Craig Porter Energy Technology Scholarship

09/16/2026

09/12/2026

West Lafayette has been recognized with a 2026 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

Mayor Erin R. Easter, Climate Resiliency & Sustainability Officer Clara Lotz, and Utility Director Dave Henderson represented West Lafayette at the awards ceremony, where the City was recognized for expanding rooftop solar across public facilities.

In 2025, West Lafayette added more than 315 kilowatts of solar capacity at five locations, including four municipal buildings and the West Lafayette Public Library. Combined with the City’s earlier solar installation at the John R. Dennis Wellness Center, these projects have avoided an estimated 2.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions through cumulative energy production.

Clara has helped lead the City’s efforts to expand renewable energy, working across City departments and alongside the West Lafayette Public Library and project partners, including the West Lafayette Redevelopment Commission, Solar Energy Systems, LLC, Duke Energy, Be Represented, and Baker Tilly, to advance the rooftop solar initiative.
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Read more about the award and the City’s rooftop solar initiative here: https://www.westlafayette.in.gov/Home/Components/News/News/368/14

Click here to read the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's press release: https://view.subscription.in.gov/?vawpToken=N6KQLAULJVLEXE52RPL3EZN7EU.130027

09/11/2026

08/26/2026

The world lost an icon, Shero, stellar human being. Her rhinestone star will glitter forever in her amazing legacy of the life she lived. Rest in beauty Dolly Parton.

08/20/2026

The link for final public comment on the proposal to rescind the Roadless Rule is live. Find the link in our bio and at the bottom of this post.

Since 2001, roadless areas in Virginia and across the country have been recognized as some of the last wild national forest lands not already protected as congressionally designated Wilderness. By remaining closed to roadbuilding, mining, commercial logging and other development allowed elsewhere in national forests, these areas help protect drinking water, provide essential habitat for wildlife and native plants, and support sustainable economic benefits for rural communities.

“These landscapes quietly perform some of the most important environmental services Virginians rely on every day – most importantly, they provide clean drinking water. The clear mountain streams that rise in our roadless areas flow into the James, Potomac, and Shenandoah rivers that help sustain communities and our natural heritage all the way to the Chesapeake Bay.” - Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, Executive Director

https://www.regulations.gov/document/FS-2025-0001-223869

08/20/2026

"The power grid relies on thousands of aging, hand-built transformers. If enough fail, the blackout could last years."

Well, that's a sobering thought.

The power grid relies on thousands of aging, hand-built transformers. If enough fail, the blackout could last years.

08/19/2026

In 2026, solar generation is set to rise by around 600 TWh, matching last year's record. That puts it on track to become the world's second-largest source of renewable electricity this year, ahead of wind for the first time.

A bigger milestone is coming too. Renewables together are expected to generate more electricity than coal in 2026, after reaching near parity in 2025.

Link to article in the comments.