Penn State recently launched an environmental stewardship website that compiles information about all the environmental activities the Penn State community is undertaking. Great idea! Like one of my former law school professors always said, the world is a seamless web. The more we bring all these ideas together and collaborate, the better off we will be.

I also recently read that both Penn State and UW-Milwaukee were selected to participate in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. For this competition, teams design and build energy efficient homes that are exclusively powered by solar energy. In addition, the homes must be easy to live in and attractive. That means comfortable temperatures, adequate lighting, hot water and household appliances. In addition, the house must power an electric vehicle to meet the household’s transportation needs. In the 2007 Decathlon, PSU was a first time competitor and came in fourth, a great showing. But, lest I sound cheesy, the real winners are the American public. These houses prove that with some basic design changes, we can really lower our energy usage and not sacrifice all of the comforts of home. The homes are displayed on the National Mall in D.C. for the final competition. I lived in D.C. during the first Decathlon in 2002 and toured the homes. I would have lived in most of them hands down. And the designs have only improved over the past six years. Check it out if you get the chance.