The Little Green Diary: Power Shift gains support
Commentary
Chris Boning
Issue date: 10/8/09 Section: TruLife
Well, I've given in.
When it comes to environmental issues, I try to pick my battles. Theoretically, I support most activities who are earth-friendly, practical and cause no harm to other people. But in reality, there are few initiatives with which I actively involve myself including, sustainable agriculture, community living as an environmental ideal and alternative menstrual products.
I now add one more issue to this list - clean energy in Missouri. Clean energy is any source of power that emits minimal amounts of pollution, and these systems generally utilize renewable resources such as wind, sunlight or ocean waves. Surprisingly, Missouri has been in the vanguard of the clean energy revolution. Rock Port, a small town in the extreme northwest corner of the state, is the first municipality in the U.S. to be completely powered by wind. Four wind turbines, located on farmland near the town, generate Rock Port's electricity and then some. The town sells its excess electricity to the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, a non-profit utility company in Columbia, according to the Maryville Daily Forum. At any rate, Rock Port serves as an example of how effective and practical clean energy is for powering towns and cities.
Last year during the election, Missouri voters passed Proposition C, a clean energy initiative that requires public utility companies to generate at least 15 percent of their output from a renewable energy source by the year 2020. At the moment, Proposition C is in the developmental stage with the state's Public Service Commission, the government agency that oversees utility companies, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The first regulations originating specifically from Proposition C will go into effect on Jan. 1.
Meanwhile, another important clean energy campaign is building momentum in Missouri - Power Shift. Power Shift is a national organization urging President Obama and Congress to pass clean energy or climate change legislation on the federal and international levels. Truman has a unique link to the Missouri branch of Power Shift because the state's field organizer is recent alumnus Brett Wiley. Brett is a good friend of mine, and I know he has been working tirelessly on this campaign, as well as relentlessly recruiting supporters for this cause.
When it comes to environmental issues, I try to pick my battles. Theoretically, I support most activities who are earth-friendly, practical and cause no harm to other people. But in reality, there are few initiatives with which I actively involve myself including, sustainable agriculture, community living as an environmental ideal and alternative menstrual products.
I now add one more issue to this list - clean energy in Missouri. Clean energy is any source of power that emits minimal amounts of pollution, and these systems generally utilize renewable resources such as wind, sunlight or ocean waves. Surprisingly, Missouri has been in the vanguard of the clean energy revolution. Rock Port, a small town in the extreme northwest corner of the state, is the first municipality in the U.S. to be completely powered by wind. Four wind turbines, located on farmland near the town, generate Rock Port's electricity and then some. The town sells its excess electricity to the Missouri Public Utility Alliance, a non-profit utility company in Columbia, according to the Maryville Daily Forum. At any rate, Rock Port serves as an example of how effective and practical clean energy is for powering towns and cities.
Last year during the election, Missouri voters passed Proposition C, a clean energy initiative that requires public utility companies to generate at least 15 percent of their output from a renewable energy source by the year 2020. At the moment, Proposition C is in the developmental stage with the state's Public Service Commission, the government agency that oversees utility companies, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The first regulations originating specifically from Proposition C will go into effect on Jan. 1.
Meanwhile, another important clean energy campaign is building momentum in Missouri - Power Shift. Power Shift is a national organization urging President Obama and Congress to pass clean energy or climate change legislation on the federal and international levels. Truman has a unique link to the Missouri branch of Power Shift because the state's field organizer is recent alumnus Brett Wiley. Brett is a good friend of mine, and I know he has been working tirelessly on this campaign, as well as relentlessly recruiting supporters for this cause.
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