In more great news for the fight against global climate change, the American Public Transportation Association reports that the use of public transportation in the US grew 2.1% in 2007, which is the highest level in 50 years.

We were happy to see that our local metro area, Denver, showed major increases in light rail and bus usage. We expect that to continue in the near future, with Denver planning to add more than 100 additional miles of light rail lines in the next 10 years.

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Every month, we challenge our subscribers to expand their knowledge about renewable energy, and reward a few lucky "sleuthers" with a great prize!

This Month’s Challenge:
According to this Ideal Bite tip, If our old tip on granola could drive, what would be its vehicle of choice?, how many pounds of CO2 pollution does the burning of one gallon of gasoline contribute to the atmosphere (and therefore is saved by riding a bicycle instead)?

We just ran across this glowing (pardon the pun) review of CFL bulbs on Slate. The author does a great job of refuting many of the criticisms of CFLs, and even links to a review of various bulbs by Popular Mechanics in which CFLs even outranked incandescents when judged purely on the quality and pleasantness of their light. It's a great article to enjoy and to send to your friends who haven't switched yet to make them feel guilty!

The Case For CFLs

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The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) just released their annual tally of new wind power installed last year, and the results couldn't be better! Over 5,200 megawatts (MW) worth of new wind turbines were installed last year, which shatters all previous growth records. In fact, more new wind power was installed in the fourth quarter of 2007 alone (2,930 MW) than in all of 2006 (2,454 MW)!

This is a great time to be involved in the wind power movement, and Renewable Choice would like to thank all of our customers and partners for helping to make this kind of growth possible. We look forward to breaking all the records again in 2008. For more details about the incredible growth in 2007, please check out AWEA's 2007 Market Report.

On Wednesday, January 16, Renewable Choice Energy VP, Ted Rose, will be interviewed on "elevision" a live talk show that airs video segments online. The "elevision" show is a production of elephant journal, a national quarterly focused on conscious living. Stay tuned here for the video post of the interview and if you live in the Boulder/Denver area, join us for the event!

According to a recently-released study by the US Department of Energy, the wind power industry is growing at an unprecented pace. In 2006, US wind power capacity increased by 27%, which is the largest yearly increase in history and the largest percentage increase of any country in the world for 2006.

With several large wind farm projects brought online in 2007, and more being added to the grid all the time, the Department of Energy projected that the US wind power industry would grow an additional 25-30% in 2007. Final numbers for 2007 have not been released yet. With demand for wind energy increasing every year through the efforts of responsible individuals and businesses, along with increased state government support of renewable energy projects, this explosive growth in the wind power industry should continue in 2008 and for the foreseeable future. These kinds of growth numbers show what we can achieve when we all work together for positive change in the market.