Green Center Newsletter Available Now

The first issue of the Green Center's newsletter is available now for download at the Green Center website.

Check it out to learn about upcoming events and opportunities and find out what's been going on at the Green Center at Lincoln Land Community College.

And stay tuned: The next issue is scheduled for release the end of March.

Seeing Solar

There are some exciting developments in the world of solar these days. Check out some of these highlights from the past week:

SoloPower just launched a new thin-film solar product called SFXI-i that's lightweight and flexible. It could be the direction solar heads in the future.

Then again, so could Envision Solar's solar groves, 1,000-square-foot canopies of photovoltaic panels that shade parking lots while generating energy.

And the U.S. Government is putting money behind solar too: President Obama announced last week that the government is spending about $2 billion to fund the world's largest solar power facility in Arizona and the commercial-scale manufacture of thin-film solar panels for two plants.

Photo: Wayne National Forest via Flickr

Green News Roundup

Here's a brief roundup of what's going on in the green world this week:

• Research links green buildings to employee morale and productivity (plus green buildings can boost a company's bottom line). (Source: Greener Buildings)
• Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are under fire for backing out of an innovative home energy program for homeowners called PACE. (Source: Solve Climate)
• The U.S. Department of Energy likes to tell people saving energy is easy, but it's struggling to slash energy use in its own buildings, according to an energy audit released this week. And many of its offices still use fluorescent bulbs rather than the CFLs the DOE promotes. (Source: NY Times)
• Sustainability and energy efficiency aren't synonymous, argues Seth Scott. So what's the difference? (Source: GreenBiz.com)