News

inERGY HOMES Wins RIMA International Award

Published Wednesday, September 22, 2010

"The inERGY Home built in Medford, Oregon, achieved a 259% higher efficiency

than what's needed for ENERGY STAR certification"

RIMA International

inERGY HOMES, LLC in Medford, Oregon (www.inergyhomes.com) was the winner of the Reflective Insulation Manufacturing Association International's (RIMA) Residential Building Category of the 2010 "It's About Saving Energy" Building Awards. RIMA began the building award contest in 2008 to recognize building projects that utilized reflective products in an exceptional way.

The inERGY HOMES building system starts with all steel framing then a panel of LP TechShield Radiant Barrier Sheathing, then Continuous EPS Rigid Exterior Insulation, an alternative to conventional insulation used in wood frame homes. This system was used in a 1,550 sq. ft. residence on Brookdale Ave., in Medford. The system with no frame lumber makes these homes FIRE SAFE.

Is There A Future In Farming?

Published Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Is There A Future In Farming?

As agricultural revenue continues to decline, local farmers, fruit growers seek new ways to improve their bottom lines

Terry Helfrich is a field manager for a pear company. So what's he doing standing in a former pear orchard that's now filled with tomatoes, corn, bell peppers, peaches, apples, plums and cherries?

"I am an orchardist, but now I'm a farmer," said Helfrich, who works for Southern Oregon Sales, a pear-packing cooperative.

Obsidian Launches Solar Lending Program

Published Monday, September 20, 2010

Obsidian Finance LLC is already known as a consultant and budding developer in Oregon's renewable energy business.

Now the Tigard-based financial advisory and investment firm can add "lender" to its list of energy industry roles.

Obsidian is beginning to offer project financing for solar installations that participate in Oregon’s new feed-in tariff pilot program.

The program lets the owners of solar energy systems get payment when they feed excess power into the electric grid. Participating utilities include Portland General Electric Co., PacifiCorp and Idaho Power. more»

Can We Meet The "Eat Local" Challenge?

Published Monday, September 20, 2010

We live in a wonderland of agricultural bounty, but the question is: Can the Willamette Valley truly feed itself?

For those seeking to eat locally, one of the challenges is finding regional sources for everyday ingredients such as grains and oils. Typically, the food found at farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture programs focus on seasonal fruits and vegetables, eggs, cheeses and meats — not staple foods.

Our research team found out that currently, the agricultural production in the highly fertile Willamette Valley does not meet the dietary needs of the local inhabitants for not only staples such as grains and oils but any of the USDA’s six food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, meat and beans, and oils. more»

Rogue Valley Green Drinks - August 5th

Published Friday, July 30, 2010

ROGUE VALLEY GREEN DRINKS AUGUST 5th, 2010

BUSINESS ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Susan Huntley

(541) 499-8107/susan@theoregongreenexpo.com

Rogue Valley Green Drinks Returns

Thursday, August 5

at Wild River Brewing & Pizza

Many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas,

done deals at Green Drinks

Join here: www.theoregongreenexpo.com/greendrinks

This Month's Green Business Presentation:

"Sustainable Valley" presented by Mark VonHolle

Rogue Valley, Ore. – July 30, 2010 – Oregon Green Business Events and The Oregon Green Business Association will now be hosting the Rogue Valley Chapter of Green Drinks International. Green Drinks is an informal monthly gathering of people who are interested in green business, own or work in, or would like to start a green and sustainable business. The interested public is also invited. The evening starts and ends with social networking, with a short presentation on some topic related to green and sustainable business or current issues.

A mixture of people attend - from regional business, academia, government, and non government organizations (NGOs). Everyone is welcome. It's a way of catching up with people and making new contacts. Everyone invites someone else along, so there’s always a different crowd, making Green Drinks an organic, self-organizing network.

These events are very simple, but many people have found employment, made friends, developed new ideas, done deals and had moments of serendipity. It's a force for the good.

"Sustainable Valley" - A Strategic Initiative

Rogue Valley Green Drinks kicks off with a presentation by Mark VonHolle, the newly elected board President of the Sustainable Valley Technology Group. Mark will give a presentation on re-branding the region and the group's business model of a clean technology center/incubator that will grow and attract clean technology businesses that offer family wage sustainable technology traded-sector jobs.

‘Sustainability’ is the new environmental, social, technologic and economic reality of the times, and one of the goals of the Sustainable Valley Technology Group is the re-branding the region as 'Sustainable Valley'. In creating a clean technology center/incubator, many of most influential leaders believe that developing this strategy has the power to transform the regional economy and provide a pro-active solution to many of the corresponding challenges our community and state are facing. The economic multiplier associated with a strong foundation of family wage sustainable technology traded-sector jobs will provide increased opportunities and benefits for all of the other businesses and residents in our community.

Mark VonHolle is Vice President of S&B James Construction Management and SOREDI (Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc.) board President. Mark also serves on the boards of the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County, Southern Oregon Goodwill and The ARC of Jackson County, as well as numerous other committees and is the committee chairman of the Medford Rogue Rotary club.

About Green Drinks

The Rogue Valley Chapter of Green Drinks will be hosted by Oregon Green Expo Events and The Oregon Green Business Association. (The Ashland Chapter of Green Drinks is held the last Friday of the month at Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland, Oregon)

Who: Public is invited

What: Green and Sustainable Business Social Networking/No Host Food & Bar

When: Thursday, August 5, 5:30pm to 7:00pm

Where: Wild River Brewery & Pizza, 2684 North Pacific Hwy, Medford, Oregon

Public Contact: Oregon Green Expo Events, (541) 773-8200 or susan@theoregongreenexpo.com

To be informed for future Green Drinks events go to: www.theoregongreenexpo.com/greendrinks

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"The Spirit of Green"

Published Monday, May 17, 2010

“In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.“ - The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Ever thought about becoming more “Energy Independent” and “Living Off The Grid”? For Kathleen Jarschke-Schultze, Living Off The Grid has been a way of life for a full 25 years. On April 1st, 2010 Kathleen celebrated 25 years of living completely off-grid, beyond the grasp of power lines. Their off-grid home is transparent - visitors comment that if they hadn’t been told that the Kathleen & Bob O’s (Kathleen’s husband) home was off the grid, they wouldn’t have know it.

The first real clue is three digital meters on the wall between the dining room and kitchen. Their meters include an Outback Mate, a Tri-Metric 2020 and a Xantrex Link 10. These are products they sell through their business, Electron Connection and if possible, they incorporate products they sell into their Renewable Energy system to test out its performance in actual daily use. By glancing at the meters they can tell the battery bank state of charge. If the batteries are at 100% they do laundry or run the dishwasher – their biggest energy loads. To a degree, weather determines their housework schedule.

Responsible Living - 5 Cheap Ways To Save 1,000 Gallons Of Water | MNN

Published Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Water is humanity's most valuable resource. Want to green your usage? These ideas cost next to nothing and can each save 1,000 gallons a year. It's been said so many times, it has become a bit of a cliche: water is our most precious resource. The world's population tripled during the 20th century — and water use increased at twice that rate. The general trend toward urbanization has stressed groundwater supplies to the breaking point.

Fuel from Chicken Feathers? | Alternative Energy

Published Monday, March 22, 2010

If we go by the stats, every year 11 billion pounds of poultry industry waste accumulates annually, because we have gigantic appetite for poultry products. They can’t be stuffed into pillows. Mostly they are utilized as low-grade animal feed. Scientists in Nevada have created a new and environmentally friendly process for developing biodiesel fuel from ‘chicken feather meal’.