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The Path to a More Sustainable Life

Aug 10

30

SW Portland SOLAR OPEN HOUSE

Posted by Mac on August 30, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • naturehouse • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

naturehouse is solarized

Announcing a very special event …  Please join us for an afternoon devoted entirely to residential solar power hosted by Mac and Noriko McDowell in the Arnold Creek neighborhood of Southwest Portland.

                       When:  Saturday, September 18th    2:00–6:00pm

We are celebrating solar power and the Solarize Southwest Portland project. This event will be an opportunity to socialize and share experiences & information with others who are involved with solar in the Portland area.  Meet your neighbors who have recently decided to go solar as part of the Solarize SW Portland project.

FEATURING

  • Educational Workshops: 2:30-4:00
  • Solarize SW Portland Celebration and Social: 4:00-6:00
  • Snacks and beverages sponsored by SolarWorld
  • Keynote speakers & special guests
  • Presentation and book signing by solar professional John H. Patterson,  FOOTPRINT: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Extinction
  • SOL FOOD - Solar Cookery. They’ll be serving up hot dogs and veggie dogs sizzled with the power of the sun all afternoon!
  • Let’s make a public service Oregon Loves Solar video – everyone attending is invited to participate
  • Give-aways and special offers!

Meet the author

SOL FOOD will be serving 'em up

 

 

 

SOLAR WORKSHOPS

Introduction to Solar Thermal – Solar Hot Water Theory and Design: Solar thermal system set-up and design principles including different types of systems, site survey, cost-effectiveness and decision-making processes. Presented by Mr. Sun Solar.

Green Collar Jobs – Panel:  Do you want to get into renewables or energy efficiency as a career? Listen and learn from those who are working in the RE and EE industry today.

Living with Solar: You’ve installed solar on your residence, so now what do you do? Presented by Solar Oregon Solar Ambassadors

Oregon Solar Policy – Feed-in-tariff (FIT) and tax incentives: What is a Feed-in-tariff policy for renewable energy?  How will Oregon’s 5 year FIT Pilot Program for solar work?  Impact state policy changes will have on solar and our energy future.

Basics of Going Solar – Introductory Level: The basics about solar energy systems including why solar is a smart choice, how well solar works in our northwest climate, available solar technologies, and how to go about choosing a contractor.

Co-sponsored by SolarWorld

EVENT DETAILS

naturehouse is located at 3303 SW Arnold Street, Portland, 97219.  If you’d like to know more about our place check out http://solarflareblog.com/?p=174

Reception opens at 1:30 * Hosts welcoming at 2:15

No host bar: 4:00-6:00 [wine ($3) and beer ($2) only] 

A non-alcoholic beverage bar will be available courtesy of SolarWorld

SOL FOOD is free and available during entire event. See the five foot diameter parabolic cooker in action and get tips how to use the sun for cooking.

“Oregon loves Solar” video will require participants to sign a waiver for broadcasting.

Parking: Options include parking on SW 35th Avenue (west side), SW Arnold Street (south side), or at Jackson Middle School’s parking lot (several short blocks away from our residence). 

Parking attendant will be on duty to assist.

First house to be solarized on the project - The Farris residence

NOTE:  If you have not received an Evite for this event and wish to attend, please make your intention known by using the comments in this posting.  We’ll try to accommodate as best we can.  We expect to have 100-120 people attending so space is limited. We hope to see you here on September 18!

We're cleaning up and getting ready for our Solar Open House

Aug 10

27

Living with Solar – Keep ‘em clean

Posted by Mac on August 27, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Ten minutes is all it takes!

Since so many of our friends and neighbors are interested in solar, or are in the process of installing solar on their homes this year, I’ve decided to post some articles on how to live with solar.  Almost all of the information available today is about how solar works, or how to buy a solar system, or regarding incentives, installation costs and payback, etc…  There is a lot to read for homeowners thinking about purchasing a solar system, but very little is written about what to do after you’ve installed.

What?!  You thought the effort made to understand the benefits, make the right purchase decision, and get it installed on your roof was it and you’re done?!  I know, you’ve been told by everyone that you shouldn’t have to think about it ever again, that solar works quietly and efficiently without any maintenance, right?  Well not exactly.  As my father used to say, you might have another think coming.

I submit to you that the day solar is installed on your home is the true beginning of your involvement, not the end.

Simple tools get the job done

Sure there’ll be a moment when you’ll look at your shiny new panels all glistening in the sun, quietly bringing you clean energy, and you’ll feel fulfilled in some strange way.  It happened to me.  My level of self-satisfaction was sky high and I checked this off my “to do” list with an intention to move on to the next thing. What I didn’t realize was that having a solar electric system makes one hyper sensitive – not only to the energy one generates from solar – but of the demand and/or usage of that energy itself.  This is a big change in me.

For some it can be quite addictive.  I check our production meter almost daily.  My involvement manifests itself like monitoring power output – on the production side and the demand side – and even calc unused power being sent to the grid.  Call me anal retentive, but I want to know all of that.  At naturehouse our percentage of solar-generated PV power is estimated to be 20-22% of our total annual electrical needs.  I want to increase this to 50%, and that will be a huge challenge because the system will only generate a fixed max amount energy, so the difference will be in our usage of electricity (array and grid combined) and this requires improved energy efficiency and additional change in our behavior.

Therein lays the rub.  Living with solar could cause one to change their own behavior, which is something most adult humans find difficult, especially if means changing a habit or making a sacrifice in convenience.

Part of the reason for my blog is to talk about just that … how living more sustainably requires a change in perspective and behavior from what we’ve been taught, expected, or are used to doing in our daily lives.  So, yeah, breaking old habits is a big part of living with solar power.

I’ll try to capture more of what this means for us in future posts, today let’s start with the basics for this first installment of Living with Solar – the maintenance of your solar panels.

Simple maintenance – just keep ‘em clean

Tools required: ladder, hose with nozzle, and a soft brush with extended handle.  That’s it.

Because Pac NW rains showered our array all winter and spring, we haven’t needed to clean our panels since install last December.  I did so only once this spring just to see how long it would take – no more than 10 minutes to completely clean all twenty panels.  No muss, no fuss.  However, because our array is located in the backyard next to an open field with hoofed animals that kick up dirt all day long, I’ve noticed our panels are now getting some dust on them.  If I don’t clean off this dust and the tree debris that sometime settles, our production will decrease and that idea bothers me. I don’t want that!

So since the rains have ceased I’m now cleaning our array once or twice a month. I actually like doing it, it feels good kind of like washing a brand new car if you know what I mean.  Truth be told I’ve spent more time cutting hedges and tree limbs outside our kitchen just so we can see the panels from our kitchen window.

One caution, don’t clean your panels during mid-day peak sunlight when the panels are hot.  Cold water on hot glass is never a good idea.  The inverter doesn’t need anything, so not much to do or worry about in maintaining a solar photovoltaic system on your home.

 

Of course if your array is atop a three-story structure it may be a whole different story.  I wouldn’t recommend standing on a ladder tall enough to do what I’m doing.  This may require someone with the proper equipment or maybe a power washer sprayer will do the trick if you can get enough pressure.

Then again, most people don’t have llamas and goats living next door either.

I confess I really do like cleaning my panels

Aug 10

25

Considering solar?

Posted by Mac on August 25, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

This is a web poll from last week I thought I’d share with readers.  The Portland Business Journal http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/ sponsored an online poll that asked: “Would you consider a solar system for your home?”  Hardly a scientific poll and one that begs the question … what kind of solar system did the responder have in mind, thermal or photovoltaic?  I guess it really doesn’t matter and wouldn’t sway the percentages one way or the other as 36% answered “Absolutely” and 21% said no.  The remaining 43% said it depends on incentives and the economy.  That figures.  Even with prices dropping, residential solar is still out of range financially for a great deal of people, at least for the present.

Rather encouraging poll for solar advocates!

I was surprised the by the low percentage of nos because I expected it to be much higher – closer to a third I assumed.  Maybe because this is Portland Oregon (probably!), but to think that over two thirds of a sample of residential Americans would consider solar energy for their home, if/when economics improve and incentives stay in place (or are extended) … well that bodes well for solar energy and points to future growth and sales for those in the green energy business.

Rather encouraging, don’t you think?!

Our first "sustainability event" at naturehouse

SOLAR OPEN HOUSE

Speaking of solar, this is a good time to announce that we are sponsoring a SOLAR OPEN HOUSE next month as a celebration of solar and the Solarize SW Portland project.  Evites will be going out soon to all of our neighbors who’ve been involved, plus to some local solar advocates, solar professionals, and people interested in learning more.  In all we’re looking about a 100-120 people total and we’re inviting some of the local politicos and media as well.  This well could be one of the biggest social gatherings of residential solar advocates in Portland history

Starting at 2:00pm on Saturday, September 18th, this event will be at naturehouse and should be a very busy and fun-filled afternoon, with awareness & educational activities, speakers, networking, book signing, and catered snacks and giveaways courtesy of the good folks at SolarWorld.  Hey, I’m excited because the Sol Food guy I met at SolFest agreed to come and cook hotdogs on his solar oven for this event. Pray for a sunny day!

Featuring Solar Photovoltaics

If you don’t receive an Evite and you wish to participate, simply make your intention known by leaving me a comment on this post.

I’ll be posting a detailed list of activities and times for all to review after more confirmations are received – but no later than sometime next week. 

I hope this will be the first of many events we host at naturehouse for sustainability.

Aug 10

22

Report from the Garden

Posted by Mac on August 22, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • naturehouse  | Tagged With: , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Too little too late? I guess we'll soon find out.

Can one find a Green Thumb on Craigslist?   I’m in desperate need of one.  It is evident that my skills as a gardener still have a ways to go before I can officially call my thumb green.   Heck, right now I’d settle for brown.  This past weekend Noriko and I spent hours working in and around the garden, so it looks very good with lots of green and leafy shoots reaching up and giving promise.  Problem is … this is mid-August and our garden is in more of a mid-June stage if you know what I mean. 

I’m concerned. Since its already mid-August and we don’t see much in the way of growth it seems doubtful we’ll be able to harvest anything next month. I suppose this is how a real farmer feels about this time of year, hopeful but nervous that all their effort and expense might have all been for naught.  Geesssh … what a tough life. 

Do we dare hope?

Looking at our garden today, you’d never know that what it has gone through since planting last spring. 

 Things started out rough. 

On one beautiful May afternoon our friend, Shiloh, did a wonderful job of taking our starts and seeds from the greenhouse and planting them in the two plots we prepared for a food garden.  After a whole day of back-breaking effort, Shiloh and I felt satisfied we’d planted a garden that’d yield a successful crop come harvest time. 

Shiloh helped us get the garden planted

However, within the first 24-48 hours our two dogs dug some huge holes right smack in the middle of the garden plots! My fault, I didn’t buy enough fencing to cover all sides of the rectangle and the dogs took advantage.   Not hard to fix, but they wiped out several entire sections and before I could remedy – and then the rains came.  Lots of rain.  It started about three days after planting and didn’t stop until the Fourth of July weekend!  The garden was saturated.  This wasn’t good and there wasn’t much I could do about it, so I didn’t.

Animals, insects and too much rain ... a gardner's lament!

Oh, I thought about it from time to time, but I didn’t do anything because I didn’t know what to do.  Not only are we complete novices in planting a food garden, we hadn’t done the adequate amount of homework required to learn more about how to be successful. 

We decided not to use chemicals of any kind to eradicate bugs, disease, and such, but we’re still clueless about the things we need to do instead.  It’s a big learning curve. Plus we’ve been unlucky.  Good luck is critical to having a successful food garden, especially when it comes to important elements like the weather.  As most Pac NW readers know, this summer hasn’t been the driest or the warmest.  In fact, we cancelled our annual summer “pool party” scheduled for this past weekend simply because it was too cold and cloudy.  63 degrees is too cold for pool volleyball and hanging out at the pool – especially when it is August 21st. 

Mother Nature can often be a cruel bitch!

What the heck are these?

A few friends have told us they’re getting little tomatoes and such (braggers), but we’ve mostly heard the same sad story we’re confronted with.  Too much rain, too little sun, and a short growing season = a recipe for disaster. 

Portland Community College’s (PCC) new catalog arrived last week full of classes devoted to home gardening so I think we may sign up for a class or two.  I like the “Soils Food Web Series” and the “Urban Farming-Permaculture” course, so next year when the rains come I’ll know better what to do. 

Sometimes there is a Ying to the Yang, weather-wise I mean, which may push out the fall and stave off an early winter.  A string of lingering warm party-sunny days until the end of October might get us our first crop of veggies from the food garden.  

Luck and a prayer, yeah we’ll need ‘em both.

After a rough start things are looking up!

Aug 10

16

There’s a fine line between pleasure & pain

Posted by Mac on August 16, 2010
Posted in Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Okay, I realize my last post was tough to read.  I feel I owe you something lighter as a symbol of my appreciation, so I offer you this.  Our massage therapist friend, Sarah, asked me to help write her BIO / Introduction for her new gig.  Naturally, I was eager to help.  Here’s what I came up with and thought you might enjoy it.  Sarah doesn’t read my blog, so she’ll never know (shhhhhhhh).  I did submit it and hope her new boss sees the humor … or Sarah could have a very short tenure.  My bad!

INTRODUCTION

 
 

Meet Sarah - the Healer

 

 

Sarah – Massage Therapist

There is a fine line between pleasure and pain …

Mistress Sarah will know how to find that place as she breaks down your tensions and ills with her magic touch.  Indeed, we are but putty in her hands.  This can be a scary place for some and a desirous place for others.  When she finds that place you will CRY OUT, but your own words may surprise you; Please … don’t!  Stop!!  Ahhh … please don’t stop.  It hurts sooooo good.  

Sarah will giggle with delight like the devil himself.

She revels in her complete and utter dominance over your body – and now your soul.  Where does this power come from you may ask? Sarah is a master of the wisdom and power from centuries-old teachings and techniques of deep tissue massage.  Using these techniques, no muscle knot or aching joint can defeat her.  Sarah uses all the parts of her own supple body (especially the sharp ones), as she breaks down your resistance one touch at a time. This is her art and we are merely her canvas.  In the end, she gives life back to the broken, and for that we are forever grateful. 

So, when is my next appointment?

P.S. – Her hobbies include drinking Fat Tire Amber Ale and Cougar-ing unsuspecting young Mexican boys in Cancun.  No truth to the rumor that Al Gore is one of her customers!

Aug 10

11

We all gotta serve somebody

Posted by Mac on August 11, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Like Bobby D said we all "gotta serve somebody"

“You may be an ambassador to England or France; You may like to gamble, you might like to dance; You may be the heavyweight champion of the world; You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls; but you’re gonna have to serve somebody; yes indeed you’re gonna have to serve somebody; It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord; But you’re gonna have to serve somebody”

Yeah, he’s right, we all gotta serve somebody even those of us who call ourselves “Ambassadors”.  In my life I’ve found this to be true in one way or another. Today, in my life this is the cause – specifically leading our country away from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy future.  In part this is manifested in my support for SOLAR OREGON.  I’ve recently started writing articles for the monthly Solar Oregon eNewsletter, which is something everyone should sign up for no matter where in the world you live (it’s free), you can do this at this link: http://solaroregon.org/registration-and-rsvp-system/e-newsletter-registration?TouchPointControl=E-newsletter

My first article was printed and distributed today via the eNewsletter under the heading “Oregon Needs You!” It tells readers about the Solar Oregon Solar Ambassador program and announces the future “Master Ambassador” program which will be developed over the next couple of months by myself, Markus, Hadley, and two fellow Solar Ambassadors, Andy and Dan. Together we’re creating a profile for higher level of involvement and responsibility for those of us who are willing to serve Solar Oregon with our words and deeds.  I’m proud to say that I am kind of the prototype for this new position.  More on this later after our team meets next week for our first planning meeting. 

Here’s the link to my article if you have an interest … and I’ll cut ‘n paste below for your reading pleasure.  http://solaroregon.org/access-our-network/solar-ambassadors/solar-ambassador-description

OREGON NEEDS YOU!

Just like their solar energy systems, Solar Ambassadors come in all shapes and sizes.  From Medford to Molalla and Bend to Beaverton what these people all have in common is that they are participating members of Solar Oregon who have a solar electric or hot water system on their residence and they want others to follow.   

As early adopters, these folks are often the best spokespersons for solar energy and their goal is simple – to help others bring solar power into their lives.  The Solar Ambassador’s role is to connect with others and they are expected to …

•    Inspire people with their enthusiasm for solar
•    Share their reasons for going solar
•    Describe what it’s like to live with solar

Solar Ambassadors have already made an impact.  Many have volunteered to staff public events such as the ETO Better Living Show (Portland), Eastern Oregon Solar Fair (La Grande), Oregon Green Expo (Medford) and NW Solar Expo (Portland).  They’ve also volunteered at Earth Day events, Goal Net Zero Tour, civic functions, and some have presented the “Basics of Going Solar” at scheduled workshops.  As advocates for solar power in their own communities, some Solar Ambassadors have volunteered as project leaders on local community Solarize projects in Portland and Pendelton.

Having Solar Ambassadors on site at these events is invaluable because they share their solar experiences with others.  Ambassadors fill in some of the information gaps that data sheets and promotional materials just can’t provide – all with their own personal stories.  This resonates well with those who are seeking to go solar.

Based upon the success of this program, we’ve decided to create a more robust position within Solar Oregon called the “Master Ambassador” program.  The details are still being sorted out, but this will be an expanded and enhanced role that will further the work we do in bringing solar energy to Oregon.      

[*Basics is an one-hour introduction to Solar Hot Water, Solar Pool Heating, and Solar Photovoltaic energy.]

My Solar Oregon Solar Ambassador Profile:

As a community volunteer and Solar Oregon Solar Ambassador, Mac provided project management expertise to the Solarize Southwest Portland project from the beginning.  He also promoted and educated neighbors by attended numerous SW neighborhood association meetings; blogging and writing articles; and by presenting introductory workshops for interested residents.  Mac also participated on RFP and contractor selection process and participated in several technical workshops whereby he shared his experience solarizing his own home. The Solarize Southwest Portland project has been very successful, with about 700 families registering their interest and contracting for installations totaling 392+ kilowatts to date.

Aug 10

4

SolWest Reflection

Posted by Mac on August 4, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

A great weekend in John Day Oregon

Mini Woodstock

Aug 10

2

YADA YADA YADA

Posted by Mac on August 2, 2010
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Huh, I didn't know rain forests were the problem, did you?

One of my colleagues from the UO Sustainability Leadership Program, John Vareldzis, had some rather pointed dialogue on his FaceBook page recently that I’d like to share with readers.  This is John’s response to some commentary by an uneducated “global warming and climate change is all crap” guy with a head full of Rush Limbaugh sound bites.  In his rambling and rather psychotic rant against symbols and people he hates such as Al Gore, stupid lefties, yada-yada-yada … he even attacked rain forests because “if you really want to stop 96% of all greenhouse gases cut down the rain forest which is the biggest contributor in water vapor.”  Rather entertaining in a weird way, kinda like watching a dog fight, but also scary in that these people are living in the same place we all are. 

I appreciated John’s response and thought it deserved a reprint which he agreed to allow on solarflareblog.com.  Thanks, John V, for not letting this BS go unchallenged.

Here is the text:

“Thanks Woody, I think I understood what you were saying. I am not interested in Al Gore, he is who he is. I do, however, want to promote better stewardship of the earth’s resources. When I get the funds, I will sell my gas car and buy an all-electric vehicle and I will promote the transformation of our energy generation from Carbon based fuels to renewables.

It will not happen all at once but it will happen eventually, I believe there is still innovation and continuous improvement left in enough people to make it happen.

Yes I do live in a large house and do have impact to the earth. The important thing is we need to practice (as a global community) consumption that is non-polluting and that is 100% recyclable at a rate that the earth’s systems can keep up with. Carbon based fuels are not renewable and do have an effect. Chopping down trees because they cause water vapor is stupid and you know it. Water vapor is part of the natural cycle of nature and if you are saying that there are more clouds now than before, that fact is an indicator that there is temperature change occurring.

I congratulate you if you have created a recyclable house and you have older cars … good for you. By the way, there are (in round numbers) 800 million cars on the planet right now and that does not include trucks, trains, boats and planes as well as coal fire power plants and you sit there and tell me that the emissions from all those sources does not affect the environment in some fashion? You have your head in the sand my friend. Try running the engine of your most efficient vehicle (with you or your family sitting in it and the windows open) in a closed garage for a couple of hours and tell me how you all feel … if you survive. I do not mean to be callous, but our current way of producing and using energy is NOT sustainable to any form of life. Look at just the methods we employ to get our energy today: coal mines that pose great danger to life and limb and drilling of oil that not only can cause fatal harm but also massive environmental damage to boot.

Frankly, I would rather be a tree hugging liberal (if that is what you want to call me) and be wrong about the environment than someone like you who does nothing to innovate and improve how we live and be wrong … which do you think has a higher risk for the next generation??  Answer that out loud with your kids sitting right next to you.”