Archive for November, 2009

PSU Offers New Sustainable Design and Development Certificate

November 30, 2009 at 8:54 pm · Filed under Construction, Education, LEED, Portland ·Tagged ,

Portland State University’s School of Extended Studies is offering a new Certificate in Sustainable Design and Development.

[The course is] for working professionals, builders, developers, architects, contractors, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in learning how green design principles and practices can be integrated into their career. Using hands-on approaches and real-world examples, the coursework addresses the key aspects of sustainable design and development from the ground up. Anyone interested in renewable energy, water efficiency, and environmental stewardship will benefit from this program.

Throughout the course, students will learn how the principles and patterns of natural living systems can be effectively applied to protect the planet, promote efficiency, and promise a better quality of life in a green economy.

The required 108 hours of coursework can be spread over two years. An informational meeting will be held on December 8th. Details here.

 

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A good list if you are thinking about going solar at home

November 30, 2009 at 10:13 am · Filed under Solar ·Tagged

From SiliconValley.com (note: article focuses on California incentives):

[D]eclining panel prices, a federal tax credit and a state rebate all make now a good time to at least investigate whether solar power might make sense for your home — and your budget.

“If you’re thinking that you’d like to go solar within the next few years, right now is the time to do it,” said Lynn Jurich, president and co-founder of SunRun, a San Francisco-based startup that provides solar financing for consumers who can’t afford the upfront costs of buying their own solar systems. “Panels are on sale right now. There’s a sweet spot where the state rebates are still relatively high, but the costs have come down.”

And winter is a good season to research solar options, experts say. It’s generally a slower time for the industry, which means companies may be willing to give you a better deal.

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PGE to Participate in Smart Grid Demo

November 24, 2009 at 5:16 pm · Filed under Alternative Energy, Clean Tech, Conservation, Smart Grid ·Tagged ,

The Business Journal is reporting that PGE will be part of a regional smart grid demonstration project. The Department of Energy announced 16 projects across the country on Tuesday including the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project.

Total estimated cost for the project is $178 million. The Federal agency will provide half the funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The project’s participants, primarily utilities and industry team members including Portland-based PGE (NYSE: POR), will provide the remaining funds.

The Northwest study will involve more than 60,000 metered customers in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. Using smart grid technologies, the study will test new combinations of devices, software and advanced analytical tools that enhance the power grids reliability and performance.

Click here for more on smart grid technology.

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Portland’s Green Lite Motors – Taking Three Wheels to The Highway

November 24, 2009 at 2:15 pm · Filed under Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Portland ·Tagged , , ,

Today we met with Tim Miller of Green Lite Motors. As CEO and President Tim leads  a team planning on bringing to market a three wheeled, gas-electric hybrid vehicle with a freeway range of 250 miles at 100 MPG.

Tim comes to the project with a background that includes Intel, CitySearch.com and a long history of interest in automobiles. In addition to designing mechanical auto parts in his youth, he wrote is college thesis on the automotive industry.

The team of seven, which includes a mechanical engineer, industrial designer, mechanical designer, software and electronics, battery systems, and marketing and sales, came together in early 2006. They are currently working with a third generation prototype.

Green Lite Motors recently received some welcome attention by being selected finalists in the Clean Tech Open. In addition to receiving six months of mentoring, a cash prize and in-kind consultation the company was exposed to a high level of investors. They are currently raising $500,000 in seed capital. If that comes through in the next few months, followed by two larger rounds, the company hopes to be in the market selling vehicles in 2011. There have two models planned, a $19,900 regular hybrid and a $24,900 plug in hybrid.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Green Burials

November 22, 2009 at 10:08 am · Filed under Green Practices ·Tagged

The Oregonian describes new burial options for people wanting a “green burial.”  This is another example of how “green” isn’t an industry.  “Green” means applying new technologies and practices to existing industries.

The green burial options involve a simple burial in a natural forest setting.  After burial, nature is left to take it course.  The deceased is not embalmed and is buried in a simple basket or shroud.

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Tesla IPO?

November 21, 2009 at 5:45 pm · Filed under Electric Vehicles ·Tagged

Heard on The Nightly Business Report: EV maker Tesla is gearing up for an IPO. This would be the first automotive IPO in the US since Ford went public in 1956. Tesla’s roadster sells for $109,000.

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Cascade Couriers – A Bend Type of Bicycle Courier

November 20, 2009 at 2:51 pm · Filed under Bikes, Green Practices ·Tagged , ,

Think bicycle courier and images of fast paced daredevil cyclists carrying time sensitive architectural plans or business contracts through a dense urban core come to mind. But how about diaper delivery or weekly composting pickups?

In addition to the more mundane business deliveries, those are the type of jobs Cascade Couriers of Bend are is promoting.

Daniel Brewster started the company in 2007 and has one other employee. As he told KVTZ he has high hopes for the future:

“It might seem idealistic, but I’d like to see 20-30 trailers out there picking up compost or just delivering stuff, I think that would be great.”

One of their more interesting services is weekly or bi-weekly (once every two weeks) compost pickup.  The company provides a 3 gallon sealed bucket for kitchen scraps. For $15 a month they will pickup weekly and for $10 a month bi-weekly. The company delivers the food scraps to an area farm.

Could this be a solution to Portland’s lack of a composting program?

You can find more information on the composting program here and the full article by KVTZ.com here.

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Is Bottled Water Bad for Your Health?

November 19, 2009 at 9:21 am · Filed under Conservation, Green Practices, Natural Resources, Oregon, Policy ·Tagged ,

It certainly is for the planet’s. The Oregonian is reporting on a recent study by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) showing the measurable differences between bottled water and tap water. The report is very detailed (500 pages) and while it concludes that recycling is always preferable to landfill disposal, the most important conclusion is:

Consuming tap water in a reusable bottle cuts energy consumption by 85 percent and greenhouse gases by 79 percent compared to drinking the same amount of bottled water and throwing the bottle away…

Drinking tap water also saves money. Mayor Nickels of Seattle reported it is 2400 times more expensive to drink bottled water. The City of Seattle stopped buying bottled water in 2008.

In May of this year the State of New York stopped buying bottled water including cooler sized bottles. Both New York and Oregon are known for the quality of our tap water. Living in Oregon, drinking tap water is a simple, cost saving way to go green.

Take Back The Tap has more information on promoting tap water.

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Oregon Still in Running for Think?

November 19, 2009 at 7:56 am · Filed under Electric Vehicles, Transportation ·Tagged

The Oregonian is reporting that Oregon is still in the running to land Think.  Think is a Norwegian manufacturer of electric vehicles. A spokesperson, quoted in the article, claims that Oregon and Michigan are also in the running.

However, it sounds like Think has locked in on Indiana and is using Oregon and Michigan for leverage in its negotiations.  Aside from a leaked statement from a Think investor, it’s unclear where Think would build cars now that the Freightliner plant they were looking at is back in use.

Obviously, it would be great to see Oregon bring in Think.  Oregon is making a name for itself as a market for electric vehicles (and alternative transportation, more generally).  It would be great to see Oregon build what it buys.

The plant would lead to 900 jobs.

Here is some additional background on Think.

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Arcimoto and Transportation 2.0

November 18, 2009 at 10:01 am · Filed under Electric Vehicles, Transportation ·Tagged

We recently had a chance to speak with Arcimoto founder Mark Frohnmayer.  Arcimoto is a Eugene Oregon based electric vehicle manufacturer.  The company has developed a prototype vehicle and is raising money to start production.

The discussion focused more on transportation trends than on Arcimoto’s actual product.  I was prepared to discuss how the company’s vehicles compare to competitors, especially vehicles being built by traditional automotive manufacturers like Nissan.

During the discussion, something new sunk in.  There are two types of EV producers.  There are those companies (e.g., Nissan) working to build EVs that serve as substitutes for the type of cars that we currently use.  The Leaf, for example, is a four seater that won’t dramatically change how we use a car (from the perspective of what we actually drive).

The other type of EV producer really isn’t, at the most fundamental level, an EV producer.  Companies like Arcimoto are looking at the issue of transportation from another angle.  They are looking to build vehicles for specific purposes.

The first Arcimoto vehicle is focused on the daily commuter.  It’s a two seat vehicle designed for short commuter trips around town.  Arcimoto happens to use EV technology to make this possible.

My first reaction was that this is a niche market.  How many commuters will truly be willing to give up their larger vehicles for a limited purpose car?  Then again, it just might be a very large market.  The Portland City Auditor recently reported that two-thirds of commuters in Portland are single passenger drivers (and this is ultra-green Portland).  It just might be possible to convince a large number of these commuters to switch to smaller scale vehicles over the next several years.  It is certainly logical. (In the real world, not everyone is going to ride a bike or use public transportation…)

The biggest barrier will likely be cost.  The Arcimoto Pulse will be sold for “under $20,000.”  That still seems expensive for a dedicated commuter vehicle.  Hopefully, at scale, the company will be able to explore much lower price points.

In this sense, Arcimoto is exploring transportation from a very different angle.  It is focused on consumer behavior and building cars to match that behavior (versus building EVs that match current modes of transportation).  Arcimoto is working to define Transportation 2.0 – versus simply building EVs that essentially mimic vehicles on the road today.

We applaud the effort and are rooting for you.

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