Produced by award-winning filmmakers Josh Tickell and Rebecca Tickell, “FREEDOM” started out as a documentary about the recent Gulf Coast oil spill disaster.

It became something very different.

“[The film] ‘FREEDOM’ makes a completely compelling case that by converting our dependence on oil to a literally homegrown source of energy, we achieve several goals. First, we improve our economy by spending energy dollars here; second, we create more jobs; third, we base our energy needs on a renewable resource (corn and biomass); and fourth,
we reduce our impact on the environment,” says reviewer
Patrick Robinson of the West Seattle Herald.

To promote the film, the husband-and-wife team, who also produced the Sundance Film Festival’s Award-winning documentary, “Fuel,” are now on a three-month, 30-city “North American Clean Energy Tour” in their fully customized Freedom Bus, a “green” constructed, highly energy efficient vehicle that showcases the latest biofuel-efficient advanced fuels along with wind, solar and water technology.

Contributed by Nathan Schock from http://blog.projectliberty.com/ on July 19, 2011

Last week, I attended a public tour of the EcoSun Prairie Farm near Colman, S.D. The farm was established in 2008 to demonstrate the potential economic and ecological benefits of establishing grass-based farms in the former tall grass prairie region of central North America.

During the public tour, which was shortened by rain earlier in the day and the heat that followed, we heard from several members of the EcoSun Board who talked about the revenue streams they’ve established from grass-finished beef and prairie grass seed. They also talked about potential future revenue sources for the working grass farm, like carbon credits and selling biomass for cellulosic ethanol.

It’s this potential to use native prairie grasses for biofuels production that has drawn POET’s interest. As was mentioned in today’s front page story in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, we’ve talked to EcoSun about the potential for a partnership.

For the most part, our research lab is through the early phase of research and developing corn crop residues for cellulosic ethanol (although the research will never really end) and is now beginning to look at what the next sources of biomass will be for cellulosic ethanol. We see a lot of promise and potential in the native prairie grasses like they grow at the EcoSun Farm. Pictured here is a stand of Sunburst Switchgrass. To see more photos, visit our Flickr page.

We’ll have more to say about this at the upcoming America’s Grasslands Conference that is being held in Sioux Falls, S.D. in August. You can learn more about the EcoSun Prairie Farm (and support their work) by watching Grass Roots: The Prairie Farm Story.

Contributed by Steve Schwartz

For years, a buzz in the commercial building arena has been centered around buildings providing air conditioning from beneath the floor rather than from overhead ducts. Throughout the region, it has been proven that constructing a new space with underfloor techniques can be no more costly than overhead. Long term, the benefits are impressive. Reduced energy cost for running fans, improved indoor air quality, individual user control, and the ability to install power and data beneath the floor vs. embedded into walls. Cool (and cost effective) way to provide COOLING.

photo by Heartland Consumers Power DIstrict on http://hcpd.com

Sioux Falls Green Project’s newest supporting partner is celebrating their new green headquarters with an open house today in Madison, SD.  Heartland Consumers Power District is a non-profit wholesale energy provider serving communities in three states, including the City of Sioux Falls.

The new HCPD headquarters were designed by Green Project co-founder Koch Hazard Architects to become our state’s first new LEED Platinum designated building. An open house is taking place from 10a to 2pm today, with a program beginning at 12:15pm featuring South Dakota State University President David Chicoine as keynote. Heartland provides renewable wind energy to power the SDSU campus in Brookings.

Click here to learn more about the process and features of the new green facility Heartland calls home.

Click here to find your way to the new HCPD headquarters on Google Maps.

With temperatures rising and flip flops starting to parade the ground, the coming summertime is certainly in the air. Now we just have to focus on keeping that air clean.

Here are a few tips to start making this season a greener one.

• Hang your laundry out to dry. Now that it’s warm enough, this is a perfect alternative to an electric dryer.
• Eat outdoors whenever possible. It’ll save on electricity and give you some dinner scenery.
• Use fans and open windows. Fans use less energy than air conditioners and circulate air instead of keeping it trapped in a single room.
• Close shades and blinds. Keeping them closed during the daytime will minimize solar heat gain and will keep your house cooler.
• If you’re planning on barbequing, try a gas or electric grill. Charcoal is harder on the environment. Or, try a solar oven that avoids emissions altogether.

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This week’s tips made possible by Howalt+McDowell Insurance.

SF Green Project is teaming up with our partner The First National Bank in Sioux Falls to coordinate Earth Hour in our community. In a bold statement of collective concern for our country, our planet and our future millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour–Earth Hour–on March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time.

Help send a powerful message that environmental sustainability is a priority for all of us.

The Green Project and The First National Bank in SF are proud to be official supporters of Earth Hour 2010. On March 27, we will be going dark along with many other companies, organizations and families in Sioux Falls, including the City of Sioux Falls, Cherapa Place, Hoawlt McDowell Insurance, Koch Hazard Architects so far.

Click here to see what people, organizations, cities, schools and companies from South Dakota have pledged to go dark on March 27 for Earth Hour. We encourage you to join with us and millions of Americans in making Earth Hour 2010 the biggest effort yet. Getting involved is easy:

1. Sign up at EarthHour.org
   Show your support, find out what Earth Hour events are happening near you and get tips on organizing fun events in your community.
2. Spread the Word
   Invite your friends and family to join the movement, become a fan on Facebook and post a link to EarthHour.org on your profile page.
3. Turn off the lights
   Turn off your non-essential lighting at 8:30 p.m. local time on Saturday, March 27.

Notable U.S. landmarks such as Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, Sea World in Orlando, the strip in Las Vegas, New York’s Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Washington D.C.’s National Cathedral, California’s Santa Monica Pier and the Space Needle in Seattle are among the hundreds of sites that will turn off non-essential lighting for the hour, in what is expected to be the largest-ever call to action on climate change.

For more information, or to be sure your company, organization or family name is on the list, contact Joe Bartmann.

Sioux Falls Green Drinks will celebrate it’s one -year anniversary a little early on February 24 at Latitude 44. In March 2009, two dozen people gathered for green conversation and networking at this odd shaped establishment by the railroad tracks downtown for the first ever Green Drinks in Sioux Falls. To celebrate one year of sustainability networking, we’re heading back to where it started at Latitude 44.

We’ll pass the conversation starter bucket, give everyone a chance to share their own green news and notes with a ’round-the-room, and take in a short talk on the future of biofuels by Poet Energy’s Director of Public Relations, and Green Drinker from the begining, Nathan Schock.

As always, Green Drinks is free. Ideas and friends always welcome.

The Details:

• February 24, 2010
• 5:00pm ’til whenever
• Latitude 44, 201 North Weber Avenue

What is Green Drinks? A free and informal monthly mixer that brings together folks who are interested in sustainable business, design, policy and living. This is your chance to connect up and help shape a future that’s green and happy in the Sioux Falls region. Join us for good booze, good convo and a little networking with other environmentally minded people.

Green Drinks is always free and open to the public. Green Drinks is organized locally by the Sioux Falls Green Project and Astronaut Brand Studio. (Thanks to Greg and the gang at Astronaut for another awesome poster.)

Greening up your home and saving a little extra money doesn’t have to be difficult. Sometimes it just takes a few small changes to conserve energy, money and the environment.

Here are a three tips to get you started:

• Setting your water heater to 120 degrees could save you $25 annually.
• Cleaning your air conditioning, furnace and clothes dryer filters will help your appliances last longer.
• Reversing your ceiling fan in the winter can help circulate the warm air that collects on the ceiling.

For more tips on how to save money and energy, visit ResponsibleByNature.com.

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This week’s tips made possible by Xcel Energy.

Lighting a warm fire on a chilly winter night looks and feels wonderful, but it can be an expensive and inefficient endeavor. A wood-burning fireplace sends most of the heat in your house straight up the chimney… emitting as much as 24,000 cubic feet of air per hour to the outside, according to earthshare.org. However, there are ways you can limit your heat loss and still enjoy a relaxing evening by the fire.

Here are several tips to green up your wood-burning fireplace.

• Reduce heat loss by slightly opening the nearest window and closing the doors leading into the room.
• Burn hardwood such as oak or hickory, which give off more heat than softer woods.
• Check the seal on the flue damper and make it as snug as possible. Be sure to keep the damper closed when you aren’t using it.
• Have your chimney cleaned once a year.
• Install tempered glass doors and a heat-air exchange system that blows warmed air back into the room.
• Consider a gas or electric fireplace if you’re planning to install a new one. These provide the enjoyment of looking at flames but can be 70% more efficient than regular fireplaces.

Sources: Bliss Tree and Earth Share.

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This week’s tips made possible by Koch Hazard Architects.