| SiGBA thanks J.D. Hoss for gifting SiGBA a 3-5 minute radio spot on 101.5 FM beginning January 2010. Read SiGBA Times for more details about SiGBA's new radio program. |
A Message from SiGBA Vice President - David Gemme
Hello SiGBA members. I am writing you today to THANK YOU for all of the great support and participation you have shown this organization over the past year. This year has been challenging to say the least, but with challenges comes great strength, and this year SiGBA has shown its resolve. I wanted to personally thank Donna Walden, our new Executive Director; Elizabeth Dunn, our corporate secretary; all of the board members; and volunteers who have donated countless hours to head the mission of SiGBA and create a holistic community now stretching as far north as Sierraville and as far South as Lone Pine along the western and eastern flank of the great Sierra Nevada mountain range.
In 2009, we took some risk with the intention to evolve and efficiently fulfill our mission. I can honestly say we have evolved! We hired an Executive director who is focused on fulfilling SiGBA's mission in new creative ways. She is AMAZING! This woman combined with our newest summer time Festival, Tahoe greenFEST has opened the door to new possibilities and ways of adding value to our members. This year is going to continue that evolution with a focused intention of providing our members with new opportunities to promote the technologies, companies, and the people behind green industry that are bringing America into a new way of being and living.
In addition, this year we are focusing on providing our business members the opportunity to excel and seize the opportunity in this ever slow economy and stride ahead of their competition. We have compiled a year long marketing and recovery plan for our Business Members that combine education, marketing, basic business practices and events to get their Green Businesses out in front of the competition, while still being true to their company's mission.
It kicks off March 3rd with a semester long business training program called SiGBA's BEST (Business Environment Strategies and Techniques). The mission is to teach small and medium businesses effective ways to efficiently market their products and services and gain a leading edge on the competition. With over 10 years of studying success theory and business, I plan on teaching this 10-week course to our members who are looking to step it up not only in their businesses, but personally and professionally. Don't wait; get your business thriving today!
A strong Community starts with coming to unity. This year we are seeking strategic partnerships that expand our influence and presence in the Green and Building world and unite those of us with similar missions under a common theme. We are outreaching to other non-profits, Government, affiliates, and companies understanding that together we succeed and divided we fail. If you know of any organization that we should be affiliated with let us know and we will start a dialogue today.
The Resource Guide is Back! Back by popular demand, 2010 Sierra Green Building Resource Guide is being produced with Moonshine Ink! We are excited about this partnership and feel this will be the best Resource Guide EVER! This year's guide is complete with best marketing and advertising opportunity of the decade, cross branding and link exchanges, and a distributions plan that will place the Guide on news stands all over town and the Sierra Nevada Community.
EVENTS: Our event calendar is filling up quickly. Leanna Duncan our Events director has been doing an awesome job over the year and is looking for a couple of interns to help her throughout the year. If you or anyone you know would like to build their resume, meet incredibly bright individuals, and place themselves in a growing industry ... Now is the Time! Contact leanna@sigba.org.
Here are other ways that you can promote your industry, business or personal beliefs:
1) Business Mixer - host a Business Mixer and get your business full of people year round.
2) Workshops - we are continuing to educate the public and professionals in the area on technologies, energy conservation and much more.
3) SiGBA's BEST Breakfast - Host the breakfast at your company and create an educational experience that keeps people coming back for more.
4) Tahoe greenFEST - OH YEAH! Its back and in an even better location. This year, July 10, 2010, Tahoe greenFEST is coming to Kings Beach at the North Tahoe Conference Center. You thought the last one was good; wait till you see this year. We will have top speakers, music, vendors and more. Call today to showcase and reserve your booth spot.
5) Fall Green Home Tour - This year's tour was our largest ever! Next year we plan on making it even bigger! If you or someone you know wants to showcase their home, please let us know.
6) SiGBA Environmental TV Program - In 2009, SiGBA created seven episodes of their environmental TV program; watch them on our website. We are seeking filmmakers to help out with our 2010 program where we produce dozens of new episodes which showcase green builders and live green practices.
As you can tell, SiGBA is more focused than ever. Our intention is based in purpose, adding value to our members, and seeking to support you because you believe in us. It is an organization comprised of youthful exuberance and business savvy individuals who understand that the world is worth preserving for our children and the highest quality of living. I have had the great honor of serving on this board for over 2 years now, and look forward to helping this organization grow in way not thought possible.
I want to extend a personal thank you to Eli Meyer, our past President and newly elected Treasurer for helping SiGBA with 100's of hours of volunteer time coming from the heart. Ian Waight our past Treasurer has moved into the President position and thus far has impressed not only the board with his 15+ business experience, but his solidarity and soundness also. I am sure that this year is going to be the best year ever, and we look forward to helping build and encouraging the Sierra Nevada Community to Live Green, Build Green, and Be Green in their businesses, homes and everything they do. Without you, OUR MEMBERS, we would be nothing. We appreciate all donations, memberships, and volunteers.
Happy Holidays! May 2010 be our year of recovery and filled with joy!
David Gemme--SiGBA Vice President
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Merry Christmas from SiGBA!
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| What a year its been. SiGBA expects an even more dynamic 2010. Wanted to remind you that SiGBA Times is for SiGBA members to communicate their green building services and articles about green living. Anyone who wishes to contribute articles or ideas merely needs to send an email to sigba.org. Also looking for a line-up of speakers for 2010. Interested parties send an email to SiGBA.
Happy Holidays to All and Best Wishes for Greening our Planet!
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| TDPUD Gives Away Energy-Saving LED Lights to Community |
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The Truckee Donner Public Utility District enabled
customers to swap out their inefficient holiday lights for energy-efficient LED (light emitting diode) lights free of charge. Customers were asked to bring in a copy of their TDPUD bill along with up to three strands of old incandescent holiday lights and the district replaced them with either one 66-foot or three 23-foot white or multicolor LED lights.
These energy-efficient holiday lights save up to 98% on energy costs versus the old-style incandescent lights. Last year, the LED light give away was a huge success with over 500 customers participating in the program. The holiday LED light giveaway is just one of a host of other conservation and rebate programs offered to residents and businesses through the TDPUD. This year's LED Holiday Light Exchange program also included other free light bulbs(CFLs) and information on the district's energy and water savings programs. The LED Holiday Light Exchange program is only available while supplies last.
The TDPUD is a non-profit, publicly owned utility agency overseen by a locally elected board of directors. TDPUD provides the greater Truckee area with adequate, reliable and high quality water and power services while guiding the community to conserve resources. |
| greenUP! Renewable Energy & Sustainability Panel & 2010 Forecast on January 7 |
Thursday, January 7, 2010 4pm until 6pm at BANN, 5484 Reno Corporate Dr., Reno, NV 89511
How Does Reno/Nevada Measure Up on the Sustainability?
A moderated panel of regional experts will debate trends in renewable energy and sustainability and give a forecast for 2010. Topics will include thematic assessments of progress toward achieving community sustainability goals as outlined in the Sustainable Development Action Team report, Blueprint for Nevada, City of Reno Green Summit results and other indicators, as well as emerging trends and visions for the future. Where does the Truckee Meadows sit in terms of sustainability, in comparison with other communities? What have we learned thus far in the process, and where are our gaps in knowledge and understanding? What progress had been made? What are our strongest opportunities for moving toward sustainability and what are our biggest challenges? Moderated by Jennifer Huntley-Smith, UNR.
Panelists:
Andy Goodrich, Air Quality Management Division, Washoe County
Kat Kerlin, Reno News and Review
Scott Terrell, Green Activist/Sustainability College Course Instructor
Carlo Luri, Bently Biofuels
Lee Gibson, Regional Transportation Commission
Bob Tregilus, Electric Auto Association of Northern Nevada |
| Five Ways to Winterize Your Home for Less Than $100 |
Heat on the cheap:
Five ways to winterize your home for less than $100
By Kat Kerlin, Reno News & Review
katk@newsreview.com
So you want to make your home more energy efficient this winter. What are you thinking? A little solar thermal, maybe some radiant floor heating? If you're like many this season, your response to that might very well be, "Yeah, right." In my more economically advantaged dreams.
What's not so out-of-reach are some measures the Sierra Green Building Association (SIGBA) presented December 6 at its winterizing workshop for homeowners and renters. The best part is most of their suggestions can be done for well under $100 each.
"People are struggling, and we feel it's important to give people tools for green building that can apply to the common person and not just people looking to build new homes," says SIGBA president Eli Meyer. He offers five winterizing tips. |
| Are Sierra Green Builders Ready for Radon? |
By Jeff Miner
Radon At Tahoe
Radon, the Noble gas, Rn 222, has been part of the Sierra Nevada for millions of years. Radon is a radioactive decay product of Radium, which itself is a decay product of Uranium. Uranium is commonly found in granite rock and granitic soils, which we have in abundance in the Sierra Nevada. In fact the entire Sierra batholith, all 5,000 feet thick, 100 miles wide and 300 miles long of granite (or there about), produces a lot of radon. The good news is the population density in the mountains is low, relative to most urban areas. The bad news is that WE live up here. As do our clients. So we, as builders and architects, have to be more aware and better educated about how to test for and prevent radon from entering the houses we build, even 'green' houses.
My goal for this article is to get to this very interesting question: If radon is such a big problem in the mountains, why are so many houses (some very nice, expensive and green houses) being built without one word of radon mentioned in the plans and without radon being built out during construction and without radon being tested for after they are built?
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