Regional News - North America

Sustainable Energy Budget

US NGOs and the SunDay Campaign have released their proposal for a Sustainable Energy Budget for the US Department of Energy (DOE) for the Fiscal Year 1995. The proposal is a result of more than 6 months work by more than 30 national environmental, business, utility and state government organizations. It recommends an increase of USD 491 mill. of DOE's energy efficiency program and USD 320 mill. of its renewable energy program, leading to almost a doubling of these programs. Besides, cuts of USD 1230 mill. from nuclear and selected fossil fuels programs is proposed.

The proposal was presented in November '93 as the beginning of a grassroots campaign to press the members of US Congress to formally endorse a shift in funding priorities in the DOE budget. The campaign is running during the current US federal budget discussions. A copy of the Sustainable Energy Budget can be ordered from Sun Day Campaign, 315 Circle Avenue, #2, Takoma Park, Maryland 20912-4836, USA.

Sun Day 1994

More than 200 organizations are now planning a celebration of renewable energy and energy efficiency Sunday, April 24. Sun Day 1994 will feature one-day educational activities as fairs, conferences and exhibitions as well as activites, that have a longer-term impact such as announcing changes in governmental policies, building codes, and initiation of energy policy reviews by corporate and government decision makers. The campaign is striving to be broad-based and includes electric utilities, renewable energy trade associations, and associations representing government interests. The campaign has 3 primary objectives:

· education of the public, media and decision makers

· showcase the programs and technologies being sponsered by the participating organizations.

· encourage new public and private initiatives to expand further the use of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

The activities are coordinated by Sun Day Campaign (address above).

Energy Fast

Earth Day Energy Fast ask all persons (as well institutions and business) to cut back or eliminate energy use - by incorporating energy conservation techniques into their routines - from Earth Day April 22 through the following Sunday April 24. 6 categories, targeted for specific energy reduction goals, in terms of programs and simple things individuals can do, have been carefully chosen. Some of the categories are:

· Transportation: Use Mass Transit

· Climate control: Reduce Temperature Settings

· Lighting: Retrofit with Green (low-energy) bulbs

· Water: Conserve

Contact: Earth Day Energy Fast, 1002 112 N. Sweetzer Ave. West Hollywood, California 90069, USA.

Tehachapi Wind Fair

Organizers of the third Tehachapi Wind Fair have annouced an expanded program for the popular event May 21-22 at Mountain Valley Airport (a popular sailplane center), Tehachapi, California. The event will include a fair of windturbines, solar panels and electric vehicles, bus tours and a hike to wind turbine parks, kite flying and a playground where the children for instance can slid down a wind turbine blade. The Fair is part of SunDay 1994. Contact: Kern Wind Energy Association, att. Paul Gipe, P.O.Box 277, Tehachapi, California 93581, USA.

US Climate Action Network

Develops Resource Library

If you are trying to get more information about global warming issues, from energy to economics or science, USCAN might help you from their new information resource library and clearinghouse.

Contact: Andrew Gettelman, US CAN, 1350 New York Av., N.W., #300, Washington DC 20005, fax: +1-202783 5917, e-mail: uscan@igc.apc.org.

Climate Plans for Cities

In November 1993 Portland in Oregon was the first US municipality to adopt a comprehensive global warming strategy. In December Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota and Dade County in Florida folleowed. Everybody are with these plans embarking on new municipal policies to reduce energy wasted in power plants, buildings and transport, leading to a 20% overall reduction in CO2 emissions from 1988 to 2005 or 2010.

Implementation of these plans will require significant political commitment locally. The tranportation sector, for instance, requires challenging remedies if patterns of auto dependency are to change. American cities use up to five times more energy per capita than European communities.

A key objective of the Minneapolis plan is a 20-25% reduction of energy used in residential and commercial buildings. Implementation of this will cut the municipality's budget deficit and keep more jobs in the local economy by creating jobs in the construction sector locally.

These plans are among 12 plans conceived around the world as models for urban centers by the Urban CO2 Reduction Project, sponsered by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.

Source: Hotline, January 1994, US Climate Action Network.

Renewable Energy Education

Solar Energy International (SKI) is organising an International Renewable Energy Education Program (IREEP) in the summer 1994. The 12 weeks program consists of hands-on how-to workshops on solar, wind and water power technologies, including a workshop on International Project Development focusing on methods of participatory planning and the issues of woman in development.

The educational program will be held in the small community of Carbondale, Colorado in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Info: SKI - ph: +1-303-963 8855, fax: +1-303-963 8866.