Why not in Youngstown? Why not in Ohio?

[irishbobcat]

Green Job Growth Expected
According to a new report by the American Solar Energy Society, in the year 2030 as many as 1 out of 4 workers in the U.S. could be working in the renewable and energy-efficiency industries. The report, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency: Economic Drivers for the 21st Century, shows the green collar industry accounted for 8.5 million jobs in 2006 and more than a trillion dollars in sales, outpacing the combined revenues of Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil and General Motors. This boom is only expected to continue and with public policy support the renewable energy and energy-efficiency industry could grow to 40 million jobs and generate $4.5 trillion in 2030.

This is why we need to get a head start jump on the rest of the nation!!!!!

[Towntalk]

True, but these lobbies don/t put guns to our heads and tell us how to vote. For all their propaganda, if we decide to boot out a worthless good for nothing legislator, there's nothing the lobby outfits can do about it. Give the legislators ONE chance to do what's right then as the Queen of Hearts said "OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!".

[irishbobcat]

Another problem could be that the coal industry and lobby have too much control over our "leaders" in politics through campaign contributions. You can't bite the hand that lines yor pockets full of cash......

[Towntalk]

From my catbird seat what it would take is for us to whack our state and federal legislators up side of the head with 2X4's to get their attention then convince them that it's to their political benefit to push this issue or feel our collective boots come next election.

Tim Ryan is in a perfect position to get bags of money for the city to build solar farms here, yet to date he has done precious little for us.

[irishbobcat]

I just sent an e-mail to Green Energy Ohio on how to start a chapter here in Youngstown and how we can begin volunteering for this effort.

It's one thing for Senator Brown to come to the area to discuss how the poor will pay for heating costs this winter. When will he come to help support solar farms and wind power projects off of the Lake Erie coast?

[Towntalk]

Irishbob, once again I have to agree with you about using the downtown area as a test site. There are plenty of buildings with large flat roofs that could hold several hundred solar panels (National City Bank; Chase Bank; Wick Building; Childrens Services Building; Voinovich Building; both Vindicator buildings; International Tower; Stambaugh Building. In these buildings alone at least 400 panels could be installed to service the downtown area.

By the way, First Energy is lobbying the State legislature for a bill that could cost each and every one of us an additional $400.00 a year on our electric bill. If that's not reason enough to support city owned and operated Solar farms fr the people of Youngstown, I don't know what is, or are most of the folks here so wealthy that they can afford to toss $400 into the pockets of First Energy?

[Towntalk]

Personally I fail to see this as the domane of any political party ... it's a national issue that affects everyone. The DNC has long supported this issue. It would be more helpful if we thought of this as a community issue that in my view is just as important as safety, jobs, or any other issue that you can think of.

What I would like to see is for the community leaders sit down and examine the possabilities of establishing solar farms on vacant lands and not sit back and wait for some obcure group to do all the work.

The problem I see with a lot of people in this group is that we want to sit back and wait for the man behind the tree do all the work instead of  picking up the ball and lobbying our City officials ourselves. There's power i numbers, and I suspect that there are many folks reading our posts who are in a position to put this idea on the table, that never participate in any of the discussions. Hopefully they will see the vision and move on it.

[irishbobcat]

I believe we could start a Green Energy Ohio chapter here in Youngstown. it would just take someone to contact them.

The Mahoning Valley Green party believes Downtown Youngstown could be an excellent starting ground for solar panel usuage on downtown buildings.

The Mahoning Valley Party believes YSU could help the MAhoning County area become a leading research facility in alternative energy manuafcturing and resource.

The Mahoning Valley Green Party believes in running a independent candidate for the 60th district house seat in November 2008 to help get this message and idea out to the residents of Youngtown.

Here is a video clip of how the Amish are using limited solar power in Holmes County, Ohio.

If they can do it there, Why can't we do it in Youngstown???

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1155389201/bclid1232414644/bctid1287034992

[jay]

Irishbob,

Does the local Green Party have an alternative energy platform or any specific plans for our community?

Is there enough interest to start a chapter of Green Energy Ohio in Youngstown?

[Towntalk]

This is something I can agree with you on. It makes sense, and in point of fact I recently made a suggestion about solar energy farms around the city, but got shot down.

Let me ask this very simple question to the naysayers ... are you happy with your utility bills? I suspect that if you are honest, you'd say no, but when someone suggests a way that you could save money, you (the naysayers) come up with all sorts of excuses about why this couldn't be done.

To begin with, as the city downsizes, more vacant lots are being made available, land that may never be built on.

By creating neighborhood solar farms around the city, the people in those neighborhoods could be linked to the farms. An added advantage would be that the city as well as the people not only could save money, but make money in the process.

As to "scrap metal thieves", let me pose this question. Just how many times have you heard of people breaking into Ohio Edison Sub-Stations to steal copper? I can only remember one case. This is a blind duck issue on the part of naysayers.

Cost? Certainly there would be a substantial cost to building solar farms at the start, but in the long run, there would be savings that would benefit all of us.

[irishbobcat]

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1686811,00.html