ECO Energy News

Helping Communities Become Green

Posts Tagged ‘eco friendly’

Chipotle chain will become the largest solar power producer in industry

October 21st, 2009

Chipotle, already one of my favorite fast food restaurants, has earned more points with me. Is this another sign that Colorado is becoming the model state for renewable, sustainable energy? Chipotle’s headquarters is based in Denver.

From TreeHugger.com we got this:

Here’s one more reason to feel good about heading out to Chipotle for a burrito: The Denver-based Mexican restaurant chain has just announced that is making a big solar power push, partnering with Standard Renewable Energy to install solar panels at approximately 75 of its restaurants over the next year:

20,500 Tons of CO2 Avoided Annually
Installation of the solar panels is currently underway in Denver, Colorado and Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio, Texas. All together, Chipotle says the solar power initiative is expected to avoid some 20,500 tons of CO2 emissions of the life of the project — and that when completed Chipotle can boast being the largest direct producer of solar power in the restaurant industry.

Keep in mind, that’s not all of the restaurants’ electricity usage, but it’s certainly a good start.

Eco-Commitment Extends Beyond Food Sourcing
Touting his restaurants’ green efforts, Chipotle founder and co-CEO Steve Ellis said,

Our effort to change the way people think about and eat fast food began with our commitment to serving food made with ingredients from more sustainable sources. Today we’re following a similar path in the way we design and build restaurants, looking for more environmentally friendly building materials and systems that make our restaurants more efficient.

Regarding the eco-friendly building materials part: Chipotle soon will have three LEED-certified buildings in its chain, one in Illinois (with an on-site wind turbine), one in Long Island, and one in Minneapolis (pending certification).

Links

3 comments »

Posted in Case Studies, Commercial Solar Power, Energy, Solar

Tags: businesses using solar Chipotle eco friendly reducing carbon emissions

NABCEP reports record increase in test takers

October 8th, 2009

The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) reported in September 2009 an all time record of certification exams from the Spring 2009. This is an indicator that going green is continuing to be grow in popularity.

From the NABCEP website:

The September 2009 NABCEP Photovoltaic and Solar Thermal Installer Certification exams saw a record number of applicants: 455 people in 19 sites across the U.S. sat for the exams. The Spring 2009 exams, offered at 14 sites, was administered to 199 test-takers. That’s a 129% increase from the Spring to the Fall exams.

Here’s a rundown of the top states:

California-71
Texas–56
Colorado–47
New York–44
North Carolina–36
Minnesota–29
Illinois-29
New Jersey–28
Massachusetts–25
Ohio-23

The NABCEP provides an application on their website that finds certified installers in given areas. EcoDepotUSA’s Curtis Scheib is the only one listed as certified within Salida, Colorado.

According to the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association “Find a Solar Installer Near You” application, among solar installers within the I-70 corridor there are only seven installers certified to install both solar hot water systems and solar electric systems. Eco Depot USA is one of them.

1 comment »

Posted in Energy, Reviews, Solar

Tags: application development eco friendly

Bolton Valley wind turbine getting more press

October 3rd, 2009

The Bolton Valley ski area wind turbine continues to get press and media coverage. The ski area is installing a Northwind 100 Wind Turbine. The Northwind Power Systems company is based in Barre, Vermont. Here’s an article that says construction starts on Monday and then lists a short schedule of the construction process.

Bolton Valley will be the fourth ski area in the nation to generate it’s own power from wind resources. Here in Chaffee County Colorado we’re hoping that Monarch Mountain is paying attention.

No comments »

Posted in Commercial Wind Power, Energy, How Wind Turbines Work, Planning, Wind

Tags: application development eco friendly ski areas turbines

What are grassy pavers good for?

September 25th, 2009

grassy paver Progressive ecological thinking has finally established itself for applications that have traditionally used solid paving.

Grassy pavers are leading the change towards the future of paving. They harmoniously blend your architecture into the landscape in an attractive, functional and environmentally responsible way.

Grassy pavers provide simple answers to the complicated problems associated with supplying functional areas, while maintaining green space and dealing with storm water management compliance.

The porosity of the pavers eliminates the need for retention ponds, drainage systems and other expensive means of dealing with runoff always associated with solid paving.

Grassy pavers are environmentally friendly. They are made from recycled plastic and allow the drainage of storm water back into the underground soil rather than into storm drains. This helps keep your property hydrated and reduces runoff into local sewer systems.

Grassy pavers provide the strength of pavement with the natural beauty of grass while simultaneously eliminating soil compaction, reducing reflective heat and allowing for all weather accessibility at a very cost effective price. Grassy pavers Turf fill or aggregate; the applications are endless.

In addition to the environmental benefits, Grasssy pavers support over 97,000 lbs per square foot!