Solar and Beyond

Green Center Shows Ways to Save Money and Environment

2010-10-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Green Center of Oxnard, Ventura County’s only public showroom for new environmental technologies, hosted Rep. Lois Capps, D-Santa Barbara and industry representatives for a discussion on Oct. 8. Capps said that the green technology on display at the center is one way out of the current U.S. recession.

“I can tell you that job growth, even the numbers today, are not what we wanted. “What we’re looking at here is a center of economic development for the 21^st century,” she said.

The Green Center opened in June funded by a federal grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The center is run by Community Action of Ventura County, (CAVC), a nonprofit that helps low income families to become self sufficient through a variety of programs.

Some unemployed construction workers have used the center as a starting point to learn about green technology, said the center’s manager Javier Saucedo. Green technology webinars are planned in the future, he said.

Among those who have built exhibits at the center and participated at the roundtable were Solar World of Camarillo, Aqua-Flo Supply and Ecologic Life of Ventura and the City of Oxnard.

Van Vermeesch of Aqua-Flo has several exhibits to demonstrate water saving technology. One is a gray-water system that allows a homeowner to discharge washing machine or bathtub waste water through pipes and onto their landscape. Once frowned on, gray water systems are now legal in most California communities and can be set up for a couple hundred dollars, Vermeesch said.

Aqua-Flo also has rain capture systems. “A 1,000-square foot roof will catch 600 hundred gallons of water with just one inch of rain,” he said.

City and county planners as well as construction and utility industry professionals have gathered at the Center over the past few months, but this is only the second visit by a state or federal official, said CAVC executive director Socorro López Hanson.

Over the summer California State Senator Fran Pavley (D) 23^rd District gave the center an Environmental Sustainability Award and a state proclamation congratulating the center as one of a kind in the state.

The center has also hosted a school group from Quail Springs in Ojai and in November an environmental science class from Oxnard College will visit.

“We opened in June, just as most schools closed for summer, so we expect to get busy soon,” Saucedo said.

Visitors to the center (open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) can see small rooms decorated with chemical-free rugs, wall coverings, insulation and flooring as well as energy and water saving plumbing. Children can learn about water and energy conservation through fun, hands-on exhibits.

“We’re very excited about today’s roundtable,” Lopez-Hanson said. “We want to get the word out about what’s available here.”

Saucedo shows Capps a compost tea maker by Earthfort.com.

Photo by David Yamamoto, special to the Ventura County Star.

Please check the Green Center out! It is at 3401 W. Fifth Street, Suite 100, Oxnard, Ca 93030. (805) 985-1010 www.ca-vc.org.

Doors' Robbie Krieger Headlines Pat Tillman Foundation Event

2010-09-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

3rd Annual Scott Medlock & Robby Krieger Celebrity Concert & Golf Classic to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation set for November 1, 2010 at Moorpark Country Club
The 3rd Annual Scott Medlock & Robby Krieger Celebrity Concert & Golf Classic to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation will be held Monday, November 1, 2010 at Moorpark Country Club.

"We are honored that so many of our friends are returning to participate and we are looking forward to meeting many new faces - this is a particularly special year for us as Pat is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame," said Scott Medlock event co-founder.

Co-founder Robby Krieger of The Doors fame, concurs, "This is going to be an extraordinary year. The Pat Tillman Foundation changes the lives of people every day, and our goal is to contribute to their being able to do that."

The stunning Moorpark Country Club will be the site of this year's tournament with world renowned comedian Gary Mule Deer as emcee of the day and evening festivities. Many celebrity supporters have already confirmed including last year's winning stars of George Lazenby (aka James Bond from "Her Majesty's Secret Service") and Scott Elrod (Jennifer Aniston's co-star in this Summer's blockbuster "The Switch") the close second, and almost winners of the hole-in-one grand prize of four new 2010 Mercedes-Benz from W.I. Simonson Mercedes-Benz Stephen Bishop (Brad Pitt's co-star in the upcoming "Moneyball") and TNT's Aldis Hodge from "Leverage."

Also returning this year are many keystone sponsors including W.I. Simonson Mercedes-Benz; Monster Energy; Moorpark Country Club; Golf Channel; Best Buy; Ketel One Vodka; Santa Paula Chevrolet; Gibson Guitars; Anheuser-Busch; Loud Mouth Golf; Tommy Bahama Rum, Manchester Financial; John Carson Foundation; Titleist; Harley-Davidson; HUB International; Hill Financial Advisors; B3DigiGrafx; Nocture Productions and Popular Press Media Group (PPMG).

Scott Medlock, friend of the Tillman family, said of Pat, "Pat (Tillman) gave up a $3.6 million dollar contract with the NFL-Arizona Cardinals to go fight for our country. Pat unfortunately lost his life while serving in Afghanistan in 2004."

In June, the Pat Tillman Foundation awarded 60 men and women with the distinction of being named Tillman Military Scholars for 2010. This deserving group was awarded $720,000 in scholarship support to complete their educational goals at 31 universities across the country. Since the program launched in 2009, 112 Scholars have received over $1.3 million in scholarships. The Tillman Military Scholars program funds scholarships to veterans, active service members and their dependents, especially those who have been impacted by the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Currently Tillman Military Scholars represent nearly every branch of the armed forces: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, National Guard and Reserves.

The event, in its third year is part golf invitational, part private celebrity rock concert as co-founder Robby Krieger of The Doors fame takes the stage, inviting along some of his celebrity friends for an impromptu, unforgettable night of music and ultimately great fun, celebrating one of America's heroes: Pat Tillman, who's legacy touches the lives of countless Americans on a daily basis.

For more information on the 2010 Scott Medlock & Robby Krieger Celebrity Golf Invitational and Benefit Concert, please log on to http://www.PatTillmanBenefit.com

Toy Robot Joins Glass Elevator in 10/15 Benefit Concert for Gulf Fishermen

2010-09-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

So glad Toy Robot has signed on to play Oct. 15 in Ventura with the Glass Elevator at the Ventura Center for Spiritual Living.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000512054646&ref=ts#!/profile.php?id=100000512054646&v=wall&ref=ts

http://www.reverbnation.com/glasselevator

This is a benefit for the United Fishermen of Gulf Coast Louisiana.
George Barisich just emailed me to say that although he is catching some clean shrimp. Right now the "dockside price" he is getting is down by 43 %.

http://leanweb.org/shop/clothing/not-bp-t-shirts-from-george-barisich-of-the-united-commercial-fisherman.
Should be a great show.
http://www.facebook.com/jmbrownpr

Rock Concert is Next Gulf Fundraiser

2010-09-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

Members of the band The Glass Elevator are from coastal communities in Washington state and right here in Ventura County. For this reason the band is concerned about coastal ecology and has selected the United Fishermen of Louisiana, who are suffering loss of income due to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, as a beneficiary of their Oct. 15 Ventura concert profits.

"Step on Olympia’s Glass Elevator and you will be shot straight back into the depths of the musical revolution of the 1960s. The four-piece ensemble of Jabe Jabberwock on guitar, Mars Carlson on bass and keyboards, Paul Vandall on drums and Wylie VanWenger on guitar (all members are given vocal credits) create a nostalgic, yet fresh sound on this album that mirrors the musical greats of four decades ago on their 2010 album “Psychic Battleship.” “Psychic Battleship” covers a wide range of styles going from upbeat, catchy pop sounds to slowed-down, extended psychedelia... The music is all original, while obviously inspired by the music that the band’s parents probably listened to. Technically talented, Glass Elevator creates inspired, multi-faceted compositions and are able to create a variety of moods. Going from manic highs to spaced-out lows, “Psychic Battleship” could be a soundtrack for a short trip on hallucinogens. ..Glass Elevator proves themselves as bringers back of the past – recreating sounds of a past generation and keeping them relevant and accessible today. As a group of musicians, they work flawlessly in tandem creating strong music and moods for the listener to easily slip into." -- Clare Jensen (Tacoma Weekly)
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/glasselevator#ixzz0xBibURzO

Join us for a night of great music at the Oct. 15 Ventura concert.

Time- 7-10 TBD

Location- Church on Laurel and Santa Clara in Ventura's downtown

Contact jmbrownpr@gmail.com for more info.

Come to Sidecar Restaurant August 30, and Help Gulf Fishermen

2010-08-29T07:57:00.000-07:00

This summer I've been speaking with Louisiana's George Barisich, an out-of-work gulf coast fisherman, one of thousands who are economically crippled by BP's gulf oil spill. Each time we speak, I blog about it, which, I know, may be like shouting into the wind, but what else can I do from California?

Now I read about the Side Car Restaurant in Ventura hosting a fundraiser Monday night August 30th. Great!
I am going and I encourage you to go to. I'll be wearing this shirt (one of 4 that I bought from George- thru the Louisiana Environmental Action Network.) Shirt is 100 % cotton has graphic front and back and proceeds benefit the United Fisherman. Cost is $22.50 with shipping.

Here is front........

Here is back.............

Order now....

http://leanweb.org/shop/clothing/not-bp-t-shirts-from-george-barisich-of-the-united-commercial-fisherman.html

See you tomorrow night at the Sidecar Restaurant!

I will bring my last new size large shirt. I will sell it to the person who writes the biggest check to LEANweb.org for $100 or more before 8:30 pm. I'd like to call George with the amount donated and don't want to call him after midnight!

The Sidecar Restaurant

3029 E Main st

Ventura, United States, 93003

http://www.thesidecarrestaurant.com/

805-653-7433

http://www.friendsofthefishermen.org/

Gulf Shrimp O.K. Fishermen will Catch as Soon as they Catch Some Buyers

2010-08-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I spoke with Louisiana's George Barisich after seeing his interview on Keith Olbermann's Countdown. He's an out-of-work gulf coast fisherman, one of thousands of businesspeople who are economically crippled by BP's gulf oil spill. He gave me the url for LEANweb.org, the nonprofit selling the United Fisherman Association's shirts and I bought four.

Before hanging up he said, "Don't forget about us, down here."

Today we spoke again. George is worried because the officials are saying the shrimp are now O.K.

George says, "Sure, I can catch them but no one wants to buy them!"

George is frustrated on many levels. No work, fitful sleep, and the feeling that the prevailing opinion of officials handling the disaster is that he and his colleagues are,"a bunch of stupid fishermen."

"Maybe we can't match wits with some of the scientists and lawyers but we have experience and common sense." Case in point, he says, was a recent exchange he took part in a public meeting.

A biologist told those assembled that the fisheries would be O.K. in two years.

George asked, "will you bet your salary on that?'

The biologist looked puzzled.

George went on, "You're betting two years of my income and oysters are a three-year crop cycle. There are many factors you don't understand. In this situation your Ph.D., might just as well stand for Pizza Hut Delivery!"

George finds it hard to hide his cynicism. Not that it hasn't gotten him in trouble before and perhaps he should have learned his lesson.

One year after Hurricane Katrina dumped 12 feet of water into his home and destroyed three of his commercial fishing boats, George was frustrated by the bureaucracy. He produced a t-shirt that said "Flooded by Katrina! Forgotten by FEMA! What's Next, Mr. Bush?"

The Department of Homeland Security issued him a $75 fine for handing out the shirts near a FEMA center in the parking lot of a Wal-Mart in Chalmette, La.

This this time around, George's shirt is more tongue-in-cheek.
No name-calling, just an apt use of color!!!!

Let's Never Forget!

Please help George and the United Fisherman Association by purchasing his shirts. See both sides and order now.... http://leanweb.org/shop/clothing/not-bp-t-shirts-from-george-barisich-of-the-united-commercial-fisherman.html

http://leanweb.org/news/index.php

By the way, the link below has some great info on oil spills in general.

http://www.surfrider.org/nottheanswer/Oil_Spill_Volunteer_Handbook%20.pdf

Let's Never Get Beyond the Gulf Oil Spill

2010-08-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

After seeing Louisiana's George Barisich trying to sell his organization's t-shirts on Keith Olbermann's Countdown this week, and seeming too shy to do it, I called him.

I wanted to tell him first:
not to quit his day job, oh yeah, BP already put him and thousands of others out of business along the gulf.
second: I wanted him to know I could not find his information on the Internet.
third: as an out-of-work PR person I wanted to volunteer.

I know I'm a coastal Californian, but hey, the 1969 landmark oil spill that prompted President Nixon to form the Environmental Protection Agency occurred in Santa Barbara which is about an hour away from where I live.

After getting his voicemail, I left a message that said I wanted to buy a t-shirt.

Two days later he actually called be back!
This guy is organizing, attending meetings with lawyers, getting the run around from BP, etc etc.
Still, he's a great guy with a sense of humor.

He gave me the url for LEANweb.org, the nonprofit selling the United Fisherman Association's shirts.
He admitted that this is his second disaster to try to work through. Katrina was his first.

I expressed sympathy and offered encouragement for this, his next, long haul.

Before hanging up he asked for one thing, "Don't forget about us, down here," he said.

Will we?
A volunteer working to save sea otters in 1989 was quoted In the Wake of Exxon Valdez, written by Art Davidson in 1990.
"Everyone is hurting over the spilled oil now. But our memories are short. In a year, five years? We forget. It's the limit of our memories that frightens me. If we don't remember what happened in Prince William Sound, it will happen again."

Hmmmnnn.........
How do we keep memories of this disaster and its consequences alive?

How many more times will this happen?

Let's Never Forget!

Please help George and the United Fisherman Association. go to http://leanweb.org/shop/clothing/not-bp-t-shirts-from-george-barisich-of-the-united-commercial-fisherman.html
http://leanweb.org/news/index.php

About the photo: George Barisich has been a fisherman in New Orleans for over 40 years. Some experts are concerned that toxic chemicals being used to help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf are seriously endangering the health of those living near the water. (Photo: bbcworldservice / Flickr)

Electric Cars Have Promise

2010-07-31T13:21:00.000-07:00

I read a really disappointing newspaper opinion today!
It was written by Mr. McFeatters in the Ventura County Star and titled: New Chevy Volt costs only $41,000, batteries included. He basically trounced the Chevy Volt and here is my reply.

Electric cars have a future. But you'd never know that by reading the simplistic personal opinion on this promising new technology published on the Opinion Page of the Ventura County Star.

McFeatters and his crew can drive gas-powered vehicles now, but they won't be able to forever as oil prices rise and emissions are further restricted by regulations.

All new technology is expensive and buggy.
Remember the first hand-held calculators of the 1970s that cost $50 and only did grade-school arithmetic?

The Chevy Volt, BMW's miniE and Nissan Leaf range of 100 miles per charge is plenty for most Americans' use. (see below) Most Americans will recharge their car at home overnight on the same electric outlet that powers the clothes dryer. (an adapter may be needed.)

Kudos to these car manufacturers and by the way to Ford as well which has several very high mileage cars and trucks in their line, including hybrids and zero-emission vehicles.

Tom Turrentine, UC Davis director Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Center recently said,“I would expect the market for electrics does not depend at all on the development of a [charging] network, given the way in which these vehicles are used."
Through his survey of 150 people leasing the BMW MiniE battery electric prototype last year, Turrentine discovered that its maximum range of 100 miles per charge was enough to satisfy their normal driving habits.
“The vehicle meets their needs in this range,” he noted.
Market research firm Frost & Sullivan also queried more than 2,000 drivers of all kinds of car nationwide and found that most feel the recharging time for an electric car's battery is acceptable.
Read more at:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35352973/ns/business-autos/
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2003789,00.html
http://www.pluginamerica.org/index.shtml

By the way here is the McFeatters opinion that I took offense to.
http://www.vcstar.com/news/2010/jul/30/new-chevy-volt-costs-only-41000-batteries/

Web Site Lists Government Renewable Energy Incentives

2010-03-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

I learned about this valuable web site today.
www.dsireusa.org
The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) is a comprehensive summary of state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.

DSIRE summaries are updated regularly by staff with the date of the last update posted. Use the link below to access recently added and updated programs.
What's New on DSIRE

A Conservationist David competes against Goliath for the Indy Prize

2010-03-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

A young conservationist working with two tiny California butterflies is competing among a group of 29 international eco-veterans for a $100,000 prize to be announced over the summer.

Moorpark College biologist Dr. Jana Johnson, 40, is one the scientists nominated for the 2010 Indianapolis Prize, the largest monetary award for animal conservation in the world. She may be the youngest and her animal is certainly the smallest, which allows her to joke that she is the "David against 28 Goliaths" in this competition.

The biennial award was established by the Indianapolis Zoo in 2005 to be a “spectacular celebration of conservation victories… that would inspire the public… to place conservationists, on the pedestal usually reserved for sports and entertainment stars,” according to the www.indyzoo.com web site.
The first two recipients, Dr. George Archibald 2006, and Dr. George Schaller 2008, are career field biologists considered “idols and icons to the next generation of animal scientists,” states the Web site. Archibald, 64, is credited with bringing the North American Whooping Crane back from extinction over more than 30-years. Schaller, 75, trekked across Asia since 1956 to study and save snow leopards, wild yak and Marco Polo sheep.
Johnson is one of that “next generation of animal scientists,” a “generation x-er” who has been working on restoring the wild populations of the Palos Verdes blue PVB and Lange’s Metalmark butterflies LMB through captive breeding for barely a decade. And her work has not taken her to remote waterways or other continents, but to two sections of highly populated California coast, the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the Antioch Dunes near San Francisco where the LMB hails from.

The Indianapolis Prize selection committee was obviously impressed enough by nominating letters and program data received on Johnson’s behalf to put her in the running with international conservation icons like Dr. Laurie Marker of Namibia’s Cheetah Conservation Fund and Pati Medici of Brazil’s Lowland Tapir Conservation Project.Johnson started caring for endangered butterflies for The Urban Wildlands Group in 2003 and established the Moorpark College program — now known as The Butterfly Project — as a secondary site for breeding Palos Verdes blue butterflies in 2005. To date, she has returned viable adult butterfly populations to the Palos Verdes peninsula with the current release taking place this spring.

The LMB, which Johnson brought to Moorpark in 2007, had never been successfully captive bred anywhere. Johnson termed LMB breeding “insanely hard,” listing the combination of variables her team worked through before they had success. “We tried winds of varying speed, diffused, dappled and low light, sound or no sound, a range of temperatures, and known native host plants in various stages of bloom,” she said. Hundreds of LMBs bred in Moorpark have been released each August for two years by her team of students and workers from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Indianapolis Prize web site lists Johnson’s credentials along with the other 28 nominees as “Founded The Butterfly Project, a center for endangered butterfly propagation and research; helped the Palos Verdes blue butterfly population, once presumed extinct, grow from 200 to 10,000 in three years.”

Johnson says even this grand success brings her very little chance of winning.

“I am grateful and honored to be in the running since I do work solely with invertebrates in severely abused urban areas,” she says sounding almost like a social worker.
The conservation movement is dominated by vertebrate animals not invertebrate animals like insects. Warm and furry, or what Jana calls “big charismatic mammals,” usually win the recognition, the biggest donations and, maybe in this case, the Indianapolis Prize.
Of the 29 conservationists in the 2010 competition, three are working with birds, one with fish, four with reptiles and the rest (20) with mammals, from bats to big cats to elephants!
Most states (California included) do not have any laws on the books to protect insects. “Virtually All laws protecting insects are federal laws,” she said.

Author Peter Laufer, whose 2009 book The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists, included a chapter on Johnson’s work to bring two species back from, “the brink of extinction.”
"As she so eloquently puts it using the spaceship earth metaphor, ‘How many rivets on the spaceship can we afford to lose,’" Laufer said.

see photos here

Solar and Beyond ..... Coming Soon

2010-03-15T15:33:00.001-07:00

Solar and Beyond
a blog by Jeanne M Brown

Jeanne earned a bachelors' degree in Environmental Studies at the start of the alternative energy movement. She has recently become active in environmental advocacy and welcomes emails from others committed to a future in Solar and other alternative energies.

Go Mr K.R.Sridhar!
http://bloomenergy.com/

jeanne@jeannembrown.com

2010-03-15T15:33:00.000-07:00