Schreiner’s Media Landscape

September 8, 2010

Oil Shale Debate is Back with New Report on “Fossil Foolishness”; A Defining Issue in Utah’s Race for Governor

Filed under: America, Environment, Oil, Power Grid, Salt Lake, Solar, Utah, coal, conservation, geothermal, mining, pollution, renewable, water, wind — Ken Schreiner @ 7:43 am

Utah’s governor goes on a statewide fact-finding/discussion sort of campaign starting today to develop an energy policy or something. An admirable endeavor seeing as Utah’s energy policy has basically been oil/coal/natural gas since the invention of the internal combustion engine and the forced-air furnace. The only mistake Gov. Herbert seems to be making is assuming oil shale development is acceptable. It simply is not.

Yet another report is now out showing how oil shale development is bad for the environment, bad for consumers, a waste of water and, ironically, energy. But you can bet with the BP disaster, scarcer resources, and the lack of any national energy policy that, in the coming weeks, the pressure from fossil fuel makers on Utah’s governor to bow to their demands and piles of special interest money is going to be enough to squeeze oil from his skull.

Herbert would be best advised to open his mind to Utah’s major renewable resources of solar, geothermal, wind, and biomass and lead their development on a global scale, bypassing our myopic and unstable federal government. Renewable is where the rest of the world is going and the market for related products is being cornered by China, Germany, Japan and other countries who see the future clearly and are seizing it.

If Herbert can’t see it, then I suggest we get a new governor. Democrat Peter Corroon has been a long-time advocate of renewable energy and is adept at actually implementing it as Salt Lake County mayor at the Salt Palace and elsewhere. If energy is not a defining issue in this November’s election, I don’t know what is.

August 15, 2010

Solar Power Growth in Utah Finally Paying Off? Major Developments Prove The Sun is Too Big to Fail

Filed under: Earth, Environment, Legislature, Obama, Power Grid, Salt Lake, Schreiner Productions, Solar, Utah, coal, conservation, mining, politics, renewable, video — Ken Schreiner @ 9:48 am

It’s been four years since we went solar. It started with Solarius Precarious (pic left), our 2 kWh, sun-tracking array in November 2006 (it went on-line in March 2007). We expanded our commitment in January 2010 with the installation of our solar hot water system (video below). During this time, we’ve felt strangely alone. Not only do the vast majority of people not share our beliefs, commitment, and investment. Many of them still consider us stupid, crazy, and perhaps even dangerous.

After a couple of years endlessly talking about and promoting solar energy- part of my role as director for the Utah Solar Energy Association which I left in 2009 after three years- I’ve pretty much stopped. In conversation or at parties, I still get the blank disinterested looks, the angry eco-terrorist-in-our-midst reactions, and more than anything, the I-just-don’t-get-it capitulation. It’s at that point I cease my ramblings and return to the subjects of other people’s kids, movies, celebrity scandals, and the other stuff most people seem to care about.

Throw in the lousy economy and a president who seems to have abandoned his commitment to clean energy and solar appears to be a dead issue. But a couple of developments the past few days have me encouraged again. First,

the Salt Lake Tribune ran this article today about the growth of Utah’s solar industry. There are woefully few articles about the subject here despite the fact that we are one of the best places in the world to have solar. FYI: I

was featured in one of the few in the Deseret News last year (pic from the article at right). Things have definitely improved in Utah from when I got here in 2006. But the change has been glacial, mostly because of the ruling

Republican Party’s blind allegiance to coal, the fossil fuel lobby, the bad economy, and lack of effective renewable energy industry lobbyists.

Second, my commitment, promotion, and knowledge of solar power may have scored my biggest renewable energy video gig. I can’t give out details yet. I’ll know more this week and report it here. All I can tell you is it’s big- really big. That’s why I’m so excited about solar again. Not just for me but for the entire planet. Things are indeed changing for the better. And it makes me want to talk about it again- even if I still get the blank looks and have to talk about other people’s kids first.

August 10, 2010

EPA Crackdown on Cement, Mercury Pollution; Finally a Solution?

Filed under: Climate Change, Earth, Environment, Nature, Obama, Salt Lake, Sierra Club, Utah, coal, conservation, dualism, mining, pollution, renewable, water — Ken Schreiner @ 8:13 am

Inexplicably, people have been scratching their heads for decades over where all the mercury pollution in our lakes, rivers, and other waterways is coming from. It’s been steadily increasing in our fish supply during this time and prompted occasional then permanent warnings about the dangers of eating fish because of the escalating amounts of mercury in them, regardless of species. Utah’s Great Salt Lake is a cesspool of mercury. It sits among a cement plant, a couple of smelters, and a coal-burning power plant, all known mercury polluters. Yet, researchers seem at a loss to determine the source of the pollution. All I do is read a little and I figured it out.

We’ve known the source of most of this mercury all this time and have done nothing- until now. The Environmental Protection Agency is finally going after cement manufacturers, the leading emitter of mercury and one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and possible human-induced climate change. This will not sit well with birthers, right-wingers, Andrew Breitbart groupies, and other Earth-happiness-and-peace haters who think restricting their right to destroy the planet is another sign of the apocalypse.

How about cancer, asthma, birth defects, and heart attacks? Better now? Of course.

July 28, 2010

Wasatch National Forest Adventure: Utah’s Rail Trail is So Much Fun, You Forget It’s Bicycling

Filed under: Nature, Salt Lake, Utah, farm, sports, water, wildlife — Ken Schreiner @ 4:56 pm

Calling myself a bicyclist would be an insult to those who spend thousands of dollars on equipment, entry fees, and those fancy, tight-fitting uniforms that make me gasp for air merely looking at them. I don’t do much street cycling because it’s too dangerous and I’d sooner walk. When I do bicycle, I love to go into the mountains, the Shoreline Trail which wanders all along the Wasatch Front (past our house), or the famous Rail Trail.

The Rail Trail is a former railroad that starts in Park City and goes 24 miles northeast toward the Wyoming border. It’s been turned into a bike path that meanders through red sandstone hills, ranch land, along the Weber River and some of the best tubing and trout fishing in America, through little towns like Wanship and Coalville, and ultimately into the Uinta Mountains (you can only cycle to Echo Reservoir where the trail ends at an old bridge that’s fenced off. That’s where I took the pic).

There are places to stop and have a picnic, towns to explore, spots to swim and fish, plenty of animals and wildlife. Cows, horses, goats all watch placidly as you pass by. Big and beautiful sandhill cranes scour the fields, groundhogs scurry, foxes hunt, and hawks circle ominously. There’s a mild slope descending about 1500 feet from Park City to Coalville. But if you drive to Coalville, start there and head toward Park City, you get the uphill part out of the way first and coast back to your car. However, the round trip to and from PC is easily doable if you’re in any kind of shape.

The trail’s only paved in some parts. It’s mostly gravel so mountain bikes, not street bikes, are your best vehicle. Don’t forget to bring water. There are a couple of shops along the path to get a bottled drink but this is Mormon country and most places aren’t open on Sunday. Also, bring your tire repair kit and/or some of those small, emergency tire inflation tanks. We’ve had a couple of flats during our excursions. Nails, barbs, thorns, and other tire killers are rare but this is farm country. Fortunately, the Rail Trail is right along a state highway (not to mention Interstate 80) so you’re never too far from civilization or a lift if you have a technical problem.

The scenery is spectacular, it’s less than an hour from Salt Lake, there are no crowds, and no motorized vehicles allowed. You can’t spend a day much better than that.

July 27, 2010

Wine Insiders: ProBusiness Video’s First Client is All About Quality and Value- Just Like Me

Filed under: Internet, Salt Lake, Schreiner Productions, Utah, media, video — Ken Schreiner @ 8:54 am

Last year, business was hurting because of the economy so I hired a consultant to help figure out a new strategy. He suggested I change the name of my company to make it more self-explanatory. After researching names and available domains, I chose ProBusinessVideo. But I decided not to just blow up Schreiner Productions and make the change immediately. I chose to do it gradually and, in fact, have been operating the companies simultaneously providing different products to different clients.

While the two companies have overlapped over the past year, I finally have an exclusive client for ProBusiness Video: Wine Insiders. It’s the brainchild of John Davis, a veteran Chicago restauranteur and owner of the world-famous Geja’s Cafe. He started his mail order and Internet wine selling business 25 years ago. I met John last month at a party in the Avenues, a funky, old neighborhood northeast of downtown Salt Lake. We started talking wine and video and in the process, he hired me.

We shot our first two videos at his current, temporary home in Park City earlier this month and I just delivered them to him the other day over beautifully chilled sauvignon blanc at Robert Redford’s Zoom Restaurant in downtown Park City. “Fabulous” he called the videos (maybe he was talking about the wine). “And a great value”- which, to a scrambling entrepreneur like myself, means “more, more, more. Bring it on, baby.”

John, now in his 70s, is a fascinating conversationalist, a still-active and successful businessman, and is keen on leveraging his web presence to bolster his marketing in the face of growing competition. It didn’t take him long after meeting me to be convinced that video must be a major component to this effort. As lone wolf businessmen, I think we understand each other pretty well.

So ProBusiness Video and Wine Insiders are now partners. As are ProBusiness Video and Schreiner Productions. I guess that means that I’m partners with myself. If business gets any better, I’m going to need a shrink.

July 26, 2010

Wasatch National Forest Adventure: Utah’s Bald Mountain a National Treasure

Filed under: Nature, Salt Lake, Sierra Club, Utah, conservation, pollution, water — Ken Schreiner @ 5:19 pm

We enjoyed Bald Mountain so much on our first hike there we decided to go back and take another trail away from the mountain in the opposite direction. This one took us past a series of small mountain lakes that are reachable only by foot or horse.

Of these, Clegg Lake is the most picturesque, though Notch Lake farther up the trail is also spectacular, set among the cliffs of the Uinta range. It’s only five miles (round trip) but easy. And on a day when the temperature is 100 in Salt Lake City, it’s only about 70 up here. And that makes the journey even nicer.

The Wasatch National Forest is filled with such rewarding hikes, bikes, and other unforgettable Nature experiences. Unlike our national parks, it’s not choked by cars, RVs, tour groups, noise, garbage and pollution. Yet it has the spectacular scenery, excellent facilities, friendly and cooperative staff that are the hallmarks of America’s national park system. And it’s less than a two hour drive from Salt Lake City- closer than Zion, Bryce or any of the marquee stars in Utah’s national park crown.

Mirror Lake, Utah a Perfect Example of How Public Lands Should be Managed, Used

Filed under: America, Nature, Salt Lake, Sierra Club, Utah, conservation, forest, water — Ken Schreiner @ 8:37 am

One of the great things about living in Utah is you’re so close to natural, beautiful, and challenging recreation areas. It only takes about an hour for us to drive east from our home in Salt Lake to the Uinta National Forest and the Mirror Lake region near the Wyoming border. Much of it is still rugged and protected wilderness but some is open to the public.

We decided to visit Bald Mountain, one of the highest peaks and passes in Utah. The trail to the top starts at 10,000 ft. elevation and goes to 11,943 ft. It’s at times steep and treacherous with rocks and sketchy footing. But it only takes about an hour to get to the top and the payoff, the view, is more than worth it.

The Mirror Lake region is simply incredible and Bald Mountain is just part of it. Fishing, camping, cycling, horseback riding, boating (non-motorized) are also allowed though space is limited (thankfully). If you want to see how public land should be managed and used, Mirror Lake is where you should go. But get there early or you might not get a parking space or picnic spot.

July 15, 2010

My Sustainable Delivery Run: Schreiner Productions and eGO Hit the Road as World’s Leaders in Sustainable Video, Transportation

Filed under: Environment, Internet, Salt Lake, Schreiner Productions, Solar, Utah, media, pollution, renewable, video — Ken Schreiner @ 2:18 pm

I don’t get a chance to ride our eGO as much as I would like because my wife uses it most of the time to commute to and from campus during the warm months. But today, she had to take her car and I had a bunch of videos to deliver to four different campus locations. So I got the toy to play with on my totally-sustainable, non-polluting excursion into video and environmental history. It would be the first-ever solar-powered delivery of solar-powered videos.

For those of you who don’t know, the eGO is a battery-powered bike. It doesn’t have pedals and the weight of the batteries on the bottom makes it weigh about as much as a VW Beetle. We’ve had it more than a year now and it’s worked great, even on the big hills we have to climb around here. You can ride it on bike paths, sidewalks, streets, you don’t need a license, or any kind of crazy fuel or lubricants.

We live about four miles from campus. I hit the road at 10 a.m., made all four stops (it’s a big campus), and had enough juice left to stop at the bank to deposit the money I made from the videos I delivered and the grocery store. Yes, the eGO has storage baskets on the back and you can even use a backpack too as long as you don’t weigh it down too much. Ten miles round trip. I got home around noon. That’s great time.

It just shows again that not only is the technology required to create a sustainable fleet of mass consumption vehicles literally on the horizon. The technology already exists for anyone willing to spend a couple thousand dollars to avoid traffic, curb pollution, and have fun all at the same time. How else can you do that?

July 1, 2010

While Economy “Fizzles”, Schreiner Productions, Web Video Sizzles

Filed under: Hollywood, Internet, Salt Lake, Schreiner Productions, Utah, documentary, media, music, television, video — Ken Schreiner @ 3:27 pm

It sounds like obnoxious bravado. But when your business and life are on the line, it’s not only important to recognize if your country’s economic situation is desperate. It’s also important to help the economy by publicizing your successes. So I proclaim that Schreiner Production/ProBusiness Video had its biggest half-year in its seven-year history.

This was done while my home and studio were under construction. Drilling, sawing, pounding and other head-gnawing noises made the task a lot more difficult. To further accomodate, I moved my editing equipment several times: once into the upstairs bedroom, once into the master bedroom, and at one point, I edited on a laptop (as I do on airplanes, in cars, and while camping) with no studio- except my lap. The pix are the before-and-after. Lighting and visibility are crucial in a studio environment and dark backgrounds cut reflection to make it easier to see the monitors and true colors.

During the interior construction, which went from September 2009 to June 2010, I made trips to Quebec, Virginia, North Carolina, Illinois, New York, Michigan, California, Ontario, and Indiana, produced around 80 videos, and increased revenues nearly 30 per cent. It’s a challenge because there’s only one of me and always will be. But those of you who know me know I love my work. The trick is not taking on too much so you don’t do it well.

Thanks to my wife, friends, family, customers, advisors, and everyone who’s helped make my dreams of my own business, breaking revenue goals, and ideal studio come true.

June 29, 2010

Like Earth’s Climate, Web Video Business is Hotter Than Ever; Dress for the Weather

Filed under: Climate Change, Salt Lake, Schreiner Productions, Utah, documentary, media, television, video — Ken Schreiner @ 7:50 am

2010 has been a good year for me so far. Besides getting the studio renovated and being able to take some fantastic time off to play in southern Utah, Schreiner Productions and my web ad video company ProBusiness Video have been hot. I’ve shot some wonderful new stuff for American Family Insurance, University of Utah, and others. Tomorrow, I do my first shoot with Wine Insider, an online/mail-order wine retailer.

One of the fun things about my job(s) is being able to play dress-up. This garb is the so-called “bunny suit” for the nano lab at University of Utah’s engineering school to produce the story of moveable, microscopic components on chips. Between my current career and TV news, I’ve worn lots of hats- and other stuff. Hard hats, helmets, wet suits, dry suits, clean suits, velcro suits. My rule is do everything you must to get the story. Compared to jumping out of airplanes, or walking 100 miles, putting on funny clothes is easy.

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