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2002 Iowa Green Bike Tour |
Itinerary
Photos
Press Releases:
October 3, 2002
Christie Vilsack Joins Green Bike Tour
October 2, 2002
Back in the Saddle: Green Bike Tour Comes to Iowa
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Press
Releases |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
THURSDAY, OCT. 3, 2002
CONTACT: Mike Owen at the Iowa Policy Project (319) 643-3628, or ipp@Lcom.net
Christie Vilsack Joins Green Bike
Tour
AMES, Iowa (October 3, 2002) Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack
will help a group of bicyclists illustrate the state's potential in
renewable energy.
Mrs. Vilsack will join members of the Green Bike Tour on the first
day of a three-day trip to renewable energy sites in Iowa - a
follow-up to a widely publicized tour they made in Europe this past
summer.
"Iowa is a potential national leader in alternative energy
production, and the Green Bike Tour is an important way to promote
awareness and generate support for alternative energy in Iowa,"
said Mrs. Vilsack, who will ride in the Ames-to-Nevada portion of
the trip Friday morning.
Five Iowans toured renewable energy sites in three European
countries on the Green Bike Tour, seeing first-hand the effects of
energy policies that encourage renewables. The three-day Iowa tour
begins Friday morning in Ames.
"The governor is a firm believer in the potential of
alternative energy to boost Iowa's economy, create good jobs, and
help fuel the world with cleaner, safer energy sources," Mrs.
Vilsack said of her husband, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. "Iowa is
famous for 'Feeding the World.' In the future, we want to be known
for 'Fueling the World' as well."
Former state legislator David Osterberg of Mount Vernon, who
organized the trip, said the European tour found "countless
examples of what a strong renewable energy policy can do."
"Iowa has a number of great examples of the same thing. Our
tour is designed to show those good things in Iowa and ask the
question, 'Why don't we do more?'" he said.
In Europe, the riders saw examples of widespread use of wind power,
solar power and biomass sources of fuel even the use of livestock
waste to capture methane for electricity production. The riders sent
the word back through interviews with Iowa media and reports on a
website, www.greenbike.org <http://www.greenbike.org>,
which carries reports and photos from that trip and will be used as
well for the Iowa trip.
Friday's riders also will include Mark Lambert, a member of the Iowa
Utilities Board, who said renewable energy is important not only
because it is non-polluting, "but also because of the positive
impact such projects have on Iowa's economy."
The Iowa Green Bike Tour will begin Friday in Ames and wind up
Sunday in Iowa City. The itinerary:
- Ames to Nevada on Friday morning, with a tour
of the BECON (Biomass Energy CONversion) facility at Nevada.
- Forest City to the "Top of Iowa" wind
farm near Joice Friday afternoon, with press conferences at each
end of the ride.
- Westgate to Waverly on Saturday morning, ending
at Waverly Light & Power, nationally recognized as a pioneer
among municipal utilities in production and use of renewable
energy.
- Waverly to Waterloo/Cedar Falls Saturday
aftrernoon, ending at the Center for Energy and Environmental
Education at the University of Northern Iowa.
- Cedar Rapids area to Iowa City on Sunday,
beginning at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, with
Cedar Rapids stops at Alliant's Sixth Street Plant and Olivet
Presbyterian Church, and a ride to the conclusion at the
University of Iowa power plant in Iowa City.
Four of the riders on the summer Green Bike Tour
in Europe - Osterberg, environmetal entrepreneur Ed Woolsey of
Martinsdale, environmental educator Gail Barels of Marion and
conservation expert Jim Cooper of Ames - will take part, as will
other state officials, environmentalists, people of faith, and
utility and labor representatives.
-- 30 -- |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 2, 2002
CONTACT: Mike Owen at the Iowa Policy Project (319) 643-3628, or ipp@Lcom.net
Back in the Saddle: Green Bike Tour Comes to Iowa
AMES, Iowa (October 2, 2002) Energy policy in Iowa could turn on
the spokes of a bicycle wheel.
Five Iowans toured renewable energy sites in three European
countries this past summer on the Green Bike Tour, seeing first-hand
the effects of energy policies that encourage renewables. This week,
they will be joined by more riders including first lady Christie
Vilsack, a state utility regulator and Iowa state legislators - for
a look at renewable energy in Iowa. Their three-day bicycle tour
begins Friday.
"This summer in Northern Europe, we found countless examples of
what a strong renewable energy policy can do," said David
Osterberg, a former state legislator from Mount Vernon who organized
the Green Bike Tour. "Iowa has a number of great examples of
the same thing. Our tour is designed to show those good things in
Iowa and ask the question, 'Why don't we do more?'"
This week's tour is drawing other Iowans who would like to see new
energy policies for the state, including G. David Hurd, a Des Moines
business executive who co-chaired the Governor's Energy Policy Task
Force in 2001.
"I see a trip such as this as a device to call attention to the
great potential for renewable energy here in Iowa," said Hurd,
who is president of the Iowa Environmental Council. "Few
Iowans, I think, realize that Iowa could produce wind energy for its
own needs as well as for export."
In Europe, the riders saw examples of widespread use of wind power,
solar power and biomass sources of fuel even the use of livestock
waste to capture methane for electricity production. The riders sent
the word back through interviews with Iowa media and reports on a
website, www.greenbike.org <http://www.greenbike.org>,
which carries reports and photos from that trip and will be used as
well for the Iowa trip.
The European tour and its publicity, Hurd said, "had the effect
perhaps of opening some minds to the possibilities."
Mark Lambert, a member of the Iowa Utilities Board, said the tour
"will showcase the important renewable energy projects in
Iowa."
"Renewable energy is important to Iowa's future - not only
because it provides non-polluting energy, but also because of the
positive impact such projects have on Iowa's economy." Lambert
said. "Iowa needs to produce more of our energy from renewable
sources."
The Iowa Green Bike Tour will begin Friday in Ames and wind up
Sunday in Iowa City. The itinerary:
- Ames to Nevada on Friday morning, with a tour
of the BECON (Biomass Energy CONversion) facility at Nevada.
- Forest City to the "Top of Iowa" wind
farm near Joice Friday afternoon, with press conferences at each
end of the ride.
- Westgate to Waverly on Saturday morning, ending
at Waverly Light & Power, nationally recognized as a pioneer
among municipal utilities in production and use of renewable
energy.
- Waverly to Waterloo/Cedar Falls Saturday
aftrernoon, ending at the Center for Energy and Environmental
Education at the University of Northern Iowa.
- Cedar Rapids area to Iowa City on Sunday,
beginning at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, with
Cedar Rapids stops at Alliant's Sixth Street Plant and Olivet
Presbyterian Church, and a ride to the conclusion at the
University of Iowa power plant in Iowa City.
The riders on the summer Green Bike Tour in Europe
- Osterberg, State Sen. Joe Bolkcom of Iowa City, environmental
entrepreneur Ed Woolsey of Martinsdale, environmental educator Gail
Barels of Marion and conservation expert Jim Cooper of Ames - will
take part, as will other state officials, environmentalists and
utility and labor representatives.
-- 30 --
A PDF file of the final report of the Governor's
Energy Policy Task Force is available at <http://www.state.ia.us/dnr/energy/taskforce/report/taskforcereport.pdf>.
A report about the economic values of alternative energy and
conservation is available at the Iowa Policy Project website:
<http://www.iowapolicyproject.org>. |
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The
2002 Iowa Itinerary |
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FRIDAY
AMES to NEVADA
DATE: Friday, October 4, 2002
ASSEMBLY/SET-UP: 8 a.m., Cooper home, 916 Ridgewood
Ave., Ames
TOUR TIME: 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
PRESS CONFERENCE: 10 a.m., BECON Facility and
Tour, 1521 West F. Ave., Nevada (Off Airport Road). For a map, click
on the following link: <http://www.energy.iastate.edu/about/facilities/index.htm#becon>
FOREST CITY TO "TOP OF IOWA" WIND FARM
(near Joice)
DATE: Friday, October 4, 2002
ASSEMBLY/SET-UP: 2 p.m., Forest City High School, 206
W. School St., Forest City
TOUR TIME: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
PRESS CONFERENCES: 2 p.m. Forest City High
School; 5 p.m. Top of Iowa Wind Farm, 4119 Evergreen Road, off A-38, East of Joice, IA.
SATURDAY
WESTGATE to WAVERLY
DATE: Saturday, October 5, 2002
ASSEMBLY/SET-UP: 8 a.m., Decker farm, 3 miles west of
Westgate on county road c-33
TOUR TIME: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
PRESS CONFERENCE: Noon, Waverly Light &
Power, 1002 Adams Parkway, Waverly (1 mile north of Highway 3)
WAVERLY to WATERLOO/CEDAR FALLS
DATE: Saturday, October 5, 2002
TOUR TIME: 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
PRESS CONFERENCE: 4 p.m., Center for Energy and
Environmental Education, University of Northern Iowa Campus (The
CEEE is located adjacent to Dry Run Creek and UNI's on-campus
prairie on the south side of the campus.)
SUNDAY
CEDAR RAPIDS
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 2002
ASSEMBLY/SET-UP: 8 a.m., Prairiewoods Franciscan
Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Road, Hiawatha
TOUR TIME: 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. in Cedar Rapids
PRESS CONFERENCES/AVAILABILITY: 10:30 a.m.
Alliant Sixth Street Plant, 509 Sixth St. NE (near Quaker Oats);
11 a.m., Olivet Presbyterian Church, 237 10th St. NW, Cedar
Rapids
CEDAR RAPIDS to IOWA CITY
DATE: Sunday, October 6, 2002
TOUR TIME: 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Cedar Rapids to Iowa
City
PRESS CONFERENCES/AVAILABILITY: 4 p.m.,
University of Iowa power plant, Burlington Street at Iowa River,
Iowa City.
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