August 26, 2010 at 10:08 pm
· Filed under Agriculture, Climate Action Plan, Economic Stimulus ·Tagged Willamette Valley Vineyards, King Estate Winery, A to Z Wineworks, Oregon Wine Board, Soter Vineyards
Wineries in Oregon are reducing their carbon footprint in innovative ways.
Advanced insulation and solar panels are part of the solution, complemented by the use of goats and raptors, rather than lawnmowers and pesticides. Remaining carbon offset purchases are funding a dairy farm methane digester.
Sustainable Business Oregon is covering the story.
Oregon wineries are poised for an even bigger spotlight in the national fight against global warming.
Beginning in 2011, when a voluntary carbon reduction program becomes a full-fledged certification process, these winemakers will leapfrog ahead to become the first in the world to develop an industry-specific program.
Oregon wineries are poised for an even bigger spotlight in the national fight against global warming.
Beginning in 2011, when a voluntary carbon reduction program becomes a full-fledged certification process, these winemakers will leapfrog ahead to become the first in the world to develop an industry-specific program.
It isn’t just cute labels and talking points.
A new $92,000 grant expected from the United States Department of Agriculture will evolve the Oregon Environmental Council’s Carbon Neutral Challenge by funding the development of long-term certifications for wineries that remain carbon neutral, and others that follow their lead.
The new certification, called Climate Pioneers, will build on the success of the 14 wineries that completed the Carbon Neutral Challenge in April — a list that included three of the state’s largest wineries: Willamette Valley Vineyards of Turner, King Estate Winery of Eugene, and A to Z Wineworksof Dundee.
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August 25, 2010 at 9:49 pm
· Filed under Alternative Energy, Batteries, Clean Tech, Electric Vehicles, Oregon, PGE, Policy, Portland, Smart Grid, Transportation, Urban Planning
In what was expected to be an electric vehicle tour kicked off at Portland State University, Ford Motor Company announced a major partnership with Portland General Electric.
Sustainable Business Oregon is writing about the partnership that will support the influx of new electric vehicles within Portland and Oregon.
Ford Motor Company announced Tuesday that it will make formal a partnership with Portland General Electric to develop electric vehicle infrastructure and policy and study driver behavior as the cars start hitting the streets. The auto giant made the announcement during the launch of its national electric vehicle tour at Portland State University.
The partnership is further validation that Portland — and Oregon —are making strides toward the head of the U.S. pack when it comes to electric vehicle infrastructure.
“We set out to make Portland a premium launch site for electric vehicles,” said Charlie Allcock, director of economic development for Portland General Electric and the utilities point person on electric vehicles. “This is another recognition by a global brand that we’re doing something right here.”
The PGE-Ford partnership involves the following elements:
- • Ford and PGE will work together to share information on charging needs and requirements to ensure the electrical grid can support the necessary demand for electric vehicles, as well as partner on electric vehicle consumer education.
- • The companies will work with state and local governments to support charging station permitting, electric vehicle tax credits and future legislation or regulations.
- • Over the next two years, Ford will introduce the Transit Connect Electric small commercial van, the Ford Focus Electric passenger car, two next generation lithium-ion battery hybrids and a plug-in hybrid. While the company has not yet made formal its launch cities for these new vehicles, the partnership with PGE makes it clear that Portland will get them early — if not first — in the game.
- • Ford and PGE will work with universities such as Portland State University to further study urban mobility and the integration of energy and sustainable design.
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August 19, 2010 at 2:26 pm
· Filed under Alternative Energy, Conservation, Economic Stimulus, Green Practices, LEED, Oregon, Portland, Wind Power ·Tagged Vestas, LEED, Sam Adams, Governor Ted Kulongoski, U.S. Green Building Council, Pearl District, Turbines
Rendering of Vestas Americas HQ in Portland
Vestas, the world’s leader in high-tech wind power systems, announced yesterday it will move its North American sales and service headquarters into the historic Meier & Frank Depot Building in Portland’s Pearl District.
The $66-million building retrofit will focus on meeting the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. There are currently only 15 buildings in Portland designated as LEED Platinum, the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Built in 1928, the Meier & Frank Depot Building, vacant since 2001, will undergo a complete historic renovation by Gerding Edlen Development, one of the country’s largest developers of LEED-certified properties. Construction should begin this October, with Vestas moving into the building in early 2012.
Planned features include a rainwater collection system, raised-access flooring with under-floor mechanical ventilation, thermally insulated operable windows, and a central, multi-story atrium to provide natural light and to reduce energy usage. Also planned is the largest roof-mounted solar array in Portland’s central business district along with an eco-roof terrace and gardens.
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August 18, 2010 at 5:34 pm
· Filed under Uncategorized
After a much-needed break, we are back and excited to discuss some positive changes taking place in Oregon and around the country. We have a new editor and are seeking suggestions and contributing writers for the blog. If you’d like to get involved, contact Blake at [mblakemorgan at gmail dot com].
Check back for regularly updated content, and feel free to follow us out on Facebook.
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July 10, 2010 at 9:54 pm
· Filed under Thanks! ·Tagged Taking a break
We started CleanOregon just about a year ago. Our main purpose was to learn about developments in clean tech and sustainable businesses in Oregon.
At this point, we’ve decided to take a breather and focus on other endeavors. We hope that we’ve been able to provide you with some useful and interesting information.
Please feel free to contact us at: fross [at] hevanet [dot] com if you’d like to get involved in the future.
Again, thanks!
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July 6, 2010 at 10:11 am
· Filed under City Rankings, Clean Tech, Oregon, Policy, Portland ·Tagged Site Selection Magazine
Sustainable Business Oregon is following a story by Site Selection Magazine:
In a play to cater to green-minded businesses that might be shopping for a new home, Site Selection magazine released its inaugural sustainability rankings Thursday, placing Oregon third on its state list behind California (No.1) and Washington (No. 2).
In the magazine’s city list, the Portland metro area placed second behind the San Francisco Bay Area.
Its top sustainable nation list elevates Canada to the top spot followed by Brazil and China. The United States was not in the top 10.
Published by Conway Data Inc., Site Selection magazine examined corporate facility management in green technology sectors to weight its sustainability index. The list’s creators also gave points for factors that make those investments possible including government policies. The number of LEED-certified green buildings also factored into the calculation.
The magazine used the partnership between Toyota and Tesla Motors to reopen the NUMMI plant in Northern California as a case study of what incentives and friendly policy can achieve.
The full report, available here, includes the following rankings:
Top five sustainable states:
- 1. California
- 2. Washington
- 3. Oregon
- 4. Massachusetts
- 5. Minnesota
Top five sustainable U.S. metros:
- 1. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif.
- 2. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.-Wash.
- 3. Denver-Aurora, Colo.
- 4. Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.
- 5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Calif.
Top five sustainable nations:
- 1. Canada
- 2. Brazil
- 3. China
- 4. Germany
- 5. Norway
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June 24, 2010 at 6:41 pm
· Filed under Conservation, Green Practices ·Tagged LeanPath
Sustainable Business Oregon is writing about LeanPath, a Portland based company that specializes in food waste tracking systems.
LeanPath Inc. will launch this summer a software-as-a-service product aimed to help any commercial kitchen reduce its waste stream by tracking the food that gets thrown away.
Portland-based LeanPath, founded in 2004, will introduce its WasteLOGGER program this summer for restaurants, hotels, catering services and other operations that want to get a handle on how much food they’re wasting and how practices can be adjusted to minimize the waste.
WasteLOGGER, offered at $38 per month, is a scaled-down version of the company’s flagship product, ValuWaste, used by customers in 26 states. Priced starting at $10,000, ValuWaste — a combination of software, measuring equipment, a touch-screen terminal and operations advice — is used by volume food service operators at locations such as Providence, Portland State University and Intel.
But the scaled-down version will aim to bring the same kind of tracking ability to smaller kitchens.
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June 18, 2010 at 6:16 am
· Filed under Batteries, Electric Vehicles ·Tagged ECOtality
Sustainable Business Oregon is reporting on an additional $30 million in federal funds to expand ECOtality’s EV charging station project.
A federally funded project to roll out electric vehicle charging stations across Oregon and four other states has been expanded by $30 million and will now include Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., in addition to providing home chargers for owners of the Chevrolet Volt.
ECOtality Inc. (NASDAQ: ECTY) of Tempe, Ariz., in October was issued a $99.8 million federal stimulus grant to roll-out 15,000 electric vehicle chargers in 13 cities in Oregon, Arizona, Washington, Tennessee and California.
Nissan North America, a partner in the project, is also expected to deploy 4,700 of its all-electric Leaf vehicles by the end of 2010.
On Thursday, ECOtality said the U.S. Department of Energy has extended the federal grant by $30 million — split between federal stimulus money and private funds — enabling its growth into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Qualified Nissan Leaf owners would be eligible for a free residential charger under the program. Now, the energy department has expanded that to included qualified new owners of the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended range capability.
The expanded program will provide another 2,600 home chargers for Volt owners and 1,000 more for Leaf owners.
The goal of the project is to collect and study data to show how consumers use electric vehicles in a range of climate conditions and geographies so that a model can be created to implement charging infrastructure nationwide.
By including Chevy’s Volt into the program, the project can also study the performance and use patterns for vehicles with extended-range capability.
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June 16, 2010 at 7:18 pm
· Filed under Conservation, Green Practices ·Tagged Cork ReHarvest, Eco Dry Cleaner, GreenEarth Cleaning, NamuhDesign
Sustainable Business Oregon is writing about Eco Dry Cleaner and their new partnership with Whole Foods.
The program will begin in Whole Foods’ Pearl District location in Portland, and could expand to other stores in the area. The primary element of the partnership is a custom-built dry cleaning drop-off box. The box, which was designed and built by NamuhDesign — a Portland firm that uses reclaimed and FSC-certified materials — will be placed near the store’s cash registers. New and existing ecodrycleaner customers can drop off orders in reusable bags, which are collected each night by company drivers. Clean clothes can also be picked up from Whole Foods, which are stored in a back room and accessed by store employees.
Beaverton-based Eco Dry Cleaner, which currently operates four locations around Portland, uses the GreenEarth Cleaning process, a toxin-free alternative to traditional perc and hydrocarbon solvent dry cleaning methods. The company has 30 employees.
The program will employ a revenue-sharing model, allowing Eco Dry Cleaner to place the 2-foot by 4-foot box without leasing floor space.
The company is in the process of placing boxes in additional Whole Foods stores around Portland. DJ Widmer, Eco Dry Cleaner’s VP of sales and marketing, expects a 10 percent to 15 percent growth in dry cleaning orders from each box location.
Although they’re starting locally, Eco Dry Cleaner has national aspirations for the satellite model. Much like the Cork ReHarvest program, which began in Oregon and is now featured in Whole Foods stores around the country, the dry cleaning program is easily scalable. If picked up nationally, Eco Dry Cleaner will license the model — and their brand — to other dry cleaners that use the GreenEarth Cleaning system.
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June 15, 2010 at 5:55 pm
· Filed under Batteries, Electric Vehicles ·Tagged Bend, Sunlight Solar
Oregon Public Broadcasting is reporting on what may be the first electric vehicle charging station in Central Oregon.
A company in Bend has installed what it says is the first vehicle charging station in Central Oregon. [ ]
Sunlight Solar’s charging station is more a technological demonstration than a commercial moneymaker. It takes six to eight hours to fully charge each car.
It’s not an issue now since there’s only about 750 of these cars in the state.
That’s because in the U.S., you can’t get a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle right off the lot. Instead, you have to retrofit your current hybrid and that can be pricey.
But Chance Currington with Sunlight Solar says that could change.
Chance Currington: “Very soon, in the next couple years, the next generation of Toyota Prius and Insights and Escapes and Volts are going to come out with the plug as a PHEV and they’re going to be able to be charged at our station and others like it.”
Currently the charging station uses the same outlet that you would plug your toaster into.
But Currington says the station will eventually upgrade to a system that would cut the charge time down to just a couple of hours.
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