Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA recently hired The Alpha Group, Alpha Energy to install a 21kW solar power system to be commissioned on October 3.

“It is exciting to see educational institutions getting involved in renewable energy projects like this,” said Drew Zogby, President and COO of Alpha Technologies. “By showing their own commitment to going green, Whitman College is leading by example and encouraging their students to follow the same path. By providing Whitman with high quality system design, installation and innovative monitoring systems, Alpha Energy is demonstrating our own commitment to the best at what we do. This turnkey system is something Whitman and their students can be proud of.”

The 2,500 sq. ft. rooftop installation includes 120 photovoltaic panels, and is one of the largest solar arrays in Walla Walla County and in the Washington territories of Pacific Power and Light (PPL) company. The system will generate an estimated 25,000 kWhs annually, which constitutes about 20% of the Bratton Tennis Center’s power needs. A solar monitoring station will be located on the first floor of the Hall of Science allowing students and the general public to monitor the system’s output.

“The educational aspect of the project is a vital component,” said Bob Carson, Grace Farnsworth Phillips professor of geology and environmental studies. “And Whitman is ideally suited to educate members of the Whitman and Walla Walla communities about the importance of alternative energy solutions. This project shows students and community members that what needs to done, can be done. It’s a public acknowledgement that we can’t continue to get all of our power from fossil fuels, because we do have alternative energy solutions.”

The monitoring Web site for the system is currently online, and an official dedication of the solar panels will be held Saturday, Oct 3, at 3:30 p.m. in Kimball Theatre, Hunter Conservatory.

Riverside, California is planning to convert a former landfill into a photovoltaic (PV) farm that produces solar energy. But city officials were concerned that some residents might oppose the project, so they held a community meeting and erected E-Z Up tents so residents could see just where the solar panels would be.

The plan to engage the community worked so well that nearly all concerns about the project had melted away by the time the meeting ended. The idea – giving residents something visual – can be replicated in other city projects and probably will be, city officials said.

“People like to be shown. They tend to be visual on utility projects,” Riverside City Councilman Mike Gardner said. “We are used to seeing a power plant or a transmission tower. It just doesn’t intuitively fit that, ‘Well, I just won’t see it (the PV farm).’”

Riverside Public Utilities initially is proposing to generate 1 MW of power on a 10-acre patch of the capped, 200-acre landfill using largely existing power lines. One megawatt would provide enough power for about 750 homes. The initial phase of the project would cost between $8 million and $10 million.

The utility’s long-range plan is to produce 10MW of solar power on 100 acres of former landfill, enough power for 7,500 homes. That larger project, which would include planting groundcover in the area to further reduce the visual impacts, would cost $80 million to $100 million.

The project is part of an ongoing effort in Riverside to develop solar energy resources and to maintain “clean and green” practices. The city has adopted the Green Riverside Action Plan, with 38 goals that outline ways residents and city officials can collaborate to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion and otherwise preserve the environment. The plan highlights seven vital areas: energy, greenhouse gas emissions, waste, urban design, urban nature, transportation, and water. Of the goals, 34 have already been reached or are on target.

For example, earlier this year, just eight years after its first solar energy project came online, Riverside surpassed the milestone of producing more than 1 megawatt (MW) of local solar energy, enough energy to power 750 homes in Southern California. The City also has implemented rebate programs for residential and commercial customers that will increase solar generation in the City to 3MW by 2020. The farm would help the city reach those goals and help reduce greenhouse gases emissions.

The community meeting hammered home the point that the former landfill is pitched, like the roof of a house, and therefore will prevent residents from seeing the photovoltaic panels. The panels will be tucked into the side of the landfill that is opposite from the side that faces the only houses in the area. Only someone standing directly on the landfill – which is not allowed – will be able to see the panels below.

The effort appears to have worked. So far, no one has expressed opposition to the idea to take a vacant piece of land and use it as a source of clean energy. The city is moving forward with the plan after receiving conceptual approval from the Riverside City Council. That allowed the utility to proceed with preliminary engineering.

“It’s important that the residents feel that the city and the city utility care about what they think rather than just doing what is expedient for the city and utility,” Gardner said.

The PV farm effort is being led by Riverside Public Utilities, a consumer-owned water and electric utility governed by a board of nine community volunteers. The utility, which is committed to increased use of renewable energy resources and sustainable living practices, provides high-quality, reliable services to more than 106,000 metered electric customers and 63,400 metered water customers throughout Riverside.

The landfill property has been owned by Riverside for nearly a century and operated as a landfill until 1985. The city’s Public Works department considered putting the land to recreational use, but the site’s location makes that difficult. The land cannot be irrigated because of potential damage to the cap on the landfill; water would eventually percolate into the refuse.

Riverside Public Utilities, however, sees great potential in the landfill. The utility has proposed building a small project initially, then possibly expanding it to include more solar panels, and more clean and green electricity, in the future.

Utility officials were confident that the plan would be well-received if they could get enough information into the hands of nearby residents. Conversely, they were concerned that, without the public information effort, the project would hit a roadblock before it even got off the ground.

Utility staff members hand-delivered dozens of letters that outlined the merits of the project and invited the public to a meeting. They explained that the proposed Tequesquite Solar Farm would be on the portion of the 200-acre site that slopes towards the Santa Ana River, not toward homes. They also encouraged residents to view the project site from their backyards on the day of the public meeting and assured them that if they could not see the E-Z Up tents that day, they would not see the solar panels once they are installed.

Gardner, who lives nearby, said the landfill was there when he moved in 35 years ago. He said it was noisy and that neighbors could hear the equipment, especially at the end of the day when that day’s trash was covered.

“The bulldozer ran all day,” Gardner said. “Clearly you could hear it. It was convenient to have it there, but overall, I am glad it is gone.”

Gardner said only one or two people have asked him about the photovoltaic farm project and, so far, nobody has been against it. And, he said, they likely will end up actually liking the aesthetics.

“Right now, the top of the landfill is bare dirt, so if we can put some panels out there with a bluish or greenish tint, people might actually prefer that,” Gardner said.

Richard W. Lariviere, President of University of Oregon, where treadmill workouts are converted to energy.

Treehugger just published their list of 10 greenest college campuses. While colleges bring prestige and the students generate income for the local community, they also use tremendous amounts of energy, water and landfill capacity. Colleges that pursue green practices demonstrate stewardship, become better partners with the community, and are more attractive to students.

The colleges identified by Treehugger vary from private to public institutions with populations from a few hundred to 39,000. The institutions are located on both coasts and in the middle of the country. When looking at their green practices it is obvious that the commitment must come from both the college and students.

These colleges go beyond LEED buildings and a recycling program. Just a few highlights from the article demonstrate how a green campus is good for the town. Energy use is reduced, money comes to local farmers and food producers, tons of waste are diverted from landfills, water usage is reduced and town people have opportunities to be educated about everything from recycling to climate change.

My favorite energy savings is the University of Oregon Eugene program that returns energy to the grid every time someone takes a turn on the treadmill.

Tufts University 10,000 students compost about 1 ton of food daily diverting approximately 62% of waste from landfills.

Every week all students at Warren Wilson College donate a few hours a week working on campus or community projects that support the philosophy, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

University of New Hampshire is the first college to run off of landfill gas, which covers 85% of needs and they buy food from 54 local farms thereby supporting local farmers.

The students at Middlebury College put their money where their mouth is. Students encouraged the college to set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2016 and the 2008 graduating class gifted the college $93,000 for future green projects.

The 1.9 megawatt solar array under construction and the wind credits that cover 10% of energy use will help the University of Colorado Boulder to reach their goal to reduce emissions 20% between 2005 and 2011.

Over 120 million gallons of water are saved annually as a result of Stanford University updating showerheads and faucets.

The University of Washington purchases 100% of their energy from renewable sources, and has an alternative, hybrid and electric fleet of over 300 vehicles as well as an electric bike share program.

Yale University cut emissions by 11%. Yale has attracted forward-looking green leaders, and invested in zipcars, fuel cells, and sustainability seminars.

The tiny College of the Atlantic students walks its talk serving local and organic food in the cafeteria. Dorms come with composting toilets, ultra-high insulation and heat comes from a wood burning pellet boiler.

Are green practices at your college saving resources?

The rankings here are especially useful because they explain the criteria used and the method of scoring: air quality, energy production and conservation, environmental standards and participation, green building, green space, recycling, transportation, standard of living, and water quality and conservation.

Cities are rated for each criterion and the 15 top ranked cities for all categories are highlighted in each group. Seattle, Washington is the top large city. Madison, Wisconsin is the top medium city. Bellingham, Washington is the top small city.

In addition, there is ranking for each criterion. For example, in the small city category Bellingham has the cumulative top ranking and individual top ranking in air quality and green space. Mountain View, California, is ranked highest for transportation, energy production and conservation, and water quality. Petaluma, California is ranked top in standard of living. Beaverton, Oregon is rated highest for green building. Fayetteville, Arkansas is ranked top for environmental standards and participation. Mission Viejo, California is ranked highest for recycling.

You can add your city if it is not already included in the database.

According to the Department of Agriculture website, US Agriculture Secretary Vilsack declared August 23 – 29 National Community Gardening Week. “Community gardens provide numerous benefits including opportunities for local food production, resource conservation, and neighborhood beautification,” said Vilsack. “But they also promote family and community interaction and enhance opportunities to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Each of these benefits is something we can and should strive for.”

Your city can benefit from the ‘The People’s Garden,’ a USDA demonstration plot designed to teach how to develop and maintain healthy landscapes that demonstrates and educates environmentally responsible practices. USDA plans to reduce stormwater runoff with rain gardens and green roofs, reducing its impervious surfaces and enhancing the USDA’s Farmers Market.

The People’s Garden demonstrates how to provide healthy food, air and water for people and communities as well as food and shelter for wildlife. These practices improve soil health and water quality. Information about The People’s Garden initiative is available at www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden or follow ‘The People’s Garden’ at www.twitter.com/peoplesgarden

As a member of government or as an educator you can work with people within your community without having to re-invent the wheel. The process is already formed and the specific actions are determined by the individual communities.

According to the Transition US website, the stages for Transition initiatives are:
The Initial Stage: typically, a group of people start to meet each other, start to discuss the Transition concept, and begin the process of enthusing each other to initiate the process.
At this stage you have an opportunity to reach out to community leaders who are interested in sustainability.

The ‘Mulling’ Stage: contact is made with Transition US and the individuals or groups read the Transition Handbook, download the Transition Primer, and let us know of their ‘mulling’ status.
This is a great stage to listen to the concerns of people in your community and give them a chance to “lead” the government.

Formal Transition Initiative: the ‘mulling’ stage can last for a few weeks or for many months, depending on the group. In order to proceed to formal status, the group completes a declaration of intention, which lists the guidelines and asks for information about the initiative, as well as checking that the initiatives in the best possible position to proceed successfully. Many initiatives have told us that they cherish their formal status, and are very proud of having reached that point.
This stage provides the opportunity to mesh citizen and government priorities.

Transition US provides training, resources and events. The website has a 12 step process to transition and even has answers to the 7 “buts”.

The next training is in Ashland, OR on August 16. Trainings in October include Los Angeles and Monterey, California.