-We’re basically Middle America, except we’re off the grid,” says Diane Mitsch-Bush, a longtime resident of Steamboat Springs, Colo. Her neighborhood, only a few miles from the center of town, has powered itself with solar and propane energy since the early 1980s. But Mitsch-Bush and other residents say their low-key and environmentally conscious lifestyle is […]
Renewable energy
Posted inMay 25, 1998: Tackling tamarisk
Hot and beautiful
Clean energy can emerge from deep beneath the earth’s surface, but will it interfere with the natural beauty of the volcanoes, hot springs and geysers that make it possible? That’s a question asked in Tapping the Earth’s Natural Heat, a 63-page report produced by Wendell Duffield for the U.S. Geological Survey. Compared to other sources […]
Posted inMarch 2, 1998: Wild horses: Do they belong in the West?
Learning sustainable technology
They’re not the Bureau of Reclamation, but they will teach you how to build a dam. A very small dam, that is. Solar Energy International (SEI) will offer courses in water, wind and solar power during its 1998 Renewable Energy Education Program. Over the past 16 years the Carbondale, Colo., nonprofit has established renewable energy […]
Posted inSeptember 29, 1997: The timber wars evolve into a divisive attempt at peace
Just charge it
Only 50 or so electric cars are on Arizona’s roads, but the Tucson Electric Power Company has opened eight free charge-up stations in the city. General Motors says it chose Tucson, Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles as test markets because the cars perform better on flat terrain and in a warm climate. The EV-1, […]
Posted inJune 12, 1995: The Southwest's last real river: Will it flow on?
A humming good race
A humming good race This summer, the Rockies will host a kinder, gentler type of car race – one without roaring, polluting engines. The first annual Sun Sprint of the Rockies solar and electric car-race, a 500-mile run from Aspen, Colo., to Moab, Utah, is set for July 11-21. Racers will travel about 50 miles […]
Posted inMarch 20, 1995: The fight for Reclamation
Soft energy may shred Wyoming raptors
CARBON COUNTY, Wyo.- Bruce Morley stands on Foote Creek Rim, the high ridge he hopes to cover with a forest of wind turbines, and eyes the brown haze from a power plant 150 miles away. “Every month this project would generate as much power as a coal train a mile long,” says Morley, raising his […]
Posted inOctober 17, 1994: As elections near, green hopes wilt
A sunny future for nuclear test site?
The Nevada Test Site, home to nuclear weapons testing for more than 40 years, may have a brighter future. Clear skies and high insolation – the amount of solar radiation available at ground level – make the test site one of the best places in North America for capturing solar energy, according to a feasibility […]
Posted inJune 13, 1994: A doomed species?
Renewable energy festival
Democracy will be celebrated, but energy independence is the main theme of the first annual Freedom Festival July 3 in Glenwood Springs, Colo. The event features an array of renewable and sustainable energy products. Reggae music, alternative health care and craft booths will also share Two Rivers Park on the shores of the Roaring Fork […]
Posted inJune 13, 1994: A doomed species?
Self-reliant homes
You can unplug from the electrical grid, writes home-builder and author Michael Potts in The Independent Home: Living Well with Power from the Sun, Wind and Water. Potts’ exploration of both the philosophy and technology of energy independence makes an excellent primer for people wanting to design and build a house, or to minimize power […]
Posted inMay 30, 1994: Can mining come clean?
Wind in the West
New wind turbines that produce electricity almost as cheaply as new coal- or natural gas-fired plants have spurred four wind power projects in the West. San Francisco-based Kenetech, the nation’s largest developer of wind energy, proposes three projects featuring turbines that adjust to wind speeds while still creating energy at a uniform rate. Two of […]
Posted inMay 16, 1994: Babbitt is trying to nationalize the BLM
A bright idea
When the lights start to dim or the TV won’t turn on, some Navajos in Arizona know it’s time to drive to a gas station and recharge the car battery. For the 10,000 people who live out of range of the tribal utility’s powerlines, car batteries provide a quick, though inconvenient, source of energy. But […]
Posted inApril 4, 1994: Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau?
Energy Fair
Alternative energy technologies will be on display at the second annual, free Energy Fair April 30-May 1 in Montrose, Colo. Vendors will feature tepees, dome houses, earth-sunken homes, devices to computerize energy conservation and energy-efficient lighting and building materials. Workshops will examine bio fuels and hybrid solar systems, among other topics. Events include baking cookies […]
Posted inMarch 21, 1994: On the borderline
Sun Day
When making plans for Earth Day this spring, don’t forget about Sun Day, April 24, a national celebration of renewable energy and energy conservation. Organizers hope to educate people about the potential of renewable energy and showcase renewable-energy programs and technologies. Over 50 national environmental, business, utility, student and government groups are sponsoring Sun Day, […]
Posted inMarch 7, 1994: Pay as you waste, says EPA
Back to the sun
When oil became scarce in the 1970s, New Mexico’s solar industry quickly boomed and then busted. State tax subsidies had helped sell complicated new systems that sometimes didn’t work, and by the mid-80s many people ditched their solar designs. In an effort to rebuild its solar industry, the New Mexico Natural Resources Department has published […]
Posted inNovember 29, 1993: Butte, Montana, seeks a new life
Begging for windmills
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Begging for windmills.
Posted inOctober 18, 1993: A lost land grant: Can it be reclaimed?
Home Improvement
Homeowner tells his tale of woe when trying to upgrade his furnace efficiency. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Home Improvement.
Posted inFebruary 22, 1993: The continuing saga of New Mexico's Gray Ranch
A melting pot for unrelated agencies
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A melting pot for unrelated agencies.