Solar Decathlon back on the Mall
After much to-do, the Solar Decathlon, in which teams of college students from around the world compete to design, build and operate solar-powered homes, is back on the Mall, Darryl Fears reported Wednesday.
The solar village competition had been uprooted from its regular location by the Department of Energy and the Department of the Interior months before the event was to take place. It was rumored to be taking place at the hardly Metro-accessible National Harbor instead.
Federal officials said they moved the event because the 20 energy-efficient houses designed by the students end up sitting on grass for two weeks and killing it. Although we're wondering what pristine Mall grass they were talking about.
After organizers' pleas that President Obama's talk about alternative energy in the State of the Union address showed the importance of their endeavor, the event is back on the Mall, just in the slightly less prestigious location of West Potomac Park.
"I feel incredible. I feel happy," said Elisabeth Neigert, a graduate fellow at the Southern California Institute and spokeswoman for its decathlon team.
Catch the event (at the Mall) Sept. 22 to Oct. 2.
By
Elizabeth Flock
| February 24, 2011; 12:31 PM ET
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I'd rather they preserve the Mall grass for the millions of visitors. And let the grass-killing Greenies have their "blessed Solar Energy marathon" show on a less environmentally disruptive site, like the disused asphalt on the edge of one of those massive government parking lots in Bethesda.
Besides killing the grass, the solar people burn copious evil hydrocarbons getting to DC. Wouldn't the "environmentally responsible" thing to do be to limit the event to those college students who could walk, bike, or use a wind or solar powered vehicle to the event? And of course, horses and oxcarts are green options - unless the animals eat grain dependent on evil hydrocarbon use to grow them.
Posted by: ChrisFord1 | February 24, 2011 12:58 PM | Report abuse
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