SCU

I can’t resist one last update on the Solar Decathlon. Last week Team California took third place in the Solar Decathlon, a huge win, considering their size vs. some of the other schools. The Santa Clara University students should be proud of their results, especially in architecture, where they had set a specific goal to improve.

Appropriately, it was a warm, sunny afternoon in Washington, D.C. as the 2009 Solar Decathlon officially kicked off yesterday with a full color guard ceremony complete with several hundred solar devotees and the Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu.

Vote today! Help make Team California the winner of the 2009 Solar Decathlon People's Choice Award. From your cell phone text the code HOUSE31 to 99503. One vote per cell phone allowed. Spread the word and help Santa Clara University be #1.

It’s a great week for the solar power industry in Washington, D.C. thanks to 20 teams of university students competing in the 2009 Solar Decathlon. Each team has entered a solar powered home in the contest and over the next two weeks will have to surmount a number of obstacles and compete in a variety of events to try to win the number one spot, but every one of them is a unique opportunity to educate the public about the possibilities of solar power.

Decathlon heroes of the past who graced Wheaties cereal boxes race through my mind. Clay, O'Brien, Jenner, Mathias, Johnson, Toomey, and Thorpe. These U.S. Olympic decathlon gold medalists epitomize the title of best all around athlete, almost super-human.