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cliff etheredge, wind farmer & west texas cotton farmer...
...was tired of watching the large ranches to the south lease their land to wind companies while his smaller ranching neighbors got none of the business. Defying the odds, he organized scores of 500 acre farms and has now created Peak Wind, one of the world's largest wind farms. His town of Roscoe, TX was dying – even their Dairy Queen had closed. Now, his son and many other kids from Roscoe are coming home to work on the wind farms. This is the story of green energy bringing families back together and resurrecting small towns.
dan nolan, former army colonel...
...is our guide into the world of the Green Hawks – the folks in the Department of Defense who are leading the Pentagon's move towards energy efficiency and sustainable power. The U.S.'s forward operating bases in Iraq need diesel fuel for their generators. Convoys transporting this fuel are ideal targets for improvised explosive devices. Getting these bases more energy efficient and even fully wind and solar powered will save more than fuel. It will save lives.
bernie karl, geothermal pioneer and crazy alaskan...
...has found a way to use 165 degree water to create geothermal power. Up until now, all geothermal needed at least 250 – 400 degree water temperatures. At most oil wells, 95% of the liquid drilled from the ground is hot water that measures around 165 degrees. The oil industry has always considered this water as waste and a nuisance. If Bernie could install one of these new geothermal units at every oil well in Texas, he'd create the same amount of power as 10 nuclear plants. United Technologies Corp., maker of Carrier air conditioners, has partnered with Bernie – and Goldman Sachs is predicting that they will sell 250,000 units; a true game changing technology.
van jones, civil rights advocate turned green jobs organizer and advocate...
...founded Green For All after a realization: "Green Jobs Not Jails." Green For All is working to get green jobs to disadvantaged communities. He was the main advocate for the Green Jobs Act, which George W. Bush signed into law in 2007. The Act was the first piece of federal legislation to codify the term "green jobs." Under the Obama administration, it has resulted in $500 million for green job training nationally. We share a moving moment with Van when solar panels are being installed by trainees of Grid Alternatives in Richmond CA.