First, let me share a bit of news concerning Mary Ellen Gabriel, the author of this week's cover story, "Let the Sun Shine In." She has won the Kay Levin Short Nonfiction Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. She was honored for her story "Ne-rucha-ja: The Forgotten Tale of Frost's Woods and Charles E. Brown's Fight to Save It for the Ho-Chunk." It was published in the autumn 2011 issue of Wisconsin Magazine of History. Gabriel has lived in Madison since 2006 with her husband and sons. She works as a marketing and outreach manager for UW-Madison's Center for the Humanities.
Gabriel does a lot of freelancing for publications in the area, and her article for Isthmus this week is in anticipation of Isthmus Green Day on Saturday, April 21, at Monona Terrace. Solar energy, the subject of the article, is one of the linchpin technologies of a sustainable energy future. But despite the promise, all is not sunshine and seashells in the solar energy world, as she explains. One bright spot relayed in the story is the attitude of our local energy provider, Madison Gas and Electric, which exhibits, shall we say, an enlightened attitude toward solar technology.
Fittingly, MGE is the major sponsor of Green Day, allowing for free admission this year. Exhibitors have reserved over 110 booths for this year's expo, and author and New York Times food writer Mark Bittman will deliver the keynote address at 2 p.m.
There will be much, much more to see and hear at Green Day. For a comprehensive guide to the event, consult the 24-page Green Day program that accompanies your Isthmus this week. We'll be looking for you between 9 and 5 this Saturday. Ride your bike or walk there for free (it's supposed to be a nice but chilly day), or drive your car and pay for parking.
