The project is a partnership between Windspire Energy, the City of Reno, and Artown that seeks to draw attention to Reno’s commitment to arts and renewable energy during the month long art festival. The artist(s) selected for this project will work closely with Windspire Energy and the City of Reno to design and paint the 10 foot base pole of the Windspire that will be installed on the roof of the Downtown Parking Gallery. The Artown live painting event will be held on July 8 at the West Street Market.

Windspire Energy (formerly Mariah Power), developer of the Windspire® wind turbine, and the City of Reno released a request for proposal (RFP) on April 22. The RFP is available for download at http://windspireenergy.com/news-center/artown-rfq/ and is open to all artists in the northern Nevada and Northern California area. Interested artists can also contact Kristyn Bishop at Windspire Energy at marketing@windspireenergy.com  or 775-852-0200 x224.

The Windspire wind turbine at the Downtown Parking Gallery is part of the City of Reno’s $19 million Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative. Funding for the initiative is completely through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from rebates, federal grants, and bonds paid in energy savings. Projects from the initiative will help to save money in the City’s general fund.

To read more about this exciting partnership and event with the City of Reno, Windspire Energy, and Artown click here.

On Saturday, March 27 the historic Reno Arch along with Reno City Hall and other city buildings will go dark for one hour in recognition of Earth Hour. The symbolic event is from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. (local time). Along with the darkening of the Reno Arch, downtown businesses have also been asked to join in this effort by turning off exterior or non-essential lights.

Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour is the largest event of its kind in the world. According to World Wildlife Fund, in 2009, nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries turned off their lights, as well as international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, Great Pyramids, and the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and Tel Aviv. The goal of Earth Hour is to raise awareness about climate change issues, to encourage businesses, individuals, and government to take actions to reduce their carbon emissions and their impact on the environment in their daily lives and operations.

Extinguishing non-essential lights for one hour will help show that Reno stands with the rest of the world in seeking solutions about climate change and bringing awareness about environmental concerns. The City of Reno encourages everyone to join in this symbolic statement.