This year's SolFest will be more exciting than ever. A new stage location, redesigned workshop tents, and many other changes will make the event more fun and more pleasant than ever. And what a lineup we have!

Perhaps most exciting is the incredible lineup of panels and speakers on our main stage. You can hear the latest news in alternative fuels, with experts discussing pros and cons of biodiesel, hydrogen, ethanol and electric vehicles. Experts will update you on the latest breakthroughs in solar and renewable energy technologies and policy. And keynoting on the main stage will be national political commentator Jim Hightower, often called "America's most popular populist." Don't miss him! In addition to Jim, this year you will also hear Ed Begley, Jr., Caroline Casey, Betsy Rosenberg, John Francis, and Deborah Koons Garcia.

Headlining the music this year will be the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience. For more than 40 years, mandolinist/composer David Grisman has inspired a whole new genre of acoustic string instrumental music. David has recorded and produced dozens of critically acclaimed recordings of acoustic music, five of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards. Additional musical acts include Vince Herman, New Monsoon, and Hot Buttered Rum.

Of course, world-class speakers and music are just some of many reasons to come to SolFest. Great workshops are just as important to many of you. We will have five workshop areas this year with 60+ workshops -- more than ever before -- covering topics from renewable energy and post-petroleum preparation to yoga and health. These workshops are all FREE with the price of admission. There is truly something for everyone at SolFest.

Also, if you are interested in being one of the 400 volunteers needed for us to stage this event, please be sure to complete our volunteer form as soon as possible. Scheduling of volunteer shifts has been underway for weeks, but there are still many interesting and important positions available.

Note to our Partner Members: Your tickets from you membership will be available at the gate at the partner member will call booth.

While you are at SolFest, be sure to take advantage of the one-hour workshops within five workshop tents throughout the site. They are all FREE for the price of your admission ticket to the event.

This year we are striving to recruit 400 people to volunteer to assist our staff and our promotional team to make SolFest the nation’s best and most comprehensive renewable energy and sustainable living festival of its kind. While we are up to 385 volunteers to date -- an amazing number, isn't it? -- we're still trying to fill some of the 1,200 shifts we have and need your help, so please sign up to volunteer today!

If you would like to volunteer, we particularly need people for afternoon and evening shifts. Please let us know your interest as soon as possible. We still need help in night security and parking, admissions, kitchen crew (2-6 PM particularly), and the recycle green team.

Your volunteer support of SolFest will help us continue to bring valuable information to thousands. With your support, we can continue to grow and ensure our continued success.

SolFest is the largest celebration of renewable energy and sustainable living on the West Coast. To honor our 11th annual SolFest and our mission to promote sustainable living through inspirational environmental education, we are pleased to announce a SolFest Workshop Sale, and a huge discount on many of our fabulous fall workshops!

We have added two -- see this article and the next - - new hands-on workshops to the fall calendar that will help you reduce your reliance on fossil fuels and avoid price-gauging at the gas station.

Biodiesel Intensive: Due to the popularity of our biodiesel workshops, we’ve added a few more exciting biodiesel classes to the fall lineup! Take our introductory How to Make and Use Biodiesel on October 12, and follow it up with a 3-day Biodiesel Intensive: From the Processor to the Pump on October 13-15. In this information packed, hands-on workshop, you will learn to build your own biodiesel processor, create a co-op, or start up your own biodiesel distribution or retail business!

Electric Vehicle: Hands-on Clinic (Oct. 21- 22, 2006)

If you know that an electric vehicle is the way to go, but would like to learn how to do the conversion yourself, or educate yourself on the most cutting edge technologies so that you can make an informed decision when purchasing, then this workshop is for you! The first day will be an information-packed lecture, and the second day will be held at a mechanic’s shop in nearby Lake County, where participants will take apart and rebuild an electric VW. Bring your overalls and plan on getting greasy!

If you’ve been thinking about finding your niche in the emerging green economy, you won’t want to miss our special Green Careers Day on Nov. 18 in San Francisco. This event will feature leading green entrepreneurs and green career experts who will present the full range of career opportunities in green business. You'll come away with ideas, strategies, resources and contacts to help you find your dream green job. To sign up, call us at 707.744.2017 or sign up online.

Register by Sept. 5 for the early bird discount price of $150 -- a savings of $25!

We’re excited to offer three new workshops in Los Angeles this coming September! Whether you are thinking of getting into the lucrative and rapidly expanding solar market, or already have a solar business established, one of these courses will fit your needs. Follow any of the links below for more information.

• Sept. 22 -- PV 311: Breakthrough Solar Sales and Marketing (LA)
• Sept. 23 -- PV 112: How to Make the Financial Case for Solar (LA)
• Sept. 24 -- PV 111: Find Your Dream Job in Solar (LA)

Here's the much awaited new book by Richard Heinberg! You absolutely won't want to miss this very important book! Timely and critically important, The Oil Depletion Protocol is a must-read for policy makers and for all who seek to avert a Peak Oil collapse.

Since oil is the primary fuel of global industrial civilization, its imminent depletion is a problem that will have profound impact on every aspect of modern life. Without international agreement on how to manage the decline of this vital resource, the world faces unprecedented risk of conflict and collapse.

The Oil Depletion Protocol describes a unique accord whereby nations would voluntarily reduce their oil production and oil imports according to a consistent, sensible formula. This would enable the task of energy transition to be planned and supported over the long term, providing a context of stable energy prices and peaceful cooperation. The Protocol will be presented at international gatherings, initiating the process of country-by-country negotiation and adoption, and mobilizing public support. To this end, this book:

• provides an overview of the data concerning Peak Oil and its timing
• briefly explains the protocol and its implications for the reader and for decision makers in government and industry around the world
• deals with frequently asked questions and objections, and
• looks forward to how the protocol can be adopted and how municipalities and ordinary citizens can facilitate the process.

As the globe warms, the risk of more frequent and severe forest fires, droughts, and floods rises. A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is being billed as the most comprehensive look yet at the effects of climate change. With data from 52 climate simulations, British researchers looked at a range of scenarios. A global average temperature rise of up to 3.6 degrees is inevitable, they say, and could cause Europe, Asia, Canada, central America, and the Amazon to lose up to 30% of forest cover. A rise of 5.4 degrees or more would bring the deforestation probability up to 60%, and could also cause the world's vegetation to switch from a net absorber of carbon dioxide to a net producer.

For more information:

• The Guardian, Aug. 15, 2006
• BBC News, Aug. 14, 2006
• The Independent, Aug. 15, 2006
• National Geographic News, Aug. 14, 2006

"What's your company's climate footprint?" It's a hot question these days -- one being asked increasingly of companies by customers, investors, activists, regulators, and others.

OK, it may not be exactly that question, but it's probably in some form, like, "What's your company doing to reduce its climate impacts?" Or, "How do you call yourself environmentally responsible when you take so damn many plane trips?"

Whatever the question, providing an answer will require understanding what, exactly, your company does to contribute greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. And therein lies a challenge: Calculating a company's climate footprint (sometimes referred to as a "carbon footprint") is far from simple. To begin, there are the sheer number and range of business activities that must be tracked: facilities, operations, transportation, travel, and purchases of everything from raw materials to office supplies.

Beyond that are complex questions of where to draw the boundaries: how far upstream and downstream your company must count. For example, are you accountable for the greenhouse-gas emissions related to extracting and processing the raw materials or energy you purchase for your operations, or are they your suppliers' responsibility? When your employees travel by air, are you or the airline responsible for counting and reporting the climate- related impacts? What about downstream: Who should account for the climate impacts of customers using and disposing of your products?

On top of all that, how do you ensure that this information is collected consistently so it can be aggregated for different departments, facilities, business units, product lines, and geographic regions?

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (July 24, 2006) – Following the success of last year’s inaugural Solar Energy Week, launched by the nonprofit San Diego Regional Energy Office (SDREO), the 2nd Annual Solar Energy Week will run from September 24-30, 2006. Held in cooperation with local governments, organizations and businesses, Solar Energy Week will feature a wide variety of events, including SDREO’s 7th Annual San Diego Solar Homes Tour.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently stated his goal of reaching one million solar roofs in the United States by 2010 and announced that the Public Utilities Commission is offering $3.2 billion in consumer rebates, the biggest solar rebate program in U.S. history. With this news, the buzz around solar power continues to escalate.

According to a Gallup poll, between 2004 and 2006 the number of Americans who said they worry about the environment “a great deal” or “a fair amount” increased from 62 to 77%. Despite this growing concern, most people have little or no idea what solar energy entails.

For more information on Solar Energy Week, visit the SDREO Web site at www.sdenergy.org, contact SDREO toll free at 1-866-SDENERGY or send an email to solarweek@sdenergy.org.

Natural Building Intensive Workshop -- Sept. 18-23

Natural builder and SLI alum Massey Burke will lead a Natural Building Intensive workshop this September. Participants in this workshop will use a variety of natural building techniques to add a beautiful adobe and tile bath house to the new intern village. By participating in this unique workshop, you'll not only develop valuable skills in natural building – you’ll also play an important role in building the future of the Solar Living Center.

To encourage as many students as possible to take advantage of this unique opportunity, we’ve lowered the price of this workshop by $200 Be sure to register right away – at this reduced price, this workshop will fill up quickly!

The vast Amazon rainforest is on the brink of being turned into desert, with catastrophic consequences for the world's climate, alarming research suggests. And the process, which would be irreversible, could begin as early as next year.

Studies by the blue-chip Woods Hole Research Centre, carried out in Amazonia, have concluded that the forest cannot withstand more than two consecutive years of drought without breaking down.

Scientists say that this would spread drought into the northern hemisphere, including Britain, and could massively accelerate global warming with incalculable consequences, spinning out of control, a process that might end in the world becoming uninhabitable.

The alarming news comes in the midst of a heatwave gripping Britain and much of Europe and the United States. Temperatures in the south of England reached a July record of 36.3C on July 18. And it comes hard on the heels of a warning by an international group of experts, led by the Eastern Orthodox "pope" Bartholomew, last week that the forest is rapidly approaching a "tipping point" that would lead to its total destruction.

The research carried out by the Massachusetts- based Woods Hole centre in Santarem on the Amazon river ­has taken even the scientists conducting it by surprise. When Dr. Dan Nepstead started the experiment in 2002 by covering a chunk of rainforest the size of a football pitch with plastic panels to see how it would cope without rain ­he surrounded it with sophisticated sensors, expecting to record only minor changes.

The trees managed the first year of drought without difficulty. In the second year, they sunk their roots deeper to find moisture, but survived. But in year three, they started dying. Beginning with the tallest the trees started to come crashing down, exposing the forest floor to the drying sun.

There are some really excellent books coming out this summer, and you can get them right here at our web store. For a short period of time, we are offering a special pre-order discount of 20% on three important upcoming titles: Oil Depletion Protocol by Richard Heinberg, Eating Fossil Fuels by Dale Allen Pfeiffer, and The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook by Albert K. Bates. I assure you that this editor will be avidly devouring each of these books as soon as they are available. You won't want to miss them, and at 20% off the regular retail price, this is the best price you will get for these important books. Don't miss these great prices!

Additional new and recent titles added to our web store that you will want to be sure and read include the following: Biodiesel America by Josh Tickell, Towers of Deception by Barrie Zwicker (this promises to be an extraordinary expose on media coverage of 9/11 by the narrator of The End of Suburbia DVD many of you have seen), Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast (five autographed copies are still available), Energy Switch by Craig Morris, Solar Water Heating by Bob Ramlow with Benjamin Nusz, Your Green Home by Alex Wilson, Cutting Your Car Use by Randall Ghent with Anna Semlyen, Biodiesel Basics and Beyond by William H. Kemp, Ecocities by Richard Register, and the film Ecological Design now in DVD format.

Be sure to check out our other titles in the following categories:

• Ecological Design and Planning
• Energy and Appropriate Technology
• Environment and Economy
• Natural and Green Building
• Oil and Natural Gas Depletion
• Progressive Leadership
• Sustainable Living
• Food and Permaculture

We encourage you to shop with us. Our online bookstore is growing rapidly. We are adding titles weekly to bring you some of the best reads on sustainable living available. Shop with the Solar Living Institute, and help support our valuable work!

SolFest 2006, in its efforts to remain the premier educational event, is featuring an especially exciting and informed series of panel discussions on our main stage.

• Are you wondering whether to buy a hybrid, an electric, a biodiesel, an ethanol, or a hydrogen car?
• Are you curious about when solar panels will be as common as roof shingles on every roof in America?
• Do you wonder whether 'organic' or 'GE-free' are really meaningful or how 'slow food' differs from 'fast food'?
• Did you know that oil will soon be a distant memory and that communities around the country are 'localizing'?

Whatever questions you have about the future of green technology and policy, there is a fascinating discussion to be had at SolFest XI. Take a look at the exciting lineup of discussions, and the world- class lineup of experts, who will be on hand to update, inform and inspire you.

The Future of Solar: When Will It Really Be Mainstream?
(Sun., Aug. 20 - 12:00 PM)

• Julie Blunden, VP, External Affairs, SunPower Corp., SLI Board (Moderator)
• Ed Smeloff - Sharp Solar
• Bernadette Del Chiaro, Executive Director, Environment California
• J. P. Ross, Vote Solar/Solar Nation

Alternative Fuels Smackdown!
(Sun., Aug. 20 - 2:00 PM)

• John Schaeffer, Founder and President of Real Goods, Founder and President of SLI (Moderator)
• David Blume, Alcohol Fuel and Ethanol pioneer and author
• Charris Ford - Biodiesel pioneer and advocate
• Steve Heckeroth - Director of BIPV, ECD Ovonics, Electric Vehicle Pioneer, SLI Board
• Tai Robinson - Solar Hydrogen advocate

Future of Food
(Sat., Aug. 19 - 4:00 PM)

• Penny Livingston, Executive Director, Permaculture Institute of Northern California, SLI Board (invited) (Moderator)
• Deborah Koons Garcia - Filmmaker, The Future of Food
• Els Cooperrider - Activist, organizer of a GMO- Free Mendocino, business owner

Media at the Tipping Point
(Sun., Aug. 20 - 11:00 AM)

• Dan Hamburg - Former Congressman (Moderator)
• Ed Begley Jr. - Environmentalist/actor
• Betsy Rosenberg - Journalist/activist/talk show host

Peak Oil and Localization Movements
(Sun., Aug. 20 - 3:00 PM)

• Steve Heckeroth, Director of BIPV, ECD Ovonics, SLI Board (Moderator)
• Dr. Jason Bradford - Founder, WELL (Willits Economic LocaLization)
• Cliff Paulin - organizer, GULP (Greater Ukiah Localization Project)

We're hiring here at the Solar Living Institute. We have three position openings: Workshop Coordinator, Administrative Assistant, and Site Manager.

Workshop Coordinator: Our fabulous interim workshop coordinator (and former Institute intern) is returning to UC-Davis to finish her master’s degree, and we are looking to replace her toward the end of September. This position reports to our Workshop Director and is a great opportunity to become part of the fastest growing area of the Institute’s programs. Review the job description for the Workshop Coordinator position and send your cover letter and resume to our Workshop Director, Lindsay Dailey, at lindsay.dailey@solarliving.org by Sept. 5.

Administrative Assistant: Our excellent Administrative Assistant has also decided to go back to school, and we are looking to replace her also as soon as possible. This position reports to our Operations Manager. Review the job description for the Administrative Assistant position and send your cover letter and resume to our Executive Director, Bob Gragson, at bob.gragson@solarliving.org by Aug. 25.

Site Manager: During the summer while we were continuing to recover from our New Year's Eve flood and prepare the site for SolFest, a former site manager here worked part-time throughout the summer in this position. Immediately after SolFest on Sept. 21, we will be resuming our search for a full- time site manager. If you haven't already applied, review the job description for the Site Manager position and send your cover letter and resume to our Executive Director, Bob Gragson, at bob.gragson@solarliving.org by Aug. 25.

For other energy and environmental positions throughout the world, you might also check out these websites:

• Green Dream Jobs
• Environmental Jobs & Careers