Iowa Wind Power: The Case for Environmental Mandates

David Osterberg boasts quite the resumé: he's an associate professor at the University of Iowa, he served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1983-1994, he's an advisory board member for the Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research (CGRER), and he's the founder and executive director of the Iowa Policy Project (IPP).

In this documentary short, Osterberg explains how and why Iowa has emerged as one of the nation's green energy capitals. At the end of 2007, Iowa laid claim to over 1,100 wind turbines, producing more wind energy than any other state per capita. Osterberg explains this with one key concept: Policy.

Also witness a dedication ceremony for Acciona Energy's first wind turbine manufacturing plant in the United States, located in West Branch, Iowa. The event's guest list includes Iowa Governor Chet Culver and University of Iowa President Sally Mason.

To learn more about the Iowa Policy Project, visit: http://www.iowapolicyproject.org/

To learn more about CGRER, visit http://www.cgrer.uiowa.edu/

For more information, contact Soheil Rezayazdi at soheil-rezayazdi@uiowa.edu, or check to the March 2008 issue of The Iowan magazine for an accompanying article on wind power in Iowa.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Iowa
• Culver
• environment
• wind
• turbine
• mandate
• farm
• green
• energy
• coal

[lightsout9999]

Send some to Mexico! I also would like one for my house! Greetings from Project Lights Out!

[anoniab]

You should see the repeat photography of the Muir glacier. Where once was a frozen wasteland is now fluorishing with trees and bushes. All temps are local. Averages are not temps.

[gregjalbert]

There's a lot of useful information on wikipedia . org if you want to expand on your discussions. I also recommend some of the presentations on youtube by googletechtalks.

[gregjalbert]

I recommend the book Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas and also the web site Climate Code Red . net .

[anoniab]

"You buy that stuff and shut up"???

[anoniab]

Many of those weather stations were in Siberia - what would happen if they added those missing numbers in? Temps are measured locally, not globally. 80 in Iowa will not melt ice in Greenland. There is volcanic activity under the ice at both poles and Antarctica is actually getting bigger.

[anoniab]

"Should there be some kind of incentive?"

Who is doing the consuming? (Clue: It's not the power plant) Isn't saving $ on one's energy bill enough? Tell me, how much $ was in the baseball bat that you hit the electric company with? Will any of this end up really turning a profit for anyone other than the turbine manufacturer?

There is no "global climate change". Is good science done by comparing apples to oranges? They are missing 2/3s of the weather stations they had in the 70's