Phase Two of Solar Panel Installation to Begin at The Center at Donaldson


DONALDSON, IN – The Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ are proud to announce phase two of a renewable energy effort with two additional solar panel installations at The Center at Donaldson. “The Center at Donaldson has a long history of making choices beneficial to our planet – from our geothermal heating/cooling, to hybrid and electric


Nancy la Placa, a brilliant energy policy analyst joins the AIRE team


AIRE has been a fan of Nancy LaPlaca, J.D., ever since she relocated to North Carolina in 2014. Now, AIRE’s extremely gratified to be working together with her as she brings great energy and passion, as well as deep knowledge and experience of utilities policy into our practice. Nancy has three decades of experience in


Tilting at the sun, again (Vernal Equinox 2019): They do it 4 times a year


The wonderful people at the Center at Donaldson up in Plymouth, Indiana are paying attention to the natural world, or maybe I should say our earthly home in relation to its travels in the solar system. In case you haven’t noticed, the sun has risen in the sky after what has been for many a


Being local in a time of madness: Laissez les bon temps rouler!


Last night (aka ‘Fat Tuesday’) I said a few words at Mountain Mardi Gras, a “friend raising” event AIRE co-organized with the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country. From all accounts, the evening was as near-perfect as it possibly could have been. Our proclamation tagline was “Come hell or high water, there’ll be Mardi Gras


EV charging in the wild, wild [south?]: culture and conflict at the electron pump


I recently posted a piece about the experiences my wife and I have had as EV newbies. (And here too.) The piece mapped out in some detail one single experience with EV charging while traveling. In particular, I listed one variable you have to contend with as an EV driver, especially when “Plan B” recharging


Toward Microgrid Learning: Poor Handmaids and The Center at Donaldson


With Phase 1 solar now operational and generating good results, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ with their various missions at The Center at Donaldson are wasting no time lighting up a Phase 2, some 5 times bigger (just over 500kW). The provincial and lay leadership behind this great work (and I do mean to


EV Moonshot Part 2: What we’ve learned driving our Nissan Leaf (around the dark side of the moon)


Making a commitment to drive an EV involves a pretty serious paradigm shift. Universal EV adoption is a critical step toward decarbonizing transportation, so long as we’re driving on renewable energy (not coal, natural gas, etc.). Driving an EV to get around town is a no-brainer; you can charge at home or at work and


Connecting the Dots: Super storms, resilience, and the enduring blind spot


I just spent a few days on the Florida panhandle, where I went to see firsthand the ground-zero of Hurricane Michael at Mexico Beach. I was there 4 months to the day after Michael made its devastating landfall. Stunned. Sick to the stomach. Scary. Despair. Nothing in my experience prepared me for the sight. Standing