Environmental TV for McHenry County

Rating Your Energy Thinking

2011-08-21T09:37:00.002-05:00

Taped at the 10th Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair in Oregon,Illinois on August 13th, 2011.
Kurt Cobb discusses four rates of change and their implications for our energy future in this keynote address at the tenth annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair in Oregon, Illinois on August 13th, 2011. Kurt Cobb is the author of the peak oil-themed novel Prelude, and has contributed to the blogs Energy Bulletin, The Oil Drum, and Scitizen, and is a founding member of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas-USA.

Moral Ground - A Discussion of Environmental Ethics with Kathleen Dean Moore

2011-08-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

Kathleen Dean Moore speaks with a diverse audience including environmentalists, people of faith and public servants about the issues raised in the book she and Michael P. Nelson edited, Moral Ground - Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril. Taped June 20, 2011 at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Moral Ground - A Discussion of Environmental Ethics with Kathleen Dean Moore from Steve Wenzel on Vimeo.

Healthy Food and Schools

2010-11-26T16:10:00.004-06:00

Presentation on alternatives to typical school lunch programs in the region, including farm to table. Taped November 6 at the 2010 McHenry County Bioneers conference at McHenry County College. Warren King, Seven Generations Ahead "Fresh from the Farm" school project; Melissa Ritter, Heartland Flavors Ltd.; Chef Zak Dolezal, Dukes Alehouse & Kitchen;

Building a Low-cost Solar Hot Air Collector

2010-11-26T16:05:00.000-06:00

A workshop by Robert Croteau of Springfield's City Power & Light. Taped August 8, 2010 at the IREA 2010 Energy Fair, Oregon, Illinois.

Building a Low-cost Solar Hot Air Collector from Steve Wenzel on Vimeo.

Testing Efficiency of Building Materials & Designs

2010-11-26T16:01:00.001-06:00

Victor Zaderej describes new approaches to maximizing energy efficiency and how it's being quantified with instrumentation from Oak Ridge National Laboratories. Especially interesting is a discussion of the use of phase-change materials in insulation to multiply the effective R value. Taped August 8, 2010 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Association's Energy Fair at Oregon, Illinois.

Testing Energy Efficiency of Building Materials & Designs from Steve Wenzel on Vimeo.

Peak Oil: A Community Response

2010-11-26T15:58:00.001-06:00

Bloomington, Indiana Peak Oil Commission chair Dave Rollo provides an introduction to peak oil, the probable social consequences and his city's pro-active response. Taped August 7, 2010 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Fair, Oregon, Illinois.

Peak Oil - A Community Response from Steve Wenzel on Vimeo.

Energy Saver Homes - Field Demonstrations

2009-09-07T16:15:00.001-05:00

Senior research engineer Dr. William Miller of the Building Envelopes Research Progam at Oak Ridge National Laboratory presents four homes built to study high-efficiency lighting, water-to-air and water-to-water heat pumps, Energy Star appliances, reclaiming heat from gray water and other techniques.
Taped August 8, 2009 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Association's Eighth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair in Oregon, Illinois.

The State of Wind - 2009

2009-09-05T11:28:00.004-05:00

A portion of an update on the state of wind power development in the United States by Hans Detweiler of the American Wind Association. Taped August 9th, 2009 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Association's Eighth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair at the Ogle County Fairgrounds in Oregon, Il.

Rapid Holocene Deglaciation of te Laurentide Ice Sheet - An Analogue of Our Future?

2009-08-29T07:55:00.002-05:00

Dr. Anders Carlson of the School of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Wisconsin discusses the rapid deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the early holocene and it's implications for our future. Taped August 9, 2009 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Association's Eighth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair,
Oregon, Il

The Path to Low and Net-Zero Energy Buildings

2009-08-23T10:52:00.004-05:00

Andy Robinson of SEDEAC Building Research Council at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois discusses SEDAC's work to encourage energy efficiency in commercial buildings with the hope to reduce energy use by 70%, followed by a reduction to net-zero energy use as renewables come online.
Taped August 8th, 2009 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Association's Eight Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair, Oregon, Il.

On the Path to Deep Energy Reductions in Existing Buildings

2009-08-17T08:06:00.002-05:00

Linda Wigington discusses the feasibility of achieving deep energy reductions in existing dwellings through the North American Thousand Homes Challenge. Linda Wigington is founder and special project director of Affordabe Comfort, Inc.

Taped August 9th, 2009 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Associations's Eighth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair in Oregon, Illinois.

Beyond Sustainability - Surviving Oil Depletion and Climate Change with Community Solutions

2009-08-12T16:40:00.003-05:00

Pat Murphy discusses the background & implications of global oil depletion, why the most widely-discussed "sustainable" and "green" solutions are inadequate, and offers viable energy curtailment tactics for food, housing and transportation. Pat Murphy is the executive director of Community Solutions, has organized numerous conferences on climate change and peak oil and is the author of
Plan C - Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change.

Taped August 8, 2009 at the Eigth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Fair, Oregon, Illinois. The fair is produced by the Illinois Renewable Energy Association.

MC2030 07/23 Meeting

2009-07-27T13:21:00.002-05:00

Parts 1 and 2 below of raw video of the first of the Regional Plan Commission working meetings to refine the 2030 plan following a round of citizen comment. An unpopular map is discarded, a plan to evaluate a possible reliever airport is retained and a discussion of whether a sizable portion of land between Marengo and the tollway should be included in an ag map are among the actions and discussions.
Note: due to hosting size limits, these two videos are presented in low resolution.

MC2030 Plan Commission Special Meeting

2009-07-18T16:30:00.006-05:00

Four members of the McHenry County Regional Plan Commission called for a special meeting to discuss possible proxy voting, concerns about the time left to complete the plan, how public comment should be treated, the mapping policies and the non-policy portions of the plan text. Raw video of the 2 hour meeting in Parts 1 and 2 below. Learn about the plan at www.mchenrycounty2030plan.com

MC2030 RPC Special Mtg 7/16/09 Part 1

MC2030 RPC Special Mtg 7/16/09 Part 2

Commuting by Bike in McHenry County

2009-06-04T21:58:00.003-05:00

The McHenry County Bicycle Advocates work on behalf of all McHenry County bicycle riders. Their goal is to help motivate the county, and the cities and townships within the county, to provide adequate accomodations both on the roads and in the form of bicycle paths.

Of concern is the McHenry County Department of Transportation's planned reconstruction of Rakow Road which will convert a two lane road with bicycle friendly shoulders into a four lane "curb and gutter" road with no accomodations for bicycles.

Visit www.mcbicycleadvocates.org to learn how to sign their petition asking MCDOT to include facilities for bicycles on Rakow Rd.

Opening Remarks at Earth Day Celebration - Prairieview Nature Center April 18, 2009

2009-04-22T20:41:00.011-05:00

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Bill Donato of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, MCCD's Deb Chapman, MCCD board president Kim Hankins and state Senator Pamela Althoff open up 2009's Earth Day celebration. Sue Burke of the McHenry County Schools Environmental Education Program presents the annual awards to teachers and schools for environmental excellence.

The Oaks of McHenry County

2009-04-21T08:49:00.002-05:00

Dan Deters created this McHenry County Community Foundation backed production exploring the Oak tree's past, present and future in McHenry County.

Created by Dan Deters. Additional photography by Weg Thomas, Arthur Lazar, Ray Mathis, Mary McClelland, Dale Shriver, Library of Congress, McHenry County Conservation District, McHenry County Historical Society.

Community Energy Independence

2009-03-29T16:41:00.004-05:00

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A talk by Kaymar Enshayan, director University of Northern Iowa Local Food Project. Local governments, economic development entities & other community organizations have a key role to play to invest in local food, energy & public infrastructure that will add resilience to the local economy. Presenting a comprehensive inititiative to strengthen the local food economy & the potential for significant community-wide energy conservation & renwable energy programs.

Recorded August 9th, 2008 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Fair, Oregon Illinois.

Food Sovereignty - Reclaiming Our Agicultural System

2008-10-16T10:10:00.006-05:00

John Peck is an economist by training and is the executive director of the Family Farm Defenders, a group started in Wisconsin to address the concern of small dairy farmers, but the group's focus is community-wide. This talk he gave to a small group at the Illinois Renewable Energy Fair is an eye opener (I seriously look at food labels now as a result). John engaged the audience so that they did their own thinking about food, rights, locality and equity.

The Family Farm Defenders is based in Madison and is a member of international farmer advocacy organization Via Campesina.

No Comcast Playback? (there's still the web)

2008-09-16T08:02:00.003-05:00

It's been a a month since GreenScreenMC was last seen on McHenry Public Access. We've endeavored to resolve this, but as of now, the reason for loss of playback is unknown. We've left messages by phone and at the front desk for the playback person, the only public access staff remaining since Comcast closed the McHenry studio, but he's not responding.

I know Comcast doesn't particularly want to be in the public access business anymore, particulary since rival AT&T got cable regulations re-written so that if the state doesn't require public access, no municipality can require it independently.

We'll keep producing material for the web, though.

20% energy from Wind by 2030?

2008-09-15T08:28:00.006-05:00

Sept 26 and Oct 9 will be Hans Detweiler's presentation on wind energy to the Illinois Renewable Energy Associations annual fair at Oregon, Illinois. According to Bob Vogl, Hans was one of the people that helped Bob & Sonia start the energy fair, now in its seventh year. He was formerly with the State of Illinois Climate Change Task Force and the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and is now with the American Wind Energy Association.

Hans summarized the recent AWEA and the Dept. of Energy report on how the U.S. can obtain 20% of it's electrical energy from wind by the year 2030. The major challenge seems not to be turbine site identification and construction, but re-configuring and updating the energy grid (think new generation DC long distance transmission) to get the electricity from the states where the wind is to the states where the load demand is. Robert Lieberman suggested in his presentation (airing Sept 15, 22) that, because of expense, there hasn't been much interest in the past in modernizing the national grid by the utilities that use it to buy and sell power. To get this done, there will need to be public support, and two senate bills are intended to assist this with this.

A Carbon-free, Nuclear-free Roadmap

2008-08-10T20:13:00.002-05:00

Dave Kraft of the NEIS presents a plan to convert nationally to renewable electrical energy generation with no carbon emissions and without resort to nuclear energy by the year 2050 in this 2-part presentation. Taped August 9th, 2008 at the Illinois Renewable Energy Association's annual fair in Oregon, Il.

The End of Cheap Fossil Fuel

2008-08-09T20:11:00.001-05:00

Energy policy analyst Robert Lieberman muses on the implications of the end of cheap fossil fuel in this keynote presentation at the Illinois Renewable Enery Association's annual Energy Fair on August 9th, 2008 in Oregon, Illinois.

John Richter - The Wolf is at the Door

2008-07-03T16:13:00.002-05:00

John Richter of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Education explains in this update to his Crude Awakening presentation why he thinks peak oil (the beginning of the end of global supply) has already arrived, and what we and our leaders need to be doing now to transistion away from petroleum. Two parts. Recorded June, 22, 2008 at the Midwest Renewable Energy Association's ( http://themrea.org ) annual fair in Custer, Wisconsin.

Project Quercus

2008-05-07T16:28:00.001-05:00

The Land Conservancy's Lisa Haderlein tells what Project Quercus (http://conservemc.org/projquercus.htm) is doing to to stem oak loss in the county and begin active re-planting, as well as what citizens can do to help. Taped February 23rd at the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee's Natural Landscaping Seminar held at McHenry County College.

Voices of the Land

2008-04-27T20:09:00.002-05:00

Joel Greenberg reads from his book Of Prairie, Woods and Water with music and readings by Tom and Chris Kastle, which brings to life the voices of early settlers and visitors to the Chicago region and their impressions of the natural surrounds. Taped April 27th, 2008 at Garfield Farm Museum in Kane County. Event produced with a grant from the Illinois Humantities Council. Of Prairie, Woods and Water is published by University of Chicago Press.

Mike Nowak - Choosing a Landscape Professional

2008-04-27T16:23:00.002-05:00

Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association ( http://www.melaweb.org )co-founder and WCPT radio host Mike Nowak provides questions homeowners should ask before hiring a landscaping professional. Presentation given to attendees of The Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee's Natural Landscaping Seminar held February 23, 2008 at McHenry County College ( http://www.thewppc.org )

The Home Landscape - Naturally

2008-03-24T16:27:00.001-05:00

Presentation by Keith Nowakowsi, author of Native Plants in the Home Landscape for the Upper Midwest on how he approached his own home's native landscaping. Taped February 23rd at the Wildflower Preservation and Propagation Committee's Natural Landscaping Seminar held at McHenry County College February 23, 2008. http://www.the-wppc.org

The Land First Ordinance

2008-01-20T16:32:00.002-06:00

The ammendments to the county's subdivision ordinance explained. What's conservation design, and what would trigger its requirement on a particular parcel of land slated for residential development. Part 2 of a presentation taped Jan 15, 2008 at MCC sponsored by Imagine McHenry County. Features real estate attorney Joe Gottemoeller, USDA NRCS's Dave Brandt, conservation design consultant Dennis Dreher, The Land Conservancy of McHenry County's Lisa Haderlein and conservation developer Jack Porter.

Co-Housing and Ecovillage Design

2007-12-29T16:35:00.002-06:00

Tom Bradford describes the creation of the successful co-housing based Culver Way ecovillage in St. Louis, Missouri. Presentation given at the conference "Developing Urban Ecovillages: Towards Ecocities", sponsored by Chicagoland Urban Permaculture (CUP). Recorded November 10, 2007 at DePaul University.

Woodstock Ralley for US Leadership on Climate Change

2007-12-09T16:38:00.002-06:00

On the International Day of Action on Global Warming, citizens gathered in Woodstock's town square to hear State Senator Pamela Althoff speak about Illinois' state level action and heard green business advocate Mike Shipley & Greenpeace's Kate Ogden. Participants called upon Rep. Melissa Bean to be a leader supporting the policies at home that put the country on the right path to solving the climate crisis.

Groundwater Primer for McHenry County

2007-11-27T16:42:00.002-06:00

The McHenry County Defenders' Nancy Schietzelt provides background and fundamentals of the water issues facing the county to students from Cary attending the Community Water Forum." Taped November 17th, 2007 at MCC.

Chris Schneider - Bring America into the Zone: Zero Oil No Emmissions

2007-08-19T16:46:00.002-05:00

Chris Schneider provides an overview of automotive design and fueling options that address oil dependency, climate change and rural economic re-vitalization. Chris discusses hydrogen, hybrids, biogas derived compressed natural gas, neighborhood electric vehicles, variable cylinder management and more. Recorded August 12, 2007 at the Sixth Annual Illinois Renewable Energy and Sustainable Lifestyle Fair, Oregon, Il, sponsored by the IREA. http://www.illinoisrenew.org

Alisa Smith: The 100 Mile Diet - A Year of Local Eating

2007-08-13T16:49:00.003-05:00

With declining oil and global warming a concern, why ship a vegetable 1,500 miles from farm to plate? To challenge this practice, Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon ate foods grown within 100 miles of home one year. They discovered community, old-fashioned skills and the best-tasting food of their lives. Alisa Smith is co-author of The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating (published in the U.S. as Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally). Recorded August 12, 2007 at the Sixth Annual Illinois

The Future Mighty Oaks of McHenry County

2007-07-27T19:49:00.001-05:00

Watch the launch of the ambitious Third Generation Oak planting program and the young people committed to turning back the accelerating loss of McHenry County's signature tree, the oak. It's been estimated that most of the county's oaks (and the oak savanna ecosystem they host) will be gone in twenty years unless large scale replanting and public education begins immediately. http://www.conservemc.org

Chad Pegracke - Mississippi River Cleanup

2007-05-07T15:00:00.001-05:00

Can one man galvanize an entire region to take pride in America's river and clean up decades of abuse? Living Lands and Waters founder ( http://www.livinglandsandwaters.com )Chad Pregracke's persistence in his on-going mission resulted in bargeloads of tires, drums and refrigerators being pulled-out of the heartland's waterway. Recorded January, 2008 at the Land Conservancy of McHenry County's annual meeting. http://www.conservemc.org

Planting and Maintaining a Rain Garden

2007-04-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

Kishwaukee Valley Water Authority Proposal

2007-03-30T19:04:00.002-05:00

Representatives of the Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water (ALAW) make a presentation in support of the April 17th, 2007 water authority ballot initiative, and a member of the the Taxpayers Alliance of Northern Illinois states the latter's opposition. Discussion held at the Green Sanctuary Committee of the Congregational Unitarian Church of Woodstock's Fourth Friday Forum on March 23

Re-playable Comcast Programs

2007-03-30T15:56:00.006-05:00

Food Sovereignty - Reclaiming Our Agricultural System
John Richter - The Wolf is at the Door
Chad Pregracke - His MIssissippi River Cleanup

McHenry County Water Seminar Town Hall Meeting

2007-02-08T19:12:00.001-06:00

District 5 McHenry County Board Member Tina Hill hosts a public discussion of ground water issues facing the county. Larry Thomas provides an overview of the water situation, followed by Randy Blankenhorn of the Chicago Metro Agency for Planning, providing a regional context. County Board chair Ken Koehler speaks about the history of county groundwater planning and provides his own thoughts on the water issue and the interests of the county, then Tina Hill asks Alliance for Land Agriculture and Water (ALAW) member Emily Berendt to explain ALAW's ballot initiative to create a multi-county water authority. District 5 McHenry County Board Member John Jung reports on the progress of the County 2030 plan, and questions are taken fron the audience

Orion Samuelson on Agriculture and a Changing McHenry County

2007-01-28T19:16:00.002-06:00

The veteran agricultural broadcaster shares his thoughts on farming, food security, groundwater, sprawl and more at the January 28th, 2007 annual meeting of The Land Conservancy of McHenry County (http://www.conservemc.org), where The Conservancy announced completion of the first farmland preservation easement in the area.

Citizen's, Stormwater and Construction Sites

2006-12-11T19:23:00.002-06:00

Stacy James of Prairie Rivers Network http://www.prairierivers.org shows how the public can recognize when nearby construction follows good stormwater pollution prevention practices, when it's in violation of Illinois regulations and how to report it...and what it means for the health of waterways. Part II of the program "Don't Muddy My Waters" sponsored by the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County held October 24th 2006 at the Woodstock Public Library

Judith Pelman discusses A Citizen's Guide to Conservation Activism

2006-11-20T19:27:00.000-06:00

Author Judith Perlman discusses her role in the successful fight against an inappropriate development that led to her book "A Citizen's Primer for Conservation Activism", and also speaks about the promise of green conservation development as a way to enlist private capital to keep natural areas from being lost to sprawl. Talk given November 5th sponsored by the Green Sanctuary Committee of the Congregational Unitarian Church of Woodstock and Read Between the Lynes bookstore

Organic Eating on a Dime

2006-10-01T19:40:00.002-05:00

In this workshop session at the August 2006 Illinois Renewable Energy Fair , Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko explore simple, creative approaches to insure that organic, healthy eating needn't cost more. John and Lisa are the proprietors of Wisconsin bed & breakfast Inn Serendipity http://www.innserendipity.com and authors of Rural Renaissance: Renewing the Quest for the Good Life (New Society Publishers http://www.ruralrenaissance.org

An Experimental Green Roof Using Native Prairie

2006-09-09T19:35:00.001-05:00

Patricia Armstrong of Prairie Sun Consultants and her husband Chuck install a green roof and photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of their Naperville, Illinois home. Most green roofs employ dry-tolerant plants like sedums, but Pat experiments with the addition of midwest prairie flowers and grasses.

Photovoltaic Power: One Homeowner's Solution

2006-02-02T19:20:00.001-06:00

Steve and Caron Wenzel of Woodstock, Illinois research, buy and install a grid inter-tied photovoltaic solar generating system on the roof of their suburban home.

Groundwater in McHenry County

2006-01-26T19:32:00.000-06:00

What's the future of drinking water in McHenry County? Don't count on Lake Michigan. Public presentation by Baxter & Woodman's Larry Thomas of McHenry County's draft groundwater study. Taped at Diggins Library in Harvard, Il Tuesday January 10th, 2006.