3.07.2008

It's Electric- The Solar Powered Wedding

Joshua Houdek, an organizer for the Sierra Club,  and Kristi Papenfus powered their wedding (ceremony and live band) with a portable solar array: "We rented a 'power cart' for $30. The power cart basically consists of a big battery that is pre-charged by a small solar panel. I’m no electrician, but I’m told the thing puts out 1500W, or amp hours." Joshua noted that if you live in Minnesota you can rent a solar trailer large enough to "power a rock concert" from the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society. To calculate the emissions from their event Joshua and Kristi used NativeEnergy, a carbon calculator that is endorsed by the Sierra Club. They also helped offset the carbon emissions generated from the event by giving their guests energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. Read more about their wedding in the New York Times and in Waste News.

Make a difference -- join Sierra Club today! May 6, 2008: Kristi + Joshua were just featured in a segment on green wedding on Kare 11.

2 comments:

Justin Hyman said...

where did they rent the "power cart"
where can i get one in austin?

Joshua said...

I rented the portable solar "power cart" for our wedding from a local organization, the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society (link is included Kate's original 3.07.08 posting). I'm sure you can find something available in sunny Austin. Good luck! ~ Joshua