From the ground up, the Holiday Inn Express near the Lambert – St. Louis International Airport was designed to be a “green” hotel. Owner Vinod Patel of OHM Hotel Group envisioned an energy-efficient and eco-friendly hotel that would appeal to business travelers who want to reduce their carbon footprint while on the road. “We are…
If you love incandescent lights, you may feel the demise of Edison’s claim to fame is a shame. The 100 watt bulb was the first to go in 2012, followed by the 75 watt bulb in 2013, and finally the most popular 40 and 60 watt bulbs are no longer being manufactured in 2014. While…
The writing was on the wall; we knew it was coming. In Missouri, the $2 per watt rebate being paid by investor-owned utilities (IOUs) was scheduled to be reduced to $1.50 per watt starting in 2014. This reduction was designed to make the rebate last longer, since it represented as much as 2/3 of the…
The 22nd annual St. Louis International Film Festival, which ran from November 14-24, offered the typical variety of independent films. I appreciated the chance to review a few of the movies featuring environmental issues. Uranium Drive-In highlighted a bleak situation in Colorado, illustrating an ongoing debate about nuclear power and the environment vs. jobs and…
Since writing my November Going Green column, a lot has happened. Ameren Missouri, the largest utility in Missouri, filed a petition with the Missouri Public Service Commission stating that they had reached their 1% cost cap over which they could no longer offer solar rebates. In reviewing Ameren’s calculations, the PSC testified that some of…
In 2008, two-thirds of Missouri voters approved the Missouri Clean Energy Initiative, which required that investor-owned utilities in the state get at least 15% of their electric power from renewable resources like wind and solar by 2021. Voters were promised that a 1 percent cap would be placed on utility costs to minimize impacts on…
In 2011, President Obama and the Department of Energy established October as National Energy Awareness Month. Given the importance of energy to both our economy and environment, this month is a time to focus on how we’re using energy in our homes and businesses. Many of us grew up in an era of inexpensive energy,…
The sun is relentless in the high desert town of Lancaster, California. This city, with a population of just over 150,000 people, is located about an hour north of Los Angeles in the Antelope Valley region. It is the home of Edwards Air Force Base, where space shuttles have often landed long after the speed…
The St. Louis Science Center is widely renowned for its family-friendly exhibits. The massive marble roll in the main lobby catches everyone’s attention, and the life-size Tyrannosaurus rex intrigues kids both big and small. The latest addition to the Science Center is the Experience Energy gallery. This is a great place to explore and learn…
I got my first chance to drive a Chevy Volt a couple years ago when I worked a few hours in a booth at the St. Louis Auto Show. Now, this was far from the experience you might expect; I drove it inside America’s Center and was asked not to exceed 5 mph. The person…
