In this issue:
- Invite Mother Nature to your next party
- Second Nature customer spotlights
- Green Information Resources
- Income tax credits available on energy-efficient purchases and projects.
- Join the green revolution: enroll in Your e-Bill
- BEE a part of The Great Sunflower Project
- Business Listings
- Product Content Label
Invite Mother Nature to your next party
Planning a wedding, graduation or family reunion can be memorable and meaningful without damaging your wallet or the environment. Here are some helpful tips to make planning your event entertaining, personable and environmentally friendly.
Location. Find a central location that doesn’t require guests to travel long distances. Don’t move your wedding or family reunion across the country because you have an aunt that lives in California. Think about supporting a local community wildlife project and have the festivities in a garden. Select a location close to public transportation or suggest friends and family car pool.
Invitations. You don’t want your invitations and programs to become throwaways.
Send invitations by e-mail or design an e-vite. You’ll cut down on the amount of paper required and it’s an easier way to track attendance. Not everyone needs a printed program at the wedding, so give one per family or couple. When you must print, opt for soy ink and 30% (or more) recycled paper.
Waste not. Each year more than 29 billion disposable plates, 39 billion disposable utensils and 113 billion disposable cups are thrown away. Have yours be the first “no-waste” event! Everything you buy or use can be composted (squash bowls or pumpkin centerpieces), recycled, or reusable including napkins, silverware and decorations.
Biodegradable, plant-based cutlery and tableware are disposable yet earth-friendly.
The party favors can also be all-natural. Think about giving seed packets that your guests can plant and remember your event for years to come. The ultra-earth-friendly newlywed couple could also donate to an environmental charity on behalf of each guest.
Think locally. The fewer miles your guests or even the food and drink travel the better.
Could you serve guests organic ale from a local microbrewery? Food grown locally can be a great conversation starter. Have a local food coop cater your wedding. They could collaborate with local farmers to provide all the food and beverages right from that area!
As your guests leave your event, they will be impressed with your commitment to living a sustainable lifestyle.
Second Nature customer spotlights
Residential Spotlight: Bob and Sue Pinchotti, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Second Nature participants Bob and Sue Pinchotti of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, are so green – even their dogs come to them recycled! According to Sue, each of the five dogs they’ve owned in their 17-year marriage has been a rescue from an animal shelter.
The Pinchottis learned about the Second Nature program from the bill message printed on their Alliant Energy utility bill.
Sue is retired from the Cedar Rapids School District, and Bob starts his day green with a seven-minute walk to work. They are fastidious recyclers according to Sue, who comments that Bob “Goes through everything with a fine-toothed comb.”
The Pinchottis have lived in their northeast side home since 1979. A remodel in 1993 when Sue’s mom came to live with them was a great opportunity to add on energy efficiency. Adding square footage meant adding a new high efficiency zoned heating and cooling system. Retrofitting with low flow showerheads and toilets was another green addition.
Later on, when Bob and Sue added a four-season porch they made certain the windows were low-e glass. They also added skylights to take advantage of the sun’s energy.
The replacement of five existing windows with energy-efficient upgrades is still on Bob’s to-do list. However, he’ll have to work them into his spare time when he’s not at work, volunteering as a Cantor at his church ¬– or on his way to a gig as a wedding singer!
When he does get around to it, you can make sure Bob will be shopping for ENERGY STAR-rated windows!
Residential spotlight: Cassie Harrington, Plainview, Minnesota
Cassie Harrington of Plainview, Minnesota was at a crossroads. As owner of a home and a commercial building, she had performed all the no- and low-cost energy efficiency measures that were practical.
She has dreams of geothermal for her home, and ponders the possibilities of a solar installation on the commercial building. In the meantime, she sought easy and immediate ways to reduce her carbon footprint. That’s when she discovered and enrolled in the Second Nature program.
Cassie and her eight-year-old son who she describes as “a little miser” are pleased to be reducing their carbon footprint through Second Nature as part of their energy-efficient lifestyle.
By closing their home during the day and opening windows at night, they’ve found they could be quite comfortable without air conditioning while their electric bill came in at a cool $25- $30.
Cassie has eliminated unnecessary small electric appliances, and looks for the ENERGY STAR label when she shops for new ones. The refrigerator that came with their house was old and inefficient. When shopping for a replacement, Cassie bought a compact model that was in line with their needs.
Their house is situated on a very large lot that used to require constant mowing. Now Cassie has converted it to native prairie. Native plants have deeper roots, sequester more carbon, prevent runoff – and she saves gas and mowing time.
Cassie and her son try to walk or bike to work and school whenever possible and she is proud to see her son growing up with environmental awareness and energy conservation as “part of his DNA.”.
Residential spotlight: The McCombs family, Janesville, Wisconsin
Kristi and Ryan McCombs of Janesville, Wisconsin are going green with the help of Kristi’s employer. The McCombs are reimbursed by Kristi’s employer for environmentally friendly purchases and decisions, including enrollment in Second Nature!
As a busy mom of three kids under the age of five, Kristi appreciates that she can telecommute to the office. Even her computer hardware is green, again, thanks to her employer.
On the home front, the McCombs have eliminated the breeze that used to come in around their windows by installing Energy Star rated replacements. They’ve swapped all their incandescent bulbs for energy-saving CFLs and soon plan to replace their outdated furnace.
Low flow toilets and showerheads are the norm in their house. They receive and pay bills electronically to reduce paper waste and have opted out of junk mail. Paper that does come into their household is conscientiously recycled.
The kids are also enthusiastically involved according to Kristi. Her oldest, at the tender age of five is a devoted animal lover and gets how his decisions and actions affect the environment. He is conscious about turning off lights and not being wasteful.
At the McCombs’ house in Janesville, reducing their environmental impact is definitely a family affair.
Business Spotlight: Natural Resources Consulting, Cottage Grove, Wisconsin
Natural Resources Consulting (NRC) decided to participate in Second Nature based on their desire to walk the talk according to Principal Scientist, Betsey Day. Located in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, NRC provides environmental consulting services to a range of clients including public, private and governmental.
NRC’s commitment to addressing today’s complex environmental and natural resource issues is accomplished within their new environmentally friendly building, which they moved into in June 2008.
Building green from the ground up is yielding 25 percent greater energy efficiency in the 11,000 square foot structure. Some of the building’s energy-efficient features include:
- Building envelope constructed of structural insulated panels (SIPs) to control air infiltration
- In-floor radiant heating
- Skylights to for natural lighting
- Room occupancy sensors
- High-efficiency boiler
- Energy Star rated windows
Energy-efficiency was built in to NRC’s headquarters thanks in part to Alliant Energy’s Shared Savings program. It assists industrial, commercial and agricultural customers in Wisconsin and Minnesota to identify, finance and implement energy efficiency projects.
Not just the building but also the NRC building site is easy on the environment. Rain gardens and native prairie plantings help control water run off. Buffer strips of native vegetation trap sediment, and provide wildlife habitat. Lawn areas are planted in deep-rooted fine leaf fescue that requires little mowing or maintenance.
To find out more about how NRC walks the talk, visit their Web site at nrcdifference.com.
Green Information Resources
Books
“Green Remodeling – Changing the World One Room at a Time”, by David Johnston and Kim Master. Weak home sales and increasing job losses make remodeling the most viable choice for many homeowners. Check out this comprehensive guide to how you can make your home green as you remodel.
Events
Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, June 19-21, Custer, Wis. Since 1990, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA) Energy Fair has transformed central Wisconsin into the global hot spot for renewable energy education. Featuring hundreds of workshops and exhibits, the fair is the world's largest renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living educational event of its kind. Web site: mrea.org.
Going Green Wisconsin EXPO, May 2-3, 2009, Madison, Wis. To enhance your life and increase your knowledge of what it means to go green, be sure to attend this event, which showcases more than 100 diverse local and national green businesses. The EXPO includes product sampling, instructional seminars and green prize competitions. Special attractions include a hybrid car test course, a fresh market, a health and wellness pavilion and a kids’ zone.
Web sites
When you visit plasticbagrecycling.org, you’ll find a bagful of interesting facts for both consumers and businesses, including:
- What types of plastic bags are typically accepted for recycling
- What products are made from recycled plastic bags
- Drop off locations in your area
- How your company can start a recycling program for employees
At thedailygreen.com, you can begin reducing your environmental impact today! Learn about selecting green products for your home, get healthy recipes and start your day with “one easy thing” – green tips and advice you can easily incorporate into your life. The “get local info” link helps you find locally grown food and recycling resources.
Income tax credits available on energy-efficient purchases and projects.
Renewable energy home improvements could help your bottom line come income tax time. The Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 extended tax credits in the Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives of 2005. Plus the American Recover and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 (ARRA) modifies and expands the incentives. Both tax acts give credits of 30 percent of the cost of systems installed now through 2016 with all caps removed on systems put in place after 2008:
- Geothermal heat pump syatems (capped at $2,000 through 2008)
- Small wind energy systems, $500 per half-kilowatt of capacity (capped at $4,000 through 2008)
- Fuel cell system – $500 per half-kilowatt of capacity
- Solar water heating system (capped at $2,000 through 2008)
- Solar electric system – no cap
The ARRA also allows you to take an appliance rebate instead of a tax credit on those items. The rebate is equal to 30% of the cost of purchases between 2009-2010. The geothermal rebate is 10%. As with any credit or rebate, before you buy do your homework and make sure your purchase qualifies for the reward. For additional information, refer to energytaxincentives.org
Join the green revolution: enroll in Your e-Bill
The FREE paperless way to receive and pay your utility bill online
Alliant Energy’s Your e-Bill payment option is a great example of how our individual decisions work together to create an impressive impact.
When you enroll in Your e-Bill, you opt not to receive a paper bill in the mail each month. Instead, you receive a convenient e-mail reminder when your bill is ready to be viewed and paid online. You save postage, save time, and save resources!
According to the Pay It Green Alliance calculator*, the simple act of receiving your monthly utility bill via Your e-Bill would:
- Save 0.4 pounds of paper
- Prevent 4 gallons of wastewater from discharge into lakes, streams and rivers
- Save .5 gallons of gasoline
- Avoid 15 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions
If all 17,000 Second Nature participants enrolled in Your e-Bill, each year we could:
- Save 6,339.3 pounds of paper
- Prevent 60,462 gallons of wastewater from discharge into lakes, streams and rivers
- Save 8,124.3 gallons of gasoline
- Avoid 252,276 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions
AND, avoiding those 252,276 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions is equivalent to**:
- 248,478 miles not driven in your car
- 2,934 trees planted and grown for 10 years
- 34,767 square feet of forest preserved from deforestation
You can enroll in Your e-Bill today through the Your Account Web site. You will need your Alliant Energy account number, and the account information for the banking account you'd like to use in order to enroll.
- If you're already registered, log in to Your Account.
- If you're new to our free online services, register for Your Account.
After your enrollment is confirmed, you'll receive your first electronic bill at the end of your next full billing cycle
* http://www.payitgreen.org/green-calculator.html
** http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html
BEE a part of The Great Sunflower Project
The Great Sunflower Project is looking for volunteers all over the country to plant sunflowers and document the bees that stop by to visit. No previous knowledge of bees is required! By watching and recording the bees at sunflowers in your garden, you can help scientists understand the challenges that bees face.
Sunflowers will grow anywhere there is full sun: in a pot on your deck, on a patio or in your garden. They are easy to grow and produce a lot of nectar and pollen, which attracts bees. Sign up at greatsunflower.org to participate. You’ll receive FREE sunflower seeds plus planting and growing tips. You can register your observations online and read about bees other participants see in their gardens.
There are over 30,000 volunteers throughout the United States and Canada enrolled in The Great Sunflower Project. They live in urban, suburban, and rural environments. There are no age requirements to participate. Only specific sunflowers qualify for the project so be sure to read the details on the Web site.
When all the data is in, San Francisco State University scientists will use it to make a coast-to-coast pollination map, showing where bees are and aren't throughout the United States.
Business Listings:
Second Nature Businesses
We’d like to recognize the environmentally conscious Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin businesses that participate in the Second Nature program. Please look for the businesses in your area and applaud them for their support of renewable energy.