DATE Book

Lislings are often submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations wrlh sponsor before making plans to attend.

Western Forestry & Conservation Association - Dec. 10, biomass seminar, Springfleld, Or.; www.westernforestry.org.

Western Hardwood Association - Dec. 10, board meeting, Portland, Or. ; (360) 835-1 600; www.westernhardwood.com.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club - Dec.12,Christmas party, Hyatt Regency, Huntington Beach, Ca.; (714) 671-3079.

Portland Hoo-Hoo Club - Dec. 17, holiday party, World Forestry Center, Portland, Or.; (503) 647-5011.

Seattle Hoo-Hoo Club - Jan. 5, crabfeed, Wib Rover Restaurant, Kirkland, Wa.;(425) 883-2777.

Arizona Home & Garden Show - Jan, 8-10, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix , Az; (877) 663-61 86.

Colorado Springs Home Building & Remodeling Show - Jan. 810,Norris-Penrose EventCenter,ColoradoSprings, Co.; (800) 374-6463.

Portland Build, Remodel & Landscape Show - Jan. 8-10, Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Or.; (800) 374-6463.

Remodeling & Decorating Show - Jan. 8-10,South Town Expo Center, Sandy,Ut.; (818) 571-9012.

Do it Best - Jan. 13-15, winter conference, Orlando, Fl.;(260) 7485300; www.doitbest.com.

Seattle Remodeling Expo - Jan. 15-17, Washington State Convention Center, Seattle, Wa.; (800) 374-6463.

Western Pallet Assn. - Jan, 16-19,annual meeting, Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa, Rancho Mirage, Ca,; (360) 335-0208; www.westernpallet.org.

Budma 20{0 - Jan. 19-21,intemational construction fair, Poznan, Poland; (317) 293-0406.

nternational Builders Show - Jan. 19-22, sponsored by National Association of Home Builders, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv.;(800) 368-5242: www.buildersshow.com.

Black Bart Hoo-Hoo Club - Jan. 20, industry night, Broiler Steakhouse, Redwood Valley, Ca. ; (7 07 ) 621 -4852.

Humboldt Hoo-Hoo Club - Jan. 21 , crab freed, Elks Lodge, Eureka, Ca.;(707) 832-9039 or (707) 443-7024.

Guardian Building Products - Jan. 24-26, market, Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 5694262; www.guardianbp.com.

Tacoma-Olympia Hoo-Hoo - Feb. 2, crabfeed,HighCedars Golf Course, Orting, Wa.; (253) 531-1834.

Surfaces - Feb. 24, Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv.; (972) 536-6358; www.surfaces.com.

Panel & Engineered Lumber Expo - Feb. 4-6, Omni Hotelat CNN Center, Atlanta, Ga.; (334) 834-1 170; pelice-expo.com.

Western Bullding Material Association - Feb. 4-7, Young Westerners Conference, Downtown Hilton, Eugene, Or.; (800) 956-7469; www.wbma.oq.

Willamette Valley Hoo-Hoo Club - Feb.5, crab feed, Shadow Hills Country Club, Junction City, Or.; (541)688-6675.

Calibmia Industrial Woodworking Expo'Feb. $6, LosAngeles County Fairplex, Pomona, Ca,; (828) 459-9894.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club - Feb,11,pool tournament, DannyK's, Orange, Ca.; (626) 445-8556.

Remodeling & Decorating Show - Feb. 13-14, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, Ca.; (818) 557-2950.

American Architectural Manufacturers Association - Feb. Itt-17, annualconference, JWManiott Desert Springs,Palm Springs, Ca.; (847) 303-5664.

Windv weather is rarelv a boon for rhe building in-dustry. But this winter, f6r Ed Hayes, owner of Ricci Lumber, Portsmouth, N.H., the windier, the better. Ricci recently installed a wind turbine atop its lumber warehouse. "The wind turbine is directly wired into the grid," Hayes explains. "Whenit'swindyout, it's making power and basically turning our electric meter backward."

Although the Swift building-mounted system may ease just 57o of Ricci's $3pOO-a-month electricity bill, it can potentially generate power 24 hours a day and be "net metered," meaning any excess power produced is streamed out to the utility company, earning the company credits.

Previously, Hayes had investigated the possibility of using roof-based solar photovoltaic tubes to help with energy costs. But when a contractor customer suggested a mounted wind turbine, Hayes immediately thought of the constant wind that blows in from nearby mill pond.

So, unlike typical turbines that are placed on 30-to60-foot-tall poles, Ricci's was installed on top of the roof ridge, 35 feet off the ground, and oriented toward the pond. The aluminum pole is in fact 16-feet long, but was mounted to the truss structure under the roof and propped up above the roof peak roughly 8 feet (so only the actual wind-catching turbine is visible outside).

Ricci has been an industry pioneer in the green movement-converting its trucks and forklifts to biodiesel, urging employees to carpool, applying for FSC certification-but the sky-high rooftop contraption is something that will catch the community's eyes, as well.

"The turbine seemed like a statement we could make," says Hayes. "It's visible and shows our commitment to sustainable, recyclable practices."

And, he adds, "Having a visible symbol on top of the building would maybe lead other people to do the same thins down the road."

Ricci's may be the first commercial wind turbrne rn the area, but it won't be the yard's last experiment aimed to help the business and the environment. "We are trying to lookatour operation and make small steps that in the cumulative will amount to significant changes down the road," Hayes notes.

One green step at a time.