PV Solar “Energy” at Intersolar North America

Leah Edwards — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:51:20 +0000

No recession in evidence here. Yesterday’s opening session of Intersolar North America was packed and full of energy. The solar trade show almost tripled its exhibition space and more than doubled the number of exhibitors from last year, when the first North America Intersolar show was also hosted in San Francisco.

As far as I can tell, there won’t be any major news coming out of the conference and show. Intersolar’s growth and popularity shows that this is still a young industry and more and more people want to learn about the technology and products available–as well as participate in discussions about how to grow the industry and influence public policy. Organizers say that there are 17,700 registered attendees from 79 countries and 333 exhibitors from 23 countries.

The primary “news” is a continuation of increases in PV efficiency and the lowering of costs of production for equivalent units of electricity. It’s good news but not new news.

Keynote Address by Mayor Gavin Newsom

In this blog network, you’ve probably read posts furthering the friendly rivalry between the cities of San Francisco and Portland (and now Seattle). San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and mayors of these other progressive cities blog about their communities’ challenge to each other to be more green and to claim leadership in electric car usage, solar installations and more.

Green Brings in the Green: Eco-Consumers Go Wild

Leah Edwards — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:37:24 +0000

Even the most eco-conscious of you have to buy something. But how much “green buying” is helping the cause, and when is a little moderation called for? The number of booths, and retailers and products at the Green Festival in San Francisco was truly overwhelming. The loot attendees carted away had people listing to one side under the weight of their organic-cotton bags, and I don’t even want to think about the number of Cliff Bars doled out in bite-sized chunks on toothpicks and the number of bottles of Adina beverages and chunks of Fair Trade chocolate served up to tens of thousands of people who braved the crowded aisles .

Wait, stop the press. I sound cynical and am raining on the parade. The Green Festival in San Francisco was great in many ways. Jeff McIntire-Strasburg can give you a good idea of where the fun was.

Let’s accentuate the positive: I may have been dismayed by all of the small samples of cosmetics and potions being doled out in small plastic containers, but there really were some impressive companies exhibiting at the Festival.

Buygreen.com for one: By carefully choosing products and giving shoppers detailed information about the source materials, manufacturing, use and disposal of each product (and even a relative score across all the criteria), BuyGreen.com makes it easier to buy, own and dispose of household and office products consciously.

Doug Farquhar and Allison Huke, owners, in the BuyGreen.com booth at the San Francisco Green Festival.

Providing detailed information about each item in the BuyGreen.com store is certainly labor-intensive, and online retailing is very competitive. I want to cheer them on and hope that such conscious consuming catches on quick!

Green Options » trade show

PV Solar “Energy” at Intersolar North America

Green Brings in the Green: Eco-Consumers Go Wild