Illinois for Pickens

Add a Comment

Comment by Brad Joesten on August 27, 2008 at 10:12am

Is anyone else having trouble getting on the Main page? I cant get it to load

Brad and Tina

Comment by Bruce Eric Montgomery on August 20, 2008 at 5:25pm

Area Builders Bring Nation's First Green Job Curriculum to District of Columbia

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Councilmember At-Large Kwame Brown today joined the Green Builders Council of DC (http://www.builditgreendc.org), a coalition of more than 30 local builders and developers, to unveil the nation's first green collar job training curriculum for the Washington, DC area construction industry.

The curriculum will train current construction workers, plus Career and Technical Education students entering the District's construction trades programs, in environmentally-sensitive construction methods and green building rating systems as certified under the U.S. Green Building Council's ( http://www.usgbc.org) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard.

Thanks in part to the leadership of the members of the Green Builders Council of DC more than 100 buildings in the District, totaling over 120 million square feet, are already LEED certified. Including planned projects, members of the Green Builders Council will be responsible for more than 200 million square feet of LEED certified construction in the District. Upon successful completion of this curriculum, students will earn industry-recognized credentials that can help them gain employment at these and other green building projects across the District.

"The demand for District residents who can fill green collar jobs is only expected to grow. Now DC workers and Career and Technical Education students will be able to gain a valuable skill set that will benefit their careers and our city's green future," said Mayor Fenty.

"Now, when people ask me what a green collar job is, I can point to specifics. This training will lead to important results: A greener, more sustainable city and the jobs that go with it," said Councilmember Brown. "The District is looking ahead to the future, and we're fortunate to have partners who want to bring hope to our young people."

"Mayor Fenty and the City Council have been longtime advocates of initiatives that create jobs and promote a more sustainable city. Today, the private sector is proud to do its part," said Ted Trabue, director of the Green Builders Council of DC. "With this first-of-its-kind curriculum we're not just empowering District workers to take advantage of the green jobs of tomorrow, we're helping to grow this city's green economy and paving the way for other green collar workers across the country."

Specifically, the curriculum will train workers and students to be proficient in:
-- Recognizing the challenges that construction presents to the environment;
-- Understanding the life cycle phases of a building and their impacts on the environment;
-- Identifying eco-friendly alternatives to conventional building practices and understanding the costs and benefits of those alternatives, and;
-- Understanding the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating process and being able to apply construction practices that contribute to a building's LEED rating.

The new curriculum is the product of a partnership between the Green Builders Council of DC and the Florida-based National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) ( http://www.nccer.org/). The Green Builders Council of DC and NCCER commissioned the Sustainable Facilities and Infrastructure Research Team of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech University ( http://www.mlsoc.vt.edu/) to develop the curriculum. An updated version will be prepared in the coming months to train workers in the U.S. Green Building Council's revised LEED standards for 2009.

The curriculum has been endorsed by the U.S. Green Building Council as well as Green Advantage ( http://www.greenadvantage.org/), an organization providing environmental certification for construction trades workers who demonstrate knowledge of current green building principles, materials, and techniques.

The training curriculum will be taught by NCCER-accredited training sponsors, including the Academy of Construction & Design at Cardozo Senior High School in Northwest.

The local builders and developers who are members of the Green Builders Council of DC have been leaders in green building and green jobs in the DC area for years. Their member firms have constructed over 100 projects totaling more than 120 million square feet that are certified LEED buildings and currently employ over 450 workers who are accredited by LEED as experts in environmentally friendly construction. George Hawkins, director of the DC Department of Environment, recently praised the Green Builders' Council of DC for "leading the charge on the business side of greening this great District."

http://www.builditgreendc.org

Comment by Bruce Eric Montgomery on August 14, 2008 at 9:06pm

'Green-collar' jobs a growth area, U.S. group says

Companies are stepping up their environmental initiatives, and that may mean a boom in "green-collar" jobs.

A recent forecast by the American Solar Energy Society found that renewable energy and energy-efficient industries were responsible for the creation of nearly 8.5 million jobs in 2006, and by 2030 that number is expected to reach 40 million.

Colleges and universities are taking notice, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., a job placement consulting group.

Many have introduced specialized degree programs in eco-commerce, environmental accounting, green and social marketing, and ecological economics.

"The demand for 'green-collar' jobs is really exploding, especially as the cost of energy continues to climb," said John Challenger, the group's chief executive. "Students need to start thinking about developing skills that will give them an edge for these types of careers that did not even exist until recently."

Popular jobs include urban planners, forestry professionals and environmental lawyers, Challenger said. There is also a growing demand for architects and engineers with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit.

http://push.pickensplan.com/group/greenjobsnow Delete Comment

Comment by Steve Richard on August 11, 2008 at 9:34pm

Less Waste Oil In The Environment

A few months back I started my own independent distributor company promoting the benefits of using premium synthetic oils instead of petroleum based lubricating oils. Approximately 1% of a barrel of oil is used to make lubrication products. That may not seem like much until you consider that this country uses 20,730,000 barrels of oil per day. That’s 207,300 bbl/day that’s being used to make motor oils, greases and other lubricating products alone. At $125.00 a barrel, that’s almost $9.5 billion a year going overseas for foreign oil just for lubrication products. Almost $26,000,000 a day could be stopped from going overseas today and every day starting tomorrow, not in ten years, if we just switched from petroleum lubricants to premium synthetic lubricants.

The California Environmental Protection Agency and its Integrated Waste Management Board has embarked on a statewide “3,000 Mile Myth” public information campaign to educate drivers on reducing motor oil consumption.
See what others are saying about using an extended drain program.
There are many other benefits from using premium synthetic lubricants. Such benefits as lower cost through extended drain intervals which produces less waste oil; better wear protection for longer engine life and better fuel economy (up to 8.3%) with less carbon emissions.
For those of you who have a fleet of vehicles, here is an actual case study of how an owner has saved thousands of dollars for his company.
Aside from the economic benefits it’s just The Right Choice for the Environment.

Feel free to give me a call to discuss anything about the Pickens Plan or how to reduce your oil consumption through the use of premium synthetic oils. The best time to catch me in the office is around the noon hours CST. My toll free number can be located on my website at http://www.InnovativeSynthetics.com

Comment by jane on August 10, 2008 at 7:35am

anyone going through Byron to the energy fair? My ride fell through and I am a volunteer at 10:30 to 12:30 with no way there

Comment by Len Kreger on August 7, 2008 at 4:35pm

There appears to be a drop off in interest.

It is worth reviewing Illinois Public Act 095-0481 to review state goals and requirements for renewable energy.

Comment by Len Kreger on August 2, 2008 at 6:09pm

Some are taking issue with the inclusion of the RNC contact info. I have written to Senator Obama and Senator Durbin attempting to drive an effective energy plan. I have no problem writting to the RNC too.

Comment by Len Kreger on August 1, 2008 at 2:01pm

For Beth Theiss. There are grants for renewable energy for schools. The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation site at www.illinoiscleanenergy.org outlines them. Another interesting site worth looking at is www.illinoiswing.org.

Len Kreger

Comment by Beth Theiss on August 1, 2008 at 1:48pm

I am a teacher. It would be great if there was a way to get schools to use wind turbines for energy. Most schools in the suburbs have large flat roofs. What a great way to teach students how clean energy can be made. I can see how this could be added right to their daily studies. It would cover math, science, life skills, and social studies. Does anyone know of any programs or grants for this. I teach at a junior high, I know there are grants for high schools.

Comment by Brad Joesten on July 31, 2008 at 9:55am

Thanks Chris, my wife Tina has the letter copied into our email box for sending out to all our friends and to our local officials.

Don't forget about the local energy fair in Ogle County.

We hope to glean information from the local alternative energy representatives in Ogle County, Drs. Robert & Sonia Vogl.

I truly hope the Alternative Energy Fair draws a large crowd this year. They are still looking for people to man booths and volunteer their time.

Illinois Renewable Energy & Sustainable Lyfestyle Fair
August 9th - 10th, 2008
Ogle County Fairgrounds
1440 Limekiln Rd ( North of Hwy. 64 between Oregon and Mt. Morris IL)
For more information:

www.illinoisrenew.org

sonia@essexl.com

815-732-7332

Brad and Tina

• First
• Previous
• Next
• Last