using federal, state and bond money, california should embark on its most progressive public works project to date by covering the central valley portion of the california aqueduct with photovoltaic solar panels while simultaneously installing windmills along the same route. this project would leverage state-owned infrastructure and employ existing technologies to accomplish the following:

water: reduce the enormous amount of water currently lost to evaporation throughout the central valley.

ecological restoration: reinvigorate fish stocks and promote a healthy ecosystem in the delta, bay and coastal areas by rerouting surplus water flows back through the delta.

energy: harness the favorable weather conditions of the central valley to provide untold megawatts of safe, clean, state-owned-and-controlled, renewable energy. construction would be largely powered by the project itself and the combination of solar and wind power would provide high and predictable output.

jobs: create thousands of new construction, manufacturing, engineering and related jobs.

security: create a decentralized energy source that could be hard-wired to power vital public services that are currently susceptible to hacking and large-scale disruption.

there are problems inherent in other water and energy approaches currently on the table. the proposed peripheral canal would spend millions of taxpayer dollars to divert yet more water from the bay, simply adding to its environmental degradation. the amount of water to be gained by relining the aqueduct would be incremental in comparison to what’s currently lost to evaporation. and the various energy proposals under consideration either pose serious environmental threats, involve outrageous expense and years of development, or result in private – but not public – power.

energy workforce study

this study explores the labor market and workforce needs of the energy sector (such as renewable, electric, nuclear, oil, natural gas, and mining industries). eta will utilize the department of energy’s expertise in the energy sector to carry out the research. the study began in june 2008 and is expected to conclude in june 2010.

dear wayne gordon,

i want to very briefly outline my thought for a jobs training program that i am quite sure you have already thought of. therefore what i would like is to hear how the idea is progressing. this concept is obviously so well suited to all the challenges our country confronts today, i have no doubt it should be highly politically palatable to an administration seeking a remedy to otherwise seemingly intractable and yet urgent challenges.

the concept is for a program focused on converting old junker cars that are deemed to still be salvageable for the purpose of conversion into plug in electric vehicles. of course, given the current state of the art, the resultant electric car would be quite limited on a variety of parameters, most notably range.

i myself have been quite happy doing most of my driving around town in a zenn electric car despite the diminutive 26 mile range and 26 mph top speed. for most chores it is quite an adequate second car.

the point is, it is delightfully motivating to know i am making some contribution to breaking our addiction to foreign oil. to tell you the truth, i am very happy with a car that never needs maintenance and never requires visiting a service station.

my concept of the proposed federally subsidized project would basically go as follows:

• priority for training would go to workers who have been unemployed for an extended period of time and welcome the opportunity to attain the skills in question
• american citizens with a car they would like converted from fossil fuel to plug in electricity would be eligible candidates for the free conversion.

the project would basically look like the old high school auto shop setup. actually i expect the process would, in fact. be much simpler and cheaper.

simple, simple, simple. but, you must admit, urgently needed. need i elaborate on the importance of gaining our freedom from foreign oil. i think not.

please do have someone call or email and tell me how this idea is going. thank you for your kind attention.

alternative energy green job training. wind power.

most baby boomers grew up in the suburbs, where there lives revolved around cars. cars were a symbol of wealth, and they tended to live by “see the usa in a chevrolet” type model. now, my generation is moving further and further from that model, towards a “walkable urban” model. chris leinberger, a visiting fellow at the brookings institution and real estate developer described “walkable urbanism” as metropolitan areas of high concentration where people work, live, and shop, which as a result, significantly reduces their carbon footprint. one of the problems with this model was discussed by jair lynch, a washington dc real estate developer who stressed the cultural divide that occurs in these areas. his solution to this was intertwining affordable green housing within more affluent communities, while still maintaining the integrity of the neighborhood.

the take away message from this session was that green building and green jobs are imperative to achieving a new healthy, financially sustainable, and environmentally sound economy. but most importantly, we as generation x/y/millenials, whomever we may be, we have to vocalize and continue to be responsible for our environments.