Texas Winds Blow Into Michigan

JaneAnne is a true educator always thinking of new and interesting ways to involve members with current events and regional news. I find reading through the member blogs for JaneAnne's challenges a fun way to keep up with what is going on in other areas of the country!

This month, the April Challenge is to provide links to Green News in YOUR neighborhood.

         Here is a snippet of what is going on in my neighborhood - Michigan...and Stephanie's - Texas!

Steelcase (NYSE: SCS), headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan announced in a press release dated March 18, 2008 that they have made a long term financial committment to a U. S. Wind Farm. You can read the Steelcase press release to find out more. The wind farm is in Panhandle, Texas and is being developed by a landowner and John Deere Renewables.

*picture from http://www.eia.doe.gov/ 

According to the Steelcase press release, "The wind farm will be named the "Wege Wind Energy Farm, provided by Steelcase" in honor of Peter Wege, a Michigan environmentalist, Steelcase founding family member and former board member."

Peter Wege, environmentalist and philanthropist, leads by positive example. If you are unfamiliar you may read about Mr. Wege and the Wege Foundation on the foundation website. The Wege Foundation's main focus is in the West Michigan area and it zero's in on the Grand Rapids area. The five pillars of the foundation are:

• Education
• Environment
• Arts and Culture
• Health Care
• Human Services

In addition to the financial committment Steelcase has made to the Wege Wind Energy Farm, the company has also committed to purchasing approximately 35 million kWh or renewable energy certificates (REC) annually from the wind farm for at least its first five years of operation. According to Steelcase this makes their company the first company to commit to purchasing all of the RECs from a wind farm still in the financing stages.

You may be wondering what RECs are? Renewable Energy Certificates are also known as Green Tags or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs). The Maine Green Power website has a very readable explanation of RECs. Basically, when one purchases RECs their power source or utility company does not change. The purchase is for a "green premium" and helps feed more power from clean sources in the grid. This committment by Steelcase will help to advance greatly the green power available in the U.S.

Texas has long been known for its advanced Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS). Michigan is still trying to pass an RPS. The announcement of Steelcase's committment to the Texas wind farm is a good example of the benefits Michigan could receive by passing the RPS. Michigan's employment arena and economy would be well served by a good RPS.

You can find more information and link to your Michigan legislators from the Michgan Sustainable Energy Coalition website. Another great source of information is the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association.

As Rich Vanderveen, Mackinaw Wind Power, a Michigan Wind company says,

                                                    "It's not just wind or nothing. It's wind or WHAT?"

So...more GREEN NEWS from Michigan and Texas!!! What is going on in your neighborhood?

 -----------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2008 Mary Bigelow. All Rights Reserved.

As the Green Tide Rises....Green is RED HOT Contest!!!

"A Rising Tide Raises All Boats."

This is a very powerful quote I read yesterday as the opening statement in a unique business philosophy. I read it again today. Tonight, I choose to share it with you and invite you to share my musing...ponder the statement in the context of the industry we share, promote and embrace.

"A Rising Tide Raises All Boats."

I learned many years ago in my U.S. Power Squadrons classes that Michigan does not have to contend with tidal waters. Michigan has 1,500 miles of navigable river or streams, more than 11,000 inland lakes and 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline make for great canoeing, kayaking, rafting and tubing according to the Michigan.org website. Tremendous amounts of water and we are fortunate in Michigan that tide is not a factor.

Yet, there is a tide rising in Michigan and throughout the country. It has been called green building. It has been called sustainability. It has been called a FAD.

The media had a field day with the housing market during 2007. Depreciating home values, foreclosures, subprime collapse, and credit freezes to name a few. Housing starts were reported down. Builder confidence was down.

And then there were the reports about

 "Green" building,

               zero energy homes,

                                energy efficient homes,

                high performance homes

     **                                                      healthy homes.

All these weird people talking about all these weird ideas...no VOC's, formeldehyde free, isonene, gray water systems, geothermal, renewable....and yet so many ask, "WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT???"

It seems you can not pick up a paper or magazine, turn on a home improvement show, or hear about a new product without hearing that it is "green." Last summer I wrote a series titled, "Can You Afford NOT To Go Green?" You may want to read the series again. In our world of high health costs, asthma, ADD, rising energy costs (if you haven't heard oil hit $110/barrel today - pumps in my area are $3.45/gal regular, $3.99/gal diesel) it is important to remember that a way to contain and cap rising costs is to begin with energy conservation and then enhance the practice with renewable (non fossil fuel) energy.

This is the tide I speak of that is rising in Asheville, in Houston, in Pueblo, in Salt Lake City, in Jackson, Austin, Grand Rapids, and in so many other areas in the US. Just check out the ECO All-Stars on Active Rain sometime. Read the quality posts and find out what is going on in different areas of the country.

This Rising Tide is sweeping the country. WHY? What about this rising tide makes sense to the consumer? Global warming? Maybe, but I think there are reasons that rank higher in most consumer's minds.

I agree with Abbey Ehman, who is involved in helping pilot the LEED for Homes program in Texas who states, "Some [purchase green homes] to show off to their friends. Some do it for the greater good. But Most do it really only if it makes sense for themselves first. Most want it for durablility, comfort, and energy savings. They want to be comfortable, not pay too much for it, and be able to resell it."

I have not met Abbey. I was introduced to her through a report that came out of the University of Michigan Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise titled "Residential Green Building Report: A Market Engagement Framework for Developers and Builders." If you are interested in promoting and embracing this rising tide you may want to read this report. This report is a master's project completed by Jeff Martin, Brian Swett, and Doug Wein, authors.

A theme carried through the report is that partnerships should be formed to advance this RISING TIDE. Some of the ideas Martin, et al discuss are forming partnerships with professionals who share aligned interests in the green building industry. Potential benefits come from collaborative advertising efforts, shared training programs and leveraging skills of the "many stakeholders of the homebuilding value chain." They direct attention to the success of the Energy Star program which has been so successful by partnering with a variety of professionals in the industry. I am proud to say my company is an Energy Star partner.

I was honored to be asked a few months ago to join a similar group of professionals in Grand Rapids called Certified Energy Efficient.

This unique group of individuals has formed a "mastermind" group of professionals from a variety of fields who pursue similar interests in the industry. We meet twice a month as well as by phone when issues arrive. This serves not only as a great resource and referral network; this is a tremendous resource for the consumers who may have issues beyond the scope of the professional who was initially called. Our team seeks to remedy a situation in a home keeping in mind the home is a system. For instance, I may do a site evaluation and find there are energy leaks I can't identify. I will ask Gary or Sam to help me identify those problems and suggest a solution.

I would like to suggest we think of this industry as a system...much like the tidal waters. What I do raises the tide, what you do raises the tide.

"A Rising Tide Raises All Boats."

In the spirit of promoting the industry we come together as a system. As such we create a tide. That tide will raise your boat, my boat, the consumer's boat and the industry as a whole.

As we navigate down this stream together let us be like the THREE Musketeers...

All for ONE

and ONE for ALL!!!

This is a wild journey we are on!!!

Keep the SPIRIT!!!

As JaneAnne says,

Green is Lucky and RED Hot!!!

and I am Lucky to know you!!!!

From one good Irishman....to you....

                                                                                                                                                                       Erin Go Braugh!!!!

**home rendering courtesy of GreenLife Homes, LLC and Marla Bruemmer

Race Your Winter Blues Away - 2008 Outhouse 500 RECAP

On the City of Coopersville website, Cindy Timmerman proudly proclaims,

"Welcome to Coopersville, a fun place to visit, a fantastic place to live, and a great place to do business!"

You may ask what makes Coopersville such a fantastic place to live? If you have children, our Michigan Blue Ribbon Exemplary School System may appeal to you!

The State of Michigan website describes the award as having more rigorous standards than the national blue ribbon award.

"The Michigan Blue Ribbon is awarded to schools based on academic achievement, accreditation, school organization and culture, student focus and support, curriculum, quality teaching, and family and community partnerships with the school; whereas, the National Blue Ribbon is awarded on the basis of academic achievement scores alone."

As a parent with two children who graduated from Coopersville High School I can attest that they have both received a quality education which has given them a jumpstart in life.

Today in Coopersville, it was time to show that we know how to have fun!!!

The 4th Annual Outhouse 500 took place today in Coopersville's Historic Downtown District!!!

Lola wrote about the Outhouse 500 a couple of weeks ago.

Lola said, "Well, a small town in Michigan has an event taking place this February 23rd which is oddly descriptive.  It is the Outhouse 500...an annual event in which teams parade and race uniquely outfitted outhouses along Main St. "

Today was a unique celebration of winter including a pancake breakfast where neighbors and racers alike could get ready for the race. Dog sled demonstrations were given and the more physically fit raced in a winter 5K. I almost forgot the Toilet Seat Decorating Contest! Mother nature smiled on Coopersville today bringing mild weather (in light of the furious weather pattern we have seen over the past few weeks!) Crowds lined the streets for the Main Event!!!

       Racers....take your mark....the Fourth Annual Outhouse 500 delivered fun and laughter for all!!!

This wasn't the NASCAR race that Nieboer's General Store advertises yet generational crowds...young and seasoned alike...came out to take part in this exciting winter festival of sorts...

Where else but in a town whose county dump RECYCLES METHANE would you see....

    OUTHOUSES FLYING DOWN MAIN STREET??

It sort of fits...doesn't it!!! (If the seat fits...)

You may ask what happens at an Outhouse 500?

Before I share the pictures I will give a brief description....In short, teams create and decorate OUTHOUSES and race them down a 500 ft runway on Main St... Now...for the visual!!!

Our fantastic E-unit/Fire Department and the Ottawa County Sheriff's Department...

Who will get on the scene first?

The Caveman Can!!! Check out that throne! and the Junkyard Dawg Chilli Racers - I tasted the Chilli and thank heavens for the portable outhouse! These ladies were having a great time!!!

Every Event has it's causualty....I don't know who she was but I hope she is ok! She had a lot of help to get her out of the way!

And now...my favorite....This team put their OUTHOUSE together with Recycled and Reclaimed Materials!!! As announcer Donna Dykstra (SOL Travel Provider) said, "Even...though it might be gross...the throne was recycled!!!"

Unfortunately...they became the second casualty of the day...I was just glad the outhouse wasn't full!! Next year these guys need to have some better wheels donated!!! They were good sports! Their casters came off so they ran the last heat!!!

 And now for my favorite team of the day...Adema Generator...are these the same guys that rebuilt my starter last week?????

I don't know which team won but they are all winners to me!!! It was fun to watch so many businesses and organizations form teams and come together in a friendly spirit of competition!!! What a fun way to demonstrate that we can all do our personal best and compete while promoting a single cause...in this case...entertainment!!! This would have been a very boring event if there was only one team competing!!!!

I want to personally thank the organizers, volunteers and contestants that made the 2008 Outhouse 500  a great event!!!

Remember the Day...Green building is not NEW...Just Improved!!!

This drawing was a GREAT FIND !! A few years ago, my aunt and uncle retired from farming. When they moved my aunt gave me a framed drawing that had hung in my Grandma's farmhouse for years. It was drawn by my great uncle Monsignor Maurice Walsh. The art was framed in a beautiful antique frame. I was honored to be the recipient from among 30+ cousins.

The drawing was very hard to see. I wasn't certain if it was faded from so many years or if the glass was dirty so I took it apart to find out. What a surprise! Underneath the drawing was THIS drawing that no one knew existed and as you can see was still in pretty decent shape considering this would have been drawn around the turn of the century...that is, the last century 1900. This drawing is likely 100+ years old. In fact, I need to check into having it preserved for my grandchildren ~ much like I believe I need to preserve our earth for my grandchildren.

The setting would have been the old farmstead in Tyre, Michigan which is in the "thumb" for those of you who recognize the mitten trick Michiganders use to give directions! I can only speculate that this is a drawing of Maurice and his sister Mary returning from the approximate mile and a half walk home from the the school they attended.

                                The detail in the drawing gives me a lot of insight into life back then...

There is a handpump in front of the home where water was drawn for drinking, cooking and bathing. The house was warmed and food cooked with wood that was cut and split by hand. It is likely it was hard to find wood as a path of destruction was cut through the area by the fire of 1871 and then the Great Fire of 1881 which happened on Sept 5, 1881. Maurice would have been a mere two months old at the time.

There is an outhouse tucked behind the tree on the left side of the drawing...no indoor plumbing! (Something I could not live without!!)

Dinner is hanging in the big tree in front - likely squirrel or rabbit. Do you see it? My mom talks of how excited they would get when Grandpa would bring rabbit home for dinner! The boy in the drawing is carrying his tin lunch bucket and likely had biscuits for lunch at school.

These were hardworking people of faith. My ancestors were lumbermen and farmers and lived off the resources of the land. They did not have public utilities. Lighting was likely lamp oil and transportation was either by horse and buggy or by foot. They were healthy and happy and lived long lives for the most part. Yes there were unfortunate accidents, fires, deaths from "consumption," fevers and childbirth.

My Grandma died in 1998, almost 100 years old (bless her soul.) I attribute her long life to clean living and eating healthy foods grown in organic gardens.

Chris Hall wrote a blog the other day Living Off the Land in Austin. We are much more technologically advanced in this century. We have the ingenuity to build efficient homes that require less energy. We are learning to use materials, much like they did in the early parts of the last century, that don't use chemicals and toxins. Windows have been developed to work with the system of the home to keep them comfortable and free from drafts. We have developed and are continually improving building science to build smarter, healthier homes.

We have further advanced renewable technologies like solar hot water, solar electric and wind to power our homes. This is not NEW technology ~ it has been advanced to be much more effective than it was in the "old" days.

The home in the drawing was likely pretty inefficient and drafty. Yet I find the IDEA appealing. I would much prefer to put my hard earned dollars to work to insure a healthy home and one that reduces my footprint. A home that can create it's own energy and insulate me from the rising costs of energy.  I enjoy growing my own veggies, canning my foods and yes! there are a couple of avid hunters in my family!

                         Like the drawing above I want to preserve the earth for my grandchildren!

Thank you for allowing me to share my GREAT FIND with you!!!

Get Well Card for JaneAnne's Mother(Board)!! Please sign!

Poor JaneAnne!

      I have missed her this past week and was starting to worry. JaneAnne plays such an important part of this group.

Today the mystery of the disappearing Green-o-Lina was solved!!!

JaneAnne's Mother Board is sick!!! Here is a get well card for everyone to sign wishing JaneAnne's Mother Board a speedy recovery so we can all start enjoying her posts and comments once again!!!

It's just not the same without GREEN-O-LINA! LOL! In the meantime if you wish to reread some of JaneAnne's posts you can link to the Green - o - Lina and her sometimes suspenseful and always educational posts!

LEED for Homes Webcast February 13, 2008

Are you interested in Green Building and don't know where to start?

What is energy star? What is the difference in Green building? Who is USGBC? How can LEED for Homes help my project and help my client???

              What is this LEED for Homes all about????

Wednesday February 13 you can find out for yourself.

Gather all your friends around!!!! In the LEED for Homes Webinar Series LEED for Homes 101 will be presented by webcast Feb 13, 2008 at 2pm ET.

From the USGBC website during this webcast you will "Learn how certification recognizes and rewards builders for meeting the highest performance standards, while giving homeowners confidence that their homes are durable, healthy, and environmentally friendly."

Come join us as we learn this new and exciting program that will propel green building growth and have a greater effect on consumers and our environment as a whole! See you there!

Cold Showers....Brrr...No Thanks! Solar Hot Water Rocks!

Haven't we all heard jokes about taking cold showers?

A recent article in Natural Health touts the benefits of cold showers...cold showers not only save energy but also can improve your health! The article goes on to say research has shown that a cold shower can reduce your risk of a cold by 40%. The article brought to mind a doctor in Saginaw who worked out at the Y with my Dad. The Doc never used soap, yet never had any body odor. When he told my Dad why he said he always uses cold showers which cleanses the body and closes the pores without the need for soap. The doctor, by the way, was well into his golden years when the conversation with my Dad took place! and he didn't smell! I've never forgotten it...but have also never desired to try it!!

I don't know about you, but I have found especially this time of the year when temperatures have been below freezing and we have had crazy snow storms I enjoy my hot showers! Have you ever gotten chilled to the bone and just couldn't shake it? A long, hot shower can cure that!

This morning when my muscles ached from my new workout program (my personal trainer is ruthless and has no mercy!) the long, hot shower helped that! (yup, that's his picture, not me!)

 I know I teased you with that title but what I REALLY want to talk about is HOT water!

Let's think about the many uses for hot water...

1. HOT Shower/Baths - how many people live in your home? 
2. Dishwashing/Sanitizing Dishes - do you run your dishwasher once a day?
3. Clothes Washing - how many warm/hot loads do you run per week?
4. Handwashing - I certainly HOPE you wash your hands every time! That gets back to the HEALTH thing!
5. Can you think of more??

Do you know the typical family of four uses about 80 gallons of hot water PER DAY? Do you know that Hot Water is the second largest energy cost in the average home? Natural Gas which is the most popular fuel to heat water in Michigan is more efficient than electric. It still adds up over the course of a year. And...year after year, price increase after price increase...homeowner's continue to pay for it.

So how can the average duck heat  water affordably?

SOLAR DOMESTIC HOT WATER!!!

There has been so much discussion recently about solar and renewable applications. Until I started researching renewables I did not realize that the most affordable way for the average homeowner to start renewable energy is by installing a Solar Domestic Hot Water System - also referred to as Solar Thermal.

I know the burning (pun intended) question in your mind right now is how does solar hot water work?

In a nutshell, the energy/heat from the sun is free. Yes, I said FREE! Collectors on your roof, or on a ground mount if you don't have a good roof site, capture the heat from the sun. That heat is channeled down pipes to a tank where cold water is heated and stored. The storage tank is highly efficient so it will continue to keep the heat in after the sun goes down.

What if I have cloudy days? As long as there is sun some preheating will be done, even through the clouds. Of course, in Michigan the system will not preheat as well in the winter. Michigan still has good solar potential though and even during our darkest months the Solar Hot Water system will offer a great assist!

A Solar Hot Water System is easily retrofitted and tied into your current hot water heating system which will act as a back up system when the solar gain is not adequate. For the average homeowner, Solar Hot Water is the MOST affordable way to start in renewables and has the quickest payback. I am working with forward thinking builders who are adding this to homes as a standard feature! In this day and age of $100/barrel oil it shouldn't even be a question.

                                                   Do you need MORE INCENTIVE???

Through Dec 2008 there is a federal tax credit of 30% up to $2000 for homeowners and there is no cap on the credit for businesses. Keep in mind, credits are more valuable than deductions, it is dollar for dollar. State Incentives vary and if you click on my link you can see what your state offers. As I always recommend, if your state is like Michigan and does not offer incentives PLEASE contact your reps and explain how important this is to you!

Just think the effect this could have on B & B's, laundramats and farms! What a very simple and effective way to reduce utilities and help preserve our earth.

Harnessing the heat from the SUN is just COOL!

It goes without saying, contact me for more information...new dealers are welcome!

Energy INefficient Campaigns

As I watch the Super Tuesday results coming in tonight it makes me ponder...and muse....

        With so much focus these days on Energy Efficiency, Global Warming and Renewable Policies...

What are candidates doing to reduce their carbon footprint today?

An ABC article by Clayton Sandell reports that according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change air travel accounts for about 3.5% of the human contribution to global warming.

I understand the importance of candidates getting in front of the public....

      but I also understand what is involved in politicians traveling, they are not riding on a scheduled flight but arrange private air...and secret service...and a tremendous drain on local public service employees ... police, fire, etc.

The candidates today are flying from state to state and I don't think they are carpooling!

I know at times the candidates are like naughty children who can't get along...yet humor me!!!

       What do you think of the idea....

    Of Dems "plane-pooling" with other dems

                and Repubs "plane-pooling" with other repubs????

      How many voters do candidates actually pick up with these last minute wasteful trips?             

OR....skip the plane altogether and broadcast from a virtual network ...

     I know. That personal handshake does so much to turn around a voter. (tongue in cheek)

It is interesting to think about it, yea?

**Thank you Acclaim Images for photos!

Are you Confused about the Green Information Highway? Free Workshop!

Do you have clients who are interested in healthy, environmentally friendly homes? Are you confused by all the information on the green information highway?

Chris Hall, CEO of GreenLife Homes, is offering a free workshop Tuesday March 4, 2008 at the Grand Rapids HBA. Chris invites realtors to come with their clients. He has worked out Buyers Agent Commissions with his listing agent, ERA. You can link to Chris' Blog to get the details. Chris has spent years training builders and now he is looking forward to helping realtors and consumers learn more about green building.

This is a free workshop but registration is required. Hop over to Chris' Blog to get registration details and times.

(La Casa Verde rendering courtesy of GreenLife Homes)

Walker Green Drinks January 9, 2008

It's that time again!

Ring in the New Year with Walker Green Drinks

Have a reNEWable Year!