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The Path to a More Sustainable Life

Apr 11

25

Our Days in the Sun

Posted by Mac on April 25, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

one hour payday loans

This is the time of year for clean-energy conferences in the Pacific NW.  We at Solar Oregon are very busy these days and we’re hustling to manage a number of events we’re sponsoring, or are participating in, and these next two weekends are fully booked with activities and opportunities.  Come join us!

This week, Solar Oregon is sponsoring the 6th Annual NW Solar Expo & Clean Energy Showcase here in Portland at the Oregon Convention Center – Hall E.  This solar expo is the largest in the Northwest and is organized and presented by Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA) for professional green collar types, homeowners, and business owners alike.  Solar Oregon is offering a $2.00 off admission coupon for anyone wishing to attend the exhibit hall this weekend..  You can download this coupon at www.nwsolarexpo.com … or bring three cans of food for the Oregon Food Bank to get $2 off your admission at the door.

Something new this year organized by Solar Oregon and local 4-H … which is free to participants (thanks to the sponsorship of SolarCity!) … is the Solar Car Rally.  This activity is scheduled for Saturday & Sunday from 11:00-2:00 and is located at the 4-H/Solar Oregon promotional racing booth next to the Solar Café.  We’re hoping young and old will stop by and design, build, and race a model solar-powered car.  4-H students are volunteering to be “pit crew” at this fun and hands-on activity. Everyone will receive a souvenir button and a photo of themselves with their race car.  Children under ten will need to be assisted by an adult.  

I’ll be giving a presentation on Saturday, April 30 at 2:00pm called “Solarize: Going Solar through Volume Purchasing” at the Solar Stage.  My colleagues will be conducting several “Basics of Going Solar” workshops on the Main Stage throughout the weekend.  I’ve looked at the educational class schedule for homeowners and consumers and it is jam-packed with great presentations by knowledgeable folks and great professionals.

Be sure to stop by our exhibit booth (space 204 – close by the Main Stage) which we will be sharing with our friends – the Energy Trust of Oregon.

In these tough economic times the solar industry is one of the bright spots as residential, community, commercial and industrial solar continues to inspire new business ventures and opportunities for jobs in the expanding “green jobs” sector.  You can be part of it!

The following weekend, on Saturday, May 7th, is the 4th annual Goal Net Zero Home Tour 2011 sponsored by Solar Oregon and Mr. Sun Solar.  This all-day event is very special and we have only enough space for 75 people.  Please check out the details and register at http://solaroregon.org/workshops-and-education/tours/goal-net-zero-tour/goal-net-zero-tour-2011. 

A shout-out to our friends at Solar Beaverton … for their FREE special event entitled “Interactive Family Solar Open House” scheduled for this Saturday, April 30th, from 10:30-Noon, located at the German American School (3900 SW Murray Blvd, Beaverton).  This one is for the kids… and will feature SolarLab, which is full of interactive learning experiences and activities, sponsored by LiveLight Energy.  Check it out before you come to the NW Solar Expo.

For more details http://livelightenergy.com/solarbeaverton/?event=interactive-family-solar-open-house

Note:  I attended and participated in last year’s NW Solar Expo and blogged about it if you’d like to take a peek – “All in all a good show” http://solarflareblog.com/?p=764

Apr 11

22

HAPPY EARTH DAY

Posted by Mac on April 22, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , | 3 Comments

Here comes the sun ... wishing you a joyous Earth Day 2011!

Today is Earth Day and I’ll be spending my time at the “Clean Energy Lobby Day” in Salem Oregon to talk with legislators about support for solar energy policies. 

This activity is sponsored by Climate Solutions and will include a political update/overview, lobby skills training, speakers, and meetings with Oregon state representatives.  Should be an interesting day, indeed.

SOLAR OREGON

I hope your Earth Day is a good one, use it wisely… because it only comes around once a year.

Jamie Hogue of Climate Solutions, who organized this event together posted the following on FaceBook ….

Jamie Hogue - Climate Solutions

In my college days I used to plan huge Earth Day festivals on my campus with live music, games and booths, and the environmental community would turn out with their Birkenstocks, hand drums and signs.

This year I started a new Earth Day tradition. I traded in my Birkenstocks for a suit and my picket signs for legislative talking points. While very different than the Earth Days I celebrated in the past, the Clean Energy Lobby Day I lead was exciting and full of promise.

I spent a beautiful, sunny Friday with 30 business and community leaders who came to Salem from around the state to attend lobby training and meet with key legislators who will be voting on clean-energy financing legislation. The day was filled with great conversations about programs like the Business Energy Tax Credit and Residential Energy Tax Credit that create jobs while reducing our carbon emissions.

I know that that these conversations will make a difference in our work to create a clean-energy environment in Oregon.  And I look forward to future Earth Days when the community gathers to celebrate and take action.

Apr 11

10

Rally for Solar!

Posted by Mac on April 10, 2011
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Glenn Montgomery, OSEIA Executive Director, explains why we need to rally for solar here in Oregon

May 10, 2011 @ Noon

Salem, Oregon – State Capital Building - Capital steps * 

With full-scale nuclear disaster ongoing in Japan, a surge in oil prices, and gasoline hitting $4 a gallon all across America … it is time for SOLAR energy to rise up as a significant clean and powerful component in America’s energy policy. 

Recently, President Obama and Oregon Governor Kitzhaber unilaterally announced the need for change in our nation’s energy policy, and they both look to clean and renewable energy as key to our future roadmap. This is the promise of SOLAR energy, so now is the time to act!

In March a small group of solar advocates and solar professionals met in Salem and pledged to plan and support a more ambitious rally to publicly vocalize our position and objectives. This rally is a result, and we hope that Solar Oregon members and the public at large will show up and demonstrate their love for SOLAR!

The Rally is scheduled for the front steps of the Oregon Capital Building

This rally will be a great opportunity to publicly state our case to the legislature, the media, and our fellow citizens that …

  • SOLAR power is THE cleanest option for distributed generation of energy.
  • Clean and renewable SOLAR power must be a keystone of America’s energy policy.
  • We require ACTION now to ensure that Oregon incentives stay in place or are extended/expanded to foster growth in the region.
  • SOLAR power and industry has the right to a fair competitive environment.  CITE: The fossil fuel industries have received tens of billions of dollars in subsidies from the federal government for decades. In addition, fossil fuel industries are protected from bearing the full social costs of the pollution they produce. The solar energy industry and the public expect a fair playing field, with all energy sources evaluated based on their full, life-cycle costs and benefits to society.  Therefore it is critical that solar energy receive the same level of support, for the same duration, as the fossil fuel industry.**
  • Addressing Climate Change is a major solution to creating green collar jobs!

Call to Action

  • Meet on the Capital steps in Salem at Noon – May 10, 2011
  • Bring a sign, noise-maker, company banner or whatever
  • Share this announcement with your network(s)
  • RSVP:  If you want to ride-share or travel as a group to this event

If this compels you to participate in some way, please contact me at solmac@comcast.net to sign-up.  We’re looking into ride-share coordination and/or group transportation from Portland metro area to Salem for this event.  I hope you can join us!

* Oregon State Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, Salem, Oregon 97301 

** Cited from the “Solar Bill of Rights” sponsored by SEIA.

See http://www.solarbillofrights.us/ 

Apr 11

9

Living Greener is Fun!

Posted by Mac on April 9, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

Rebecca Fitzsimmons, City of Beaverton's Solar Program Coordinator, explains the benefits of community solarizing

Recap of Beaverton’s Living Greener Summit!

(Re-printed from the Solar Beaverton website) … http://livelightenergy.com/solarbeaverton/program

The City of Beaverton’s 5th annual Living Greener Summit was a great success.  Solar Beaverton’s table was busy the whole time and we know residents learned a great deal about ways to be more sustainable in their daily lives. 

Solar Beaverton got the stage twice at this Saturday event.  At our first presentation, “What is a community solar program?” about 40 people attended.  We had Rebecca Fitzsimmons, Solar Program Coordinator for the City of Beaverton, Keith Knowles, President of LiveLight Energy and Councilor Marc San Soucie (solar advocate who installed during the pilot program) up on stage answering resident’s questions about all things solar energy.  We received a lot of positive feedback and had a great time talking with people interested in solar.

I presented the Basics of Solar to an enthusiastic crowd

For the second presentation we want to give a huge thanks to Ron (Mac) McDowell, Solar Oregon Ambassador for his presentation on the Basics of Solar.  There were over 50 residents present.  People asked lots of great questions and I hope that you learned enough to make the choice to go solar at your home.

We have a lot more free workshops scheduled for the weeks ahead, and I encourage you to call LiveLight at 1.888.91.WATTS with any questions you may have.  You can also call the City of Beaverton’s Solar Program Coordinator at (503) 526-2431.

Apr 11

4

Solarflare – News Flash

Posted by Mac on April 4, 2011
Posted in A Sustainable Life • Rants, Raves & Musings • Solar  | Tagged With: , , , , | No Comments yet, please leave one

This Saturday, April 9th, is the City of Beaverton’s Living Greener Summit (9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.)

April 9th is the City of Beaverton's Living Greener Summit

This civic event includes a Solar Beaverton: What is a Community Solar Program presentation at 11:00 and a Basics of Solar Workshop at 1:00.  I’ll be involved and will be giving the Solar Basics workshop, so please come and sit in!

Beaverton City Library (12375 SW 5th Street)

Join us and bring your family and friends for a day of fun and learning!  The Living Greener Summit offers many opportunities for you to gain insight on practical sustainable solutions to everyday living.

 

Solar Oregon will be there … so stop by our table and say hello.   

Wanna know more?  Check out Solar Beaverton’s website:

http://www.beavertonoregon.gov/departments/neighborhoods/news/summit.aspx