Pittsburgh Solar Tour To Show Local Applications Of Solar Power

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Roger Westman can easily tell when his solar panels are working. On a sunny day, his electric meter runs backward. But his rain garden? To see how it does the job, he braved a couple of downpours last fall.

“There’s good ol’ me, standing out there with an umbrella,” he said, laughing.

So, what was the verdict?

“It worked marvelously. It never overflowed, and in a half-hour to an hour it completely drained.”

Sustainable rain or shine, the house in Point Breeze that he shares with William Stevens is one of 23 stops on the Pittsburgh Solar Tour, which runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Most are homes with solar water heaters or photovoltaic panels like the 6.9-kilowatt solar array on the roof of Mr. Westman and Mr. Stevens’ house. But the free tour organized by PennFuture will also include institutions that have gone solar, electric bicycles that tour-goers can try, and a tractor whose horsepower comes from the sun.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/home/pittsburgh-solar-tour-to-show-local-applications-of-solar-power-707245/#ixzz2hWWiGLFY

Days Of Promise Fade For Ethanol

Editor’s note:  Wondering when we will end our dependence on foreign oil?  This isn’t the way to do it!

Backed by government subsidies and mandates, hundreds of ethanol plants rose among the golden fields of the Corn Belt, bringing jobs and business to small towns, providing farmers with a new market for their crops and generating billions of dollars in revenue for the producers of this corn-based fuel blend.

Those days of promise and prosperity are vanishing.

Nearly 10 percent of the nation’s ethanol plants have stopped production over the past year, in part because the drought that has ravaged much of the nation’s crops pushed commodity prices so high that ethanol has become too expensive to produce.

A dip in gasoline consumption has compounded the industry’s problem by reducing the demand for ethanol.

Read more:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/us/17ethanol.html?hp&_r=0

South Central PA Restaurants Going Green And Reaping The Benefits

Great news from our friends in Harrisburg about eating establishments who are going or have gone green!

Nonna’s Deli Sioso, 263 Reily Street, Harrisburg has installed solar panels on their roof.  The solar panels provide 75 percent of the deli’s electricity and make hot water.  They use local produce whenever possible.  Nonna’s supports the arts by being a 3^rd in the Burg participant!

Isaac’s Restaurant & Deli, a chain with locations across Pennsylvania, is building their new locations with recycled materials, using solar tubes for lighting and using more energy efficient HVAC systems.

Neato Burrito, metro Harrisburg locations, is ditching the Styrofoam cups in favor of plant-based cups that are fully compostable.  The next improvement will be green utensils.

Mangia Qui, 272 North Street, Harrisburg uses non-toxic paint, green cleaning products and LED light bulbs.  They use only hydroponically grown greens and produce.  They buy antibiotic and hormone-free chicken and grass-fed beef.  Containers are 100 percent biodegradable and the dishwashers are low energy.  Solar panels are planned for the roof and the conversion of their heaters to an on-demand hot water system.  Mangia Qui supports the arts by being a 3^rd in the Burg participant!

If you are ecologically responsible and would like to support businesses who walk to the talk, we encourage you to consider visting these establishments.  If you support the Harrisburg Arts Revitalization, two of these restaurants are also working toward that goal by participating in 3rd in the Burg.

To learn more about 3rd in the Burg: http://3rdintheburg.com/