Thursday,
January 24
5:30 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"The Governor's Energy Office
 and Colorado's New Energy Economy"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

2007 saw newly-elected Governor Bill Ritter and the State Legislature create legislation and policy for Colorado's "New Energy Economy." 2008 will be all about making this a reality. Join CRES as we discuss the Colorado Governor's Energy Office's (GEO) plans for 2008 and beyond.

Tom Plant is the Director of the Governor's Energy Office (GEO). Before being appointed to this position by Governor Ritter in 2007, he was Executive Director at the Center for ReSource Conservation in Boulder.

Tom also represented House District 13 (Nederland) in the Colorado General Assembly (1998-2006), where he served on the House Appropriations Committee and Joint Budget Committee. His work in the State Legislature was recognized through awards from such diverse groups as the University of Colorado, Sierra Club, Colorado Conservation Voters, and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.

After graduating from Colorado State University in 1985, Tom worked as an exploration geologist until 1988. He then worked in the Climate Change department for the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington DC. While at UCS, he explored the causes of global climate change and examined transportation and energy solutions to reduce the emissions contributing to climate change.

A reception with food and drinks will follow this meeting.

The Jefferson Unitarian Church is at 14350 W. 32nd Avenue in Golden. Take I-70 to Exit 264, and then go west on 32nd Avenue for about 1 mile.
www.jeffersonunitarian.org

This event is co-sponsored by

• The Jefferson Unitarian Church's "Green Task Force"
  www.jeffersonunitarian.org/src
  
  
• The Governor's Energy Office
  www.colorado.gov/energy
  
  
• The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club
  www.rmc.sierraclub.org
  
  and
  
  
• Environment Colorado
  www.environmentcolorado.org

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Thursday,
March 20
5:30 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"Faith-Based Perspectives on
 the Earth, Environment,
 Global Warming, and a
 Sustainable Future"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is now available by clicking here ...

The faith community - Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and others - are emerging as a powerful voice for a more sustainable future. Join CRES for a fascinating panel discussion of how different faiths view the current state of Our Planet, and what they are doing about it on various levels.

Reverend Peter Sawtell is the founder and executive director of Eco-Justice Ministries -- an ecumenical, Christian agency that works with churches across the country to bring environmental concerns into the core of their ministry. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and serves on the UCC's national Environmental Task Force. As a member of the Religious Environmental Leaders Group, Peter collaborates with all of the major faith-based environmental groups in the United States.

Jim Walters grew up in Texas, and received a Bachelor's in Business Administration from the University of Texas. He served as an Air Force pilot and instructor-pilot before going to into Christian ministry. Today he serves as the pastor of Bear Valley Church in Lakewood, where he hopes to install PV Solar on the church roof and help awaken other churches to renewable energy issues. In his free time, he teaches flying in small planes ("burning much less fuel than those big jets!").

Daniel Ziskin is originally from New Jersey. He received a Bachelor's degree in physics from Occidental College. Then he spent nearly a year living in Israel. In 1993 he earned a PhD in physics from The Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation was on how clouds act as a feedback mechanism on the Earth's climate. He worked at NASA and at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. While living in Boulder, he founded Jews Of The Earth, a non-profit group that works to improve environmental stewardship within the Jewish community. Daniel moved to Denver with his wife in 2006.

Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni was born in Al-Najaf, Iraq. As a Shiite Islamic imam (priest), he emerged as an Iraqi dissident and was imprisoned repeatedly under Saddam Hussein. Fleeing the country in 1974, he says friends and relatives left behind were killed. He spent the next few years going around the Middle East trying to find a home, and early in 1977 ended up in London, where he went to university. He has traveled to many countries on lecture tours and currently resides in Denver He is the imam at the Islamic Center of Ahl-Al-Beit.

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Thursday,
April 24
5:30 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"Power of the People:
 America's New Electricity Choices"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event (audio & presentation only) is now available by clicking here ...

America is as addicted to electricity as it is to oil. Our electricity usage increases every year, yet we still use the same transmission grid that was constructed in the middle of the last century. The grid is stretched to the limit, creating the potential of future black-outs like the one that brought the Northeast to its knees in 2003. Meanwhile, some of our most abundant and affordable generating fuels have become major culprits in global warming. Power of the People explores in a nontechnical, conversational way some of the clean, green, 21st-century technologies that are available and how and why we should plug them into our national grid. This important essay explores our failure as a country to adopt these "no regrets" technologies and policies as swiftly as the rest of the world, and why it matters for the future of every American.

Long-time CRES Member Carol Tombari has specialized in energy and environmental policy and programs for more than 25 years. She directed the State of Texas's energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, served as natural resources advisor to the lieutenant governor, and helped found the National Association of State Energy Officials. In addition, she was appointed to federal advisory posts by two Federal Secretaries of Energy, chairing a Congressional advisory committee on the subject of renewable energy joint ventures and serving on the U.S. Department of Energy's (USDOE) State Energy Advisory Board. Tombari is employed at the USDOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where she works on local and rural economic development. Ultimately, it is her love for the next generation that continues to drive her work to protect the future of our planet and the lives of those yet to come.

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Thursday,
May 22
5:30 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"Colorado's Leadership in a
 21st-Century Energy Economy"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is now available by clicking here ...

"This isn't your father's energy economy!" In a world facing global warming, peak oil, and emerging technologies, energy will go through one of its greatest-ever periods of change in the 21st Century ... and Colorado is poised to be at the forefront of this transition!

Michael Bowman is a fifth-generation Colorado native, born and raised on the family farm in eastern Colorado. He serves on the National Steering Committee for “25x’25” (www.25x25.org), served as Chair of Colorado’s New Energy Future in 2006 and was co-chair of Governor-elect Bill Ritter’s transition team for energy policy. He was a member of the 2005 Trans-Atlantic Dialogue on Climate Change and was active in Colorado’s “Amendment 37” campaign, the nation’s first citizen-initiated renewable portfolio standard.

Michael is a steering committee member of the Colorado Apollo Alliance and Colorado’s Climate Action Plan, where his efforts are focused on creating public policy encouraging low carbon biofuels and sustainable methods of agricultural production. He is a founding board member of the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance (www.fuelresponsibly.org), and chairs the Colorado Farm-to-Cafeteria Coalition. Additionally, he is a steering committee member for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s “Greening the DNC” committee, and is active with the Denver Rescue Mission’s $12 million capital campaign for its Larimer County “Harvest Farm”.

Throughout his adult life, Michael has been active in rural development initiatives both domestically and internationally, serving on the National Council of Advisors for the Heartland Center for Leadership Development in Lincoln, NE and Holistic Management International in Albuquerque where he has participated in a grasslands sustainability project near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

A reception with food and drinks will follow this meeting.

The Jefferson Unitarian Church is at 14350 W. 32nd Avenue in Golden. Take I-70 to Exit 264, and then go west on 32nd Avenue for about 1 mile.
www.jeffersonunitarian.org

This event is co-sponsored by

• The Jefferson Unitarian Church's "Green Task Force"
  www.jeffersonunitarian.org/src
  
  and
  
  
• The Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Sierra Club
  www.rmc.sierraclub.org

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Weekend,
June 6 -8

Colorado Renewable Energy Conference

Pueblo Convention Center
Pueblo

Congressman Mark Udall (CO - 2) will be the keynote speaker, and other VIPs have been invited.

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Thursday,
July 24
5:30 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"Choosing Renewable Energy Investments"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is now available by clicking here ...

As interest has increased in Renewable Energy over the past few years, more money has been pouring into Renewable Energy investments. Join CRES to find out how best to take advantage of this trend from an investor's point of view.

Tom Konrad is a nationally recognized expert on investing in Alternative Energy companies. He is a Stock Analyst and Partner at AltEnergyStocks.com, where he writes a regular column, a freelancer for other national and international publications, including a green investing column for Smart Energy Living magazine. He has a Ph.D. in Mathematics from Purdue University, and is a Level III candidate for the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation. Tom is the former Treasurer of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, and now serves as Policy Committee chair.

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Thursday,
August 21
5:30 - 7:00 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"The Road from Fossil Fuels to a Sustainable Energy Economy: The Strategy in Iceland as a Model"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is now available by clicking here ...

The tiny island nation of Iceland has one of the world's most ambitious plans for transitioning away from fossil fuels. Join CRES to see how America and the rest of the world can learn from Iceland's example.

Chuck Kezar is a Professor from Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont, and a Retired Colonel from the U.S. Air Force. He spent six years with the Energy Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives' Science Committee, and several years with the U.S. Department of Energy, before moving to Strategic Defense work and Special Defense Programs.

As a, research Professor, he revisited the status of US Geothermal Energy and was greatly disappointed. He published the available data that showed one can use Magma Chemistry to produce both hydrogen and usable steam in the web site (www.magma-power.com). His research in 2007 took him to Iceland, where most of the technology breakthroughs were under consideration or being demonstrated. This presentation is a review of how to move to a renewable energy economy using geothermal resources and smart planning.

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Thursday,
September 25
5:30 - 7:00 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"The Current State of Solar Energy
  in Colorado: Our Bright Future"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is now available by clicking here ...

With all the changes in policies, homeowner association restrictions, building department obstacles, supply challenges, and other factors, it's time to review the opportunities available for integrating standard and emerging solar and wind technologies for Colorado home and small business owners. Success stories will highlight the major strides our industry has made over the past few years. Lessons learned will bring newcomers to solar up-to-date (and even ahead of the curve!) when making choices for their own projects. You'll also hear insight on where markets and technologies are headed over the next few years. Meet others in the industry, learn about how you can go renewable, save energy & money, and "Walk the Talk!"

Jeff Scott is President of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society. While living in Japan in the 1990s, Jeff began researching green building practices, and was impressed by the country's "whole systems" construction methods. Upon returning to America, Jeff began linking his belief in sustainable design to his strong environmental values and business skills. He founded SolSource in 2003 as an engineering, procurement, and contracting firm providing complete systems design, installation, and project management services (www.solsourceinc.com). Jeff has two Bachelors Degrees (Business and Computer Science) from Miami (Ohio) University.

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Saturday,
October 4

Denver Tour of Solar Homes
(and the National Solar Tour)

Tours in Denver,
Fort Collins & Windsor,
Colorado Springs,
Pueblo,
Larkspur (Douglas County),
Durango & La Plata County,
New Castle (Garfield County),
and in dozens of other communities
throughout Colorado and the USA.

Information at www.cres-energy.org/tour ...

Thursday,
October 23
5:30 - 7:00 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting
"Peak Oil: Genuine Problem
  or Just Another Liberal Scare"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is available by clicking here ...

NOTES on this particular webcast:

1. We pushed the Record button a bit early, so please fast forward to about 20 minutes into the recording to get to the start of the actual meeting.
   
   You can also click on "Slide 2.0" in the "Presentation Agenda" window on the left. You will miss a few introductory comments, but not the main presentation.
   
   
2. The first 20 minutes of this presentation features Morey Wolfson going through a fascinating Google Earth video of major energy facilities around the world.
   
   Unfortunately, the video could not go directly through the webcast, so it is almost un-viewable through the "Presenter" panel. It is definitely worth listening to Morey describe various energy facilities and "choke points" around the world, though.
   
   You can also view this video in its entirety on your own computer by
   downloading & installing Google's incredible "Google Earth" program (for free),
   and then
   downloading & installing
   Morey's ASPO-USA's "Global Energy Infrastructure" layer.
   
   
3. The video in the "Presenter" panel doesn't get much better for the remaining presenters, but their presentations are EXCELLENT and perfectly visible in the "Slides" panel.
   
   
4. The entire recording lasts three hours. Despite the technical difficulties, it provides VERY valuable information about Peak Oil, and is VERY MUCH worth viewing.
   
   Thank You!

The subject of Peak Oil has been attracting increasing attention in the media, along with global warming, as a problem facing the human species during this century. World oil production is currently at peak, or soon will be, in accordance with the theories of the late petroleum geologist Dr. M. King Hubbert, while world demand continues to grow, especially in the newly developing economies of China and India.

How serious is this problem? Is it a real threat to our continued way of life, and if so, what can be done about it? How can renewable energy play a role in reducing the impact? Or is the whole issue just another "sky-is-falling" tactic by “the left” and environmental extremists to attempt to force us to curtail our enjoyment of the good life?

Panelists addressing these issues will include:

• Steve Andrews, independent energy consultant and Board member of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil-USA (ASPO-USA);
  
  
• John L. Langhus, corporate and transactional lawyer for Forest Oil Corporation in Denver, and adjunct professor at DU’s Sturm College of Law;
  
  
• Richard Nehring, developer of the "Significant Oil and Gas Fields of the United States Database"; and
  
  
• Morey Wolfson, Board member of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil-USA (ASPO-USA).

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Thursday,
November 20
5:30 - 7:00 PM

CRES
Monthly
Meeting

CRES Monthly Meeting:
"Deep Time Climate Change and Its Relevance to Our Understanding of Global Warming"

Jefferson Unitarian Church
14350 W. 32nd Avenue
(just west of I-70)
Golden

Recorded webcast of this event is available by clicking here ...

When we say things like “Global temperatures are rising faster than ever before” and “We must do something now,” what kinds of time frames are we using? Learn how paleontologists & paleobotanists view climate change over the past 100 million years, using lessons from the Earth’s long history to put climate change into a more understandable context.

Ian Miller, PhD is the Curator of Paleontology at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. He studies fossil plants, paleoclimate, paleoecology, and tectonics. His research focuses on how fossil plants can be used to estimate paleoclimate, using that information to determine how the earth has changed on geologic time scales. He is also a taxonomist who studies Late Mesozoic and Early Cenozoic fossil floras from North America.

Dr. Miller first began working at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science as an undergraduate at Colorado College during the late 1990s. He received his PhD in geology and geophysics from Yale University and returned to the Museum in 2006 as a postdoctoral fellow.

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