| Our Mission: educate and promote effective environmental design and building practices in the Sierra Nevada communities
To address a need for ongoing communication with our members, SiGBA is publishing a monthly newsletter. SiGBA Times is purely electronic and will highlight upcoming events, discuss programs and activities to promote green living and green building practices, include chapter news and articles and case studies from our members. To submit articles and content for the SiGBA newsletter, send information to info@SiGBA.org by the 25th of the current month for the next month newsletter which we expect to publish the first week of every month.
-Editor of SiGBA Times
SIGBA EXPANDS ITS CHARTER TO INCLUDE GREEN LIVING
While SiGBA is not departing from its roots of promoting green builders and building practices, we recognized the need to expand our charter to incorporate green living. How do you build green without living green and vice versa? This expansion of our charter will be reflected in our Live-Green Build-Green Speaker Series, our workshops, and by opening chapters which reflect our expanded charter in regions throughout the Sierra Nevada. 
SiGBA BRINGS ON NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
 Sierra Green Building Association has hired a part-time executive director, Donna Walden, to strengthen operations for SiGBA and build momentum for essential programs. Donna has launched and successfully run three other not-for-profit industry associations in her career in the areas of electronics, networking, and filmmaking. "SiGBA is a great fit for me," she stated, "because I have been courting the renewable energy sustainability industry for some time. You couldn't find a more dynamic group of professionals within SiGBA who have a genuine heart for saving the planet." An important aspect of Donna's responsibility is to increase the value of SiGBA membership. "We are creating programs as we speak that not only bring a lot of visibility and recognition to our members, but will stimulate business and create jobs in the Sierra Nevada. I look forward to meeting more of our valued members at some of the upcoming SiGBA events listed on our calendar." For more background on Donna, see www.sigba.org.
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EARTH DAY MANIA
April is Earth Day month in the Sierra Nevada. There are various earth day events throughout the region. SiGBA is participating as an exhibitor and we encourage our members to support these earth day events as well. Bring your families because Earth Day has something to offer all age groups. |
Friday, April 17, 7-10pm
Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival
Olympic Village Lodge, Squaw Valley
Saturday, April 18, 10am - 5pm
North Lake Tahoe-Truckee
Earth Day Festival 2009
The Village at Squaw Valley
Mention SiGBA at Twenty-Two Bistro at The Village at Squaw during the Lake Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Festival and SiGBA receives a 10% donation from your food and beverage purchase. A painless way to contribute to a worthy cause!
Sunday April 19, 2009, 10am-5pm
 Reno's Annual
Earth Day Music Festival and
Sustainability Education Event
hosted by Nevada EcoNET in Idlewild Park
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April 20-21, 2009
Turning Earth Day Theory into Every Day Action -
University of Nevada at Reno: Come to the Joe Crowley Student Union for a series of events celebrating sustainable practices
Monday April 20th
Environmental Film Festival:
Soylent Green at 5:00 pm in the Theater on 3rd floor of CSU
Featured Speaker Tom Hertweck, Literature & Environment Ph.D Student
Book & Clothing Swap:
CSU lawn during the afternoon (weather permitting)
Tuesday April 21st
Sustainable Practice Workshop Series:
Eight noteworthy speakers and panels: CSU Rooms 320 & 356 - 10 & 11 am, 1 & 2 pm
Community Mixer: Catering provided by UNR, EnAcT, & Whole Foods 5:00 pm on 4th floor lounge, CSU
Trashion Show: 7:00 pm Ballrooms A, B, C on the fourth floor of the CSU. Tickets are $5 general public, $2 students
Learn More: http://environment.unr.edu/ | | |
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SiGBA RESOURCE GUIDE BECOMES ALPINE GREEN LIVING MAGAZINE
 SiGBA has partnered with the Alpine Publishing Group in Truckee to broaden its reach for the green builders listed in the SiGBA Resource Guide. SiGBA members will now get their listings distributed on a quarterly basis to a green community in a free, widely distributed quarterly magazine throughout the Sierra Nevada.
"This is a good partnership," stated Eli Meyer, President of SiGBA. "Our organization spent a lot of time in the publishing business and we have other strategic initiatives such as green job creation that were not receiving enough attention. Dan Teie's company who helped design the last edition of the resource guide is the publisher of Alpine Green Living Magazine so we know that this will be a first class product."
Today when many publishers are going out of businesses or taking their magazines solely on-line, SiGBA is partnering with a publisher to provide a top quality publication which will be showcased throughout the region. Please take the time to hear about discounts and leveraged marketing opportunities for your business from SiGBA's volunteer sales force.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Part of SiGBA s purpose is to educate the community on green building practices. There are many events on our calendar enabling SiGBA enthusiasts from all over the region to participate in local events. See SiGBA calendar for full calendar and business opportunities: http://www.sigba.org.
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4/15
(3 days) |
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Green Home Energy Upgrades: Level 1-Classroom |
Auburn, CA
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This 3 day class is for home improvement professionals who want to understand the basics of the building science-based "home performance" approach to identifying and solving comfort, indoor air quality, and energy problems in existing homes. | |
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4/15 |
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How Do We Know When It's Really Green? - Foothills Event |
Grass Valley, CA
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With so many claims to be "green" these days, how are we to know when they are legitimate, or "green washing"? The advice from Richard Drace and Frans Velthuijsen is straightforward: Look for independent third party verification systems. | |
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4/17 |
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"Green Concrete" with Kristin Cooper-Carter |
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Co-author of a new book to be released this fall titled: Green Building with Concrete, and currently employed with Calera Corporation - dedicated to reversing global warming - this presentation covers everything from the Co2 issues with cement, what is currently being done to reduce the carbon footprint of cement manufacturing and the "green" applications of concrete. | |
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4/24
(2 days) |
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4/25 |
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Paper Shredding Fund Raiser |
Grass Valley, CA
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Supports Gold County Telecare. $10 per Bankers Box of paper. Safeway Parking lot at Brunswick and Sutton in Grass Valley. Sponsored by Nevada County Recycles! | |
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FOOTHILLS CHAPTER PROFILE
By Jim Crowley (SiGBA Foothills Chair) Owner Crowley Builders, Inc. and E-Building Systems
SiGBA is a volunteer organization and we highly encourage our members to be involved. The Foothills Chapter of SiGBA began it s formation in the Spring of 2008 and was formally adopted as a chapter of SiGBA in the fall of 2008. A chapters mission is to represent the local membership and provide local educational and social events. SiGBA chapters can serve as a direct link for membership to bring to the table their ideas and what it is that they would like SiGBA to do for them. Foothills monthly meetings are open to its members to allow more time to give membership a voice. Foothills chapter has had two meetings this year where members provided valuable input to what their expectations of SiGBA were and shared other great ideas.
Chapter News
By Elizabeth Dunn, Landscape Architect, SiGBA Secretary
Grass Valley Chapter of SiGBA is having its first speaker series for 2009 on April 15th. Frans Velthuijsen and Richard Drace are going to expand on their article 'What is Green.' We will need SiGBA members to help set up, work and clean up for this event. Contact David Yonenaka [dave@finelinejoinery.com] at if you would like to help at this event.
We will be calling for volunteers to help set up, break down and work the booth at the Colfax Spring Home Show on May 2nd and for the NCCA home show April 25 and 26th. Contact Jim Laasch to help with these events.
There are also two events that Nevada County Recycles is holding - Paper Shredding Fund Raiser on earth day 4/25 and a Tire disposal day. These events are posted on the SiGBA calendar.
SiGBA SENDS STUDENT LEADER TO DC
By John Arsenault, SiGBA Education Director
On February 27th-March 1st, 12,000 young leaders from all fifty states, every Canadian province, and about a dozen foreign countries convened at the Washington D.C. Convention Center for Power Shift 2009. It became the largest ever gathering of climate and clean energy activists in U.S. history. The Sierra Green Building Association made sure that a local student leader was there. Judson Diehl, a student at Sierra College-Tahoe Truckee and resident of Reno, NV, attended this record breaking Power Shift Conference to learn about the effects of coal power, research alternative energy sources, learn about community organization and network with other green advocates from around the region and the country. Visit SIGBA and Judson at Earth Day at The Village at Squaw Valley, April 18, 2009. Read More: http://sigba.org/education/sigbasponsorslocal/.
ADVOCACY FOR SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION
Recently SiGBA has negotiated with a wide range of community organizations and leaders to forward sustainable education in the Tahoe region. From alternative energy internships to job shadowing opportunities, from creating coalitions of organizations to seeking student and community input, we truly are setting a goal to make sustainable education a reality and a value in our community. If you would like to help, contribute, or provide information and/or suggestions on how we can not only forward sustainability successfully in our area, but also more effectively in our lives, contact John Arsenault at arsenault@sigba.org.
MEMBER CONTRIBUTED ARTICLES OR CASE STUDIES
SiGBA is soliciting member articles or case studies. In the April Newsletter, SiGBA Executive Director contributed an article about composting for novices.
Composting, Easy as Dirt
By Donna Walden
Composting is not a new concept for me. My mother always had a bin under the kitchen sink for putting organic wastes. She grew an organic garden each year and had a compost pile but when I was growing up but I couldn t have been less interested in gardening. I didn't like getting dirt under my fingernails. My aim? Move to the big city, have a career, and have some fun!
Eventually, I went full circle and found myself back in the country. Then for years, I contemplated a compost pile, but didn't do it because I over analyzed it and thought it would be hard. So why would a city girl like me decide to compost? Because it s good for the environment and why not? Now days a woman can compost and still have her polished nails.
Ms. Walden speaks about her experience composting and creating dirt in 6 months from organic matter typically thrown away. For full article: http://www.inthink.net/InThink/Blog/Entries/2008/12/8_Composting%3B_easy_as_dirt.html |