tagged w/ Bill Ritter
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Ecotech Institute, the first and only college focused entirely on preparing America’s workforce for careers in renewable energy and sustainable design, today announced that students are now taking classes in its brand new facility. Located at 1400 South Abilene Street in Aurora, the school has transformed a vacant, large-footprint building into a progressive campus focused on educating future leaders in the ever-growing green landscape. Ecotech Institute launched its first round of classes in July 2010 in a temporary facility and the third quarter commenced last week in the new facility with almost 200 students enrolled.
The building is home to 30 classrooms, 12 state-of-the-art computer and science labs (e.g. electrical, wiring, solar, wind safety, controls, environmental science), studios, student and faculty lounges, a library, and a variety of other amenities.
In addition, the building incorporates energy and resource savings throughout. Some of the sustainable design components of the new campus include:
• Twelve polycrystalline rooftop photovoltaic solar panels with a system capacity of 2.8 kilowatts.
• Integral thin solar technologies embedded into the glass of the front building canopy. This system has a capacity of 9.4 kilowatts.
• Eight small wind turbines mounted on the roof to generate up to 4.8 kilowatts of electricity.
• A Vertical Axis wind turbine that can generate a total capacity of 4 kilowatts.
• Two solar trees, each providing 16.9 kilowatts of electricity, that will generate over 50,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity.
• Energy efficient lighting that will reduce energy consumption by 30 percent below standard lighting energy levels.
• Water sense, low-flow fixtures in lavatories.
• Motion sensors and a programmed schedule to limit lighting in unoccupied rooms.
“Beginning courses in our new building marks a tremendous milestone in our evolving growth,” says Michael Seifert, president of Ecotech Institute. “This campus embraces what we are most passionate about: access to exceptional education and commitment to the environment.”
“Green jobs are in demand in Colorado and around the country and we are pleased to provide top-notch, hands-on education that will deliver graduates to companies that are leading the cleantech sector,” Seifert added.
According to the Colorado Cleantech Action Plan, “Cleantech is growing in Colorado and creating thousands of jobs.” Citing the Pew Center’s report, The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses, and Investments Across America (http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedfiles/clean_economy_report_web.pdf), “Between 1999 and 2009, Colorado’s cleantech industry grew at an annualized rate of 18 percent, more than twice the rate of the Colorado economy as a whole (8 percent).”
Ecotech Institute, which is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools, offers seven highly practical degree programs and one certificate program that provide graduates with skills that are highly valued by today’s renewable energy employers. The programs include:
• Electrical Engineering Technology, Associate of Applied Science
• Energy and Environmental Paralegal, Associate of Applied Science
• Energy Efficiency, Associate of Applied Science
• Environmental Technology, Associate of Applied Science
• Renewable Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science
• Solar Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science
• Sustainable Interior Design, Certificate Program
• Wind Energy Technology, Associate of Applied Science
To learn more about Ecotech Institute, visit www.ecotechinstitute.com. Applications are being accepted now. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify.Ecotech Institute, the first and only college focused entirely on preparing... more
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A standoff in the House over eliminating tax breaks for a slew of items ranging from software to soft drinks lasted late into the night Friday.
After eight hours of debate, the House had given initial approval to eight bills eliminating sales-tax exemptions. The House must approve the bills once more before they can move to the Senate.
Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, wants to eliminate or suspend 13 tax exemptions and credits to generate somewhere between $125 million and $140 million for the 2010-11 fiscal year that begins in July. He also wants to speed up the expiration date for seven of the tax exemptions to March 1 in order to generate $18 million to help balance the budget in the current fiscal year.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14298635A standoff in the House over eliminating tax breaks for a slew of items ranging from... more
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President Barack Obama on Friday stood behind Stephanie Villafuerte, his nominee for Colorado U.S. attorney, while state Republicans called for her to either withdraw her nomination or answer questions about whether she may have acted inappropriately during the 2006 gubernatorial campaign.
Villafuerte, currently Gov. Bill Ritter's deputy chief of staff, has refused to explain what types of conversations she had with representatives from the Denver district attorney's office in the days before and after a restricted federal database was accessed, perhaps for political purposes.President Barack Obama on Friday stood behind Stephanie Villafuerte, his nominee for... more
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Western Slope politicians and organizations are hoping that battles over the state budget don't boil down to a rural-urban divide.
If that happens, rural communities have more to lose, said state Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, a member of the Legislature's Joint Budget Committee.Western Slope politicians and organizations are hoping that battles over the state... more
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From the article...>The Colorado House of Representatives has voted by the narrowest of margins to abolish the death penalty, using the savings to fund cold case investigations.
The measure must still pass the state Senate, The Denver Post reported Wednesday. Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat and former prosecutor, has not said he would sign it.
Rep. Edward Vigil, a Democrat, cast the vote Tuesday that put the bill over the top 33-32. He delayed almost a minute before deciding to approve the measure.
"Hopefully this will make us a better society in Colorado by not having a death penalty, though I have my reservations," Vigil said, explaining his vote.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the death penalty in 1976 while throwing out all existing laws, the majority of states have passed new legislation. Only one, New Jersey, has repealed its capital punishment law.
House Majority Leader Paul Weissmann, a Democrat, argued that Colorado has executed only one person under its modern death penalty law while spending millions of dollars on appeals. Opponents of repeal argued that some crimes are so heinous that death is the only option.
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If you feel strongly one way or another, contact Colorado elected officials:
http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CO-Portal/CXP/1165693060260From the article...>The Colorado House of Representatives has voted by the... more
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