.

There are more than 200 retail biodiesel locations nationwide (http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/guide). Most of them have sprung up in the last two years. Industry experts expect demand to increase as US automakers announce plans to introduce more diesel passenger cars into the market.


FL Project to Evaluate Biodiesel at Airport

The Florida Energy Office and the Department of Energy are collaborating in a pilot project using biodiesel fuel at Miami International Airport. The project will use biodiesel to power baggage handling and ground support equipment at Florida's busiest airport.

Florida is preparing for future growth and energy demands by exploring alternative, cleaner fuels, said Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Colleen M. Castille. Using green fuel to operate everyday equipment at major commercial centers reduces reliance on petroleum and protects air quality.

The Florida Energy Office, together with Gold Coast Clean Cities Coalition and the Miami Dade Aviation Department, will assess the feasibility of replacing diesel with biodiesel fuel in baggage transport equipment and fuel trucks. The $54,000 project will also assess the market potential for biodiesel, explore its compatibility with current systems and test fuel quality, performance and storage requirements.

Among the top national and international airports in freight, cargo and passenger traffic, Miami International is located in one of the country's fastest growing regions. Over the next two decades, projected growth in South Florida is expected to increase the airport's petroleum needs dramatically. Biodiesel may help the airport meet it's 10 percent petroleum reduction goal.



Boats and Buses Use Cleaner Burning Biodiesel in Ft. Lauderdale


A donation of a thousand gallons of biodiesel will help provide green transportation for attendees of the Department of Energy's 10th National Clean Cities Conference & Expo, taking place at the Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center May 2-5.

This conference will provide an opportunity to South Floridians to view and learn about an array of alternative fuel technologies such as biodiesel, which is becoming the most popular alternative fuel blend to power transit buses and water buses to reduce air and water pollution using existing diesel vehicles, said Carlos Andres Gonzalez, Florida Gold Coast Clean Cities Coordinator. Biodiesel can greatly reduce transportation born pollutants to ensure that the South Florida region remains the world's tourist destination of choice.

Griffin Industries (www.griffinind.com), a Cold Spring, Kentucky biodiesel producer, is donating 1000 gallons of biodiesel for the conference. But biodiesel is not new to the area. The City of Coconut Creek, a long time supporter and user of biodiesel, is donating the use of its biodiesel-powered buses to transport conference attendees. The city uses biodiesel in all of its diesel vehicles on a regular basis, including dump trucks, tractors, sewage trucks and ambulances.

We're trying to get away from petroleum as a city, and biodiesel was a way to do that without making major changes to our vehicles or infrastructure, said Rich Cascio, the city's property maintenance manager. The fuel has performed very well.

Water Taxi, Inc., which will also used the donated biodiesel to provide transportation for conference attendees, has used biodiesel in its diesel generators and diesel powered boats to ferry passengers around the Ft. Lauderdale area since 2001.


Energy Technology Expo and Conference to Debut in August

A newly formed expo hopes to bring together all branches of the international renewables marketplace under one roof while attracting leaders from the power generation industry, governments, energy ministries, public and private utility companies, distributors and retailers.

The Energy Technology Expo and Conference (ETEC) takes place August 31 - September 1 in Denver, Colo. The event is presented in partnership with NREL, the U.S. Department of Energy?s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The conference is co-located with the 8th World Renewable Energy Congress. Held every two years, the Congress provides an international forum that attracts several hundred delegates from nearly 100 countries.

ETEC brings together major players from government, industry, and academia to answer the call for the establishment of real goals, and to showcase the diversity of technology solutions, including fuel cells, wind power, solar, geothermal, photovotaics, biomass, wave and tidal power, hydropower and of course, biodiesel.

To register or exhibit, visit www.energytechexpo.com.


Upcoming Events

* 95th American Oil Chemists' Society Annual Meeting & Expo, May 9 - 12, 2004 Cincinnati, Ohio
* The Energy Technology Expo and Conference (ETEC), August 31 - September 1, 2004, Denver, Colo.


Contact Us


Jenna Higgins, Director of Communications
jhiggins@biodiesel.org

Bev Thessen, Information Coordinator
bthessen@biodiesel.org


This bulletin is also available in PDF format online at
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- posted by AquarianM @ 5:24 PM

 
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EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What on Earth is this “Slow Food” movement I keep hearing about?
-- Robert Davey, Bridgeport, CT

Carlo Petrini, an Italian, founded the international “Slow Food” movement in 1989 in response to the opening of a McDonald’s at the Spanish Steps in Rome. Its head offices are in Piedmont, in the north of Italy. More than half of the organization’s membership is in Italy, but the organization boasts more than 77,000 members in 48 countries, including the United States, which claims 74 local chapters. There are currently chapters in Washington, D.C., New York City, Los Angeles and New Orleans, and also in smaller places like Fargo, North Dakota and Small Green Island, Washington.

The main thrust of Slow Food is to preserve and encourage traditional foods, beverages and recipes that are “endangered by McNuggets and Monsanto,” Petrini says, referring to both our obsession with unhealthy fast food and the increasing and uncertain role of biotechnology. “It’s a union of education, politics, environment and sensual pleasure,” says Petrini. The goal: The propagation of leisurely, more epicurean eating habits, and a more enlightened and patient approach to life in general.

“Slow Food is an international movement dedicated to saving the regional cuisines and products of the world,” says Patrick Martins, president of Slow Food USA. “It could be style: barbecue, cajun, creole, organic…anything that’s fallen by the wayside due to our industrial food culture.” Slow Food’s primary focus is on saving endangered ways of life that revolve around the stomach. For Slow Food, animals and plants are threatened, but so are recipes, harvesting methods and production techniques.

Slow Food calls its local chapters “convivia.” Members organize food and wine events and other initiatives to create “conviviality” and promote the cause. According to Marsha Weiner, who leads the 200-member Washington, D.C. chapter, “Each chapter is very different and independent. Here in D.C. we organize farm visits, hands-on demonstrations with chefs in their kitchens, lectures and social events.”

The 16-member State College, Pennsylvania chapter organizes potluck dinners, lectures and educational trips. Says co-leader Anne Quinncorr, “Mass-produced food had the good intention of getting more affordable food to the greatest number of people. But, there was no foresight given to environmental impact. A peach grown by a small-scale suburban farmer may be a bit more expensive, but it tastes like a peach and when you buy it you’re keeping that farmer in business and fighting urban sprawl.”

Slow Food advocates are settling in for a long struggle, but they say victory will eventually be theirs. On the day fast food dies, says Martins, “We will raise a glass of organic wine and say good riddance.”

CONTACT: Slow Food USA, (212) 965-5640, www.slowfoodusa.org; Slow Food (main office), www.slowfood.com.

GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EarthTalk,
c/o E/The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881;
or submit your question at: www.emagazine.com, or e-mail us at: earthtalk@emagazine.com.

EarthTalk
Questions and Answers About Our Environment
A Weekly Column
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c/o E/The Environmental Magazine
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PHONE: (203) 854-5559/(X106) - FAX: (203) 866-0602
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Mail: P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 U.S.A.
- posted by AquarianM @ 5:23 PM

 
I received an e-mail reply from a friend in Russia regarding this site. He stated that this is a common issue in many nations today. I've asked him for permission to post his views here, and will let you know if I can soon, but it was an interesting e-mail conversation.
- posted by AquarianM @ 1:03 AM