Christmas in Wisconsin!?

Its hard to believe there are those who don't believe in global warming. It was a white Christmas here in Wisconsin but just barely! With the weather the US has been having, it seems nature is sending us a message. I feel for those in the 3 southern states that had their Christmas destroyed by all those tornados! God has instilled in us a will to overcome and time and time again we, the people, have come to the aid of our fellow man in times of tragedy. By caring for and considering our environment, we can reduce the onslaught of destruction and live with nature instead of falling victim to it. This doesn't mean that those who were victims of these tornados were an any means at fault. We just need to consider the forces of nature in what and where we build and consume.
May your Christmas be bright and safe. Help those who are less fortunate and give thanks to God for what you have.

Not the best of pictures, but you can see the small amount of snow on the ground in the lower left and the patio that it outlines. They didn't even need to shovel anything!

Merry Christmas!

It's been a while. November seemed to fly by with trying to finalize 4 site assessment reports for class and I didn't get to post much. I hope to become certified in site analysis for PV and Hot Water in the New Year. I have some ideas for passive home designs as well to share. My next semester in college will find me involved in PV installation. I look forward to actually working with the things I've been learning about.
Till then May God warm your hearts and solar warm your homes.
Here's to sunny days and cool breezes.

Upcoming days this week!

International Day of Climate Action is the 24th. I hope that by posting the site for 350.org, I can help "get the word out". Reducing the carbons in the air is essential to this planet's well-being. Solar power can replace the fossil fuels we now overuse. Try to overuse the sun and see what damage would be done. The Renewable Energy club at MSTC in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin have jackets that label them as "Solar Spill Clean-up Crew". The comment that went with this is that when you have an Oil Spill it's a disaster, when you have a Solar Spill, it's considered a very nice day! Let's get the word out! http://350.org/resources/get-the-word-out/ .

Monday is World Habitat Day!

This years theme for World Habitat Day is "Public places for all". See what's going on around the world at http://urbanoctober.org/index_1.asp?pcd=2 . Kenya's having outdoor theaters. USA has events also . see what one is near you.http://urbanoctober.org/index_1.asp?pcd=2

Carl Garner Federal Lands Clean-up Day

They have a full day of activities at Greer Ferry Lake in Arkansas on this day associated with cleaning up our environment. I live in an apartment that has a view and is on the Wisconsin River and it has an effect on my wife and I to just be near the water. The water needs to be taken care of and not taken for granted.

Thanks to all who take time to keep our environment protected.http://visitgreersferrylake.org/greers-ferry-lake-annualcleanu/4589621186

Days of this weekend

Saturday, the 12th is Carl Garner Federal Lands Clean-up Day. Are you aware of any clean-up program(s) in your area? How about doing something by yourself if you're not involved in any local action. Just to stop and pick up a piece of litter can help with improving our environment.

Then there's National Grandparents Day on Sunday! I hope my 7 grandchildren know and remember this! Where would we be without family? It's the reason we need to take care of the world we live in and pass that on to them. Teaching respect and responsibility is a life long endeavor but well worth it!

Back to college.

College started and I'm taking 2 classes this semester; site analysis and building science. We will be doing 3 site analysis reports for the site class and a complete energy audit for the building science class. So far, in the building science class, I've learned that there were things I built for myself that weren't really what they should have been according to code and in the site class, I learned that I need more tech classes to learn things like smartphone use so I can have an easier time with the subject matter!
Here's a pic of the first thing we are learning about!

Where do we go from here?

Earth overshoot Day has come and gone (August 13th). Now, every time we start our car Mother Nature cannot turn that carbon monoxide back into oxygen. Each sheet of paper, either note paper or even bathroom tissue, we lose another tree. All the food we eat and the water we drink from now to the end of the year reduces the amount of fresh water available to the world to use.
Renew, recycle and reuse; or we lose. The Earth needs our help!

A greatful "Thank You" to all Purple Heart recipents.

As a veteran myself, I was fortunate no to have suffered this way in my performance of duty. I respectfully thank all those who were not so fortunate. In order to enjoy what this country has to offer, some pay a higher price than others. For that solars2c is forever grateful.

Learn more about Purple Heart Day.

Friday, August 12th is World Elephant Day! They are having a doodle contest to help raise $150,000 to help protect these fantastic creatures. If you like to doodle, here's your chance to make a significant contribution!

International Tiger Day was July 29th. As of 2014, estimates are that only 3,000 tigers are left in the world today! I think there is a Dentist in serious trouble! For more information on tigers and what you can do for them, click here.

July 14th is USA Overshoot Day this year! Global Footprint Network will release it's first analysis of the 50 states ecological footprint. They will host a Twitter discussion on that day as well. Join in the exchange and lets see what we can do.

July 11th (Saturday) is World Population Day.

Saturday, July 11th is World Population Day. This year's issue is "Vulnerable Populations in Emergencies." Some 60 million people are in this category according to the UN's latest figures.

With Global warming and climate conditions we're seeing the effects of high heat in India and drought conditions in California. Wild fires in Canada have even caused a haze here in Wisconsin over the 4th. Flooding in the Midwest and South have also claimed lives and caused much damage.

There are many ways to support those working in all the related areas of these emergency situations. Yet, consider the cause of some of this and the simple way to reduce the problems may well exist in conservation. Earth Overshoot Day is August 13th this year. Last year it was August 19th! We lost another 6 days of resources! We're using up the earth faster and faster. Nature will right itself if we just sit back and do little.This action will lead to more and more of the world's population exposed to emergency aid.

Think about it. Reuse, recycle and restore.

Check out these pics and see if you can see the benefit of going with the ideas that follow.

Now picture those solar modules to display a scene like someone bowling and having it lit during the night. That scene could be on the west end array. On the east end array, dates and times of upcoming events, hours, specials and other information could be displayed and have minimum effect on solar gain. The array would also provide its own power for lighting after dark. Sound impressive? Sound like it would be an upgrade for the appearance of the array? Follow my progress on my solar collectors and see if I'm headed in this direction!

 

 



Here is another business that could have had a more appealing array. It used to be a hardware store and then a thrift shop. Night lighting with displays of hours, specials and other information could have been a more productive use for this array than just solar heat gain. With what I'm working on, this kind of an array could not only supply heat but also power for its own lighting and yet have a minimal effect on heat gain.

 

Look for my next post that will show what can be done with residential solar arrays.

 

May your days b e sunny with a cool breeze!

 

Below is my video about the solar air collectors I am starting to build. As stated in the video, I will be making other videos about the assembly process of these collectors as well as the analytical statistics of each as they develop. So please stay tuned to solars2c.com and this blog.

 

Can you imagine the south side of a house with solar collectors matching the siding and blending in with the structure? Future posts will detail the construction aspect of blending the collectors into the south wall and yet allow for windows and doors and even low landscape vegetation. There can even be some taller vegetation as with those that you cut down each winter and yet grow tall as pictured below in a planter that my wife maintained in the front yard of our house.

These Flowers and grasses were perennials that grew all summer long and then in Fall were cut down. Same way with the hops on the trellis in the background. During the winter the trellis was clear of any growth. 

Social media and Solar Companies.

The need for Solar Companies to use social media in their business plans is highlighted in an article by "SolarFred", Tor Valenza on his blog post on the unthanksolar.com site Here is a link to see the 12 areas he sees as a part of a media marketing plan for solar (and I see this as fitting ALL marketing plans): www.untinksolar.com/2015/02/25/every-solar-company-is-a-empire-but-few-use-it/ .
He seems to run a weekly blog that addresses various solar and marketing topics. He is more for marketing than development as I have seen so far. I hope to use some of his ideas in my marketing plan and think they may be useful for everyone.
Let me know in your comments if you agree or disagree with his strategies or even with how useful his blog posts are to other businesses.

UWSP makes national news for being "Green"!

This is a post of an article in the Saturday, February 28th Stevens Point Buyers Guide www.spcitytimes.com . It states "The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been named one of 17 "amazing green college campuses" in the country. The list, which is compiled by the environment e-magazine Mother Nature Network, credits the school's waste Education Center as having helped the campus recycle 515 tons of material in 2014."
It also goes on to mention the waste-water treatment plant, a green roof, solar hot water panels (I've learned that the proper label is "Modules" for an individual collector and that several modules form an "Array"), rain gardens and a local campus garden that provides over 150 pounds of food to local food pantries.
It ends with saying that California, Illinois and some campuses on the East Coast also made the list and that UWSP was the only campus in Wisconsin to make the list.
Congratulations UWSP!

There was a very interesting email from Renewable Energy Program's Tool Truck. I think the message is worth sharing and talking about. Here's the message:  "PDM Solar has a product that uses solar thermal to run a vapor-compression cooling system.  In other words, the product delivers cooling from solar heat."
PDM has a website: http://pdmsolar.com and talks about this development. To me, this is awesome! Producing something from our summer sun and heat besides electricity and is something we all use during those hot times just added a new dimension to the solar industry.
As I continue to blog about my solar ideas and items of interests, I hope you find the articles interesting and informative. I would also like input on how marketable some of my ideas are.
Here's to sunny days with a cool breeze!