Alternative Energy

Bob Bruninga is near the end of his work as an aerospace engineer at the US Naval Academy and is passionate about electric cars and solar energy. He built his first electric car way back in 1970, led his neighborhood’s implimentation of alternative energy, and helped Annapolis Friends Meeting in their installation of net zero energy solar panels.

Ralph Jacobson has been a steadfast advocate for solar since he founded IPS Solar in 1991. In 2017 they became the fastest-growing Twin Cities Business, all the more rewarding because of their practice of inviting women & people of color into the mostly male-dominated industry, and for Ralph's effort to use MnVest.org (Minnesota Investment Crowdfunding) to jump-start solarization of the Red Lake Nation reservation.

Grant Samms was curious about the expansion of wind energy in Western Oklahoma, especially in the oil town of Woodward. He expected to see a lot of conflict there. Turns out there was no conflict.

Roy Taylor III and RT3 Architects help people & organizations live more sustainably on the Earth, with the wide range of building & renovation & life-style ideas that reduce our impact in terms of materials, energy, water, & more. This is far more than alternative energy, this is the full-system outlook.

John Greenler is part of 2 institutions looking for energy ways forward in Wisconsin, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center and the Wisconsin Energy Institute, where John works as director of education & outreach. In addition to these professional roles, John is co-owner of a CSA called Zephyr Farm, which keeps him grounded in hands-on sustainable alternatives as well.

In Mumbet's Declaration of Independence, Gretchen Woelfle, brings to life the true story of Elizabeth Freeman (Mumbet), whose efforts & determination led slavery to be declared unconstitutional in Massachusetts in 1783. Gretchen writes books for youth on a variety of social justice & environmental topics.

There are ways to help individuals and organizations to overcome the impediments to adoption of alternative energy sources, and it's the work of RENEW Wisconsin to help get folks in Wisconsin past these problems, into the future. Drawing on the inspirations and experiences of other states and nations, RENEW Wisconsin's executive director, Tyler Huebner helps map a course to a decentralized, non-polluting, inexpensive energy system.

Ingrid Lakey and Lola Georg are board members of Earth Quaker Action Team, doing their bit to fight Climate Change, featuring their campaign to get PNC Bank to eliminate its investments in mountain-top removal.

Improvisational humor is an awesome tool used by The Theater of Public Policy (t2p2.net) to find new ways forward in public discourse. Co-founded by Tane Danger & Brandon Boat in 2011, they've tackled a surprisingly wide variety of issues with their creative and disarming approach, including farm policy, robotics, clean water, and religion. Back on Feb 15th they performed for the Love Your Planet Comedy Night sponsored by Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light.

Ralph Jacobson founded Innovative Power Systems in 1991, giving him 20 years on the learning curve. His outlook & views have been significantly changed by the experience of "doing business". He is also president of the Minnesota Solar Industries and lives in St Paul, Minnesota.