The Cincinnati Park Board recently commissioned their second solar power system.  Third Sun Solar and Wind Power of Athens, OH, installed the 10 kW solar array on Park’s operations headquarters building at 3215 Reading Road (45229).  The solar array is an investment in the future as it will produce power for the Park building and reduce utility costs.

Quote from the release:

“Renewable energy systems, like solar and wind, are a perfect fit for Cincinnati Parks. Part of our mission is conserving and sustaining our natural resources, and producing clean energy is one way to do that,” said Willie F. Carden Jr., Director of Parks.

Need a jolt of green in your life since the sun’s been setting earlier? Visit a Cincinnati Park!

Welcome to the second guest post from my 11 year-old niece Cary.  This time Cary weighs in on current events like climate change, gas prices, and alternative energy.

Current Events

Do you hear, know, or think much about global warming and climate change?  What do you think about it? I hear a lot about it. I think people should try to stop it or many animal species may go extinct and we could lose many very important resources.  In conclusion do things to stop global warming!

Do you hear, know, or think much about high oil and gas prices? What do you think about it?     Yes. It is really not that great for more than one reason.

1. It will make more people drive long distances just to find a price that isn’t unbearable.
2. It means that more money will have to be made just so people can afford these things

People are driving that extra distance.  Why not ride your bike our walk more?

Do you hear, know, or think much about alternative energies like solar and wind power? What do you think about it?    Yes. I think that it is great that people are trying to find new ways to power their things.  Environmentally friendly things it will help us all.

Local Kentucky soft drink, Ale 8 One, is bringing a unique design to a Lexington bus shelter.  The new “Bottlestop” will be made out of recycled Ale 8 bottles.

In addition, the lighting in the bus shelter will be powered by solar energy.  Both useful and artistic, the Bottlestop shows a creative way to reuse local materials in order to provide a service or meet a function and need of the city.

How about some park benches or street signs for Cincinnati made out of reclaimed blue straws from Skyline Chili?!

At a rest stop along I-71 South about 40 miles North of Cincinnati, there are a few small examples of greening in Ohio. Instead of all business as usual, the park benches at the rest stop are made of recycled plastic.

Even the sign describing some of the state’s recycling initiatives is made of 95% recycled content.

It’s always seemed that rest stops would be a perfect place to display the benefits of alternative energy. With these facilities being so far from “civilization”, why not save the trouble of conducting electricity along long distances and utilize solar or wind power? A 1-2 kilowatt array ought to be enough to power some vending machines and the LED lights and energy star hand dryers in the restrooms. A rainwater catchment and filtration system could provide a good source of potable water. And what’s wrong with installing waterless urinals or composting toilets? Maybe there is a farmer nearby who could use the products of composted waste to help the crops.

Cleantech investing is no longer a Silicon Valley exclusive, thanks to the Clean Wave Ventures’ fund. Rick Kieser of Cincinnati and partner Scott Prince of Indianapolis are raising $100 million and looking to invest it in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan based research and work.

The research and manufacturing in the Midwest can make a difference in the fight for improving our environment, and these investments can make a huge difference for these companies and individuals.

They plan to invest in green energy, transportation, and advanced materials; beginning with a wind turbine maker, a geothermal company, and a new electric motor that cuts air conditioning power needs by 30%.

The good news is that living in an urban environment rather than a suburban one does cut our per capita (per person) output of carbon dioxide (the gas that contributes to Global Warming).

The bad news is that Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana are the top states for per capita output.

According to a recent CNN article on the subject:

Cities in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana dominated the bottom tier of high carbon emitters.

These urban areas are “kind of a poster child of what high carbon intensive growth looks like,” said Brown. She noted their reliance on coal for electricity and natural gas for heating, a shortage of mass transit, and often older, energy-inefficient buildings.

The positive note here is that they identified 3 areas where Cincinnati citizens can begin to focus on making it better here. Not only do these things make it less healthy and contribute to global warming, but these are also the things that cost us more money in our daily lives.

Let’s fix our issues by looking at the 3 areas of improvement we should all focus on:

1. Encourage alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar
2. Support and use mass transit - buses, streetcars, commuter trains, etc.
3. Put our household renovation money towards better energy efficiency rather than cosmetic changes

These are investments that will repay you in lower transportation costs and energy bills. Not to mention they guarantee that young Cincinnatians will stay here and continue to build their own families here rather than leave for areas of the country that are doing these things better than us. You know that will make grandma happy.

The Smart Papers facility in Hamilton is making a commitment to going fossil fuel free in 2009.

The Hamilton based specialty paper manufacturer is installing a $30 million system that will use alternative energy and steam from the use of cellulosic biomass to run the mill and facility.

The beauty of cellulosic biofuel (as mentioned in the ethanol myth) is that the biomass fuel will come from a combination of yard waste, industrial wood and fiber waste, and agricultural bi-products. This means the fuel source in use will not need to harvest any new wood or use any food crops, and will divert things that would normally go into the landfill to run the factory.

The grass is cut so finely that it can be left in place to compost in the yard. Sounds like the next best thing to getting rid of your grass altogether and xeriscaping with plants that require little or no manual watering and maintenance.

PG&E in California is now utilizing cow manure as an alternative way to create energy. In Cincinnati, the Zoo is also using animal poo to generate power.

The city is not yet using cow poo for an energy source, but this city does have a history of unique and important cows like the infamous runaway a few years back. Practically as famous for our historical relationship with (flying) pigs as for anything else, Cincinnati has a one-of-a-kind history with animals and would be paying homage to our ancestry to setup a broad program to turn animal waste into a new source of energy.

Maybe we can change our moniker to the “City where pigs light up the sky”.