[S-C] Fwd: Solar Cities Summit for Mayors 9/18/03 in S.F.

[Kevin Shrieve]

=46rom: "David Hochschild" <david@votesolar.org>
Subject: Vote Solar E-News
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 21:07:13 -0400 (EDT)

THE SOLAR CITIES SUMMIT
On September 18-19, the City of San Francisco, the Vote Solar=20
Initiative and the Million Solar Roofs Program are sponsoring the=20
Solar Cities Summit for Mayors.  The summit is convening the nation's=20
top experts in solar energy and financing to showcase cost-effective=20
ways to implement solar energy programs.  Dr. Amory Lovins will give=20
the keynote address. Over 100 mayors have been invited.  Although=20
many local governments face major budget deficits, there is much that=20
can be done to advance the cause of renewable energy.  In these=20
times, it may be the most patriotic cities can perform.


SAN DIEGO SUNRISE
Last summer, Vote Solar traveled to San Diego to meet with Mayor Dick=20
Murphy and his environmental task force to promote a solar bond=20
initiative for San Diego.  In the year since then, San Diego=20
councilmembers Donna Frye and Michael Zucchet have stepped up to the=20
plate and worked tirelessly to advocate for further solar energy=20
investment. Working with Mayor Murphy, they have persevered.

In two weeks, on August 7, 2003, Mayor Murphy and Councilmembers Frye=20
and Zucchet will hold a press conference to announce San Diego's new=20
goal of 50 megawatts of new solar and other renewable energy over the=20
next ten years.  Greenpeace, which dispatched a full-time organizer=20
to San Diego to push for solar energy, has been relentless in this=20
important victory.  Special thanks to JP Ross and the rest of the=20
Greenpeace team for their dedication and effort.  Thanks also to=20
Mayor Murphy for collaborating with Vote Solar on net metering, exit=20
fees and other critical state solar legislation over the last year.


STATE LEGISLATORS SEE SOLAR
This week, the National Conference of State Legislatures held its=20
annual conference in San Francisco.  6000 legislators from every=20
state in the nation attended the conference which was held in the=20
Moscone Convention Center, now home to one of the largest solar=20
electric rooftops in the nation.  Vote Solar was there, participating=20
in the energy panel and presenting an alternative view to the=20
lobbyists for the "clean coal" and nuclear industries, who were=20
trying mightily to convince legislators that their energy=20
technologies were environmentally sound. This would be humorous if=20
they weren't so serious.

=46ortunately, most legislators seemed to understand the true=20
consequences of conventional energy generation and the turnout at a=20
Vote Solar reception in a hotel overlooking the Moscone solar array=20
was tremendous. Thanks to Assemblyman Mark Leno, Supervisor Sophie=20
Maxwell, and Energy Advisor Ed Smeloff for giving presentations to=20
the to the legislators.


WHITE HOUSE GOES SOLAR?
Surprised? It's true. In an effort initiated under the previous=20
tenant, the White House was outfitted with a 10 kw solar array by the=20
National Park Service several months ago. We hope this project=20
represents an improvement in the course of action President Bush took=20
in his first year in office when he tried to cut the solar R&D budget=20
in half (the Senate overruled him) and then succeeded in spending=20
$135,000 of federal solar money to pay for the printing of the=20
administration's fossil fuel based energy plan.  So we welcome this=20
step and hope it is a reminder that we have much more to do at the=20
federal level (the US government will spend $64 million on solar=20
energy this year. Japan will spend $500 million).

The last time there were solar panels on the White House, installed=20
by President Carter, they lasted only a matter of months before=20
Reagan had them taken down. Let=92s make sure these panels stay there.


SOLAR ON THE ROOF OF THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION
Vote Solar is working to support the campaign now underway to put=20
solar panels on the roof of the Democratic Convention at the Fleet=20
Center in Boston in 2004.  The effort, being advocated by solar=20
architect Steven Strong, will help put renewable energy into the=20
political debate for the 2004 race.


David Hochschild
Adam Browning
Charlene Garland
THE VOTE SOLAR INITIATIVE

If this message was forwarded to you by a friend and you would like=20
sign up for periodic Vote Solar E-news updates, go to=20
http://www.votesolar.org

If this message was forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe, visit
http://www.votesolar.org and sign up (check the upper right-hand corner
of the page).