got on the front page two days in a row both about the http://www.ShawneeEnergyFest.org and about our business.
Living entirely off the grid? Entirely possible
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/04/18/front_page/28886069.txt
Festival can help you get energy efficient
About the http://www.ShawneeEnergyFest.org
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/04/17/front_page/28887216.txt
Liz Robinson (far right), co-owner of Green Retreat south of Murphysboro, discusses Thursday where the live bands will set up for the first Shawnee Energy Festival on May 2 and 3 with Barb McKasson (from left) and Kris Schachel near the retreat’s ‘Treehouse.’ (Steve Jahnke, The Southern)
Festival can help you get energy efficient
By Scott Fitzgerald, The Southern
Friday, April 17, 2009 11:07 PM CDT
CARBONDALE - Energy efficiency is something people are aware of because of energy’s deep impact on the pocketbook.
The first annual Shawnee Energy Festival at Green Retreat on Chautauqua Road outside of Carbondale, beginning at 10 a.m. May 2 and 3, addresses energy concerns with a showcase of local resources in the way of businesses, organizations and networks.
“The main focus of the many workshops we are offering is to give people the information they need to become energy efficient and how to use renewable energy sources,” said Barb McKasson, chairwoman of the Shawnee Group Sierra Club.
There will be about 40 workshops on topics ranging from off-grid living and energy efficiency tips to home composting and the local food movement.
Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power are not novelty items anymore.
“None of this is particularly new, but people are realizing these are sources that are being utilized now,” said Kris Schachel of Southern Sustainability, a nonprofit organization that works to protect and enhance the environment through teaching, research, service and action.
Schachel said the festival has been in the works for most of the year as the result of recognizing and celebrating Aur Beck’s founding of Advance Energy Solutions here 10 years earlier.
“A lot of what will be demonstrated is not flashy, but practical,” Schachel said.
The gathering is not a total educational experience. There will be speakers, tours of the Green Retreat working farm, music, food and a kids’ tent.
Shawnee Energy Fest is a car-free event, meaning there will be no parking of motor vehicles at Green Retreat. People who attend are asked to park at SlU Arena and ride a free shuttle bus that will run every 15 minutes.
Adult admission is $8 per day or $10 for the weekend. Pre-registration is $7 per day.
For more information, call Schachel at 618-525-7900 or McKasson at 618-529-4824.
scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com
618-351-5076
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/04/17/front_page/28887216.txt
Solar panels are seen at SIUC. (Paul Newton, The Southern)
Living entirely off the grid? Entirely possible
By Blackwell Thomas, The Southern
Saturday, April 18, 2009 11:09 PM CDT
When it comes to conserving energy, Aur Beck works and lives the practice.
Beck, owner of Advanced Energy Solutions, has made conservation his life’s work and his home is a testimony to that. Beck’s home is completely off-grid, meaning he does not require a utility company to supply his electricity. Solar power and a strict adherence to conservation allow Beck to live this way.
“I’ve lived off-grid 18 years of my life,” he said earlier this week. “Everything that I have and do is energy efficiency to the extreme. When I am not home, there is nothing on at all in my home. I am proof that you can live off-grid. It’s not easy but you can do it.”
Living with conservation and sustainability in mind are also goals that drive Beck’s work at Advanced Energy Solutions. The Pomona-based company is a services and materials provider for businesses and homeowners looking to install solar-powered electricity systems.
“Primarily, we install solar energy (systems) but we sell products, do energy contracting, a little bit of everything,” he said. “Ninety percent of what we do is install solar energy and install networks.”
The company has seen its sales grow for five straight years, Beck said. Part of that growth is fed by training services which teach contractors, electricians and just about anyone else willing to learn, how to install solar electricity systems.
“In the Midwest, there are very few installers of solar energy,” he said, before adding solar energy is growing in appeal. “You would think it (the majority of customers) would be environmentalists but most of the solar energy we install is just your average person who has decided to lower their energy bill or make it so their energy bill doesn’t fluctuate. Solar energy is no longer the back-to-the-land movement; it’s just your average person.”
For those motivated by finances, Beck said the advantages of adopting a solar electric system are many.
“It depends on what size system we install but, what we shoot for is a 70 to 80 percent reduction (in electric bills) on an annual basis,” he said.
The average cost to outfit a home with a solar electric system hovers between $18,000 and $24,000, Beck said.
“But,” he added, “it pays for itself in about 10 years.”
Thanks to a number of tax credits and other incentives, Beck said a business’ system pays for itself in about five years.
blackwell.thomas@thesouthern.com
618-351-5823
Living entirely off the grid? Entirely possible
http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/04/18/front_page/28886069.txt
Last updated 9:59 pm CT April 20, 2009.
