Forget stockyards and railroads. The City of Big Shoulders, RED’s very own sweet home Chicago, has become a national center for energy recycling — the most cost-effective clean energy solution around.

As RED’s own Sean Casten pointed out at the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s recent forum on Chicago’s clean energy economy, the Windy City is home to several energy recycling companies. It also boasts numerous research institutions and associations focused on this kind of clean energy.

Two — count ‘em, two — new documentaries have premiered featuring RED founders Tom and Sean Casten. The first is Dirty Business: “Clean Coal” and the Battle for our Energy Future, which investigates the true cost of using coal. Rolling Stone reporter Jeff Goodell tells the story, taking viewers to the West Virginia silicon plant where RED is developing a waste heat recovery project. Jeff said recently that this scene, which features the Castens and lots of hot, fiery, blazing images, is one of his favorites in the film.

The second is Carbon Nation, a “positive, solutions-based, non-preachy, non-partisan, big tent film about tackling climate change while boosting the economy.” That’s our kind of movie.

When you’ve got Dow Chemical, the Sierra Club, and the Sheet Metal Workers union agreeing on something, you know it’s got to be good.

A slew of organizations have signed a letter urging Congress to pass bills that would promote energy recycling at industrial facilities. These organizations range from environmentalists to manufacturers to unions to contractors.

What’s this eclectic bunch pushing for? We want investment tax credits to encourage combined heat and power (CHP) and waste energy recovery, probably the best ways to slash greenhouse gas emissions and power costs simultaneously.

In the heart of coal country, a simple truth is gaining traction: recycled energy is clean energy.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin just signed legislation designating recycled energy a renewable source of power within the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS). That’s a big deal: it means utilities—which already have to buy a portion of their power from alternative and renewable sources—are now more likely to buy recycled energy from West Virginia manufacturers. The result will be a stronger manufacturing sector, more jobs, and a cleaner environment.

A little shameless self-promotion: I was in DC last month and sat on a panel discussing how the U.S. can promote clean energy (click “next” to get to me). The bottom line is that competition means innovation means efficiency. And that’s the ballgame, right there — because efficiency means cuts in both global warming and energy costs. The concept is pretty simple.