Green Living Journal Spring 2010 #8

Green Living Columbia River PDX

A Practical Journal for Friends of the Environment

Celebrating 20 Years

Inside

A Portland Couple Discovers Juniper

Metal Roofing

The Holistic Benefits of Nature How to Make Biochar

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PRODUCTS OF THE USA

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  of Profits Donated to Humanitarian & Environmental Projects A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Contents Letters to the Editor ........................................................ 4 Publisher’s Page - Mr Toyoda’s Bridge ...................... 5 National Editors Page Random Incessant Barking ............................................ 6 Local Notes ........................................................................... 8 Celebrating 20 Years Twenty years of Planting Trees ................................. 14 The Two Decade Perspective ......................................16 Health - The Holistic Benefits of Nature .................... 20 Business The Green Designation for Realtors .........................21 Building Metal Roofing ..................................................................24 Gardening - How to Make Biochar ............................ 27 Home - A Portland Couple Discovers Juniper .........28 Events ....................................................................................30 Classifieds .............................................................................30

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Green Living Journal P. O. Box 677, Cascade Locks, OR 97014 Publisher: Columbia River Press LLC PDX Editor: Gary Munkhoff 541.374.5454 gary@greenlivingjournal.com Advertising: Susan Place 541.374.5454 crads@greenlivingjournal.com Production Graphic Services: Katie Cordrey, Sticks and Stones Company info@sticksandstones.us 509.493.1250 National Editor: Stephen Morris ed@greenlivingjournal.com Webmaster: Michael Potts Michael@thepublicpress.com Cover Photos: Juniper tree - Andy Shotts Sunflower photo by John Cunningham courtesy of Energy Trust and Solar Oregon Trillium Flowers on the Trail - DSC00042 by Sean Dreilinger http://bit.ly/biUkih Printed with soy-based inks on Blue Heron recycled paper by Signature Graphics.

The Columbia River edition of the Green Living Journal is published quarterly and 16,000 copies are distributed free of charge throughout the Portland-Vancouver metro area.

We encourage our readers to patronize our advertisers, but we are not responsible for any advertising claims.

Subscriptions $9.95 per year.

Copyright © 2010 Columbia River Press LLC The Green Living Journal Family is Proud to be a Member of . . .

Letters to the Editor Dear Mr. Munkhoff, I was motivated to send a comment after reading nearly all of your winter issue of GREEN LIVING JOURNAL. Everything, and I do mean everything from your “Publisher’s Page” to the ads (most of them), made very good sense here at this old cedar 1912 house! A copy was found at a local “green” business yesterday afternoon.

I am glad that your fine publication is available online at columbiariverpress.com.

One specific piece led us to take a healthy step, and we try our best to be ecofriendly. In the health section, I was instantly interested in Ms. Lisa Poisso’s “Handwashing by the Numbers.” I had my misgivings about a hand cleanser bought at COSTCO some time ago, marketed by the manufacturer or even COSTCO as a “2fer.” I spotted Ms. Poisso’s reference to Triclosan and why it ought not be used at all for several reasons, the primary one being the high percentage of Triclosan: .15%. The partially used quart and 4

the unopened bottle will be taken back to the store ASAP. COSTCO is good about refunds with or without a receipt.

Then I plan to use the 800 number on the label to register my finding and my decision with Walgreen or Dial, whichever company is shown in small letters at the bottom of the back label. No, I do not plan to mention where I found out about the impact of this chemical on wildlife in fresh and salt waters. By the way, has your publication addressed the toxic impact on those waters by the swarm of forms plastics take?

When you have the time, please let me know.

Our own sense is that the American public, perhaps even much of the global public, is slowly but with determination achieving facts and insights through organizations such as yours. Just the fact that on pages 16 and 17 open before me as I type there are four ads for businesses which are ecofriendly and “green.” I may buy, for example, items from Ben’s Bins to use in our garden this season. The “tipping point” that Mr. Al Gore identified may have been reached; people may be more inclined to take pre-emptive action. And, sooner or later, Big Business may take the increasingly obvious hint.

Wishing you and your colleagues fortitude and good fortune in the new year 2010, Frederick G. Rodgers, Ph.D. Portland, Oregon

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Publisher’s Page Mr. Toyoda’s Bridge

GIVE a MEAL to the HOMELESS

Join our Enjoy a Meal/Give a Meal Project. Mention this ad next time you dine with us and we’ll Provide a Meal for the Homeless.

By Gary Munkhoff

While growing up in the Long Island suburbs of New York City, our family would occasionally venture into Manhattan, and on those trips I was always awe struck by the great bridges that connected the different sections of the city. Even today, the vision, determination, knowledge and skill of those that built those enormous structures, are way outside of my box. How fortunate for all of us that there are people who can build them, for just imagine the traffic nightmares we would face every day without the Fremont, the Glenn Jackson, or the Marquam bridges.

OK. Bridges are awesome. So? So my son and I are driving over the Marquam Bridge headed for John’s Landing and Lake Oswego to deliver the Winter issue to our distribution businesses. For some reason traffic ahead of us has stopped and we come up behind a Toyota Prius (the popular hybrid that gets 50 + miles per gallon). At the same time another Prius comes alongside of us on the left, headed onto I-405. So we banter back and forth the whys and hows of the popularity of the Prius when other hybrids such as the Honda Insight failed to catch the fancy of consumers.

And then, as we sit on a bridge far above the Willamette, surrounded by Priuses (or is that Preii?), the light bulb goes on. No matter the “whys” and “hows” of its popularity, its what the popularity itself represents that is of historic significance. Think about it. The Prius is the first automobile, ever, to incorporate a major shift in technology that is not only popular with the fickle American consumer, but is also being produced in volume by a major car maker that sees the need for this new technology and is willing to invest its resources in advancing it. So we both agreed that this quiet, unassuming, and to some, rather odd-looking car represents the bridge between petroleum and electrons. And a sound one at that, judging by the number of other car makers that are scrambling to catch up (keep up with the latest developments at http://www.pluginamerica.org/vehicles).

Here the traffic started moving again and our conversation moved on to other matters. But since then my thoughts keep coming back to Mr. Toyoda’s remarkable Prius that is making waves that are reaching way beyond the automotive industry. To illustrate this point let’s drop in on Tom in New Jersey to get an idea of what the post-Prius future might look like. Tom is one of the fortunate 450 that is leasing an all electric MINI E as part of a one year test for BMW. In seven months he has driven this electric car 20,000 miles and hopes to reach 35,000 miles by the end of the lease in June. Presently Tom has one charging station at home and one at work, with a solar array planned for

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his home. His other two conventional cars remain in the garage, unused. Tom - 1 OPEC - 0.

Please note the “with a solar array planned for his home.” So this electric MINI that is presently being charged from the grid is motivating Tom to install a solar array on his house. As more and more hybrids and all electric cars come on the scene, they will have the same motivating call to their owners for solar arrays on their homes as well.

Check out this site http://www.evnut.com/rav_owner_ gallery.htm and see how many of these electric RAV owners are charging their batteries from their own solar arrays.

Which brings us to my final point. General Motors and Toyota both produced a limited number of electric vehicles, leased them out to a selected few of the public and then abandoned the whole idea even though the consumers loved their vehicles. With the coming of the Prius, the rules have changed and the competition amongst the car makers will drive the development of a whole new class of advanced hybrid and all electric cars that consumer’s will embrace.

This will in turn open the door to the wide spread use of home solar and wind power generation.

So we cross over to a world that does not need imported oil, dirty coal or dangerous nuclear reactors.

So, in spite of the Toyota Corporation’s recall woes of today, Mr. Toyoda deserves a big “Thank You” for his bridge over troubled waters (“Thank You” Simon & Garfunkel).

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National Editor’s Page Random, Incessant Barking

by Stephen Morris

It’s a Jungle Out There Two dogs, sitting on a sidewalk. One dog turns to the other and says “I used to have my own blog, but now I’ve gone back to random, incessant barking.”

For the Luddites among us (a Luddite is someone who intentionally eschews technology) a “blog” is a contraction of “web log.” It’s like a diary that is maintained online with entries, or “posts” that are put up chronologically. Since everything is digital, you can post pictures, videos, or just words. Websites that host blogs, such as Blog Spot or Blogger are free and make it so easy to create a blog that even a college-educated adult can manage it.

Thus, everyone is blogging these days. Everyone and his brother, that is, including Tom, Dick, and Harry and all their second and third cousins and all the huddled masses of China and India. The numbers are (pick one)... impressive, stupefying, ridiculous, embarrassing.

WordPress, a popular blogging site, hosts 256, 359 bloggers who post 212,187 daily items that generate 307,433 comments containing a total of 49,923,039 words.

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The problem is, everyone is so busy writing their blogs, no one has time to read them. There are an estimated 112 million blogs in existence. To appreciate this number, just imagine 112 million random, incessantly barking dogs.

New York City is roughly 12 million. Imagine twelve New Yorks barking incessantly.

Collectively, the world of barking ... oops, blogging is called the “blogosphere.” One of the unique characteristics of blogs is that most of them feature an exhaustive list of other blogs, meaning that further distraction is only a mouse click away. Start on one blog and you can find yourself in uncharted territory fairly quickly.

The media world is in free fall at the moment. “Print is dead,” we hear, and newspapers large and small are shuttering their doors to prove the point. Everywhere the lament is the same, “How do you remain solvent in a new electronic world where everything is free?” Well, uh, Green Living Journal has been providing free information for two decades now. There’s nothing new about free.

Here at Green Living Journal we are celebrating our 20th year in business. In looking at our early issues, what stands out is not how much has changed, but how much things have stayed constant. 1990 is often considered the final year of the Cold War. Microsoft was already a behemoth with over a billion dollars in annual sales and nearly 6000 employees. Google would not exist for another eight years. Google, by the way, now generates almost $22 billion in annual revenues and has over 20,000 employees.

Social networking is the current media craze. Facebook and Twitter are growing like mushroom clouds, despite the fact that neither has yet discovered a path to profitability.

That apparently is irrelevant in a world where growth and potential trump everything. I can’t help but ask myself “Would Scott Nearing tweet?”

The best thing about this, or any, birthday is that it provides an excuse to reconnect with old friends. That’s exactly what we have done with this issue, contacting folks who have been “friends of the environment” at least as long as we have. Their reflections on the passage of time are

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dotted throughout this special issue. Collectively, this is a group that deserves immense credit for moving us towards a greener future.

I was particularly amused by the “technology postscript” that Chris Plant, the publisher (along with his wife, Judith) at New Society added to his contribution: “After riding the giant wave of the computer revolution in the ‘80s, the most significant technological change of the ‘90s occurred in the form of the fax machine. Lovingly purchased for the first time in about 1992-93, it completely changed the way we did business, making possible the instant transfer of documents, and heralding the beginning of “fast mode.”

“Only a handful of years later, email entered the picture, once again completely transforming our daily work into a frenzy that promises not to subside in intensity in any future I can imagine, save a global Internet meltdown.

“I used to subscribe to the belief that these changes were not only inevitable, but beneficial. But twenty years and a whole bunch of degenerated neurons later, I’m not so sure …”

The business model created by Marshall Glickman back in 1990 has proved remarkably buoyant. 2009 was our best year ever, but looking at past success is almost always a guarantee of future failure in a business where you are only as good as your most recent issue.

As founder Glickman likes to say “It’s hard to sink a light ship,” and our pledge to our community of friends is to remain a light ship, capable of bouncing atop of the media waves, and able to change course at a moment’s notice. It may be a turbulent business environment, but there’s a certain thrill attached to staying afloat.

Dr. Melanie Brown, BS, DC 20 years of green living. Is the world a greener place? Arguably so. Is our Dr. Jason Brown, BS, DC core message about living compatibly with our environment better understood? Absolutely. Is there reason to think that the future will be even 118 N Killingsworth greener? Read what our guest experts (& Vancouver Ave) have to say. You’ll find their collective PORTLAND Same Day Appointments optimism encouraging.

Open 6 Days a Week www.purelifeclinic.com But, what about those 112 million Most Insurance Accepted bloggers? So many words and so little 503.288.4454 time. It’s a noisy world out there in • Primary, Whole Body Care the blogosphere. A whole lotta woofin’ • Nutritional Counseling & Supplements goin’ on. What famous person said, “If • Auto, Work and Sports Injuries you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the • Headaches, Neck, & Back Pain kennel?”

• Detoxification & Exercise Plans Must have been Marshall Glickman.

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• Chiropractic • Acupuncture • Massage Therapy • Rehabilitation • Microcurrent Facials

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who understand and respect the sub-acre mindset of making more from less and living like tomorrow matters,” Christensen adds. “They regard SPIN as part of an exuberant, expanding experiment whose contributors believe they are engaging in something of consequence, and they want to join them in creating a bright future for the type of farming that everyone can understand and many want to embrace.”

ABOUT SPIN-FARMING LLC SPIN Farming LLC is a multi-national cottage industry which publishes the SPIN-Farming® and SPIN-Gardening™ online learning series and conducts workshops in partnership with farming, gardening and environmental organizations. The company is dedicated to providing farming and gardening how-to that can be learned and practiced across all economic classes and geographical boundaries. For more information visit www.spinfarming.com

Supportland Launches Community Network

Local Notes Suppliers Directory for SPIN Farmers Available Free Online Over the past four years, SPIN farmers have cultivated a growing network of suppliers for hard-to-find and unique seeds, tools and gear that make their farm work more efficient and pleasant, according to Roxanne Christensen, Co-author of SPIN-Farming. “The directory is an online resource built by SPIN farmers for SPIN farmers,” Christensen explains. “Every supplier listed has been used and recommend by a SPIN farmer, so users can click with confidence and find the essentials, accessories and sundries that help define the sub-acre farming lifestyle.”

“Farming has always been highly cooperative. The smartest and most progressive farmers routinely turn to their suppliers for ideas and advice, knowing they are ideally positioned to see what is and isn’t working in the field and marketplace,” says Wally Satzewich, developer of the SPIN-Farming system. “They have many customers who are wrestling with challenges faced by all farmers and are in a privileged position to share this hard-won experience.”

“The SPIN Suppliers Directory showcases those 8

Self-proclaimed local business huggers Katrina and Michael Scotto di Carlo have found a way to combine the best of social networking with a unique customer rewards card. Scheduled to launch in mid March, they have developed a card system where customers can gain points at one local business and spend them at another local business. All participating businesses will be listed on a map enabled iPhone app so Supportland card holders will know where they can earn points and spend them.

A specialty of the card is that a business can decide on the fly to run a special today for an hour or more and it will immediately ding all the iPhone users with in 1/2 mile that have subscribed to the blitz list, plus broadcast it on facebook, twitter and on the Supportland website.

The free card is getting a lot of interest from businesses and consumers and anyone interested in learning more can go to Supportland.com to pre register or see a short video of how the Supportland system works.

Northeast Portland Tool Library Expands The Northeast Portland Tool Library (NEPTL) has expanded to better support its rapidly growing membership

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and tool collection. The 16-monthold, all- volunteer-driven, tool library recently moved its operations from a small garage on the property of its long-time host, Redeemer Lutheran Church, to a larger space in the church’s basement.

The move more than quadruples the square footage available to the Tool Library for storing and repairing tools and lending them out members, from 150 square feet to 684. Since opening its doors in August of 2008, NEPTL has acquired over 1,100 hand and power tools – over 95% of which are donated – and signed up over 800 Northeast Portlanders as members.

“We’re ecstatic about the move,” said Robert Bowles, NEPTL’s treasurer. “We were bursting at the seams, and our volunteers had to work outside in bad weather. The new space gives us a warm and secure place to store our tools, work with members, and hold workshops.”

For more information, contact Tom Thompson, NEPTL Vice-Chair and Toolmaster, at (503) 539-1756 or tomscot51@ yahoo.com, or go to www.neptl.org.

Portland Habilitation Center NW Enters The LED Lighting Industry One year after developing and hosting the largest solar array in Oregon, the team at Portland Habilitation Center Northwest (PHCNW) knew they had only scratched the surface of sustainability. PHCNW is diving head first into its next social venture, providing over 100 LED lights that will be used in the city of Richmond B.C. for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

“The beauty of this project is that we are doing business with a venue where millions of people internationally will see our work,” said Massoud Mollaghaffari, the general manager for the industrial division at PHCNW. “This is the first time any venue in the Olympic structure is using high-efficiency LED lights that are designed by our partner LightPower and manufactured by us, which makes this pretty significant.”

“This is the new lighting technology no doubt about it,” said John Murphy, President and CEO. “LEDs themselves are rapidly improving. We felt that the technology was at a point where it’s beginning to take hold in a commercial way. LightPower has innovative designs, but what they don’t have is the production capacity. We have the production capacity and the desire to fulfill our mission to provide jobs, specifically manufacturing type jobs, which are rare in the U.S.”

The first project PHCNW and LightPower started was the “hybrid street light.” With this type of streetlight, solar panels are used on the pole to charge the battery, which in turn powers the light. Almost 90% of the market consists of high-pressure sodium lights, which are typically in the range of 250-400 watt lights. LEDs can produce the same lightening effect with between 30 and 90 watts, making them much more efficient. In addition, LEDs can last up to 90,000 hours, as long as 30 years. Not having to change a bulb for 30 years significantly lowers the most costly aspect of streetlights—the labor required to change the bulbs.

PHCNW’s primary responsibility in this partnership is to manufacture high-quality products in a timely manner. LightPower’s role is to keep on the cutting edge of technology and continually be improving their design. It is a mutual obligation to sell.

About Portland Habilitation Center Northwest PHCNW has provided nearly 60 years of broad-based educational, training and job opportunities (with full union benefits) for thousands of people with developmental, physical and mental disabilities. As a dynamic and forward-thinking industry leader, PHCNW’s diversified business lines have allowed it to help employees develop the technical skills required to earn living wages in a variety of occupations, thus enabling them to pay taxes and empowering them to raise families and live independently. For more information visit: www.phcnw.com

Oregon Shepherd Develops Zero VOC Loose Fill Wool Insulation Oregon Shepherd is adding a new product to their line of Natural Wool Insulation materials. This product will fulfill the need for loose-fill, or “blown-in” insulation with the superior performance and insulating qualities of nature’s first and most efficient form of insulation, WOOL. Made possible only by their unique and innovative techniques and materials, Oregon Shepherd is the first manufacturer in the

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Local Notes cont. world to make commercially available, 100% natural wool insulation that can be used in this application.

Typically, natural insulation materials must be protected from fire spread and vermin intrusion with chemicals carried and bonded to the fiber with various petrochemicals; these chemicals emit what is known as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). With the environment and end user in mind, Oregon Shepherd has combined innovation, ingenuity, and technology in developing a solution of naturally occurring elements to provide this protection in full compliance with E-84 fire spread tests.

ASTM testing standards (E-1485) are exceeded by an astounding 50%! Oregon Shepherd’s loose fill insulation products result in zero VOC emissions, neither during their manufacture nor in use.

The company’s loose fill insulation provides superior breathability, improves indoor air quality, and is nonallergenic. It is completely safe to handle and install without the need for any protective equipment.

Many forms of loose insulation settle over time, resulting in air gaps and spaces that seriously reduce the effective insulation; the naturally occurring “pliable memory” of wool fiber not only eliminates settling, but also actually expands, to fill every space completely. This results in improved long-term thermal effectiveness by as much as 20%. It also absorbs sound waves, providing acoustic benefit.

Last, but not least, is the assurance that Oregon Shepherd’s manufacturing process is extremely low in embodied energy; it is Eco-friendly from start to finish.

For more on this visit www.oregonshepherd.net or call 1.888.629.wool

New Solar Awnings Help Power Portland Office For years, Walt Mintkeski had dreamed of installing solar panels on his house. A retired environmental engineer 10

and longtime Conservancy volunteer, he’d dedicated his life to protecting the planet. Harnessing the sun’s clean power seemed like a no-brainer.

Last year, his father passed away, and inheritance brought his dream within reach. But, admiring the trees surrounding his home, Mintkeski thought, “Wow. That’s a lot of shade.

Maybe this isn’t the most efficient way for me to help the environment or the best use of my dad’s hard earned money.”

That’s when he thought about The Nature Conservancy’s three-story office building in Southeast Portland.

The Nature Conservancy has helped protect over 500,000 acres of important habitats in Oregon. Our work doesn’t stop there, though: we’re committed to incorporating sustainability into our statewide operations as well.

And thanks to Mintkeski’s ongoing vision and support, our commitment to nature now includes a new array of efficient, photovoltaic awnings.

“My father was very generous to me,” Mintkeski said.

“So, I’m passing on his generosity to a cause I greatly believe in. I’ve loved the outdoors since my family spent summers boating off New York’s Shelter Island. After retirement, I decided my new career is as a philanthropist, and my benefactor is our Earth.”

Installed on the south side of the Conservancy’s office building located at 821 SE 14th Avenue, the photovoltaic array is designed to soak up as much sun as possible.

Combined with roof panels installed in 1998, the new awnings will produce about 10 Kw of power in full sunlight, enough to supply about 10 percent of the office’s annual electricity use. A typical home uses about 3 Kw. Shading from the awnings is an added benefit, reducing the need for air conditioning. Designed by Cascade Solar Consulting and EC Company, this eco-friendly energy system will provide full shade over windows at mid-day for four months, mid-April to mid-August.

“The Nature Conservancy is extremely grateful for Walt’s generous support and guidance,” said Russell Hoeflich, vice president and Oregon director. “Not only is he helping us

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protect Oregon’s natural wonders by increasing our use of clean power, he’s also given us a great opportunity to educate the community about solar power and what’s happening to our planet. We really can’t thank him enough.”

More information is available at http://www.solaroregon.org/ solar-ambassador

Portland Author Teaching Children to be Green and Healthy New Year Publishing is pleased to announce the debut of Giggles the Green Bean, a new series of books designed to teach children ages 4–8 to be green and healthy. The first book in the series, Giggles the Green Bean Turns Stinkytown into Greentown, is now available for a MSRP of $13.95. In keeping with the series’ environmental message, a portion of proceeds will be donated to the U.S. Forest Service Plant-ATree Program.

Written by Portland-based author Lauren Davis and illustrated by artist Michael Vincent Fusco, Giggles the Green Bean is a series of fun, whimsical stories starring Giggles, a talking green bean who wants to make the world a better place. The series teaches kids important green concepts and skills—including recycling, water conservation, and energy conservation—using tangible, real-world examples that even the series’ youngest readers will be able to adopt.

In Giggles the Green Bean Turns Stinkytown into Greentown, the cheerful and conscientious protagonist vows to return his polluted town to the lush paradise his grandmother recalls. He turns to a wise old cabbage to learn about conservation, promising to share his newly acquired knowledge with Stinkytown’s other residents. Taking a mind/body/soul approach to being green, later books in the Giggles the Green Bean series will teach topics such as healthy eating and staying physically active, in addition to environmental responsibility.

“Being green means doing all the little things you can to make a difference,” says Davis, whose inspiration for Giggles the Green Bean was drawn from her brother’s environmental activism. “In the books, Giggles has a responsibility to share what he learns about being green with others. My hope is that children who read these books will not only learn how to lead green lifestyles themselves, but like Giggles will also share these concepts with friends and family.”

Giggles the Green Bean Turns Stinkytown into Greentown can be purchased from the official website at http://www. gigglesthegreenbean.com, as well as from Amazon and other online bookstores.

To learn more about Lauren Davis and Giggles the Green Bean, visit http://www.gigglesthegreenbean.com.

More information on New Year Publishing can be found online at http://www.newyearpublishing.com.

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Local Notes cont.

SOLARIZE NE Offers Affordable Solar Energy Options to NE Portland Neighbors Solarize Northeast, a volunteer-driven, community-based volume purchasing project for solar electric panels operated

by Portland’s Northeast Coalition of Neighborhoods (NECN), expects to create more than 20 new green jobs in the Portland area in the coming months. Supported by the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and Energy Trust of Oregon, the project is designed to simplify the process of going solar as well as bring significant cost reductions through volume purchasing.

Solarize Northeast will make it easy for Northeast Portland neighbors to install solar panels by hosting workshops that cover how much solar to purchase, what to budget and how to get started. Enrollment for the group purchase program is now open at http://solarize. necoalition.org and closes April 15.

The program is structured so that the price of solar panel installation goes down for everybody as more neighbors join the effort. Group purchasing creates a 15-25 percent savings below current prices. This group discount, in addition to current available tax credits and cash incentives, gives Solarize Northeast participants a significant cost savings.

Through a competitive bidding process, NECN selected SolarCity to implement the group purchase program and install the solar electric systems. SolarCity has been in business in Oregon since 2008 with offices based in NE Portland.

How it works The Solarize Northeast program aims to install solar on 150+ homes, for over 300 kilowatts of new solar electric capacity by the end of the summer. In addition, the program hopes to increase the energy efficiency of more than 100 area homes by connecting residents to local 12

weatherization programs. Interested homeowners can choose to go solar, participate in weatherization upgrades, or both by following these steps: 1. Join online at http://solarize.necoalition.org by April 15.

2. Choose to go solar, weatherize your home, or both.

3. Attend an upcoming workshop to learn more.

A project contractor performs a solar assessment at each home to determine the correct size and design of the solar electric system. Installations will take place April 15 through August 30.

The Bureau of Planning and Sustainability and Energy Trust of Oregon are working together to support the launch of Solarize NE. Both organizations provide technical and strategic program assistance to neighborhood associations and groups interested in operating Solarize Portland in all areas of the city.

For more information about the Solarize Northeast program, please visit: http://solarize.necoalition.org

Solar Nation Installs 200kW Solar Array at Tube Specialties Solar Nation has announced the installation and commissioning of a 200kW solar-electric system on the Tube Specialty Co. manufacturing facility in Troutdale, Oregon. The familyowned business installed solar power to reduce and stabilize energy costs and to follow through on its longstanding commitment to protecting the environment.

The Tube Specialties installation includes 1,110 solar panels covering

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34,000 square feet of preexisting roof space and meets approximately 31 per cent of the total energy needs of the 200,000 square-foot facility and its145 employees.

“Our manufacturing operation consumes significant amounts of electricity every month, and our facility already covers land that was once habitat. Our Solar Nation solarelectric system cuts our operating expenses, while at the same time allowing us to give back and do our part to improve the environment. When we began researching solar companies who could educate us on the benefits of this alternative energy, it was Solar Nation who had the answers,” said Mark Weyrich, President of Tube Specialties Co. systems.

“Everyone benefits when large manufacturers like Tube Specialties install solar-energy systems,” said Paul Hodge, CEO of Solar Nation. “Businesses that install solar-energy systems consume most of the power they produce, effectively increasing the overall capacity of the grid without the need for new power plants or transmission lines. And the immediate cost savings to these businesses make them stronger businesses - stronger employers all while reducing carbon emissions and improving the environment.”

It is estimated that over its 25-year warranted life, Tube Specialties solar energy system will keep 4,000 tons of CO2 from entering the environment, the equivalent to driving an automobile over 10 million miles or the annual CO2 offset of over 158,000 trees.

For more information: Solar Nation, Inc. Daniel D. Drummond Corporate Communications (888) 759-8658 Email: dan.drummond@solarnation.com Tube Specialties Co. (801) 949-7124 Email: mdidier@kondylis.com

Structures NW Offers Back Yard Building Package Many new businesses start out in home offices. There are advantages to this, such as a non-existent commute, but a major downside is lost productivity caused by the distractions of home: pets racing through during important phone conferences, small children who can’t resist visiting Mom or Dad in their office. There’s a simple solution: the back yard office building, Vancouver, Washington-based green building company Structures NW now offers a package that enables business owners

to construct a 12x16 foot energy-efficient office building in their own backyard at a cost of $9,945. They deliver to your site all the components for a complete building envelope: structural insulated panels (SIPs) for the walls and all the lumber necessary for the roof and floor. Doors, windows roofing and siding as an option can be ordered as part of the package. The building can pay for itself in rent savings in a little more than five years.

“Energy-efficient solid wall SIPs are the perfect material for an easy-to-construct back yard building that allows a business owner to leave the distractions of home behind, without the financial and environmental cost of a commute,” says Patrick Sughrue, owner of Structures NW. A finished model will be at the Energy Trust Better Living Home, Garden & Lifestyle Show in the “Gardens Gone Wild” display area. The show runs March 26-28 at the Portland Expo Center. More info at www. betterlivingshow.org.

Structures NW helps construction professionals and owner-builders create building envelopes that exceed energy code requirements and meet the criteria for energy efficiency building programs including Energy Star, Earth Advantage, LEED for Homes, and others.

For more information call 360.576.6311 or visit www.structuresnw.com.

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

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Celebrating 20 Years

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Celebrating 20 Years! greatly discounted prices, and plant the trees with their neighbors during weekend community planting events.

The low cost of the trees even includes delivery, hole-digging, planting guidance, mulch, stakes, and followup maintenance checks.

Thanks to many partner agencies and business sponsors, and to a five-year partnership in the city of Portland’s Grey to Green Initiative, Friends of Trees will plant nearly twice as many street and yard trees this year as it planted last year. Plans are underway to continue the exponential growth over the next three years.

Friend of Trees’ Green Space Initiative program guides volunteers at weekend work parties to restore green spaces in public parks and along public right-of-ways. A new threeyear partnership with the Oregon Department of Transportation, Metro, a growing group of partner Twenty Years of Planting and agencies and businesses is greening Trees the well-traveled 15-mile I-205 transportation corridor from the Friends of Trees has been Columbia River south to Gladstone. empowering people in the PortlandThe project involves planting Vancouver metro area to plant thousands of trees along the Multi-Use and care for city trees and green Path and has already led to the creation spaces for two decades now. Since of 16 new green jobs for underserved 1989, thousands of Friends of Trees and minority communities. volunteers have planted more than Through Friends of Trees’ Gift Trees 380,000 trees and native plants. program, people everywhere can have a tree planted in someone’s honor or memory.

Donations made through Gift Tree purchases support the Green Space Initiative.

The Portlandmetro area’s Photo by Julie Keefe. The Executive Director at the time was Lin Harmon-Walker on the far left. growing treescape benefits the metro Through Friends of Trees’ area more as the trees mature. The Neighborhood Trees program, trees slow climate change by absorbing residents in Portland, Gresham, carbon and lowering energy use in the Beaverton and Vancouver can buy buildings they shade, and they also quality 8- to 12-foot tall trees at

The Green Living Journal has been publishing practical information for friends of the environment in Vermont for 20 years and our Portland-Vancouver edition has been up and running for 2 years now. As part of our celebration of these milestones we felt we needed to publish the stories of some of the other local organizations that are also 20 years old. We look forward to the next 20 years and all the exciting changes that are coming.

In this issue we asked Teri Ruch of Friends of Trees to tell us their story.

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Celebrating 20 Years reduce air pollution by trapping pollutants and minimizing the urban heat island effect, keep pollutant-carrying runoff out of our of rivers, provide habitat for wildlife and songbirds, and draw increasing numbers of people outdoors to engage in healthy activities. Friends of Trees is pleased to have a growing number of supporters who recognize the multiple benefits that our multi-tasking trees provide.

Following, are reflections of Friends of Trees’ founder, Richard Seidman, and Friends of Trees’ current executive director, Scott Fogarty.

Richard Seidman: I remember very clearly the moment when I first got the idea to start a tree-planting organization in Portland. [It was 1988, and] I was recovering from a broken heart over a failed relationship, and I was filled with anguish about the state of the earth, and I was burnt out on working as a substitute teacher. The time was ripe to begin something new that might involve hope and a positive new direction.

I learned from the [Portland] city forester that there had been some previous volunteer tree plantings; most of which did not turn out so well, and that there were no current efforts. Alex was pretty doubtful that volunteers could plant trees successfully.

I didn’t know anything about trees, or much about community organizing for that matter, and I now marvel

about my chutzpah and foolishness in jumping headlong into such an ambitious effort.

I got the names of some people who had attended Street Tree Commission meetings to protest the cutting of big trees on their blocks. They quickly channeled their grief over the loss of their beloved trees into positive action to help this new group plant new trees.

Originally we called ourselves, “the Portland Tree Brigade,” but by early 1989, after brainstorming about 200 other possible names, we changed the name to “Friends of Trees.”

We began slowly and modestly. One of the very first trees we planted, at Sellwood Riverfront Park in April 1989, disappeared about a week after we planted it. I returned to the site of the tree and found it empty. I learned that it had been destroyed by vandals and the Parks Department had removed it. At least we had the photo of planting it, I comforted myself, but it turned out that the camera had no film in it, so there was no record of this early planting.

Future plantings were more successful, however, and the organization gradually grew. Now it is gratifying and amazing to me to see how Friends of Trees has matured. I am very grateful for the incredibly dedicated efforts of all the many past and current staff and board members and volunteers and donors to keep the organization alive and thriving.

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

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The Two Decade Perspective

Celebrating 20 Years

Compiled by Stephen Morris, National Editor A birthday ... what better excuse to get in touch with folks who have shared the journey with us.

Our questions were simple: 1. Where were you and what were you doing in 1990 when Green Living was born?

2. What are the most significant changes you’ve seen in the past two decades?

What we received back was too much of a good thing, and we’ve had to trim rigorously to have all voices heard.

The unadulterated full version (highly recommended!) appears on our website.

Bill McKibben, Middlebury College.

Author “The End of Nature” Oddly, I’ve been doing much the same thing these past 20 years. 1989 saw the publication of my book The End of Nature, which was often described as the first book for a general audience about global warming. 2009 saw me coordinating 350.org’s Global Day of Climate Action, which CNN described as “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history,” with 5,200 demonstrations in 181 countries. Wish I could report that we’d won the battle; we’re still trying.

Scott Fogarty: Friends of Trees has grown much in 20 years and has made an indelible positive impact in the region. We have forged partnerships with government agencies to nonprofits to nurseries to corporations, resulting in more than 380,000 trees and native plants being planted by many thousands of volunteers. In doing this, Friends of Trees has created a lasting legacy of stewardship, community building, and sustainability in the Northwest.

Our goals remain high, and we are continually strengthening our efforts by building on the partnerships and community volunteerism that have always been associated with Friends of Trees. In upcoming years, we look forward to expanding our reach to meet the needs of communities throughout Oregon and to promoting treeplanting policies at local, state and national levels. I am excited to be part of the Friends of Trees team at such an important time in our history and look forward to planting many thousands more trees in the years to come.

Teri Ruch Communications Director 503-282-8846 ext. 17 Friends of Trees is a 501(c)(3) non-profit funded by tree sales, individual donors, foundations, businesses and government agencies. Their offices are at 3117 NE ML King Jr. Blvd. Learn more at www.friends of trees.org.

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Larry Plesent, Founder, Vermont Soap Company Twenty years ago organic personal care products did not exist, and natural, nontoxic cleaning products were looked at as something so outside of the norm as to be un-marketable. All this has been, and continues to be in process, as organic moves towards mainstream. Eventually organic will BE mainstream.

What thinking person really wants to use poisons in their world anyway?

William Shutkin, entrepreneur and educator in Boulder, CO. In 1990, as a third year law student, I wrote an article on the intersection of international human rights and environmental law as applied to (a) indigenous tribes in Ecuador whose livelihoods were threatened by oil exploitation and (b) small island nations at risk from

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

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rising sea levels due to climate change.

This experience shaped my entire career. It inspired me to become a social entrepreneur. It also colors my reaction, twenty years out, to the changes that have taken place since. On the one hand, I’m disheartened, disgusted really, at how little progress we’ve made in dealing with our addiction to fossil fuels. On the other hand, I’m inspired by the growing awareness of the need to create a new global economic order powered by renewable energy technologies and, equally important, committed to shared prosperity. I’m eager, if a bit anxious, to see what the next twenty years hold.

Paul Freundlich, Board Member of CERES, Green America and Envirolution, Author of “Deus ex Machina” (2007, The Public Press) The issue in 1990, before we talked about “sustainability” and when “green” referred to bucks, was could we change the mainstream to be more responsible and accountable, or would we get changed in the process?

My work with Joan Bavaria and others on CERES has far exceeded my most sanguine hopes and has been

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a good part of the traction the environmental movement has gained. Obviously there is much more to be done, but I’m impressed that change is happening on the personal/ community level as well as the macro level of government and corporate policy. We have a terrible legacy to overcome, but I remain quite hopeful.

Denise Hamler, Director/co-Founder of the Green Business Network at Green America As Green America celebrates our first 26 years I am struck by the magnitude of what we have accomplished thanks to our many business and individual members tackling climate change, building fair-trade systems, stopping corporate abuse and growing the green economy.

America’s 27 million small businesses produce 51% of the private sector output- make 47% of all sales and employ more than half the country’s private work force That’s half the economy!

Our work in the next 25 years is even more crucial because no matter who is in the White House, we need a strong focus on green economy to achieve real sustainability. The current economy is NOT working for the majority of people or the planet.

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

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Celebrating 20 Years

backwoods trying to power their off-the-grid homesteads.

Earth Day 1990 brought environmentalism (at least recycling and compact fluorescents) to a much wider audience (not even close to ‘mainstream’ though). Real Goods was in high demand to do shows and fairs around the country because there really weren’t any other players out there.

What’s changed? Solar grew up, net metering happened, incentives and tax credits happened, Japan and Europe got smart and dominated the boom. In the U.S. we are still playing catch-up. It’s flattering to have been a part of the environmental revolution, but depressing to see how long it has taken and how much farther we need to go to ensure the survival of our species.

Marshall Glickman, Founder of the Green Living Journal; owner Green Living Books and Echo Point Books & Media In 1990 I’d just finished an around-the-world backpacking trip with my new wife Margaret. We settled in Vermont and I started Green Living, figuring what could be more important than raising environmental awareness?

The most significant change in twenty years is that pretty much every reasonable person--including the President-now knows that global warming is a crucial issue that needs immediate attention. What should be the most surprising is that this knowledge hasn’t changed our government’s policies much, but alas, that actually isn’t very surprising.

John Schaeffer, president and founder of Real Goods Solar and the Solar Living Institute.

In 1990, Real Goods had been selling solar for 12 years, but the market was still limited to a few hippies and survivalists in the 18

Stephen Long, Editor, Northern Woodlands magazine Twenty years ago, I had just moved from Santa Fe to Vermont and built a house in the woods. A love for what surrounded me led me to start a magazine covering all aspects of the woods: plants, wildlife, recreation, and the loggers and wood workers who depend on it.

In those 20 years, I’ve seen the forest industry go from a stance of “I own this land, and you can’t tell me what to do on it,” to one in which nearly all of the large land holdings in the Northeast are managed according to green certification standards audited by a third party. In the same time, I’ve seen mainstream environmental groups like The Nature Conservancy change their strategies to include managing large tracts of forest land. Both of these are huge changes and very positive for the forest. Stewarding this resource -- not skinning it of all value or not just locking it up -that’s the new common ground.

John Quinney, General Manager, Energy Co-op of Vermont In September 1990, I opened a retail store for Seventh Generation.

Like the catalog, the Seventh Generation store carried a wide range of products with environmental benefits – clothing made from organic cotton, energy efficient light bulbs, bathroom tissue made from recycled paper, and so on. Earth Day 1990 had energized millions around the world with the idea that there were lots of simple actions each of us could take to help save the world. Buying environmental products was one such simple action.

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Chris Plant, New Society Publishers 1990 was a memorable year. David Suzuki had been calling for a “turn-around decade” to truly make a difference in environmental affairs, and my partner Judith and I decided to take him up on the challenge. We were in life-change mode at the time -- moving our home to the West Coast -- and had a unique opportunity to devote our energies to saving the world by building on what we’d already been doing for five years: publishing. So we threw ourselves into this new phase – focusing on books about sustainability – with vigor.

So the first surprise was that ten years so easily became twenty! Sustainability proved to be such a hard sell. Few people wanted to hear about what to do when the weather changed. At the same time, the ideas we had been promoting (seemingly in vain) were now showing up in the mainstream.

We watched with awe as ideas such as bioregions, localization, and ecological footprints began showing up in the Oxford dictionary. We even became successful as Tell Them You Saw it in the a business: something Green Living Journal we never really GreenLivingPDX.com anticipated!

Alan AtKisson, author “Believing Cassandra” and “The ISIS Agreement” www.AtKisson.com In 1990, I was sitting in a basement office on Bainbridge Island, working with the Gilman family on the magazine “In Context: A Quarterly of Humane Sustainable Culture.” “Sustainable” was known only to a very small number of ex hippies, MIT computer modelers, resource managers, and high-level UN bureaucrats. Scientists were starting to review the various threats to our raising alarms about such things as ozone depletion.

We’ve actually solved the ozone depletion problem.

It’s off the list, just the way the bald eagle is off the endangered species list. There have quite a number of amazing “green” victories over the decades, and we have never really celebrated them.

All eyes remain on the problems we haven’t solved yet -- global warming, ecosystem loss, biodiversity degradation, water. (Okay, so it’s a long list.) But in this rapid-yet-decades-long race against time, we have chalked up a few really impressive wins; and these can inspire us to keep winning.

We just have to win. We have no other choice!

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

Celebrating 20 Years

Twenty years later there are very few environmental stores left. Surprisingly enough however, some environmental products have gone mainstream - Wal-Mart is now the world’s largest seller of compact fluorescent light bulbs. Back in 1990, few saw that coming! I’m also happily surprised by the strong growth of renewable energy, especially commercial wind and solar, driven in part by enlightened government support. Energy-efficiency has moved well beyond the notion of “freezing in the dark.”

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Health The Holistic Benefits of Nature

by Kurt Beil, ND, LAc, MPH

Did you know that exposure to nature relaxes the mind, reduces stress, and helps you feel healthier? Of course you did. You’ve experienced it many times hiking in the woods, working in the garden or walking in the park. Particularly during this time of year when the weather is warming and new life is springing up everywhere, being outdoors in nature feels good to the body and the soul.

What you may not be aware of is that in addition to helping you feel more alive, being in close contact with the natural world can actually help you be healthier. This may also be intuitively obvious, but until recently it could not be proven. However, in areas that range from mental health to cardiovascular disease to cancer, more and more evidence is appearing that demonstrates that access to nature is a fundamental necessity for human health and wellbeing. This information makes it possible to advocate for the preservation of our parks and forests in a new way, one in which the fate of people and planet are intertwined.

The first study to show this kind of nature-health result occurred in the early 1980s at a suburban hospital in Pennsylvania. Researchers found that patients in rooms with views of nature had shorter hospital stays and better recovery results. Since that time, numerous studies have been conducted around the world to show how increasing access to nature can benefit our health. The visual presence of plants has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve concentration and increase tolerance of pain in people, even without their conscious awareness of the plants’ presence. The amount of vegetation surrounding a person’s home has been linked to less sick-days at work and greater health status, even after adjusting for other potentially influential factors such as type of job or wealth status.

The presence of vegetation has also been shown to directly impact physical measures of stress including reductions in levels of cortisol, the so-called “stress hormone”. This has been shown in multiple circumstances, from sitting in a backyard garden to walking in a forest. The reduction in cortisol has multiple benefits for our health, from reducing risk of heart disease to preventing obesity and the onset of diabetes. The cortisol/stress response is also central in the “mind-body” effects that influence the state 20

of our immune system to resist and recover from infections. In this way, the rest and relaxation that nature provides truly give us an opportunity to benefit from what naturopathic physicians call the “Healing Power of Nature.”

This scientific research is being used in useful and interesting ways. Hospitals and healthcare clinics are incorporating natural elements into their aesthetic design, including external landscaping and internal decorations. On a city-wide scale, urban planners and land-use policy analysts are recognizing the importance that access to nature has for city residents, and are increasingly setting aside land for parks and more open spaces. On the national level, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is making natural “green spaces” a major part of its’ Healthy Environments campaign. This campaign is designed to make the places in which we live, work and play more sustainable for people and the environment.

Globally, the world’s first “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” conference is being held to discuss how the beneficial relationship between humans and the natural environment can be optimized for mutual long-term benefit.

All of this information is interesting, but on a more local level, here are some ways to incorporate this information into your own life: Get out in nature

As much as possible, spend time outside getting to know your environment. If it wasn’t made by human hands, chances are it will improve your health in some way.

Grow a garden

Whether this is in your yard, a community garden, or just a few pots on your windowsill, just having a relationship with a piece of nature can be beneficial. It is therapeutic, reduces stress, and helps to establish a bond between yourself and the living world around you.

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Plant trees

They provide a variety of benefits, including shade, shelter, oxygen, and food for animals of all kinds, including humans. They filter pollution from the air and absorb excess storm-water from the ground. And they provide pleasant scenery and quiet, steadfast companionship for many, many years.

Business The Green Designation for Realtors

by Stephen Morris Hip or Hype?

The “Green Seal,” reports journalist Paul Smalera in MSN’s “Money Watch” column, is Good Housekeeping Nature is often appreciated more in the company of Magazine’s way of guaranteeing the quality of everything others. Join a bird-watching group, volunteer for trail from yogurt to storm windows. Unfortunately, it only maintenance projects, or gather a group of friends for guarantees the quality of companies that advertise on its a monthly hike. pages. Moreover, none if its advertisers are ever denied the designation. It’s pure and simple “greenwashing,” which Support local parks Smalera defines as “the art of scoring an environmental These are places where all people can go to enjoy touchdown simply by moving the goal posts.” the benefits of nature, often just a few minutes Michael Pollan, in “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” explained from your home. Particularly in times of economic the problem of labels in examining the United States restraint, it is important to let our leaders know that Department of Agriculture’s “certified organic” program. we value our parks for the services they provide.

“Organic,” intended to describe non-chemical agrarian Advocate for the preservation of undeveloped open spaces practices, became a valuable buzzword, attracting the attention of industrial farmers and food conglomerates such We are blessed with an abundance of natural areas as General Mills who pushed for a certification program throughout the Portland Metro region. Work to so that even frozen TV dinners could be certified USDA maintain the status of these areas so that they can be organic. Small farmers howled, but the big companies won. enjoyed for future generations.

When it comes to labels, certifications, and approvals, The beneficial interaction clearly it is “buyer beware,” but that between people and the doesn’t mean that all such labels Vermont’s College for environment is a reciprocal are meaningless. Don’t you read the one. If we take care of Mother Experiential Academics diploma on display in your doctor’s Nature, she will take care of us. office? This is a trusted piece of This relationship is older than evidence that connotes professional our species and extends far back competence. Now, a new designation into our ancestral past. It is an has emerged that vouches for the ingrained part of who we are. If environmental credentials of its we cultivate this relationship to its qualifiers in the practice of real estate. fullest extent it will help us navigate As might be expected, opinions vary through our modern daily lives in a within the profession about the need healthy way. for and value of the designation.

According to the official website Dr. Kurt Beil is a naturopathic physician EcoBroker Certified® professionals and classical Chinese medicine practitio“help clients market properties with ner in Portland, OR. After finishing six green features, save money, and live years of training at the National College comfortably, through energy efficiency of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portand environmentally-sensitive choices.” land, Dr. Beil went to Portland State Founded in 2002, with members in University where he received graduate all 50 United States, EcoBrokers “serve degrees in Public Health and Sustainabilreal estate consumers, communities, ity. He specializes in the holistic dynamic and the environment with an that exists between people and nature, unparalleled level of care, commitment, and works to support that dynamic as and follow-up. With the benefit of much as possible. Dr. Beil is currently oversight from the Association of professor of Environmental Medicine at Energy and Environmental Real NCNM, where he sees patients by apEstate Professionals (www.aeerep. pointment and teaches classes in Qigong. www.sterlingcollege.edu He can be reached at kbeil@ncnm.edu. org), EcoBroker’s green designation Become a part of a naturalist group

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

21

training and communications provide professionals with the resources to be constructive green ambassadors in an ever-changing business and consumer world.”

To earn the designation, licensed real estate agents must complete ongoing training programs on energy, marketing, and the environment. Topics include “green” home certification programs like Energy Star®, and related issues of energy-efficiency, and environmentally sensitive design. Perhaps more importantly the training touches on environmental issues that may complicate any real estate transaction, such as mold, radon, and indoor air quality.

But for the real “skinny,” the best place to turn is to the realtors themselves, and, better yet, their customers: Carol Audette, who is with a large, multi-office agency (Lang McLaughry Spera) in northern Vermont, points out that national surveys confirm that 9 out of 10 consumers consider energy efficiency and environmentally sound aspects of their home to be very important. “We are always looking for the best ways to not only offer our clients the best value but to also develop a relationship where we feel we are a trusted resource. Our EcoBroker training helps us to ensure our clients and customers get the knowledge they need. From energy efficient appliances to solar options to overall energy savings, we now have more resources at our disposal to help our sellers and buyers make informed real estate decisions.”

On the other coast, in Portland, Oregon, Peter O’Neil 22

of Coldwell Banker agrees: “I’m an EcoBroker because I can offer my customers and clients something beyond the typical three bed/two bath service. I can guide them to homes that are easy on the pocketbook, easy on the planet, and more comfortable and healthier to live in.”

Another advantage, says O’Neil, is his network of contractors and service providers who can take a conventional house and make it into an eco-friendly, dream home. He can guide them through the maze of cash incentives, tax breaks, and rebates. There’s an intangible benefit as well. “ It just makes me feel good that I’m doing something valuable in my community.”

The name of Dave Hopkins’s firm in Amherst, Massachusetts is EcoRealty, so it follows that he has the official designation, right? Wrong.

“Not my cup of tea at all. As the rest of my real estate colleagues are suddenly talking about solar panels and LEED certifications my focus has shifted more to local economies, local farming, and homesteading. I’d rather be working on my own small self-sustaining farm than sitting in a class on ‘How to become a Green Realtor’ class.”

According to Hopkins, the training provided to earn this designation is merely a marketing tool that will “fool people into thinking that a particular realtor has some in depth knowledge of green building or siting houses for solar.”

The reality, however, is that “such knowledge comes from years of experience in building and in walking the land with people attuned to the environment, skills that cannot be acquired in a few days of classes.”

While not disputing Hopkins’s commitment and experience, Matthew Kullberg, a Certified EcoBroker in nearby Northampton points out that this helps communicate his specialty to consumers. “With energy prices so volatile, I see the need for this type of training.

Heating is such a large portion of home maintenance that buyers and sellers are very interested in the efficiency of existing energy systems as well as potential ways to improve them.”

A few miles north, in Greenfield, MA, Valerie Demerski sees being an EcoBroker as a way to “marry my passion about environmental issues with my career.” Not

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

content with her knowledge level she has also become an EcoConsultant through Green Irene. “Now I can assist homeowners in making smart decisions, saving money, and increasing the value of their homes.” She’s even entered the Blogosphere with a blog (howgreenisourvalley.com) that offers helpful information on environmental subjects ranging from greening your home to how to have an environmental make-over of your office. You can send questions to her at yourgreenhomecoach@gmail.com.

Clearly a realtor does not need to be a certified EcoBroker to be knowledgeable, competent, or green.

What’s important, says Brendan Greely, owner of Vintage Green Homes, is having a broker who understands the importance of environmental features. “ We had to market a unique home in a down economy. Our home featured 2 by 6 construction, super-insulation, with a geothermal heating, cooling, and hot water. It was an extremely efficient system, but one that costs a little more on the front end to realize savings down the road. The energy features were combined with some beautiful timbers, brick and flooring, harvested from a 19th century mill building. We needed a real estate professional qualified to not only understand, but to be able to communicate how these characteristics.”

Developer Jonathan Gross found Valerie Demerski by googling the Green Living Journal website, having first encountered the term “EcoBroker” at a building trade show.

“A home buyer finds it difficult to sort through the complex and often confusing world of ‘green’. A well-informed, professional broker can help the consumer navigate that road and make educated choices. As developers, we add value by adding specialized environmental features. Unless we have an agent who understands and can explain these features, we lose our competitive edge.”

Adds Greely, “Ultimately, it was Valerie Demerski’s knowledge and training, not to mention her willingness to use her skills to actually market the property beyond Multiple Listing Service, that allowed us to move forward.”

This point is underscored by William Martin of Greentree Real Estate. “EcoBroker” is not the only certification game in town: “I was the first broker in Vermont to obtain the National Association of Realtors

GREEN Designation. I am not familiar with the differences in the programs so I wouldn’t want to compare them. From reading the outlines it seems that they have the same goals - educating the brokers and subsequently the public about the need for lifestyle and housing changes to support the planet. These are important to all of us regardless of the path chosen to learn.”

Greentree Real Estate is in the process of moving into a 200+ year old farmhouse. “We are quite aware of the importance of thoughtful design,” says Martin. “ From the initial energy audit to a large photovoltaic system to power the office, we are committed to making every attempt to incorporate energy and resource efficiency.”

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

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Building Metal Roofing Love It or Leave It - Nobody’s Indifferent

by Laurie Mercer Stoddard, NH—Highland Lake is drained every year, and I’ve never understood why.

Because of the draining, access to my family’s beloved summer camp property is limited to the slice of heaven occurring from late April to mid-October. Never meant for winter, our recent remodel and restoration on the property was aimed at extending our seasonal enjoyment by embracing some newer technologies.

In addition to energy saving windows, doors, and appliances, we went looking for a new metal roof to replace the leaky asphalt shingles.

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We chose a second-generation, family-owned Ohio firm that uses 98 % recycled, all-American materials. This company trains their own installers, and connected us with a local contractor. This is not a project for amateurs or casual do-it-yourselfers.

Shakes, shingles, and standing seam panels are manufactured by using aluminum, steel, copper, or zinc, and their energy efficiency is superior to asphalt. Lots of customers prefer to put metal over existing shingles thereby reducing landfill waste. Metal roofs are essential to water catchment systems, which are gaining popularity (and water) in arid parts of the country. The roof came with a limited lifetime warranty.

One expert wrote that a roof should outlast the mortgage.

One of our handbooks was Green Remodeling, Changing the World One Room at a Time by David Johnson and Kim Master.

They point out that the roofing material used can have

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

serious effects on our health and the environment. “Sloped roofing materials, such as asphalt-based rolled roofing and shingles, will off-gas toxins when heated by the sun.

Flat roofing materials, such as tar and gravel, will also continually off-gas when heated by the sun, emitting known carcinogens such a benzene, polynuclear aromatics, toluene, and xylene.”

The authors further state that 78% of the total roofing dollars spent in the U.S. are for re-roofing, which again exposes homeowners to high levels of toxic fumes.

Up on the Roof On the slippery side, metal can heat up and send a pile of snow and ice below. Since we had just installed a glass railing on the balcony, I joined the roofer on our housetop to focus on preventing damage to the railing. Roofers do, in fact, share a different view of the world, seeing their workspace with the eye of an eagle, not a worm.

“You’ve got to understand how to manage the snow coming off a roof,” said our roofer, adding. “Installing metal roofing is not rocket science, but it must be installed correctly to make it work. If it’s a DIY project, I strongly recommend hiring a professional to prep you for the job.”

Getting good advice is a wise investment. The average project for our roofer is in the $18,000 to $22,000 range, but he has also done big homes that cost up to $50,000. The cost for materials is about $6 to $12 a square foot.

Most metal roofs are Energy Star efficient and qualify for up to $1,500 in federal tax credit.

We chose patina finished shingles (which look like slate) on the pitched roof, and standing seam on the new porch additions where the pitch was too shallow for a profiled surface. The American metal roof market accounts for just 8% of all roofing. That may seem small, but it’s about double what it was 20 years ago!

Metal roofs are a lightning rod for people who either love them or hate them. When asked why, the president of the manufacturing company said, “people who don’t like them just haven’t kept up with the times. Metal is beautiful, practical, and has a great green story to tell.”

Today’s modern metal roof always has a clip locking system with interlocking panels, which allows the panel to contract and expand with temperature changes. The clips also keep the roof flat to the decking material so that wind can’t lift the roof, which is why you see more metal roofs in coastal areas.

Our roofer says, “If you are doing the work yourself, the easiest thing to do is to use aluminum products because they are lightweight and easy to work with. Steel is much more difficult—harder to bend, heavier, more difficult to form, and less forgiving, On a lake you can use steel, and it won’t affect warranty, but if you are near the ocean, you have to be a certain distance from salt air to use steel.”

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The upside of roofing, he says, is that, barring a catastrophe, “You pick the season that’s right for you.”

He prefers aluminum shingles to standing seam. “Shingles are easier to put on (panels come in small sections) and they are lightweight.”

He photographs every job before he begins so he can study the roof in its initial state. He looks for problem areas like rot, dips, swales, missing shingles, or anything out of the ordinary. Also, photographs illustrate areas of concern for the homeowner who might be unwilling to climb onto the roof to inspect it.

You need to determine the existing material: asphalt, fiberglass, wood shake, wood shingle, slate, asbestos, clay, concrete, tile, etc. To create your roofing, draw your roof using a clean sheet of grid paper. Imagine what it looks like from the top looking down.

Having a good understanding of the structure, including overhangs, will help you get workers onto the roof, and to have the right tools at hand. The same staging brackets normally used on an asphalt roof can be used on a metal roof as well.

As for safety tips, a veteran roofer says, “You have to be very comfortable up there on a roof. I’ve had airline pilots who couldn’t take it. A helper has to be balanced and able to climb around. Most of the guys we hire are younger—mid-twenties. They are lightweight, agile, and intelligent. No goof balls up there.”

Installing asphalt is more forgiving. You just lay down the material and nail it in place. “Metal roofers don’t have to be finish carpenters, but they do have to be craftsmen. Siding installers are usually pretty good at it. You need a person who can think through a process of forming, snipping and bending the interlocking panels. There is lots of hand work required.”

Chimneys (especially rough 26

with names like Aqua Guard, Roof Top Guard, and Titanium Shark Skid (Titanium UDL 30). Costs range from 10 to 12 cents a square foot for paper (felt), and 12 to 20 cents for the synthetics.

Being trapped on jobs by New England’s changeable weather has made our contractor a true believer in using synthetic products according to the manufacturer’s directions. “It does a couple of things,” he says. “It allows you to strip the old roof, put the paper down, and if you don’t get the roof on that day, you are OK. It’s not going to leak.”

For my sister and me, the classy new two-tone patina metal roof on our rustic new/old cottage means no more leaks. And no more jokes in the guest log book about them either.

Laurie Mercer, www.lauriemercerpr. com, is a freelance writer from Honeoye Falls, NY, and Stoddard, NH. To see a video go to “Carr Island” on YouTube. natural stone), skylights, vents, satellites, antennas, and lightning rods present more challenges for forming and fitting. “The average skylight,” he says, “will add 2 to 4 hours of labor. Skylights are complicated because you have to take apart the flashing system. On chimneys you often have to take the lead off first. Every roof is different.”

Most modern metal roofs have some kind of foam panel that adds insulation value and cuts down on noise. They also need roofing paper.

Our contractor chose Aqua Guard, which he gets from the roofing manufacturer. “All metal roofing requires a minimum of 30-lb. felt between the roof deck and the panel,” he says. “The decking could be plywood or a layer of existing shingles.”

While called “felt,” today’s roofer is probably using a kind of fiberglass matt. Most are synthetic products

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Gardening How to Make and Use Biochar

Organically Improve your Vegetable Garden Soil Biochar is a method of effectively and organically rebuilding the soil in your vegetable garden or farm. It is actually an ancient practice that was used by Natives in the Amazon’s Rainforests thousands of years ago, called Terra Preta. With its long-term soil improvement capabilities, its ability to increase vegetable and crop yields, and its potential for reducing carbon gasses, biochar has recently gained momentum and media attention.

In its very simplest terms, using biochar is the practice of incorporating burned, (more accurately, smoldered,) organic matter in the soil of your vegetable garden.

Biochar is a fine-grained charcoal produced from organic matter (plants, garden wastes, brush, even bones.).

Naturally, feeding your biochar with only organic materials will keep it as an organic nutrient source for your vegetable garden. (Try this method as a to way conquer weedy sections of your garden. It not only improves the soil there, but it will eliminate those pesky weed seeds and provide a “clean” fresh start.)

Benefits of using biochar: • Immediately lowers your soil acidity • Improves your soil quality, adding very badly needed nutrients for your garden, and acts as a long-term fertilizer (often with significant results in plant growth and yield) • Helps the soil retain nutrients (like nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus), compost, and beneficial microorganisms much more effectively than unimproved soil.

• Helps your plants utilize and absorb more nutrients from the garden soil, particularly when used in conjunction with compost or well-rotted manure (thus packing your vegetables with a higher nutrient content).

• Reduces the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere (greenhouse gases) • Reduces groundwater pollution.

• Reduces the need for irrigation.

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How to make biochar: Wait for a calm (No Wind!) damp day (when the soil and the groundcover is damp). Clear the area of your burn from any loose burnable matter (leaves, twigs etc.). Dig a trench in your vegetable garden, and loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench. Add your brush, or other organic matter to the ditch (keeping the majority of the material as dry, ignitable matter).

Note: Keep the trench and pile small enough that you can easily monitor and control it (so that the fire doesn’t get out of hand).

Light the pile (avoid the temptation to use gasoline or other chemicals to start your fire… that’ll add harmful Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 8 Spring 2010

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chemicals to your soil!). The goal is for the fire to burn fast and hot, at first. When the smoke finally turns a grayish color, cover the pile with dirt to cut off the oxygen. Let it smolder until the larger pieces are about the size of chunks of charcoal. Then douse the embers with water to put the fire out. Monitor your fire until it’s completely out. Even embers or small coals can start out-of-control fires.

Note: Having an open fire such as this, requires your full attention. Check with your town authorities to see if you need a permit before you burn (you don’t want the firemen showing up at your door, hose in hand!).

Biochar is used by mixing it in with your gardening soil, as you would compost or other organic matter. Or, you can include when making compost with your other organic matter scraps. You may find that including (fine granuled) biochar with your compost actually helps speed up the composting process. Keep the percentage of biochar to less than 50% of the matter in your composter or compost pile, to keep your earthworms operating at their fullest capacity.

Note: Be sure to mix biochar into soils that have been (or are being) enriched with compost or well-rotted organic material, or else it may cause the opposite effect and stall your plant growth.

Note: For more gardening tips visit www.howtogardenadvice.com For a more scientific approach on how to make biochar, its benefits, and a variety of studies, visit these sources: http://www.biochar-international.org http://biochar.pbwiki.com/

Home A Portland Couple Discovers Juniper

By Andy Shotts

When Samantha and Glenn Moore began the process of restoring and remodeling their SE Portland Cabin the primary goal was to utilize locally sourced and sustainable materials. Being not only permaculture advocates, but also holding permaculture design certificates, the Moores had concerns about how available materials would interact with the homes surrounding land. Through diligent research the Moores discovered that a nearby lumberyard was experimenting with Western Juniper for a wide range of uses. Northwest Sustainable Building Products (formerly D&V Lumber) had just started stocking Juniper posts, decking, and interior paneling when owner Mark Rankin connected with the Moores and heard about their project. Rankin immediately recognized the confluence of the Moore’s needs and Juniper’s potential.

“It is always a challenge to bring on 28

A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

a new product, but the timing of the Moore’s project with the arrival of Juniper, really helped me visualize the potential for Juniper in the Portland market”, reflects Rankin. “The wheels really started spinning as the Moores began to discover the deep back-story of Juniper”.

When most of us think of Juniper we think of the twisted and sparse shrubs of the high desert.

Increasingly, this is no longer the case.

Hundreds of years of high desert wisdom, and now some 80 years of documented research are now making their way into the public sphere. This Oregon native tree, with its unsurpassed durability, is the ideal softwood species for various building applications, particularly outdoor and in-ground uses such as decking, planter boxes, raised beds, retaining walls, and fence posts. Its lumber outperforms chemically treated wood by a wide margin while remaining entirely organic and non-toxic. It is 100% child, pet, and garden safe. Oregon State University studies dating back to 1928 qualify Juniper for an in ground rating of 50+ years and 30 years for kiln dried decking. Its natural beauty makes it a great choice for rustic interior applications such as post and beam, paneling, flooring, and trim. Another added benefit is that it is considered a recycled forest product.

Western Juniper is not commercially harvested, but cut based on the needs of grassland, watershed, and forestland restoration/reclamation projects. It has become a serious problem as an invasive plant in eastern Oregon by not only choking out other native plant species, but also by consuming ground water and lowering the water table. In its peak of growth a single tree can take over 100 gallons of water through its root system per day, literally drying out creeks and streams. Numerous landowners have witnessed streams coming back to life after surrounding stands of Juniper have been removed. Within the last 150 years this species’ range has increased over ten-fold. Agencies, non-profits, and watershed councils have spent years and considerable taxpayer dollars developing strategies to reduce Juniper populations with limited success.

Western Juniper never held much appeal to the traditional western softwood industry as it is more difficult to harvest because it doesn’t necessarily grow in stands and the trees are inconsistently spaced. It also has a low return of lumber yield per log of 35 to 40% compared to Pine or Fir where the return can be as high as 80%. More work

NW Sustainable Building Products

Serving the Portland area with sustainable outdoor lumber since 1963. Portlands premier supplier for Juniper, the most durable softwood species for ground contact and outdoor use. Juniper lasts 50+ years in ground, perfect for planter boxes, raised beds, retaining walls. Juniper outlasts treated products 3-1 while being non-toxic, child, pet, and garden safe.

FSC certified Cedar and Juniper products.

Largest selection of clear and TK Cedar.

Custom fences, decks, and raised beds.

Northwest Sustainable Building Products is a “Zero Waste” buisiness.

We use, re-use, and recylce every single piece of wood that comes through our door!

Northwest Sustainable Building Products 6821 SE Johnson Creeek BLVD Portland OR 97206 phone: 503-775-1025 www.nwsbp.com

hours: M-F 8:30-5, Sat 10-2 Licensed, Bonded, Insured CCB# 179321

for less lumber if you’re of the glass half empty mindset. A new lumber and biomass resource whose harvest benefits the land if you view the glass half full. If not for the efforts of the emerging Juniper based alternative lumber industry to process and distribute this valuable resource, the felled trees would simply be piled up and burned creating significant waste and unnecessary pollution.

Now, some two years later, the Moore’s cabin, while still a work in progress, bears the distinctive signature of Juniper almost everywhere you look. From interior touches like window trim, bedroom flooring, rustic posts with decorative headers, to exterior uses like front porch decking and rails, fencing and gates. The Moores are currently working with Kyle Lynch of KL-Design Group, and Snyder and Snyder architects on a semi traditional post and beam long house to be built from Juniper. This will be constructed on the back of their half acre property, and will be surrounded by an edible forest based on permaculture principles. The Moore’s ultimate goal is that their home and land be used as an educational model for teaching about alternative building material, sustainable development, and permaculture principles in urban farming. Look for the Moore’s home in this years Build it Green! Home Tour.

For more on Juniper visit: http://www.nwsbp.com or http:// juniper.oregonstate.edu/factsheet.php

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Events Eco Tuesday 4th Tuesday of the Month at Souk www.ecotuesday.com Energy Trust Better Living Show March 26th to March 28th www.betterlivingshow.org Building Rain Barrels and other Green Living Classes Starting in April Ptld. Comm. College http://bit.ly/cND95h Agent of Change in Your Circle of Influence Series starts April 6th http://earthleaders.org/classes-workshops Chickens 101: The Basics of a Backyard Flock April 8 Naomi’s Organic Farm Supply http://bit.ly/cK6UP2

Rain Gardens 101 April 11th Presented by East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation Dist. http://emswcd.org/workshops-events Goldendale Home and Garden Show featuring Energy Exposition April 16th to 18th Klickitat County Fair Grounds www.goldendalechamber.org Open the Door to Sustainability April 22 Art Show and Fundraiser for the ReBuilding Center http://openthedoortosustainability.com City Repair Earth Day Celebration April 24th from 10 to 7 Washington H.S. Field 12th & Stark www.cityrepair.org/earthday

Northwest Energy Expo and Clean Technology Showcase April 30 to May 2nd Oregon Convention Center http://www.nwsolarexpo.com Solar Oregon Goal Net Zero Workshop and Tour May 8th http://www.solaroregon.org/tours Worm Composting May 15th Zenger Farm http://bit.ly/9n5XuO City Repair Village Building Convergence May 28th to June 6th 2800 SE Harrison St. http://vbc.cityrepair.org

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A Practial Journal for Friends of the Environment c GreenLivingJournal.com d Spring 2010

Events North American Organic Brewers Fest.

June 25th, 26th and 27th http://www.naobf.org Recycled Arts Festival - Vancouver June 26th and 27th Esther Short Park http://www.recycledartsfestival.com Sol West Renewable Energy Fair July 23rd to 25th John Day Fair Grounds, John Day, OR http://www.solwest.org/fair.htm

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FEED . SOIL AMENDMENTS & FERTILIZER . COMPOST STRAW . HAY . SALT . WILD BIRD . GOATS . WORKSHOPS FRIENDLY ADVICE * * * BABY CHICKS * * * BOOKS LOCALLY GROWN SEEDS + EDIBLE PLANTS Sizes ranging from 1 lb. to 50 lbs. & multiple pallets

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Studio Coop Architecture, LLC Simple, elegant design solutions Phone: 503-962-9194 http://www.studiocoop.com

• Take charge of your health • Empower yourself with knowledge • Reduce your health care bills Bev Hartsfield, NTP Nutritional Therapy Consulting www.earthincommon.com 503-381-7398

Ecotrain Media Group presents Opportunities for Green Business Seminars - 2010 Series Starts April 17th - www.ecotrainmediagroup.com

Mr. Sun Solar Solar Water Heating Solar Electricity Solar Pool Heating

(503) 222-2468

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EcoTuesday - Portland Sustainable Business Networking Forum - Every 4th Tuesday ea. month - www.ecotuesday.com

Ecotrain Media Group presents Green Job & Career Opportunity Seminars - 2010 Series Starts Mar. 13th - www.ecotrainmediagroup.com

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