Publication date:18-August-2003 

BY CHRISTOPHER FLAVIN, RENOWNED ENERGY ADVISOR AND AUTHOR, AND MIKE NELSON, CO-FOUNDER OF WESTERN S.U.N. 

WALLA WALLA, Wash.-- The Fourth Annual Northwest Renewable Energy Festival 2003, to be held on the Whitman College campus September 18 through 21, will feature presentations by renowned energy advisor, Christopher Flavin, as well as tours of the Stateline Wind Energy Center and off-grid and energy efficient homes, renewable energy sessions and workshops, children's activities, exhibits, and musical performances. Last year, over 1,000 people attended various activities associated with the Festival.

Christopher Flavin is President and CEO of the Worldwatch Institute, an international research organization whose focus is to move toward an environmentally sustainable future. Worldwatch is recognized around the world for its path-breaking work on the global connections between economic, social, and environmental trends. Flavin is a regular co-author of the Institute’s widely read State of the World book, published in more than 30 languages.

Chris Flavin is known for his extensive writing on energy strategies and policies, including a focus on renewable sources of energy, electricity restructuring, and the potential for hydrogen. He is co-author of three books on energy, including Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution (WW Norton, 1994), in which he describes the potential shape of a post-petroleum energy economy. All energy festival activities, including Mr. Flavin’s keynote address, "The Post-Petroleum Century: Why Renewable Energy is About to Sweep the Globe," are free and open to the public. Mr Flavin will speak Friday evening, Sept. 20, in Cordiner Hall on the Whitman College campus.

Mike Nelson was the first recipient of US Department of Energy's "True Solar Champion" award, a co-founder of Western S.U.N. (Solar Utility Network) in western Washington and founder of the Washington Chapter of The American Solar Energy Association. Mike and his family lived off-grid for over 26 years on a barge in downtown Seattle and in NE Washington. The nonprofit co-operative, Western S.U.N., develops prepackaged/pre-engineered solar electric systems for residential and commercial use. Western S.U.N. has 27 member utilities throughout the Northwest. Mike has designed installed solar electric systems in national parks, on tropical islands in the South Pacific, Alaska, and downtown Seattle. Clients have included EPA, DOE, city governments, and private homeowners. The keynote address by Mike Nelson will begin at noon, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003, in Cordiner Hall.

A Segway™ Human Transporter (HT), valued at over $5000, will be given away at the festival Saturday, Sept. 20, at 5:30 pm. Raffle tickets are available for $1.00 each. Need not be present to win. The Segway™ HT, a self-balancing, electric-powered human transporter, travels over three times faster than walking and is less expensive to own than a full-sized vehicle. Potential savings on fuel, insurance, maintenance, and parking can run into thousands of dollars over its lifetime. The Segway™ HT also leaves the environment clean and quiet.   

The Department of Ecology, in partnership with the Inland Northwest Technology Education Center (INTEC) and Washington State University will report Friday at noon on initial findings of a comprehensive survey of bioenergy potential in Eastern Washington. The survey concludes that as much as 40 percent of current residential electrical power demand in Eastern Washington could be met by converting latent energy in agricultural and municipal bio-wastes to methane and then using that fuel to power electric generators.  

More than 30 panels and workshops will include solar, wind, hydro, biomass, geothermal and fuel cell energy topics, energy conservation, alternative home construction, and renewable energy. Interactive educational activities for children will include solar cooking, pedal power generation, renewable energy art, super conducting materials and sterling engines, solar water heating & solar water fountain. 

For further information, please contact the Northwest Renewable Energy Festival at (509) 525-8479 or email: info@nwrefest.org or check out information at www.nwrefest.org. Christopher Flavin: www.worldwatch.org. Mike Nelson: www.westernsun.org. Segway: www.segway.com. 
 
 

CONTACT: Lenel Parish, Whitman College News Service, (509) 527-5156

Email: parishlj@whitman.edu

Karen Yager, NW Renewable Energy Festival chair
http://www.nwrefest.org