Green Living Journal Fall 2010 #10 by GreenLivingJournalPDX

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

Contents

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Publisher’s Page - Don’t Pay – Don’t Drill............... 4 Local Notes........................................................................... 5 Celebrating 20 Years - Hippo Hardware................. 11 Education - Educators Weigh in on the Value of Online Education.......................................................... 12 Transportation Electric Vehicle News .................................................. 16 Save Gas with Hypermiling........................................ 18 Money - .When Breaking Up (with your Megabank) Is the Right Thing ToDo .............................................. 20 Building - . ...Sustainable Heating and Cooling from the Ground Up................................................................ 21 Gardening Improve Your Soil with Cover Crops....................... 23 Pause for Poetry - Photo Shoot . ............................... 26 Earth Talk ........................................................................... 26 Travel - WWOOFing Around the World..................... 27 Food - HarvestMark Food Traceablity Comes to Portland Produce Aisles.............................................. 28 Book Reviews.................................................................... 29 Events .................................................................................. 30 Classifieds........................................................................... 31

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Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 10 Fall 2010

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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 Prepress/Graphics/Ad Production: 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: Students & St. John’s Bridge iStock Photo.com Printed: with soy-based inks on Blue Heron recycled paper by Signature Graphics.

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Publisher’s Page Don’t Buy – Don’t Drill

By Gary Munkhoff One of the most annoying things about the internet and email is that they give people the opportunity and technical ability to pass on heart tugging stories and old jokes that they would never pass on verbally to folks that they meet in person. One such old joke was waiting for me first thing in the morning as I fired up my Mac and even though I had not heard it for years and years, it all came back after reading just the first few words. I groaned, hit the “Delete” button, and moved on to the rest of my emails, all the while plotting an appropriate response, which as it turns out was never needed. Seems that a week ago I had ordered from Amazon a copy of Roger von Oech’s updated edition of A Whack on the Side of the Head hoping that it would jump-start my creative juices and give me some new tools to use in solving a knotty problem that had popped up recently. Now it just so happened that the book arrived a little later on the same day as the old joke, but before any of this makes any sense to you I am reluctantly forced to pass on that old hackneyed joke from the past. A neighbor who wanted to buy a mule approached the old Missouri farmer that had several for sale. Now the neighbor had just recently moved to the country from St. Louis and knew nothing about mules or farming but was fed up with city life and was bent on getting back to the earth. So the farmer took the buyer out to the field to show him the mules that were, according the farmer, very gentle, well trained and will respond to commands given in a normal voice. No need to yell at them or whip them. The neighbor selected one, paid the farmer and walked on home with his mule. Two days later the neighbor comes back to the farmer, with the mule in tow, wanting his money back because that darned old mule won’t do any work at all. The farmer puts a harness on the mule, walks him over to the plow sitting in the field and quietly says “ee-ya”. Nothing happens, so again, the “ee-ya”. Still no response from the mule. The farmer just smiles, walks back to the barn, picks up a short piece of 2x4, walks back to the mule, WHAM, hits him across the head, puts the 2x4 down and quietly says “ee-ya”. The mule pulls into the harness and starts plowing the field. The neighbor looks at the farmer and says, “Hey wait a minute you told me I wouldn’t have to yell at or whip this mule and that he would obey with just a quiet command.” The farmer just smiles and says, “That’s right he will, but sometimes you just have to get his attention first.” And so it is with life. But, all joking aside, there are times when a whack in the head is just what is needed to not only

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

get the attention of that Missouri mule that is in all of us, but also to get our creative juices flowing as suggested by Roger von Oech. A wake up call to take action and this time the whack has a name: Deepwater Horizon. If there is ever to be anything positive to come out of the blowout in the Gulf of Mexico it must be that this calamitous event will turn out to be the very whack in the head needed to wake America up. Another Pearl Harbor, if you will, snapping us out of our lethargy and calling us into action. This must become the catastrophic catalyst that will spur each and every one of us to reduce our consumption of gasoline any way we can. Should we choose to ignore this call for change, then we will have no one but ourselves to blame when the next blowout occurs and destroys even more of our environment. Today, more than ever, we have access to ideas and technological tools that, if put to use in our daily lives, would allow each one of us to break that addiction. Let “Don’t Buy Don’t Drill” be the mantra for our quest. No more excuses, no more waiting for the other guy and no more waiting for our government to act. Just “ee-ya” and start plowing new ground.

Double Decker PDX Rides Into Portland

Rose City residents might think they’ve been transported to the land of Big Ben when the cherry red Double Decker PDX is seen on the streets of Portland. This will be Oregon’s first luxury double decker charter/limousine service, providing a historic vehicle with contemporary amenities. The ultimate swinging London import, this vintage 1959 Bristol Lodekka double decker bus has been given a modern and eco-friendly makeover, complete with a new biodiesel engine and a lush leather interior, perfect for sipping a gin martini – or an Oregon pinot noir - and exploring the region in style. Double Decker PDX is the brainchild of Brooks Thompson and Kent Metcalf, two young entrepreneurs and lifelong Oregonians who recently graduated from the Univer-

sity of Oregon and saw an open niche in Oregon’s luxury charter industry. “Portland has a fantastic tourism industry and bustling nightlife, so we were surprised to see that there wasn’t an upscale charter service already in operation,” says owner and manager Brooks Thompson. Co-owner Kent Metcalf continues, “Portland is coming of age and can compete with larger and flashier cities like New York and Las Vegas.” The bus recalls classic London iconography, seamlessly incorporating modern finishes, plush upholstering and high-end detailing, to create a unique vibe and unmatched passenger experience. Two lounge-like levels will accommodate groups as large as 30, making the bus an ideal charter for parties, sports outings, corporate events, bachelor and bachelorette parties, weddings, touring Oregon wine country and other special events. Bus service offers obvious green benefits but Double Decker PDX has taken this a step further and incorporated many other eco-conscious initiatives that make it right at home in Portland’s “green” community. A complete engine transplant enables the double decker to run on biodiesel rather than traditional petroleum fuel and minimizes greenhouse gas production with carbon offsets through Trees for the Future included in all rentals. For more information about Double Decker PDX please visit www.doubledeckerpdx.com or call (503) 575-5875

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Local Notes

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Marylhurst Offers Sustainable Business MBA in 18 Months

Businesses must adopt sustainable practices if they want to survive. But they can’t do it without strong leaders. Marylhurst’s MBA in Sustainable Business program is an examination into and a preparation for the future of business around the world. Few programs weave sustainable concepts into every one of their courses; and even fewer do it within an accelerated online format designed specifically for working professionals. Choose from four distinct concentrations: Renewable Energy - Gain a fresh perspective on business while learning how to address environmental regulations and policy that incorporate important decisions impacting energy use, business strategy and operational management. Government Policy & Administration - Discover how environmental laws and policy affect administrative decision-making as well as the dynamics associated with environmental protection and green business practices. Natural & Organic Resources - Learn how environmental laws and policy affect business, gain an understanding of the effects and consequences of food production and consumption, and learn the policy behind sustainable natural resource management. Green Development - Learn how environmental law affects business development and urban planning. Discover what it takes to implement sustainable business practices in your office, construction plans, and in your community. Each concentration covers sustainable & business concepts including: green leadership, ethics, finance, environmental law, resource management, effective communication, organizational strategy, marketing, and emerging technologies. • Graduate in just 18 months of dedicated part-time study. • 100% Online - no required campus visits. • Take only one accelerated online course at a time. For more info go to http://bit.ly/9DTN0e

Local Couple Starts Website to Support Non-GMO Food

Portland couple Ernie and Mary Nichols found that they had food sensitivity to GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms, also called Genetically Engineered or GE food). So they have started an informative website called GMOfreePortland.com. “We are here to help with the how-topart by showing you restaurants and places that sell food where you can get more than a snack to tide you over.” Their website provides links to resources and information to help you find out more about GMO’s. In the process of getting our project off the ground, we learned that Portlanders absolutely want to know what is in their food, but the system makes it harder every day. We found out that people either don’t know much about GMO’s or believe they are impossible to avoid. We also learned that Portland is a real leader in “positive food.” We’re aiming to help all those good food providers thrive so they can keep it coming. We’re out hunting for more and now our readers are reporting in with more places to check out!” We are working to get “non-GMO” to be not only a visible marketing strategy but also something new for Portland to offer the world. The Portland-Metro area is the prime location for a GMO-free niche because we are already close to our food and our local, sustainable farms. We have some very big non-GMO food manufacturers here, and we’re one of the leaders in Organics. Our project is another extension of the local conscious food movement. Thanks to the website, we’re also hearing from other cities in Oregon that are working for non-GMO food. What is the future of the project? Our web calendar will start to have some lecture dates. We have new establishments to write up and give window clings to and we have plans for things like recipes and brand pages and so forth. We’re purely service- we don’t want money (success here will bring us some side opportunity to sustain us while we run the project), people tell friends and family about us to help them be healthier, and we help local businesses and cooperatives. All featured restaurants, bakeries, stores, and combination establishments, both Patrons and Friends, are places where you can happily eat and shop knowing that you are enjoying GMO free food. Welcome to GMOFreePortland.com!

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

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Solexant Plans Solar Facility in Gresham

Solexant Corp., developer of third generation ultrathin-film PV technology, announced the selection of the city of Gresham, Oregon for the location of its first commercial-scale thin film solar manufacturing facility. Upon completion the 100MW plant will be Oregon’s first thin film solar manufacturing plant and the largest nanotechnology manufacturing facility in the world. Solexant expects to receive a $25 million SELP loan from the Oregon Department of Energy (DOE), the largest loan bestowed in the 30-year history of the state energy program. “We are pleased to welcome Solexant to Oregon, North America’s leading solar manufacturing center,” said Gover-

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proud of this window!” The 830 will perform for its owners. It presents a certified “U” value that is better than an R-5 insulating value, and can be used in Passive and Low Solar Gain projects that require LEED certification. Its 4.50” x 3.50” frame provides superior structural integrity…and in fact is tested and certified for wind resistance from 182-190 MPH. The Dual Pane 830 was developed primarily as an energy efficient sound-dampening window. Applications for this version of the 830 Window System might include projects that are located near noisy urban settings like highways and airports. The 830 could just be the perfect solution for those involved in new or retrofit mid-rise residential/commercial projects, buildings in high exposure areas like the coast or mountains, or those folks that are just seeking a lower utility bill. To learn more about the Mercer 830 Window System, visit their web site at www.mercerwindows.com

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nor Kulongoski. “This investment will mean jobs immediately for Oregonians with the promise of more in the future. In addition, this company brings a new technological facet to Oregon’s already booming solar manufacturing base and will help us continue to be a global leader in solar manufacturing.” Along with an $18.75 million Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) from ODOE, a $25 million loan from the State of Oregon Energy Loan Program and the $64 million in equity funding Solexant has raised to date, the company will have adequate funds to bring the nanotechnology-based thin film solar plant to full capacity. The factory will employ as many as 200 Oregonians (97 confirmed local employees in the BETC agreement). The company expects to build additional 100MW lines in Gresham after the first line become operational. Solexant’s breakthrough technology and award-winning manufacturing method allow for more efficient use of equipment space, as well as higher throughput and lower labor costs than competing thin film companies, to produce thin film modules with an installed cost structure that will challenge the current industry norm. Originally developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) by Dr. Paul Alivisatos and his team, Solexant’s printable nanocrystal technology platform can produce flexible thin film solar cells using a variety of materials through a fast and simple printing

process using nanocrystal inks. For its initial commercial offering, the company will produce the industry’s first nanocrystal ultrathin-film solar cell using its proprietary roll-to-roll manufacturing process to print CdTe nanocrystals on a flexible surface. For more information please visit: www.solexant.com

Join Northwest Earth Institute’s EcoChallenge 2010

The Northwest Earth Institute’s EcoChallenge is a two week event promoting sustainable living, and the power of taking one step toward a healthy, vibrant, sustainable future. Participating is simple—first, choose an EcoChallenge category--commit to saving water or energy, reducing the amount of trash that you generate, increasing alternative transportation use, boosting sustainable food purchases, or choose your own EcoChallenge. You can take on the Challenge individually or as part of a team. By taking on an EcoChallenge, you’ll find out how to reduce your impact, create lasting new habits, have fun working toward your goals, and hopefully open up a dialogue about sustainability with your family and friends too. Whether the EcoChallenge is your first step toward a lower impact lifestyle, or you’ve been around the environmental block many times, we invite you to Challenge yourself this October 1 - 15. We all

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

ECO MAIDS The installation first started in November with the replacement of the roof with R-30 insulation and a waterproof TPO membrane; at that point, the building owner saw a dramatic drop in power costs needed to heat the building. The added effects of the greenroof and the shade provided by the solar array should help reduce the power cost to cool the building during the summer, and further add to the building’s ability to retain heat in the winter. The savings in heating and cooling expenses gained from the insulation and the electricity generated from the solar array are expected to be great enough to pay back the cost of the system in 5 years.

Historic International Harvester Building Gets Solar Ecoroof Solterra Systems of Portland recently completed what just might be the largest green roof / solar array installation in the country on the International Harvester building at 79 SE Taylor St. The project consists of 216 Sanyo 210 modules installed in an elevated rack system above a 6,200 square feet green roof planted with a dozen or so species of Sedum. Following are some additional project details that are of interest: • The International Harvester Building was built in 1911, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NHRP) on March 8, 1989. • The building is unreinforced masonry, meaning additional attention had to be paid to ensure structural feasibility. • The roof will be used to conduct research in conjunction with Dr. David Sailor’s Green Building Research Lab (GBRL) at Portland State University. Specifically, they will be monitoring temperature data taken from the roof surface, within the growth media, on the underside of the solar modules, and the underside of the roof deck. The intention is to determine what effects, if any, the green roof has on the solar panels, and vice versa.

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have a very important role to play in creating a sustainable future—now is your opportunity to make a commitment to change! Register today, and join a growing community of people who are taking action on behalf of the planet! Taking the EcoChallenge really is simple—you’ll register, choose your EcoChallenge, create your personal EcoChallenger page on the website, tell your friends and family what you’re up to (and invite them to join too!), and then, on October 1st start working toward your challenge goals. Remember that we’re all on our own path, so start from where you are. Every step counts in the effort to create a sustainable future, and many people making small changes in their everyday lives add up to real change! Benefits of Taking the EcoChallenge Does the environmental news get you down? Are you looking for a way to make a difference? Have your sustainability efforts fallen by the wayside? Have you been searching for a way to engage people in your workplace in sustainability efforts? The EcoChallenge is your chance to take action, create new sustainable habits, and effect change! The EcoChallenge is open to everyone and anyone interested in taking action on behalf of the planet! All funds raised during the EcoChallenge will support NWEI’s sustainability education programs. For more info go to http://www.ecochallenge.org/about_the_ challenge

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City Repair Announces the 2010 Firefly Community Lantern Walk

The City Repair Project announces the Firefly Community Lantern Walk to be held along Portland’s riverfront on Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 7pm to 9pm. The Walk is a community-based event held to promote connection to natural cycles. The event seeks to create a space for Portland community members to gather together to acknowledge the passing from summer to autumn – to celebrate harvest time and the shifting in balance of light. The lantern walk route will start at the Main Street Plaza on the Eastbank Esplanade, just north of the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge. From there, participants can walk or ride a 2.5 mile circular route around the river: first north along the Eastbank Esplanade, then over the Steel Bridge, and back along Waterfront Park to the Hawthorne Bridge. Lighted bikes are encouraged to start out first and be a vanguard for the procession. Participants are asked to bring a lantern or lights to carry. There will be a lantern-making workshop at a City Repair ReWare event on Sunday, September 19th. This is a free, all-ages event. Go to http://cityrepair.org for further details about the Firefly Lantern Walk, ReWare workshops, and information about The City Repair Project. The City Repair Project is a 501(c) 3 non-profit grassroots organization that helps people reclaim their urban spaces to create community-oriented places. This event is organized and run by volunteers on a minimal budget, and local sponsors help keep this event community-supported.

Claylin, Earthen Floors in a Bag, Now Available

Claylin floors are beautifully unique, they are earthen floors. Made of local clay, fine straw and sand, these floors have been installed in homes for more than a millennium. From These Hands, LLC has developed a mix and bagged it for easy use. A manual, hands on workshops and a growing list of certified installers are also available. The clay soil from Estacada, and sand mix from the Columbia River, come in one bag. The fine straw from McMinnville comes in a second bag. Oils and waxes to finish the floor come from a manufacturing company in Corvallis. The bags are cotton and can be returned to From

These Hands and from there they will be recycled into insulation. The floor is finished with oils and waxes to produce a hard and waterproof surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. A how-to manual is available for $20, but is free with the purchase of 40 or more 50lb bags. Contact Sukita Reay Crimmel at 503.957.6132, mudgirl@sukita.com, and www.claylin.com From These Hands, LLC is general contractor specializing in natural building materials and methods since 2002 in Portland, Oregon.

Green Shipping Offers Offsets for Your Shipments

Green Shipping, in partnership with the Bonneville Environment Foundation (BEF), offers a web-based service that allows both businesses and individuals to offset the environmental impact of their UPS, FedEx, and USPS shipments by funding the development of renewable energy. Using shipment tracking numbers from FedEx, UPS, and USPS, the service analyzes the shipment weight, mode of transportation, and route of travel to accurately determine the CO2 emissions of each shipment. Then, for typically a few pennies per shipment, businesses and individuals can automatically purchase carbon offsets to make their shipments carbon neutral. GreenShipping.com offers users a single place to save and track all their shipments. Utilizing Google Maps, Green Shipping provides a map-based interface to view shipment locations and status. They also allows users to subscribe to RSS feeds to get up to date information on their shipments in their favorite RSS reader. For convenience, users can also use email to send tracking numbers into their Green Shipping account. Frequent shippers can configure their account to offset all shipments from their UPS, FedEx, or USPS shipping accounts automatically. ‘When you offset a shipment at GreenShipping.com, you are investing in new wind power projects that replace power generated by dirtier sources like coal-fired power plants,” says CEO and founder Ken Whiteman. “Choosing wind over coal provides a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and by matching that reduction to emissions generated by your shipment, you are effectively neutralizing the carbon footprint of your package.” Whiteman notes that the choice to use the Bonneville Environmental Foundation as the carbon offset partner was easy. “BEF is a non-profit environmental organization that

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

holds its products to the highest standards. By purchasing U.S.-based wind power offsets through BEF, GreenShipping users not only take action against climate change, but also reduce air pollution and create green jobs at home.” All of BEF’s renewable sources are located in North American and must meet rigorous environmental criteria endorsed by three leading environmental organizations including the Natural Resources Defense Council. BEF Wind Offsets are independently certified through Green-e® Climate, a non-profit consumer protection program that ensures that these offsets represent real, permanent, and beyond business-as-usual greenhouse gas emission reductions. For more info visit: http://www.greenshipping.com

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Celebrating 20 Years

Hippo Hardware

Photo Courtesy of flickr freemoth

History Steven Miller and Stephen “Oppy” Oppenhiem started Hippo Hardware in 1976. They were two young boys selling junk out of a pick up truck. In 1978, they signed a lease on a building and incorporated. Their first store was on SE 12th Avenue in Portland, Oregon. It was a mere 2000 square feet of space. In the early days, the two Steves did it all. In addition to running the store, they attended auctions, garage sales, and demolished buildings to build their inventory. They averaged 1500 miles a month while looking for merchandise for their store. Sixteen hour workdays, six days a week was the norm in those early days. It was three years before they hired their first employee. By 1990, Hippo had outgrown their location. They now occupied over 20,000 square feet of retail space. Utilizing the street people of Portland and creating one of the largest unpermitted parades, they packed over 125,000 one of a kind items and moved four blocks to their new 30,000 square foot home at 1040 E Burnside.In the next 20 years Hippo managed to create a loyal and loving base of customers that came in to share remodeling triumphs and tragedies. Hippo has managed to create a successful and long lasting business by doing what they do best:

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The Green Living Journal has been publishing practical information for friends of the environment in Vermont for 20 years and our PortlandVancouver edition has been up and running for over 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 businesses that are also 20 years old or more. We look forward to the next 20 years and all the exciting changes that are coming. In this issue we are featuring Hippo Hardware, a Portland Institution since 1976. Specializing in original and reproduction hardware, architecture, lighting, and plumbing.

Photo Courtesy of flickr christpherhu

provide customer service and excellent products which leave customers feeling taken care of and listened to. All the years of hard work has paid off. Hippo Hardware now has sixteen employees, four departments and hundreds of suppliers. Mission Their Mission is to recycle the past to make a more livable future. When Hippo Hardware originally formed, the word “recycling” hadn’t been invented. The notion of selling things that many people threw away was

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considered strange at best. Hippo Hardware began out of Steven Miller’s and Stephen Oppenheim’s vision for creating a business that could simultaneously provide a much needed resource for home restorers, artists, and craftsmen and create a fun, supportive working environment for all of it’s employees. What You See “You gotta see it to believe it” is the only way to describe the store itself. Pictures and words just can’t do it. Just go on down to 1040 East Burnside and see for yourself. What You Don’t See As amazing as the store is, there is more to the Hippo story than meets the eye. According to Wikipedia, John Elkington coined the phrase “Triple Bottom Line” in 1994 and this concept is best described by the phrase “people, planet, profit”. Today this is what we all consider to be the goal of sustainability and the accounting yardstick for businesses that believe in being social enterprises. All types of businesses from sole proprietors to multi-national corporations are now forming triple bottom line cultures; some for genuine concern about our world while others are merely paying lip service. Elkington may have coined the term in 1994, but Hippo Hardware by that time had already been practicing the very same concept for eighteen years. Were they the first to do so in Portland? In Oregon? In the country? Does it matter? The point is that they are practicing it, and have been for the past 34 years. An enduring tribute to Steven Miller’s and Stephen Oppenheim’s genuine concern for people, planet and profit. They have built their business and there personal lives on the premise that they have a responsibility to take care of those that take care them, be it the other partner, their employees, their customers, or the people that live in their community. They are sincere in their belief and it works for them as can be judged by the fact that their partnership still exists after 34 years of operation and that members of

their staff have been there for many years. Jim McDonald who oversees the lighting department has been there more than 30 years; Debbie Henshaw, hardware, 16 years, Ann Grenwalt, cashier and book keeper, 14 years; Tyler Curry, plumbing, 4 years; and Robert Sloan, hardware and architecture, 3 years. Miller’s daughter, Morgan, has been around and worked for the store since she was 8 years old and now steps in to take the reins whenever she is needed. The streets of Portland are home to many that have suffered personal crises and fallen through the cracks of our society. Hippo’s close in location puts them in a unique position to offer help, which they do by providing temporary work for these homeless people, especially single women with children and veterans. Also, if you check their website you will find a sizeable list of organizations to which they contribute. You could say they are investing their profits in their community rather than putting them in their pockets or even into a fancy architectural monument to impress the world. Providing staff salaries, jobs for those needing a helping hand, and contributions to those whose work compliment Hippo’s goals, all come before the accumulation of wealth for the owners. These two self-proclaimed “junk dealers” don’t just believe in sustainability, they have found a way to build it into their business, their community, and their lives. Visit their website; http://www.hippohardware.com

Education Educators Weigh In on the Value of Online Education Compiled by Stephen Morris (Editor’s note: The National Editor asked various educators from around the country to give their pros and cons of online education. This piece has been edited for length. The full comments appear online at GreenLivingJournal.com) Mary Bradbury Jones Director of Accelerated Online Programs Marylhurst University There are many benefits of online education. First and most important, because the class is spread out over an entire week, it allows for more in-depth discussions by increasing the opportunities to “apply” the content to the real world. Students have time to reflect and process information before having to discuss with the class. It allows for a more diverse student population because online students are located all over the country and the world. This online interaction helps improve one’s communication skills through the online discussions and virtual collaboration. Last, the obvious benefit is convenience. The online stu-

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David Cavanagh Co-Director, External Degree Program Johnson State College The great benefit of online education is that it removes barriers to education posed by geography and schedules. People without easy access to a campus can learn from the remotest hilltop, day or night. In addition, it provides access to resources worldwide that can greatly enhance learning. Exploring the Louvre is just a click away. Cody Jones, PhD Instructor, REE/Portland Extension Activities cody.jones@oit.edu Oregon Institute of Technology My verdict: offer both classroom and online courses. Online courses provide great flexibility for students who must manage coursework around career, family, and other commitments, and they accommodate diverse learning styles, if course materials are presented in a variety of media. In the seven-university Oregon University System, online courses allow us to reach students across campuses and institutions, working professionals, and the larger community. However, in

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Barb DeKalb Director of Distance Education Oregon Institute of Technology Although it’s been around for a while now, it’s still new enough that I’d have to say all the evidence on the pros and cons is surely not in yet! And I believe there is a lot of misconception and misperception as well. As an example, the statement I hear sometimes is “I took it online because it is (or I thought it would be) easier.” And that often is not the case in the end. I’ve been working in online education for about 15 years now...first as an advisor to students in online programs, and now as the director of online programs at OIT. Some students really struggle with the format and environment...and long for the ‘good old days’ when they could sit in a classroom. One of the things I’ve heard many times from students in these programs is that they miss the in class discussion and interaction and the immediacy of getting questions answered. That said, I’ve also had the majority of students I’ve worked with in online programs praise the education from a variety of perspectives. One was how much more difficult in many ways it was to become educated in this manner. But along with that was more often than not an acknowledgement that they felt they really ‘owned’ the information and understanding of the subject. This in part was due to the necessity of doing a lot of the searching, reading, studying and understanding of the material and having to depend upon one’s self and not just having as one student put it to me, ‘downloaded’ by lecture. Another comment I heard from students frequently

was, you need to be highly organized, self-motivated, committed to the program, determined, and willing to put yourself out there a bit more than you might in a classroom setting. The comments go on and on, but often center on these qualities that you must have to be successful. (Another one is that students often feel safer and more encouraged to speak up in online classes since it feels less threatening to them.) The great thing about that is when you ask students about their experience, many times they’ll say, about those characteristics, “gosh, these are characteristics that are also extremely valuable in the workplace, and I can tell prospective employers that.” The technology is evolving rapidly as well, and addressing some of the ‘deficiencies’ if you will, of online education. For instance, there are many web conferencing opportunities now, which provide more direct contact between students, and between the faculty and students. Faculty are becoming creative in ways they never could before, as well. The old ‘correspondence’ course is not totally an artifact of earlier ‘distance education’ programs, but it’s far less available these days. I would say that online education is not for everyone, nor is it applicable to every subject and situation. But, I would also say it’s a fabulous opportunity for many students who have few other ways to access formal higher education, or for that matter, a way to expand the offerings in the high school realm. The other thing I would say about it, in a general sense, is, that the education students receive through online programs depends heavily on the quality of the teaching in that program. This demands that the institution set and expect adherence, to standards in the courses and programs they deliver. Not every faculty member is suited to teaching online, any more than every student is to learning online. Also, keep in mind that there is not an industry standard per se yet developed. There is a lot of helpful information and suggestions about what works and is good, but there is not one mind about what it all should look like. There are some good practices stated ‘out there’ but not necessarily bought into by everyone in this business. There is a lot of the “Do what works for you” attitude out there.

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 10 Fall 2010

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evolve. Finally, it can be time-consuming to effectively communicate highly complex material, particularly mathematic and statistical computations, through email and chat. So in my view, courses covering basic topics involving independent learning that can be assessed with simple tests are ideal candidates for online instruction. Courses that involve field work, group projects or extensive interactive discussion, topics affected by evolving policy and conditions, and complex computational material all are well-suited to “live” delivery. At least, so my students tell me.

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Vermont’s College for Experiential Academics

www.sterlingcollege.edu Lance Fletcher, AIA, LEED AP Director of Sustainable Design Boston Architectural College The online classes offered by the Sustainable Design Institute at the Boston Architectural College are instructor-led, interactive, small and asynchronous. Each of these characteristics is vital to their success as an educational experience. By being instructor-led, our students are able to engage in give and take with the building industry experts who develop and teach the courses. The interactive nature of the courses –topically-based discussion forums are obligatory and graded- exposes students to each other’s ideas and experience as well as those of the instructor. Class sizes are limited to 15 persons plus the instructor, making manageable and meaningful discussions possible. Because our students –and instructors- are based in all time zones, the courses need to be asynchronous. This feature also 16

allows students with busy lives –and jobs- to “enter” the classrooms according to their own daily schedules. Because they can be based in all time zones, students bring their own cultures and environmental conditions to the classroom, which, along with their different professional backgrounds, makes for a richly varied learning experience. Will Wootton President Sterling College, Craftsbury Common, VT If by online education you mean an electronic education factory where students are over-charged, faculty under paid, subjects dumb-downed, and academic advising conducted through a comptroller’s office...then it’s all a sloppy sham. But if you mean a new way to reach out and adjust education to the time and cost constraints of students, where faculty communicate one-on-one with their distant charges, where learning is learner-based, and where profit is a reluctant necessity absent from the mission...then it’s another great American innovation in teaching and learning. Pavel Cenkl Dean of Academics Sterling College, Craftsbury Common, VT Sterling College provides a learning community in which students and faculty engage in meaningful experiences each day as part of an integrative environmental liberal arts curriculum. By using a wide range of online tools, students could have the potential to shape their engagement of physical learning environments by scaffolding their experience with online collaborative environments wherein they can help to define their place and expectations of experience. Furthermore, globally shared forums create incentives for diverse participation, and networked blogs and other online venues can effect real social and political change.

Transportation Electric Vehicle News SolWest or Bust

Feeling a bit of that old pioneer spirit that we all like to think is an essential part of being an Oregonian, Ray Blackburn decided to drive his electric car 250 miles from his home in Portland to the SolWest Renewable Energy Fair in John Day this past July. With a battery charge range of only 100 miles, Ray’s converted Toyota Yaris was going to need some charging spots along the way. Ray worked with Jennifer Barker from SolWest who sent out emails to her contacts looking for people who would let Ray recharge. They set up stops in The Dalles, Fossil, and Dayville, and so Ray started out. He had only gone about 30 miles when he realized he had forgotten his clothes bag and so had to return home. That used up 60 miles of his battery range so he had to recharge at home again in order to reach The Dalles almost 100 miles away. In spite of being several hours behind schedule, Ray set out and reached The Dalles in time to recharge and get to Fossil where he had planned to spend the night. Upon arriving in Fossil another glitch arose when it was discovered that the car’s charging cord and the electric outlet were not compatible which prevented Ray from recharging overnight while he slept. The next morning, with the help of a local mechanic, the problem was resolved and Ray could now plug in. He left fossil around 3:00PM, went by

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

to be in the Portland area in November. Follow their progress here: http://www.zero-race.com

Enterprise Rent-A-Car to Begin Offering Electric Vehicles in 2011

The Zero Race – Around the World in 80 Days.

Jules Verne’s dream to go around the world in 80 days became a reality a long time ago, but is it possible to make a tour around the world in 80 days with emission-free vehicles? Four Teams from four continents have taken up the challenge. They started on 16 August in Geneva, Switzerland with their electric vehicles on the longest and greenest race of all time: the ZERO Race. They are scheduled

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Enterprise Rent-A-Car has announced the first phase of its plans to offer EVs at select offices throughout its neighborhood network of more than 5,000 U.S. locations. Delivery of 500 Nissan Leafs will begin in January 2011 and will continue throughout the year. In addition to the Leafs, the company will offer customers electric vehicles from other manufacturers as they become available. “As a company that owns and operates the world’s largest fleet of passenger vehicles, we have a vested interest and a history of working with manufacturers to integrate alternative-powered vehicles into our fleet,” said Lee Broughton, director of sustainability for Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operates Enterprise Rent-A-Car as well as the Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental brands. “With airport and neighborhood locations within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, our Enterprise Rent-A-Car offices are uniquely positioned to test the market viability of new alternative fuel technologies like the electric vehicle with daily commuters nationwide.” The company initially will offer electric vehicles to customers across eight different markets where the infrastructure exists to support the vehicles, including Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.; Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn.; San Diego; Los Angeles; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle. Beginning November 2010, charging stations will be installed at select locations, including several of the Enterprise “hybrid branches” – nearly 100 designated locations which offer hybrids and other environmentally-friendly rental options in 30 different markets. Enterprise is rolling the vehicles out to a limited number of branches to ensure that it can properly train its employees to show customers how to use and charge the EVs. For more information about Enterprise Holding’s environmental stewardship and long-term commitment to the sustainability of its business, visit: www.enterpriseholdings.com/sustainability.

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Dayville without needing to recharge and arrived in John Day at 6:00 PM. I know what most of you are thinking: two days just to get to John Day, forget it. And you are right, a trip like that isn’t practical for a lot of us, but Ray makes a good point when he says he would rather spend 14 hours recharging than to pay another $100 into the oil economy. We would also like to point out that an electric car conversion is not cheap and that for the same dollars Ray could have bought a more luxurious, oil powered car with far better driving performance than his Yaris. But he didn’t, and so Ray has changed his world and so our hats are off to him for being a pioneer. As oil prices increase and battery technology improves, more and more of us will join him and thus change the world even more. One final note: Ray is also very active in and the treasurer of the Oregon Electric Vehicle Association. Learn more about the OEVA at http://www.oeva.org

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Brammo Announces the Empulse Electric Motorcycle Brammo, Inc. of Ashland introduces three models of an electric sportbike, the “Empulse”. All three models will be freeway capable and will enjoy a top speed in excess of 100mph and each will offer a different battery pack with different average ranges from a single charge. The Empulse 6.0 is capable of 60 miles average range, the Empulse 8.0 is capable of 80 miles average range and the top of the line Empulse 10.0 is capable of a traveling 100 miles on a single charge. Range of all three models can be extended by traveling at lower speeds. The Empulse is available for immediate order and deliveries will commence in 2011. The estimated MSRP for the Empulse trio are; Empulse 6.0 $9,995, Empulse 8.0 $11,995 and Empluse 10.0 $13,995. All three models will be eligible for Federal and State tax incentives. For example, the Empulse 10.0 may cost as little as $7,000 in certain states after Federal and State incentives. For more information please visit www.brammo.com

Charging Stations and Electric Highways Are Coming Hardly a week goes by but what there is an announcement of another public charging station opening up somewhere. But it has only just begun. Last October the U.S. Department of Energy finalized a deal with Electric Transportation Engineering Corp. to design and install 2000 charging stations centered around Portland, Eugene, Salem and Corvallis as well as 2000 stations in the Seattle area. For more information please visit http://www.theevproject.com In addition to that project the Washington State Department of Commerce and WSDOT are teaming up to implement the nation’s first “electric highway,” a basic network of public access electric vehicle (EV) recharging locations along Interstate 5. Once implemented, Washington will have the first border to border highway to offer fast charge technology. The “electric highway” will support mass-produced plug-in electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus, and Chevrolet Volt soon rolling off the assembly lines. For more information on the Electric Highways project, visit: http://www.westcoastgreenhighway.com/electrichighways.htm

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Save Gas With Hypermiling

By Monica O’Rourke Gas-saving driving habits, called hypermiling, can help you achieve up to 40 percent more miles per gallon (mpg) than your car’s official fuel economy estimate. Take, for example, a 2005 Honda Accord, a best selling sedan with a mpg rating of 24 (21 city, 31 highway). According to Wayne Gerdes — who coined the term “hypermiling” and is considered by many to be its leading expert and trainer — an Accord driver who is savvy to hypermiling can expect to get about 35 mpg. Dedicated hypermilers can achieve 50 percent or better improvement over their vehicles’ estimated mpg figures. Last year, Gerdes set a world record for distance in a gas — powered, mid-sized sedan by driving 1,445 miles on a single tank of fuel in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid. That’s 81 mpg — more than double the vehicle’s Environmental Protection Agency rating of 39 mpg. In 2006, Gerdes started an online community for hypermiling enthusiasts, out of a desire to lessen the United States’ reliance on foreign oil and show us all how to save gas. “The world has experienced fuel economy tips and tricks, snake — oil magic elixirs, and eco — driving tips for well over two decades,” Gerdes says. “But what did we get? Broken promises and shattered dreams. Hypermiling not only makes you a more aware driver, but it also produces fuel savings that few other methods or practices ever will.”

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

While Gerdes and his experienced team used advanced hypermiling methods to achieve the extraordinary results in the Fusion Hybrid, it’s possible to significantly improve gas mileage in everyday driving with simple hypermiling techniques. Some of the following gas-saving tips may sound familiar — you’ve probably been hypermiling without even realizing it. Basic Hypermiling Techniques:

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541-661-2321 FernwoodWoolworks.com Smart Braking. Brake early to avoid starting again from a dead stop, especially when facing an uphill climb (the worst scenario for gas mileage). If you can avoid a complete stop by slowing early to allow a pedestrian, turning vehicle or other impediment ahead to clear, you’ll conserve fuel. Rabbit Timing. This technique works at traffic lights with sensors. When approaching a “stale” red light (one that has been red a long time and will soon turn green), slow down early and let the other traffic around you (“the rabbits”) trip the light’s sensor as they race ahead and then stop. They may cause the light to go green, so you may not have to stop at all. Perhaps best of all, any of these strategies will help teach you how different driving habits affect gas mileage. While the techniques listed only scratch the surface of the available mileage stretching methods, with time, whatever degree of hypermiling you’re comfortable with can become second nature. You’ll have numbers to be proud of, both in mpg and in savings at the gas pump. To learn more about hypermiling and engage with a community of mpg — thrifty drivers, visit www.cleanmpg.com. Excerpted from Mother Earth News, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles from Mother Earth News, please visit www.MotherEarthNews.com. Copyright 2009 by Ogden Publications Inc.

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Slow Down. When it comes to even minimally improving gas mileage, this is an easy and effective technique. Speed increases wind resistance, which ultimately reduces gas mileage. Lower speeds lead to less gas consumption. Observe the speed limit and stick to the right — hand lane. Brake Less. Excess braking can reduce gas mileage by as much as 33 percent at highway speeds. Avoid tailgating, which is not only dangerous, but leads to frequent braking. Every time you brake, you waste some of the gas that was burned during acceleration. Lighten the Load. Gone are the days of towing cargo trailers, of loading the trunk with sandbags for traction, or of leaving cargo racks stored on top of your vehicle. And put those beach/lawn chairs back in the garage. All optional weight decreases your car’s gas mileage. Minimize Air Conditioning. Running the air conditioner can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 25 percent. Instead, increase airflow by cracking the driver’s window and rear passenger’s window on the opposite side. When driving at high speeds, close your windows and use the ventilation fan to reduce aerodynamic drag. Ongoing Maintenance. You’ll burn less fuel if you keep your engine clean and running well. A dirty air filter can decrease the fuel economy of older cars with carbureted engines. Avoid Excessive Idling. Turn the engine off if you’re not going anywhere in 30 seconds or more. A modern fuel injected engine consumes only about five seconds worth of fuel to restart. Intermediate Hypermiling Techniques: According to Gerdes, it’s wise to first practice more advanced hypermiling methods on a low — traffic country road to get a feel for your vehicle’s limitations (as well as your own). Drive Without Brakes. This technique is not as dangerous as it may sound; you simply drive as if you’ve lost your brakes, even though you still have full use of them. The idea is to anticipate stops and to decelerate by simply taking your foot off the gas — coasting to a stop rather than speeding toward it. Alternate Routes. Choose routes that are less traveled and thus allow more flexibility to employ a wider range of hypermiling techniques than if you were surrounded by other vehicles. Leave early and try not to rush.

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Money When Breaking Up (with your Megabank) Is the Right Thing to Do www.greenlivingpdx.com

By Green America Staff

Last year, just before Valentine’s Day, Green America launched our “Break Up With Your Bank” campaign. Anger at the big banks and their big bailouts was running high, and the feedback from Green Americans was tremendous, as so many of you switched from the megabanks to community development banks. Since last year, the community-banking movement has been joined by many others (including the Huffington Post’s great high-profile “Move Your Money” campaign). If you haven’t already, join us now in breaking up with your megabank, and moving your money to a community development bank, locally-owned bank, or credit union. The first steps really are easy: choose a community bank, open an account, and begin banking with your new, socially responsible bank. You can close the megabank account right away, or over time you can move more and more of your banking relationship from the megabank to the community bank. And don’t forget to write that “dear John” letter (or email) to the megabank telling them why it’s over between you. So check out our list of FAQs below, and as always, use CommunityInvest.org to find greener banks and investment vehicles that are right for you. Maintained with the Social Investment Forum (SIF) since 2005, CommunityInvest.org pulls the best community investment resources together all in one place. Since 2001, Green America and SIF have helped steer nearly $3 billion in investment to community investing institutions nationwide. After a year in which the worst practices of the biggest banks were on display for all to see, it’s time for better banking with responsible institutions that do right by people and the planet. 20

Q. What exactly is the difference between a “community bank” and a community development bank? A. The difference between community banks and community development banks is that while both lend within their region only community development banks pursue a mission of directing their lending to the people who have been overlooked by traditional lenders, and help to build jobs, housing (including low-income housing) and social services. Q. I want to open a checking or savings account with a community development bank, but I don’t think I have one in my area. What do I do? A: Check CommunityInvest.org first. There might be a bank or credit union for you nearby that you haven’t heard about yet. (You can also search here for more community development banks, and here for more community development credit unions.) The other good news is that the proliferation of online banking opportunities means you can still open a checking or savings account in a community bank that might not be in your neighborhood and do all of your banking remotely – through direct deposit, online bill-pay, etc. Q. That’s great, but I need more immediate access to my money. How can I get ATM access if my bank is in another community or even another state? A: That’s a great question, and one solution is to open up two accounts. For example, Green America executive director Alisa Gravitz maintains her primary account with a community credit union in North Carolina, though she lives in Washington, DC. For times when she needs cash in DC, she has free access to a larger bank’s ATM by keeping a small balance in a separate savings account. Most banks have different minimums for such accounts, but if you can maintain the minimum, most savings accounts and ATMs are free. Q. It might take me awhile to set up a banking solution like that. Is there another first step I can take today? A. Sure, you can consider shifting your credit card usage to cards issued by community development banks. Our Real Green newsletter has profiled several cards offered by responsible banks that invest in communities from Portland, OR to Durham, NC. (For more information on the credit card that Green America now offers in partnership with our allies at ShoreBank Pacific please visit: http://www.eco-bank.com/cards/greenAmerica.php) Q. I’ve already shifted my checking account, savings account, and credit cards. What else can I do to break up with the megabanks? A. CommunityInvest.org links you to other financial products like loan funds, bond funds, and venture capital opportunities. Just like with checking accounts, savings accounts, and credit cards, you can be sure your investments with these products are going to help low- and moderateincome people improve their communities.

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

Q. I’m done! I shifted all of my banking! Now what? A. Did you write your “dear John” letter to your megabank? Tell your old bank about the good work your new bank is doing for under served communities, and call out all of the practices of your megabank that drove you away. There’s plenty to choose from.

This article courtesy of Green America. For information on joining go to GreenAmerica.org or call 1-800-58-GREEN.

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By Curt Sommer Finding a sure thing is difficult with all the uncertainty in the ‘new’ economy. Replacing a high dollar item such as an HVAC system can often be a stressful decision. It can be very difficult to know what to do. Geothermal heat pumps offer a stress free solution by providing many years of comfortable and cost-effective heating and cooling. Geothermal heat pumps were first conceived in the 1850’s and they began to get noticed in the 1940’s and 50’s. They are 3-5 times more efficient than conventional heating and cooling systems. They have several other advantages that I will elaborate on later. These systems typically provide heat well in excess of 100° F, keeping you warm and comfortable. A geothermal heat pump is a simple piece of mechanical equipment that works on the same principles as a refrigerator or an air conditioner, except the geothermal unit uses the ground as the heat source and sink depending on the season. In the winter the ground is warmer than the air so it will extract heat from the ground and transfer in to the building. In the summer it merely reverses the process. It runs exclusively on electricity and does not require any fossil fuels because there is no combustion involved. The geothermal system is comprised of three smaller sub-systems including the ground loop heat exchanger, the actual heat pump and a distribution system – typically a forced air ducting or radiant floor system. The main parts of the actual heat pump include a water to air heat exchanger (or water to water in the case of radiant floor), a reversing valve to switch from heating to cooling, and a compressor. As previously mentioned the geothermal system is 3-5 times more efficient than a conventional system. For every 1 unit of electricity it extracts 3-5 units of clean and free renewable energy from the ground. The heat pump runs on

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 10 Fall 2010

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The megabanks created the predatory lending crisis, lend money to dirty coal and other environmentally destructive industries, and jacked up interest rates on their credit cards in advance of last year’s reforms. Right now, many of them are lobbying against the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CAPA), which would protect consumers from their worst practices, even after accepting huge bail-outs from those same consumers’ tax dollars. And in the middle of our country’s deep financial crisis (largely caused by the megabanks’ policies), the Wall Street Journal reports that the top banks are set to hand out record bonuses this year. You can tell your old bank that the overcompensated fat-cats at the top don’t deserve any more of your money when you can set up the same services with bankers who share your values, and pursue a mission of using money as a tool to improve people’s lives.

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electricity and does not require any fossil fuels. In addition to greater efficiency there are several other advantages with this system including, domestic hot water heating, no direct CO2 emissions, no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning and better humidity control which results in better air quality. Greater efficiency means lower utility bills and as much as 60% to 70% lower depending on the existing equipment. Geothermal systems have been gaining in popularity in recent years while conventional systems have been declining. According to the following chart, sales of geothermal units have increased by 158% over the previous five years, in spite of the recession. They are not dependent on fossil fuels because the energy from the ground is free. 5 Year Industry Unit Shipments (000) 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Change 2005/2009

A/C

6471

4951

4508

3968

3515

-46.00%

GAS HP OIL GEO

3512 2137 111 33

3197 2118 93 43

2782 1899 84 47

2280 1856 55 68

2174 1642 56 85

-38.00% -23.00% -49.00% 158.00%

humidity control as well as enhanced air quality. The system provides multiple benefits with much lower operating costs compared to conventional systems. Although they do have higher upfront costs these are more than offset by paybacks that typically average eight to ten years. They units can be stored indoors for protection from the elements. Simplicity of design and minimal moving parts result in lower maintenance expenses and longer life spans. A geothermal system will typically last a minimum of twenty years and some have been known to last thirty and forty years. They are also eligible for several financial incentives including a 30% tax credit from the federal government, a $600 - $900 credit from the State of Oregon (depending on system size) and rebates from local utilities. A complete list of financial incentives for all states can be found at the web site http://dsireusa.org/. There are several renewable energy system options available to the consumer today. Most forms of renewable energy have an appropriate place. Solar panels and wind turbines get the most attention because they are highly visible. They also tend to be much more expensive and require a lot more maintenance, most of which is the responsibility of the owner. A geothermal heat pump on the other hand, is less glamorous but will provide years if not decades of comfortable and efficient, earth friendly heating and cooling. These systems have comparable warranties to their

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In addition to greater efficiency other advantages include pre-heating of domestic hot water with a de-superheater. A hot water heater can be connected to the heat pump through a heat exchanger and in the summer time hot water heating is essentially free because the heat from the house is used to heat the domestic water supply. Winter time hot water heating expense is also greatly reduced. Other advantages include reduced CO2 emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration, residential heating accounted for 20% of CO2 emissions in the US in 2008. A geothermal heat pump and a renewable power plan through the local utility make your home essentially carbon neutral. A geothermal system does not burn moisture in the air because there is no combustion process, resulting in better 22

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

conventional counterparts and the ground loops are typically warranted for up to 50 years. A life-cycle costs analysis is the most objective way to compare HVAC systems, and when compared on a longterm rather than a short-term basis a geothermal heat will prevail every time. Geothermal heat pumps have a very specific niche among renewable energy technologies and are an essential technology for a sustainable future.For more information please visit: International Ground Source Heat Pump Association â&#x20AC;&#x201C; http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/about/about_us.htm Energy Information Administration - http://www.eia.doe. gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/carbon.html International Ground Source Heat Pump Association http://www.igshpa.okstate.edu/geothermal/faq.htm Curt Sommer is a renewable energy consultant based in Metro Portland. You can visit his web site at http://green-nrg.net or contact him at curt.sommer@comcast.net.

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Gardening Improve Your Soil with Cover Crops By Barbara Pleasant

There are three main ways to improve your soil â&#x20AC;&#x201D; grow cover crops, mulch the surface with biodegradable mulches, and/or dig in organic soil amendments (such as compost, grass clippings, rotted manure or wood chips). All have their advantages and none should be discounted, but covercropping is the method least likely to be practiced in home gardens. How Cover Crops Help A cover crop is any plant grown for the primary purpose of improving the soil. Since the early 1900s, farmers have used cover crops to restore fertility to worn-out land. In addition to helping bulk up soil with organic matter, Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 10 Fall 2010

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cover crops prevent erosion, suppress weeds, and create and cycle soil borne nutrients using the power of the sun. Recent advances in soil biology have revealed two more ways cover crops can improve soil. Rhizodeposition is a special advantage to working with cover crops. Many plants actually release sugars and other substances through their roots. They are like little solar engines, pumping energy down into the soil. With vigorous cover crop plants, this process goes on much more deeply than you would ever dig — 6 feet for oats and rye! Thanks to this release of sugars, the root tips of many plants host colonies of helpful microorganisms, and as the roots move deeper, the microbes follow. Bio-drilling is what happens when you use a cover crop’s natural talents to “drill” into compacted subsoil. For example, you might grow oilseed or daikon radishes as a cover crop where their spear-shaped roots will stab deep

into tight subsoil. Bio-drilling action also takes place when deeply rooted cover crop plants penetrate subsoil and die. Then, the next crop grown may actually follow the rooting network mapped out by the cover crop. Dozens of plants have special talents as cover crops, and if you live in an extremely hot, cold, wet or dry climate, you should check with your local farm store or state extension service for plant recommendations — especially if you want to use cover crops under highstress conditions. Also be aware that many cover crop plants can become weedy, so they should almost always be taken down before they set seed.

How To Take ‘Em Down Traditionally, cover crops are plowed under, but most gardeners chop, cut or pull them, and use them for mulch or compost. Or you can assign the task to a flock of pecking poultry. Pulling plants saves time, too, because you don’t have to wait three weeks (or more) to plant, in order to avoid possible negative reactions between rotting plant residues and the plants you want to grow. If you chop in fresh cover crop residues, just plan to wait two to three weeks before sowing crop seeds.

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Top Cover Crop Options The following cover crops work well in a wide range of climates and situations, and they’re not hard to take down, as long as you do it at the right time and in the proper way. During the summer, buckwheat (Fagopyron esculentum) is in a class by itself as a cover crop. Seeds sown in moist soil turn into a weed-choking sea of green within a week, with many plants growing 2 feet high or more and blooming in less than 30 days. Should you need to reclaim space that has been overtaken by invasives, buckwheat can be your best friend. Throughout the battle, the buckwheat attracts bees and other buzzers in droves. Fortunately, even mature buckwheat plants are as easy to take down as impatiens — simply pull the succulent plants with a twist of the wrist, or use a hoe or scythe to slice them off at the soil line. You can let the dead plants die into a surface mulch and plant through them, gather them up and compost them, or chop

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them into the soil. In late summer, while the soil is still warm, you have a fine opportunity to try barley (Hordeum vulgare), a fastgrowing grain that’s great for capturing excess nitrogen left over from summer crops, which might otherwise leach away during the winter. Barley often suffers from winter injury in Zone 6, and is often killed altogether in Zone 5 and above. This is good! The dead barley residue shelters the soil through winter, and dries into a plant-through mulch in spring in cold zones. Early fall is the best time to grow the dynamic duo of soil-building cover crops — oats (Avena sativa) mixed with cold-hardy winter peas (Pisum sativum). When taken down just before the peas start blooming in spring, an oat/pea combination cover crop is the best way to boost your soil’s organic matter and nutrient content using only plants. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) needs a good head start on winter, too, but it’s hardy to Zone 4 and gives a huge payback in terms of soil improvement, and saved time and labor. Unlike many other cover crop plants, you can quickly kill hairy vetch by slicing just below the crown with a sharp hoe. Late fall is not a lost season for cover crops, but in most climates you’re limited to cereal rye (Secale cereale), the cold-hardiest of them all. Rye will sprout after the soil has turned chilly, but be sure to take it out early in spring, before the plants develop tough seed stalks. Or let your chickens keep it trimmed; leave the birds on the patch longer in spring and they will kill the rye for you. In any season, you may find many more great cover crops in seed catalogs, or among your leftover seeds. As you consider possibilities, think about plants that quickly produce an abundance of leaves and stems, but are easy to pull up or chop down if you decide you don’t want them. Whatever you do, just don’t leave your soil bare or you’ll be missing out on a chance to capture solar energy to recharge your food web. Excerpted from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, the Original Guide to Living Wisely. To read more articles from MOTHER EARTH NEWS, visit www.MotherEarthNews.com. Copyright 2009 by Ogden Publications Inc.

Pause for Poetry Photo Shoot

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By Sharon Ann Harmon The fragility of an autumn day is always on the tip of my tongue, threatening to turn into winter’s first snowflake. A large round pumpkin pregnant with possibilities cleaves to the granite doorstop near my door, while a chevron of geese point south in a V echoing their long ancient cries. I savor the unexpected moment, clarity of thought and light, scent and sound then photograph it into my memory to savor on a cold winter’s night. Sharon Ann Harmon is an avid reader of Green Living Journal who lives in Orange, Massachusetts. This poem was previously published in Swimming With Cats (Autumn Light Press).

Dear EarthTalk: Can airplanes be run on cleaner fuels or be electric powered? Are there changes afoot in the airline business to find cleaner fuels? -- Reema

Islam, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Given air travel’s huge contribution to our collective carbon footprint—flying accounts for about three percent of carbon emissions worldwide by some estimates—and the fact that basic passenger and cargo jet designs haven’t changed significantly in decades, the world is certainly ready for greener forms of flying. But since air travel emissions were not regulated under the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement signed in 1997 that set binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the friendly skies aren’t much greener than they were a few decades ago. And most national governments have been reluctant to impose new environmental restrictions on the already ailing airline industry. Nonetheless, some airlines and airplane manufacturers 26

are taking steps to improve their eco-footprints. Southwest and Continental have implemented fuel efficiency improvements, waste reduction programs and increased recycling, and are investing in newer, more fuel efficient airplanes. Another airline on the cutting edge of green is Virgin Atlantic, which made news in early 2008 when it became the first major carrier to test the use of biofuels (liquid fuels derived from plant matter) on passenger jet flights. Now Air New Zealand, Continental, Japan Airlines (JAL), Jet Blue, and Lufthansa are also testing biofuels. Even airplane maker Boeing is getting in on the act by developing a carbon-neutral jet fuel made from algae. Boeing’s newest commercial jet, the much vaunted 787 Dreamliner is 20 percent more fuel efficient than its predecessors thanks to more efficient engines, aerodynamic improvements and the widespread use of lighter composite materials to reduce weight. Airbus is also incorporating more lightweight composite materials into its new planes. On the extreme end of the innovation spectrum are zero-emission airplanes that make use of little or no fuel. The French company, Lisa, is building a prototype small plane, dubbed the Hy-Bird, that uses solar power (via photovoltaic cells on the elongated wingspan) and hydrogen-powered fuel cells to fly with zero emissions—and nearly no engine noise. The company claims the Hy-Bird is the first 100 percent eco-friendly plane, and is readying a round-the-world flight punctuated by 30 event-filled stopovers. Even more unusual is the proposed fuel-free plane dreamed up by Mississippi-based Hunt Aviation. The company is working on a prototype small plane that harnesses the natural forces of buoyancy (thanks to helium-filled pontoons) for lift-offs and gravity for landings—along with an on-board wind turbine and battery to power everything in between—to achieve flight without any fuel whatsoever. Don’t look for these futuristic planes on airport runways anytime soon. It will likely be decades before this technology filters its way up to the big leagues. Until then, take a train or bus instead. If you must fly, compensate for your

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

flight’s emissions by buying a “carbon offset” from TerraPass or CarbonFund.org, which will use the money to fund alternative energy and other greenhouse-gas reduction projects. CONTACTS: Lisa Airplanes, www.lisa-airplanes.com; Hunt Aviation, www.fuellessflight.com; TerraPass, www.terrapass.com; CarbonFund.org, www.carbonfund.org From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/o E – The Environmental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881 earthtalk@ emagazine.com E is a nonprofit publication. Subscribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe Request a Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial

Travel WWOOFfing Around the World By Gary Munkhoff

www.greenlivingpdx.com

While enjoying a backyard barbeque at some friends’ house a few weeks ago, my wife and I met a couple that had just returned from spending two years working their way around Europe and India using the WWOOF and Help Exchange networks. Having never heard of either of these organizations we were amazed at what this couple experienced in Spain, France, Bulgaria and India and how little it cost then to live abroad all that time. The secret being that they volunteered their labor in exchange for room and board using the two networks to find host families and situations that appealed to them in the countries they wanted to visit. Another great service made possible by the internet. To more clearly explain how the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) network works, here is some basic information taken from it’s website. WWOOF is a world wide network - It started in the UK in 1971 and has since become an international movement that is helping people share more sustainable ways of living. They link people who want to volunteer on organic farms or smallholdings with people who are looking for volunteer help. In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles. WWOOF organizations publish lists of organic farms, smallholdings and gardeners that welcome volunteer help at certain times. The diversity of hosts available offers a large variety of tasks and experiences. Volunteer helpers (“WWOOFers”) choose the hosts that most interest them and make direct contact to arrange a stay. Volunteers usually live as part of the family. This is a true exchange as the volunteers do not pay for their stay nor

do the hosts pay the volunteers. There are many WWOOF organizations around the world, but there is no single WWOOF membership that covers all countries. There is usually a small fee to hosts and volunteers. This fee helps maintain and develop the WWOOF network. For instance if you were interested in WWOOFing in the United Kingdom you go to http://www. wwoof.org.uk and follow the directions for joining at a cost of 20 Pounds for a year. This gives you access to over 400 hosts in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. For more information on WHOOF go to http://www. wwoof.org or to Help Exchange http://www.helpx.net

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 10 Fall 2010

Food

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HarvestMark Food Traceability Comes to Portland Produce Aisles

Photo Courtesy of YottaMark, Inc

A unique new food traceability solution called HarvestMark has come to the Portland area, helping consumers follow their fresh produce all the way back to the farm. At the touch of an iPhone or through the HarvestMark website, shoppers can easily learn information such as when, where and how their fruit or veggies were grown. A new partnership with salad greens grower, organicgirl™ is boosting the availability of HarvestMark in produce sections across the Northwest. Traceable organicgirl salad greens began hitting shelves at all Portland and Seattle area Haggen and Whole Foods Markets this month. This is in addition to other produce, such as strawberries, grapes and watermelons, as well as private store brands that have recently come to local stores, including Fred Meyer. “HarvestMark was created by a group of people who believe every consumer should have more access to information about the food they buy,” said J. Scott Carr, president and CEO, HarvestMark. “During a time when food quality and healthy eating are top of mind with more shoppers than ever, we want to help bring back that connection to the people who grow and sell their food.” Not only does HarvestMark allow consumers to trace food, it also offers two-way communication between shopper and grower. Farmers can post information for their cus28

tomers through their HarvestMark page, including photos and background on their farm, food tips and recipes. Shoppers even have an opportunity to provide valuable feedback on the produce they buy. To trace their food, shoppers simply look for produce with the HarvestMark coded label that is applied when it’s harvested in the field. They can enter the code while shopping using an iPhone app or at home through the HarvestMark website, and within seconds get details about the fruit or vegetable in their hand, such as the day and time it was picked, where it was grown and what growing methods were used. HarvestMark is the creation of YottaMark, Inc., an independent California-based company specializing in product traceability and authentication solutions, and is available on fruits and vegetable from an expanding list of growers throughout the world, offering traceable produce in all 50 states. Northwest growers in Hermiston, Oregon and Othello and Pasco, Washington are also taking part.

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

Solar Water Heating - Revised & Expanded

Edition: A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Water and Space Heating Systems by Bob Ramlow and

Book Review Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth - A Path to Agriculture’s Higher Consciousness

By Eric Herm, Dreamriver Press 2010

• • • •

Types of solar collectors, solar water, and space heating systems and solar pool heating systems, including their advantages and disadvantages System components, their installation, operation, and maintenance System sizing and siting Choosing the appropriate system

This book focuses on the financial aspects of solar water or space heating systems, clearly showing that such systems generate significant savings in the long run. With many diagrams and illustrations to complement the clearly written text, this book is designed for a wide readership ranging from the curious homeowner to the serious student or professional. Bob Ramlow has been involved in renewable energy system sales, installation, and manufacturing since 1976. He is an IREC/ISPQ certified solar thermal independent master trainer and a NABCEP certified solar thermal installer. He writes and teaches workshops about solar energy. Benjamin Nusz has worked as an installer, site assessor, designer, and consultant for solar thermal systems. He currently trains renewable thermal technicians at Mid-State Technical College in Wisconsin.

Columbia River PDX c Green Living Journal d No. 10 Fall 2010

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Eric Herm was raised on a cotton farm near Ackerly, Texas. He graduated from Abilene Christian University with a degree in broadcast journalism. After working in sports television broadcasting, he traveled extensively, eventually returning to Texas to work the land that has been in his family for almost 100 years. Upon arriving back on his family farm, he noticed many changes in not only the landscape but also the methods of commercial agriculture that were causing more long-term problems. He began searching for answers to these problems, slowly discovering healthier organic methods that provided the inspiration for his book. The resulting book examines commercial agriculture’s strain on our natural resources, delicate ecosystems, and the farmer. As a fourth-generation farmer, author Herm deals with the harsh economic realities and complicated legislation facing farmers, as well as the undeniable health impact of GMO crops and excessive chemicals on all living creatures. Son of a Farmer, Child of the Earth provides ample resources of natural, healthy alternatives that will inspire the transformation of farmers from corporate-motivated producers back to the flesh and bone guardian angels of the Earth.

Benjamin Nusz. New Society Publishers One of the easiest and most cost effective steps that a homeowner can take to reduce their energy consumption is to install a solar water heating system. This is the book that brings the subject down to the Do-it-Yourself level while still providing all the technical information and data needed by the experienced installer. It carries the Mother Earth News Books For Wiser Living Recommendation. Beginning with a review of the history of solar water and space heating systems from prehistory to the present, Solar Water Heating presents an introduction to modern solar energy systems, energy conservation, and energy economics. Drawing on the authors’ experiences as designers and installers of these systems, the book goes on to cover:

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Green Drinks 1st Tuesday of every month Eco Trust Building 7pm to 8:45 http://bit.ly/2mkzxw 9th Annual Build it Green Home Tour Saturday, Sept. 25th, 2010, 11am – 5pm www.portlandonline.com/bps/builditgreen City Repair Firefly Lantern Walk 7pm Saturday Sept. 25th Main Street Plaza http://cityrepair.org/projects/firefly-lantern-walk/ Energy and Water Efficiency: Double Your Savings Sept. 30 7:30am to 12pm Gresham City Hall, Gresham http://portlandgeneral.com/business/news_classes/classes/default. aspx Gorge Enviro House Tour Oct. 2nd workshops 9am tours 10am to 4pm http://www.rebuildit.org/education.htm Go Green Portland Conference 2010 Tuesday, October 5th The Armory http://portland.gogreenconference.net/ Net Zero Within Reach Oct. 12 06:30 PM-08:30 PM Lincoln High School http://bit.ly/d1NLrI Growing Green Chemistry in Oregon Oct. 13 7:30 -9:30 am U of O White Stag Building http://bit.ly/cXu0hz 13th Annual Green Design and Construction Symposium Oct 22-24 Port Orchard, WA http://ecobuilding.org/home/retreat Get Dirty! Create Your Own Earthen Paints Oct 23rd 09:00 AM-12:00 Mt Tabor Hall http://bit.ly/bYIWoZ Defining Green Jobs Nov. 6th SOUK LLC, Ecotrain Media Group http://ecotrainmediagroup.com/seminars/sem1.html 24th Annual Fix-It Fair Season Saturday, November 20, 2010 @ Ron Russell Middle School Saturday, January 22, 2011 @ Parkrose High School Saturday, February 26, 2011 @ Jefferson High School http://www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm?c=41892 Ram Dass and Be Here Now 40th Anniversary Celebration Breitenbush Hot Springs December 2-5 www.LivingEarthGatherings.org Mind Your Own Green Business Dec. 4th SOUK LLC, Ecotrain Media Group http://ecotrainmediagroup.com/seminars/sem2.html 6th Annual Good Earth Home, Garden & Living Show January 21 - 23, 2011 - Eugene, OR www.eugenehomeshow.com/ GoodEarthHomeShowOverview.html

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