The long-planned-for and costly renovation of the UW’s Charter Street power plant may seem to offer little more than a fleeting “wow” factor for the local business community and Madison residents, but like many UW projects, its import stretches well beyond the university’s walls. Full Story 

There was a time when living sustainably – and in harmony with nature – may have brought to mind earth-berm houses that looked like glorified Hobbit holes or conventional homes that were covered stem to stern in solar panels.

But Robin Pharo is out to change that image. The Healthy Homes and Treysta Group president (and author of You Don’t Have to Wear Hemp Underwear) is building The House of the Future. Full Story 

With some of his controversial decisions on green economy programs, is Gov. Scott Walker undermining his own goal of creating 250,000 new jobs in the next four years? Green economy advocates certainly don't view Walker as a green jobs evangelist, and many would be happy if he would settle for being an agnostic, but with a weakening national economy and a stunningly disappointing state jobs report for July – 12,500 private-sector jobs were lost in Wisconsin – they believe he is at worst leaving a potentially high-growth industry off the table, and at best undermining investment in it. Full Story 

Gasoline prices are at their highest level since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. There is unrest in the Middle East that has spread to one oil-producing country (Libya) and there are fears it could spread to the big enchilada, Saudi Arabia. The tsunami disaster in Japan, which has compromised nuclear power plants, may have delivered a fatal blow to the construction of new nuclear plants in the U.S., and Gov. Scott Walker has proposed the sale, with or without competitive bidding, of state power plants, which could negatively impact electric rates. Full Story