Marc Gunther: This is Marc Gunther for GreenBiz.com. I'm here today with Dan Yates. Dan is the founder and CEO of OPower. OPower is a company that helps people conserve energy, and we'll talk about that in a moment, but first a little about Dan. He's just 32, but he previously started and sold an educational software company, then spent about a year traveling with his girlfriend, now his wife, from the Arctic Circle in Alaska to the tip of South America. It was that adventure that led Dan to start OPower. Dan, first tell us why you started the company, and then please describe OPower. Tell us what you do.

Dan Yates: Thanks, Marc. Yeah. I started with my good friend and co-founder Alex Lasky, who is president of OPower. We started it very specifically to have a large scaled impact on emissions. I, in light of my background in information services, having started up a previous internet start-up, and Alex, with his background in politics and policy, surveyed the landscape looking at a bunch of different opportunities.

Research leaders from eight Ohio universities joined Gov. Ted Strickland at a news conference today to launch a coordinated effort to make Ohio an international leader in advanced energy research and development.

The "Centers of Excellence" at the eight universities will have distinct missions to provide the innovation that will help strengthen "Ohio's position as a market leader in supplying the world's advanced energy economies," Strickland said. "That is important for a simple reason: when we grow these industries, we create jobs."

Beverly Elementary has been named a finalist in the Walmart "Earth Day Every Day School Challenge." This contest was designed to recognize schools that are making small, every day changes to help the environment. As a finalist, Bevery Elementary will receive a $500 Walmart gift card, and the chance to win the grand prize: a $20,000 grant from Walmart to further environmental projects.

The school has entered a short video and essay, showcasing the school's environmental activities and projects, and is posted at  http://www.earthdayeverydaychallenge.com.

The sagging economy is affecting everything from school enrollment to the number of rounds of golf we can afford to play.

That's one conclusion that can be drawn from a look back at the numbers of 2008. As the first quarter of the new year comes to a close, we take a look into the rear-view mirror at the past year.

Here we offer a bit of explanation on what the numbers show in five areas. See a full list of the numbers.

Destiny USA announces it's donating space for Project EverGREEN Schools.

Friday, February 20, 2009

The first announced occupant for Carousel Center mall's expansion isn't a retailer, it's an energy "learning center."

Destiny USA announced Thursday it is donating 17,000 square feet for classroom space for Project EverGREEN Schools.

"We are the first learning center to sign on to a national network that will provide 'hands-on' learning in an incredibly important arena," said Destiny executive David Aitken.

Destiny also said the mall expansion would have a 3.2 megawatt solar rooftop array "the largest in the United States."