Learn How to Save Money on Utility Bills While Also Helping

the Environment – at the WKU ALIVE Center, Sat. Oct. 4

This year, Americans are looking at unprecedented fuel prices, falling home values, rapidly increasing utility bills and declining fossil fuel supplies.  Sounds like a recipe for despair.  However, this is , and a spirit of “can do” and innovation is in the air.  Americans everywhere are looking toward renewable energy sources as a solution to many of these woes.  Solar energy, which includes wind, is a clean, natural, virtually-limitless source of energy that can be harnessed to heat water and power homes, schools, museums and businesses – while reducing carbon emissions that are a threat to the environment. 

National polls continue to demonstrate that rising energy costs is the No. 1 issue Americans believe most personally affects them. Solar energy is at last finding more widespread adoption here in the , thanks to savvy leadership, federal and state tax credits, technology advancements, caring consumers and the economic and environmental rewards that come with renewable energy choices.   

To help to advance solar, the non-profit American Solar Energy Society is hosting the largest grassroots solar energy  event in history: its 13th Annual National Solar Tour; locally, BGGreen Partnership for a Sustainable Community has partnered with the WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships to offer a 2^nd annual local tour, which will feature information about local solar installations, a panel discussion by TVA, BGMU, and WRECC about their Generation Partners program to encourage investment in renewable energy and how it is changing and growing, and information about local green building and transportation options.  Last year, 115,000 people in 46 states participated in the national event and about 50 people in the local event; this year we are hoping to double figures at both levels.

The 2^nd annual Bowling Green Local Solar Tour will be held on Saturday, October 4 at 11 AM-3PM at the WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships (1818 U.S. 31-W Bypass.)  The schedule of presentations will include:  11a Welcome/Opening and information about new sustainability initiatives at WKU and in the community; 11:30a Local Installations and tour of WKU ALIVE Center system; 12p Service One Credit Union Green Building Expansion; 12:30p TVA-BGMU-WRECC panel on the "Generation Partners" program and proposed changes; 1:30p Solar Basics, 2p Local Transportation Initiatives: GO Cart and Bicycle-friendly Community initiatives; and 2:30p  A Passion for Sustainability video showing.  Participants may come and go; maps with directions to the Lovers Lane Soccer Complex TVA/WRECC solar installation will be available.

For people who want to learn more about solar energy before attending, the following web sites are recommended:  the American Solar Energy Society, at http://www.ases.org/; Kentucky Solar Partnerships, at http://www.kysolar.org/; and The Daily Green thedailygreen@email.hearstmags.com - write “ASES” in the search box to pull up some wonderful human interest stories related to the Tour.

The local solar tour is sponsored by ASES, the WKU ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships, and BGGreen Partnership for a Sustainable Community. For more information contact nancy.givens@wku.edu.