Gustavus Adolphus College

The 2006 Midwest Green Bike Tour will stop at Gustavus Adolphus College on Saturday, Sept. 23 for an open house on the College’s wind-power project.

The seven-day tour begins in Waterloo, Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 21 and makes stops in Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The goal of the tour is to build support for renewable energy sources, which help to strengthen rural economies while protecting the environment. Several of the bikes used in the tour are powered by renewable energy sources such as solar power and ethanol. The tour is sponsored by the Iowa Policy Project.

The tour will be at Minnesota State University, Mankato from 10 a.m.-11 a.m. and will continue to the Kasota Prairie for a brief presentation by Gustavus Professor of Geography Bob Douglas.

At 2:30 p.m. there will be a stop at the Linnaeus Arboretum Interpretive Center for The Gustavus Wind Project Open House. The open house is an opportunity for members of the community to learn more about the college’s wind turbine plans. There will be information on the proposed location, appearance, and noise level of the turbines.

Gustavus students will give poster presentations on topics such as energy storage, and faculty will be available to answer questions. Wind power initiatives by St. Peter public schools will also be discussed.

Green bikers will visit wind farms, college campuses, solar installations, and complete the journey at the Conference of Engineers for a Sustainable World in Iowa City on Thursday, Sept. 28.