Indiana town cultivates (100%) renewable energy

[jpak]

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/07/09/ind_town_cultivates_renewable_energy/

REYNOLDS, Ind. -- This farming hamlet is aiming to generate its own electricity and natural gas, using everything from municipal trash to farm waste, hog manure, and even town sewage.

If the experiment works, Reynolds and its 500 residents will be the nation's first community to use renewable resources to meet the energy needs of all their homes and businesses.

Dubbed Biotown USA, the project is the brainchild of Indiana's Department of Agriculture.

State officials hope to break ground in November on a $10 million ``technology suite," a privately funded center that will house the core equipment needed to turn manure and other biomass material into energy.

<more>

[bloom]

1. yea for them !

``Whether this works or not, I hope someone looks back someday and says, `There's a group of people who tried something,' " he said.

[benburch]

2. But what are the hidden inputs?

Every bit of steel that comes into that town required coal and oil.

Every bit of aluminum that comes into that town required electricity and oil.

There are a zillion hidden inputs in a system like this that we have not factored into the energy self-sufficiency.

[jwirr]

3. Yes, however if we want to build the infrastructure for renewable

sources of energy we have no choice but to start by using the old forms of energy. The alternative is to simply set around and talk about it.

[LiberalEsto]

5. You have to start somewhere

and this is a great way to start.

[MelissaB]

4. This needs one more vote for the "greatest".

:kick: