Background
On February 17, 2009 President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Re-investment Act of 2009. With a significant emphasis on renewable energy technology deployment and job expansion, the bill improved upon the 2008 small wind tax credit by removing “cost caps.” This change allows consumers and small businesses to deduct from their tax liability 30% off the installed cost of a wind turbine. Additionally, businesses will have the option of receiving their credit in the form of a cash grant.

Q: What does this mean to me?
A: The entire cost of a Skystream system (plus installation) is reduced by 30 percent provided you have a tax liability over the course of two years. Depending on where you live, you could save even more! States have also implemented rebates for small wind systems which can be used in addition to the Federal credit. Furthermore, in the last two months alone, more than 30 states have introduced legislation that either expands incentives for renewable energy and/or addresses market barriers. Learn more at http://www.skystreamenergy.com/incentives.

Q: How does a tax credit work?
A: Typically, a tax credit is money that you can deduct from any money owed to the federal government at tax time (tax liability). The small wind tax credit can be carried over two years after the product is installed. For more information on how to take advantage of the credit, we suggest that you speak to a tax specialist.

Q: I don’t normally owe taxes – how can I claim the credit?
A: You can only claim the credit based on what you would owe in taxes (your tax liability after two years). If you do not normally receive a refund, you may want to consult with a tax specilalist to understand better what opportunities are available to you.

Q: How do I claim the credit?
A: You will be required to file the long form and itemize your deductions. The IRS form 5695 must be completed and filed with your taxes. The current form does not reflect the changes to the most recent legislation.

Q: Can someone who already owned a Skystream claim the tax credit?
A: If you purchased a Skystream in 2008, you qualify for the federal-level tax credit, passed as part of the October 2008 bailout legislation, up to $2,400 per wind turbine with a cap of $4000. If you purchased a Skystream in 2008 but your dealer did not install it until 2009, ask your dealer to write a letter indicating that the wind turbine was not “commissioned” in 2008 and became operational 2009. You would qualify for the 30 percent tax incentive in your 2009 filing.

Q: What if I want to purchase and install more than one Skystream?
A: The stimulus package allows for a 30 percent tax credit on the total cost of multiple units. There is no cap on the 30 percent tax credit. Businesses may qualify for a grant from the US Treasury in lieu of a tax credit.

Q: I heard I can get cash back rather than a tax credit – how does that work?
A: Businesses can apply for a grant from the US Treasury and rather than a tax credit, receive a cash grant. The details are still being worked out but should be in place by April or May. Keep in touch with your dealer or the manufacturer for more information.

Q: Does this work for all small wind systems, even Whisper and Air Breeze?
A: Yes. The incentive is available to all users of small wind systems.

Kara and Aaron Hurst wrote this book for all working professionals who want to be role models for the next generation. Through their work in the public and private sectors, they have met so many people who are looking for a better answer to the question “How do you give what you know to make this world a better place?” and with that, Mommy and Daddy Do It Pro Bono was born.

Kara leads BSR’s consulting and research work on the East Coast (www.bsr.org). Aaron founded the Taproot Foundation, whose mission is to engage business professionals to do pro bono work building the infrastructure of the nonprofit sector. Kara and Aaron live in Brooklyn, New York with their two children.
Kevin

Kevin McGrath also lives in Brooklyn, he works as a Special Educator and artist. He received his BFA from the University of Michigan and MS at Hunter College. He has exhibited in solo and group shows in New York City and Michigan.
Q&A

Turnip: Where did the idea for this book come from?

Aaron: Back in 2002 I met one of our early Taproot Foundation pro bono consultants at an event. I asked him why he does pro bono work and he said that it was because his kid asked him what he did at work and he didn’t like the answer. I thought that was powerful and had the idea for the book back then, but it took having kids of my own to be motivated enough to make it happen.

Kara: Working with many companies on corporate responsibility, I have seen first hand what an impact people in the private sector can make when they apply all of their resources, skills and influence. A book like this can help celebrate and encourage professionals who bring their values to work. As a mom, I loved the idea of creating a book that could show kids how to use your talents to give back.

Turnip: Working parents have a lot on their plates these days. Is it too much to also ask them to be professional role models?

Kara: So many of us have careers that were influenced by the work that people in our families do or have done. It’s very important to be able to find a job that you love and to use your skills from that job to contribute to the larger community. When done through your work, it doesn’t always add to the plate – it just enhances how you work.

Aaron: That is one of the key points of this book. You don’t need to take a vow of poverty to be a role model to your kids. We all have the opportunity to create a life story that is meaningful and inspiring.

This bi-partisan legislation will dramatically expand national and community service opportunities and support a new generation of social innovation. Now, significantly increased numbers of Americans will have the opportunity to improve our communities through service and social innovation.

SERVICENATION IS A CAMPAIGN FOR A NEW AMERICA

An America where citizens unite and take responsibility for their communities and our nation’s future. An America that restores the great tradition of citizen service, and honors the profound sacrifices made by so many Americans who have passed before, from the small band of Founders to the millions who have fought for equality and justice at home, and defended our freedom abroad. ServiceNation is about an America that is ruggedly idealistic, compassionate, and above all committed to the idea of shared sacrifice in pursuit of America’s boldest promise: liberty and justice for all.

The ultimate vision of ServiceNation is an America in which, by 2020, 100 million citizens will volunteer time in schools, workplaces, and faith-based and community institutions each and every year (up from 61 million today), and that one million Americans will annually volunteer for a year of national service.

To begin to fulfill this vision, ServiceNation – a coalition of almost 200 national and local non-profits, with a collective reach of some 100 million Americans – is working hard to inspire our leaders to expand meaningful community and national service opportunities for Americans of all ages and to invest in scaling proven service strategies to help address some of our nation’s most improtant challenges, from the high school dropout crisis to the need for greater energy efficiency. And we are working to elevate service – which is about giving back to community and country – as core ideal in our democracy.

The ServiceNation Summit and Presidential Candidate Forum September 11-12, 2008 brought together leaders – from then-Senator Barack Obama & Senator John McCain to inspirational volunteers, from business and nonprofit leaders to foundation CEOs – to make service a national priority (More information on the ServiceNation Summit).

On September 27, the ServiceNation Day of Action rallied Americans to work in their own communities and neighborhoods, resulting in more than 2,700 events across the country (more on the Day of Action).

Again, during Inaugural Week 2009, ServiceNation celebrated the power and potential of service through a series of events around MLK Day (More information about MLK Day here).

ServiceNation encourages all Americans to step forward and take the lead in bridging our divides, strengthening our communities, and building a more vibrant democracy. And ServiceNation is now working on building a national grassroots movement for service to help launch a new era of civic engagement and idealism, and make our 2020 vision a reality. It is a campaign of the people, by the people, and for the people.

More information: http://www.bethechangeinc.org/servicenation

Use of these unique materials encourages critical thinking and fuels the imagination by challenging children and teachers to find creative applications for non-traditional objects; these materials offer equally creative applications in all subjects. Trash for Teaching’s ultimate goal is to unify all community sectors, from children, parents, and teachers to manufacturers, artists and environmentalists by developing sustainable reuse systems that foster creativity in education.

Southwest Windpower seized the opportunity to develop a strong presence in China by partnering with Yunsheng, a Ningbo-based manufacturing company who has been producing component parts for several Southwest Windpower products for the last four years. The joint venture – Ningbo Air-Yunsheng Windpower – will produce Southwest Windpower’s Air X product beginning in early 2009. The 400 watt Air X wind generator is a solution that can help power China’s rural electrification project, the largest such project in the world. Currently more than 15 million inhabitants in China have no access to basic electricity – and with the government’s commitment to resolve the majority of these insufficiencies by 2015, there is significant need for such products in China.

For the past year, Southwest Windpower has been developing relationships in China and CEO Frank Greco is confident in the Air X’s ability to penetrate the market, “We’ve been meeting with the government agencies and testing the Air X against competitive Chinese turbines. At the end of the day, our product speaks for itself and we’re very excited about our future in the Chinese market.” Southwest Windpower projects that 10,000 – 15,000 turbines will be manufactured and sold by the joint venture in 2009.

Additionally, Southwest Windpower just announced the opening of its first European office in Cologne, Germany, which will manage sales, shipping and distribution of its products across Europe. After successful test installations across Europe over the last year, the award-winning Skystream 3.7™ – the first small wind generator designed for utility-connected, residential use – has begun shipping in the UK, Germany and Spain. To date, 3000 units have been shipped. Southwest Windpower expects that by the end of 2009 the German office will also support the Middle East and Africa.

Greco says that this is just the beginning of Southwest Windpower’s expansion: “We are exploring opportunities in India and possibly Korea. We anticipate the demand for renewable energy solutions in both Europe and the U.S. will continue to grow. We believe we have a revolutionary product that directly meets a consumer need – there is no limit to where we can go.”

The company is also poised for aggressive domestic growth. In October, as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, H.R. 1424, a federal-level tax credit for qualified small wind turbines was approved, providing up to $4,000 in rebate funds for units installed through 2016. The U.S. small wind industry projects that this federal credit, combined with a forthcoming equipment certification program and the Obama administration, will help create thousands of new jobs and could foster U.S. market growth of more than 40 percent annually.

Website: http://www.skystreamenergy.com/

The goals of our programs are to:

1. raise professional and public awareness of critical social and environmental issues
2. further responsive design and planning
3. honor persons and organizations whose work exemplifies social responsibility.

Nationally, ADPSR is currently engaged in three primary initiatives: 1) a Prison Alternatives Campaign, 2) annual Lewis Mumford Awards program, and 3) New Village Press. There are presently four ADPSR chapters in the United States: New York, Chicago, Northern California and Southern California. ARCPeace is ADPSR’s international affiliate.

History

ADPSR was originally established in 1981 as a 501(c)3 public-benefit organization to promote nuclear disarmament and correct the imbalances caused by military excesses overshadowing domestic needs. Throughout the 1980s, ADPSR initiated numerous peace projects including peace parks, conferences, traveling exhibits, and citizen diplomacy exchange programs with the former Soviet Union. Since 1990, ADPSR has focused much of its effort on ecologically and socially responsible development. The New York and Chicago chapters have been offering non-partisan forums on various aspects of community development, with particular attention given to preserving a balanced ecology and social and economic equity. The Northern California Chapter has focused on ecological architecture and sustainable development. ADPSR NorCal has been conducting a monthly “Building Ecology” lecture series in San Francisco for over a decade and also produced an annual tradeshow of ecological construction which has now become West Coast Green. They award an annual David Kibbey Memorial Scholarship to support the study of healthy building design, particularly with regard to indoor air quality. Other ADPSR projects include the facilitation of citizen participation in local and regional planning, low-income housing advocacy, and participate as an NGO in the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (HABITAT).

Diversity

Architects / Designers / Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR) and its project, New Village Press, are committed to non-discrimination, as well as to encouraging the equitable inclusion and participation of minorities in the activities of the organization and within the professions we represent and influence. ADPSR and New Village employ, compensate and advance personnel without regard to sex, gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, age, national origin, veteran status, physical disability, sexual orientation or marital status.

Website: http://www.adpsr.org

In 1987 the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh adopted its current name and approach to service delivery: acting as a broker by providing grants, technical assistance and education to help individuals and organizations purchase and use professional design and planning services. Today, the CDCP offers a diversity of programs and services that connect people and neighborhoods with resources to make investments in the built environment – buildings, neighborhoods, parks and public spaces. These programs and services help to promote economic development and improve the quality of life in Pittsburgh region.

Accomplishments

Design Fund Grants & Technical Assistance

* Since 1987, the CDCP has committed over $1,000,000 in Design Fund grants to more than 65 community-based organizations in the City of Pittsburgh.
* These grants and related technical assistance have led to nearly $82 million in new community investment.
* Since 2000, the CDCP has provided additional technical assistance to over over $200,000 in contracts, serving clients and communities in the Pittsburgh region.
* 50 contracts via consulting contracts, influencing over $325 million in investments.

RenPlan®

* Since 1996, the RenPlan® program has matched over 1,200 homeowners with volunteer architects, landscape architects, and interior designers for affordable renovation consultations.
* RenPlan® consultations have influenced an estimated $9.5 million in home renovations.
* The CDCP has expanded the RenPlan® program to serve residents in communities surrounding the City of Pittsburgh and small business owners.

Pedal Pittsburgh

* Since 1994, Pedal Pittsburgh has attracted more than 20,000 participants.
* Pedal Pittsburgh event has raised over $675,000 to support CDCP programming.

Civic Stewardship

* Since 2000, the CDCP has influenced the quality design of over $100 million in private and public development via participation in city-wide and regional coalitions and initiatives.

Website: http://www.cdcp.org

“The plights of day laborers and other underrepresented populations have been of interest to Public Architecture since our inception,” says architect John Peterson, who founded Public Architecture in 2002. “We believe architecture has a great deal to offer to this ‘other 90%’ of the population, which rarely benefits from the services of design professionals.”

According to a recent UCLA/Ford Foundation study, on any given day there are more than 110,000 day laborers looking forward in U.S. cities, more than half of which are hired by individual home owners or renters. Seventy-nine percent of day laborers seek work at informal hiring sites. A relatively small (approx. 65) number of official day labor centers have been established in recent years, but informal gathering sites, such as street corners, gas stations, and home improvement store parking lots, remain the norm. As they are spaces designated for other uses, these sites frequently lack even the most basic of amenities (shelter, water, toilet facilities, etc).

The Day Labor Station was designed in response to the more than 200 (est.) informal day laborer gathering sites across the country, particularly home improvement store parking lots and similar settings. “Our solution is based on the realities of the ways in which the day labor system operates, and responds to the needs and desires of day laborers themselves, as our clients,” says Peterson.

Public Architecture is currently working to locate a permanent site for the first Day Labor Station. Ultimately, the Stations will be deployed across the country. The sustainably-designed structure utilizes green materials and strategies and is meant to exist primarily, if not completely, off-the-grid. The Station provides a sheltered space for the day laborers to wait for work as well as basic amenities such as drinking water and restrooms.

“In addition to day laborers themselves, the Day Labor Station was also designed with other stakeholders in mind, such as major corporations like Home Depot and Lowe’s as well as local businesses and municipalities. Although most of these groups have clear ‘no solicitation’ policies, day laborers continue to seek work and contractors as well as homeowners continue to hire workers on their properties. Our responsive solution is cognizant of these realities,” notes Peterson. “We believe the Day Labor Station presents a tremendous, positive public relations opportunity as well as a clearly needed public service.”

The Day Labor Station is documented online at www.daylaborstation.org.

The BaSiC initiative offers students a variety of design/build opportunities. The Mexico Program occurs during the winter quarter in various squatter settlements in Morelos. The Strawbale Program in Montana occurs during the summer quarter, building on various American Indian Reservations. The Rural Studio also occurs during the summer quarter, exploring needed housing options in areas such as Eastern Washington and southern Mississippi. Every few years, the Global Studio replaces the Mexico Program, ranging in regions of the globe from Africa to Cuba to India.

In the past two decades, the program has successfully designed and built over 50 projects ranging from elementary schools, to clinics, children’s libraries, laundry facilities, houses, literacy centers, and urban gardens, to infrastructure projects such as wells, cisterns, waste treatment facilities, and solar fields. Each program has in its own way made a significant contribution to its host community not only by providing new possibilities and ways of living more economically and ecologically, but also through the experience and capacity gained through the design/build process by both community members and students.