'The River' runs green -- and it's not alone

Local radio is going green. "The River," WXRV-FM (92.5), took the first step on July 31. That's when the Haverhill-based station switched on its 20 rooftop solar panels, which are now providing roughly enough energy to power the station's main studio. And they're not alone. WGBH-FM (89.7) has not yet installed its solar panels, some of which were hoisted onto the station's roof last week, says station spokeswoman Lucy Sholley. However, the station's new Brighton headquarters has been built with a "green" roof that incorporates vegetation for natural insulation, water-thrifty appliances, and other conservation features.

Other stations are following suit: The Brighton building that houses CBS' music stations -- WBCN-FM (104.1), WZLX-FM (100.7), and WODS-FM (103.3) -- has recently been inspected for energy efficiency to take "the steps necessary to make the building environmentally friendly," according to marketing manager Cha Chi Loprete.

For WXRV, the move toward solar power was part of a logical progression, says operations manager Ron Bowen. "We're having consultants come in to see how we can 'green' the business and go paperless," says Bowen, who also hosts weekday mornings (from 6 to 10) on the adult rock station. "We've already made a lot of strides on that, transferring a lot of our files electronically. We're really diligent about recycling, too.

"I've got a history of doing a minor version of this," adds Bowen, who joined the station in March. At WXRV, as he did at previous jobs in North and South Carolina and on Cape Cod, he broadcasts 20-second "green tips," notes suggesting ways to save energy. These remind listeners, for example, to check their tire pressure for better gas mileage and suggest buying in bulk to reduce the waste of packaging. A new Green Page on the station's site, wxrv.com, also offers links to groups like the Sierra Club and local recycling outlets. "My belief is that we would all recycle if it were easy," says Bowen.

The idea of going solar was broached at one of Bowen's first meetings with Terry Lieberman, general manager of Vermont-based Northeast Broadcasting, WXRV's parent company. "We said this was an initiative we were going to embrace and have it evolve," says Bowen. Along those lines, he says, are plans to install solar panels at Northeast Broadcasting's four Vermont stations and, down the line, add panels to the Haverhill building and possibly at the station's tower site.

"With the space up there [on the roof] we could double the system," says Chris Anderson, chief operations officer for San Diego-based Barrego Solar Systems, which installed WXRV's system. The current panels, which were made by Marlborough's Evergreen Solar Modules, should produce approximately 4,300 kilowatts per year, he says. Although Anderson calls this first move "baby steps," he notes its importance.

"They're actually generating power they're consuming right there," he says. "In terms of the impact on the planet, it's as if 'The River' went out and planted two acres of trees in order to combat global warming."

On Aug. 31, from 8 to 11 p.m., WGBH will broadcast live from the Tanglewood Jazz Festival. The lineup for the festival includes the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band followed by Hugh Masekela and his band. The broadcast is sponsored by Concord Picante Records and Four Quarters Entertainment and will likely be picked up by other public radio stations in Western Massachusetts.