The
following workshops address all aspects of reducing
carbon
footprints and other forms of taking action for
the planet. To locate the time and place of these
workshops,
click here:
Alternatives to Lawns
Tysh McGrail and Melanie Brown
Have you ever thought, “Why do I need a lawn anyway?” You don’t! But what then?
Come to this discussion led by gardening and landscaping
professionals, and consider the alternatives!
Tysh McGrail of Woodscapes,
Inc. offers sustainable landscape design, consultation,
installation and renovation with emphasis on organic
land management practices, and alternatives to traditional
lawns. She is a member of the RI Wild Plant Society,
N.E. Wildflower Society, and the Ecological Landscape
Association.
Melanie Brown of Wildesigns
Gardening, designs, installs, and maintains organic gardens,
lawns/lawn alternatives, seasonal displays & wildlife window boxes using native and non-invasive plant species. She specializes
in “theme” gardens, including butterfly, herb/vegetable,
Japanese, Zen, etc.
Art of Natural Building
Ben Graham
Natural materials for building
not only make sense but inspire a new way of relating
to the natural world. This multi-media presentation introduces
building techniques for our bioregions including cob,
earthen plasters and floors, strawbale, timberframing
and light-clay. Get a behind-the-scene look at constructing
a natural building along with the inspiring beauty associated
with most things au naturale.
Ben Graham is a designer and
builder who develops natural building and sustainable
living systems. Ben directs SpiralWorks www.spiralworks.com,
a collaborative venture promoting community vitality
and viability. He holds an architectural degree from
the Rhode Island School of Design and a permaculture
design certificate from the Permaculture Association
of Britain. He also serves on the Plainfield, VT Planning
comminssion.
Basics of Solar Electricity
(Photovoltaics)
Len Loomans
Brief intro to the “basics”:
quantifying the solar resource, system design types,
sizing techniques, estimating output, life-cycle costs,
NEC compliance and utility requirements. Available state
and federal rebates, tax incentives and Renewable Energy
Credits/Green Power marketing will also be covered. If
the sun is shining, we'll go outside for some hands-on
demonstrations, and there will be plenty of time for
questions.
Len Loomans is a Consulting
Energy Engineer with over 20 years experience within
the electric power industry. Currently he provides
clients with engineering design & commissioning services for renewable energy systems; including photovoltaics,
wind, hydroelectric, cogeneration and other energy
efficiency & conservation technologies. He also teaches a Photovoltaics Class for the Lifelong
Learning Div. of CCRI. Len holds a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from Colorado State University.
Climate Action Conference
10:00 am to 12:00 noon
Panel: Dr. Steven Hamburg
Stephen Majkut
Omay Elphick
Let’s make inconvenient truths
more convenient. Find out what you can do right now to
produce positive effective changes in your life and in
the lives of others. Hear from the experts about climate
change on the ground in New England literally and figuratively,
followed by facilitated break out sessions in the areas
of Youth Organizing, Neighborhood Actions, Best Practices
at Home, Going Green at Work and Creating Sustainable
Municipalities. Start the day off righteously!
Steven P. Hamburg is a forest ecologist who has been
involved in sustainability initiatives for 25 years.
He hails from the faculty of the University of Kansas
where he directed the Environmental Studies Program
and founded the office of the Environmental Ombudsman.
He then spent a year at Environmental Defense prior
to joining the Brown faculty where he is currently,
in the Center for Environmental Studies and director
for the Global Environment Program at the Watson Institute
for International Studies. Brown has published over
50 articles on ecosystem ecology and related topics
in a wide range of journals including Nature and Science.
He serves as vice chair of the International Long-Term
Ecological Research Network and on the Board of Directors
of Save the Bay and Clean Air-Cool Planet.
Stephen Majkut is a graduate of the University of Rhode
Island with a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
He is a Registered Professional Engineer. Mr. Majkut
joined the Department of Environmental Management in
1975, first managing Rhode Island’s hazardous waste
management program under the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act, and now, since 1986 administering
Rhode Island’s air quality program. He is responsible
for permitting, assuring compliance with air pollution
control regulations, air toxics, air quality attainment
planning, mobile sources, air quality/transportation
issues, global warming and regional air quality issues.
Omay Elphick is Deputy Director at the Energy Consumer
Alliance of New England's Rhode Island office. Previously
as policy specialist at Save the Bay, Omay researched
the brownfield regulatory landscape and developed recommendations
for improving the redevelopment process for coastal
brownfields in Rhode Island. Omay also oversaw construction
of the Save the Bay Center, a "green" educational
and administrative building. Before joining Save the
Bay, Omay was a Senior Analyst and Nonprofit Consultant
at a private branding and business consulting firm
in Boulder, Colorado. He has an MBA in Marketing and
a BA in Economics.
Cobbin Together: Living in the Green Vision
Erin and Jim Malloy
We will explore the many facets
of Green Building; the social, environmental and economic
benefits of creating and living in the “Green Vision.”
We will also explore the vision and living model of an
off-grid solar/wind, human-powered, fossil fuel-free,
mortgage-free, Earthen Home.
Erin and Jim Malloy have designed
and built their own efficient Earthen home in north-central
Vermont. They live comfortably in their inexpensive,
mortgage-free, cob home surrounded by their fruit orchard.
Both Jim and Erin work in the field of energy education.
Community Supported Energy
Greg Pahl
An idea whose time has finally come! Community ownership
of local renewable energy sources has been highly successful
in Europe and is now gaining momentum in North America.
Increasing fossil fuel prices, energy supplies, and commercial-scale
wind farm controversies make the strategy of community-based
energy projects attractive and doable. Topics will include
examples of successful initiatives, advantages of community-based
energy, and obstacles that stand in the way of greater
community control. A question and answer session will
follow.
Greg Pahl is journalist and
author of five books who has been involved in renewable
energy issues for more than 25 years. His latest book,
The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions
to a Global Crisis, was published in February 2007 by
Chelsea Green Publishing.
Don’t Whack Your Weeds- Eat
Them!
Karen Talbot
Most people don’t realize
there is a free supermarket at the roadside, in empty
lots, and your own backyard. Join in a weedwalk to discover
the food and health benefit of wild plants. Delectables
are offered for the adventurous!
Karen Talbot has been an herbalist
for over twenty years and has lead weedwalks for individuals,
groups, and schools. Her love of the wild plant kingdom
has found expression in teaching classes in cooking,
cosmetics, and herbal healing using plants found in the
backyard and beyond.
Eco-House Tour
Bradley Grove Hyson
Frustrated with compulsory
consumption in your home? Experience the alternatives
in one of Rhode Island’s most environmentally designed
buildings. Learn about more than 50 ecologically friendly
building systems, technologies and products that help
this housing model use less than half the resources of
a typical home its size.
Bradley Grove Hyson is the
founder and director of the Apeiron Institute for Environmental
Living. He has led hundreds of tours of the eco-house,
which also incorporates his knowledge of environmental
issues, ecological building, and his vision for global
sustainability.
Energy Affordable Housing
Karina Lutz and Ed Connelly
More and more low-income residents
pay almost as much, if not more, for utilities than rent
these days. To address this, People’s Power & Light and New Ecology, Inc. are working with Rhode Island Community Development
Corporations (CDC’s) to discover the potential for energy
efficiency upgrades to existing affordable housing. Meanwhile,
new money is coming in for low-income weatherization
and utility gas efficiency programs because of the passage
of the landmark Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Act last
year. Find out how Rhode Islanders can make housing more
environmentally sound and affordable – because sustainability
means both.
Karina Lutz works in development
and advocacy for People’s Power & Light, Rhode Island’s nonprofit green energy company. A sustainable energy advocate
since her days as editor of Home Energy magazine in Berkeley
in the 80s, she also teaches yoga and writes poetry and
plays.
Edward F. Connelly is the
president of New Ecology, Inc. (NEI), a Cambridge-based
non profit that concentrates on sustainable development
in urban settings. Connelly is a national leader in the
effort to green affordable housing. He founded and ran
CleanScape, Inc., a triple bottom line social venture
that provides recycling and landscaping services to corporate and
institutional clients, and creates living wage jobs
for residents of the Providence RI Enterprise Community.
He is the former Deputy Director of the Rhode Island
Resource Recovery Corporation and assistant town administrator
for Sharon, MA.
The Energy Star Homes Program
Jon Dember
The workshop is a general
overview of the Energy Star Homes program, which helps
people build high levels of comfort, indoor air quality,
and energy efficiency into their new homes. A variety
of incentives are available to help an owner or builder
certify their home as an Energy Star Home, which is nationally
recognized for representing greater value, lower operating
cost, increased durability, comfort, and safety. The
outline includes information on the program background,
goals, procedures, benefits package, technical support,
and technical standards.
Jon Dember is an Outreach
Support Specialist for the Energy Star Homes program
in New England, covering Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut.
He has worked as a housing inspector for rent subsidy
programs, both for Rhode Island Housing Corp., and previously
in Upstate New York for a community action program. In
1997-2000 he was a co-organizer of the CoopPlus of the
Finger Lakes, a renewable energy member co-op.
From Local to Global: The
RI Model for Harnessing Wind Power Worldwide
Lefteris Pavlides
This workshop will assess
Rhode Island’s electricity goal to produce 15% of its
electricity from wind within the next five years. It
will review the legal, economic, public perception and
site considerations in order to implement this goal.
It will also examine the far-reaching, long-term global
implications of this local initiative. Workshop participants
will be encouraged to join the Rhode Island Wind Power
Alliance and suggest ways that their participation can
contribute to achieving this goal.
Lefteris Pavlides, a professor
of architecture at RWU, has served as the Director of
the Wind Power Rhode Island Project since 2005. Most
recently, he was involved in helping organize a WIND
POWER conference at the RWU Center for Macro Projects
and Diplomacy and taught a “Wind Architectural Studio.”
Fun with Fuel Cells
Ross McCurdy
This is a fun introduction
to fuel cell technology that is suitable for anyone able
to tie their own shoes. Using hands-on lab kits, participants
will use solar panels to produce hydrogen from water
and then use this hydrogen to power fuel cells and produce
electricity. The fuel cell electricity will then be used
to power a small motor and run a tiny light bulb. This
workshop will clearly demonstrate the sustainability
potential of hydrogen fuel cells.
Ross McCurdy is a Science
Teacher at Ponaganset High School and an advocate of
fuel cells and other alternative/renewable energy. With
the help of students and other dedicated people Ross
created Protium, the world’s first fuel cell powered
band and operator of RI’s first fuel cell vehicle. Ponaganset
High’s Fuel Cell Team is currently working on a street
legal Fuel Cell Model T hot rod.
The Future of Transportation
in RI
Barry Schiller
This workshop will consider
transportation choices in our state and the promotion
of sustainability. After a brief overview of current
issues surrounding bus transit, commuter and intercity
rail, bike paths, bicycle commuting, pedestrian issues,
highway maintenance and expansion, and cleaner cars,
participants will discuss their priority concerns and
responses in moving towards sustainable living.
Barry Schiller is a retired
math professor at Rhode Island College, and has been
involved in state transportation issues since the fight
against the proposed I-84 highway across the Scituate
reservoir in the 1970s. He has served as a member of
the Board of Directors of the RI Public Transportation
Authority and is now a member of the State Planning Council's
Transportation Advisory Committee, and the Rhode Island
Sierra Club's Transportation Chair.
Giant Climate Creature Creations
with Big Nazo & Parade to Follow
Ermnio Pinque & Freaky
Friends
Artistic Director Erminio
Pinque and staff of Providence’s BIG NAZ0 LAB will demonstrate
various techniques of fabricating and performing large
scale creature puppets for use in parades, carnivals
and demonstrations. Cardboard, fabric, tempra paint and
a variety of materials will be combined with experimental
theatre games and performance techniques to create a
parade of unusual and fantastic characters that will
interact and improvise with audiences at the Sustainable
Living Festival.
Erminio Pinque conducts mask-making,
mural and video Artist-in-residency workshops throughout
New England and is part-time faculty at Rhode Island
School of Design Film/Video Department where he teaches
a course in CREATURE-CREATION. Erminio and the BIG NAZ0
troupe have designed, constructed and animated original
characters for countless stage productions, parades,
TV projects, and family extravaganzas throughout the
US and overseas.
Green and Greening Business Panel
Chuck Carberry, CleanScape, Inc.
Catherine Mardosa & Matt Tracy, Red Planet Vegetables
David Spencer, Atlantic Paper & Twine
Company
Ever wondered what it’s really like to go green at work? Find out from local
business people the ins and outs of starting up or greening up for a better business
and a better world. What are the best practices and most important actions? How
does going green in RI impact profits, clients and day to day life? How far can
you go and what are the likely allies and obstacles along the path? Join forward
thinkers in the corporate and small business realms and find the information,
motivation and tools you need for inspiration and action!
Green
Film Fest—The RIght Way Shoot Off of 2007, The Meatrix
and other shorts, followed by
a Feature Film TBA
Local
and National Filmmakers
We asked for a moving picture, a brief 1-4 minute trailer to help launch a revolution.
In conjunction with The RI Film Collaborative, we launched The RIght Way Great
Green Shoot Off of 2007 that ended in May. Winners were awarded prizes and their
trailers will be airing in local theaters soon. We invited filmmakers to help
renew the Ocean State’s commitment to a truth, which isn’t inconvenient, but
instead promises a happy, healthy future for everyone. Now we invite you to see
the results! More information on The RIght Way Great Green Shoot Off of 2007
may be found by clicking here.
Reducing
Your Toxic Footprint at Home
Joy Onash and Harris Parnell
As we take steps to reduce
our energy use, recycle and avoid wasteful living, there
is another way we can show our caring for the earth,
its people and other living things. Chemicals we use
in our homes wind up in our rivers, the ground, the food
we eat, they have been found in our own blood and in
that of animals - even as far away as polar bears at
the North Pole. We’ll discuss concerns and options for
cleaning supplies, toys, pest control, furnishings, paints,
carpeting, personal care products, least pesticide foods
and more.
Joy Onash, Community Program Manager, Massachusetts Toxics
Use Reduction Institute (TURI), University of Massachusetts
Lowell, is an engineer with over ten years of experience
with industry, government, and institutions, assisting
them with environmental compliance issues and pollution
prevention projects. She also works with non-profit organizations,
municipalities, and small business.
Harris Parnell, Maine State Director for Toxics Action
Center (TAC) began work with TAC six years ago as the
Sludge Field Organizer. She also worked in Massachusetts
on clean energy, hunger and homelessness, student and
consumer rights, and other public interest issues. Later,
as director of a statewide water quality organization,
she helped create the strongest standard for rocket fuel
in drinking water in the country.
Renewable Energy Sources Overview
Daniel Cartier
This workshop focuses on explaining
renewable sources and the benefits they bring. Solar
electricity, wood pellet, hydro, biodiesel, solar thermal,
fuel cells, wind energy, wave power and green power will
all be discussed. Photos of real world projects from
Rhode Island and around the world will be presented.
Dan Cartier is a Mechanical
Engineer educated at URI with a Certification in Energy
Management. Dan has worked with renewable energy systems
for over twenty years. Currently Dan is working for the
Chariho Regional School District as Director of Building
and Grounds and consults on renewable energy systems
as well.
Retrofitting Your Home with
Renewables and Energy Saving Ideas
Dan Cartier
After this workshop, the average
home owner will be able to map out a plan that will allow
them to live a fossil free life. It will cover available
energy saving options for the local homeowner, renewable
energy systems that can be installed in the typical home,
as well as green fuels locally available for cars or
trucks.
Dan Cartier is a Mechanical
Engineer educated at URI with a Certification in Energy
Management. Dan has worked with renewable energy systems
for over twenty years. Currently Dan is working for the
Chariho Regional School District as Director of Building
and Grounds and consults on renewable energy systems
as well.
Solar and Wind Options for
Clean Energy
Bob Chew
Learn how to incorporate solar
and wind systems into your home or business. Bob Chew
will discuss renewable energy options- how to create
them, what they can do for you and the environment.
Robert Chew has been a solar designer/ contractor since
1977. He is president of SolarWrights, inc., a solar
contracting firm headquartered in Bristol, RI with offices
throughout New England.
Solar Hot Water: Basic System
Design
Dan Cartier
This workshop will review
the basics of solar hot water systems and the best systems
for New England. Decision making, basic system design,
necessary installation skills, resources for solar hot
water education and component selection and purchasing
will all be outlined and explained. Photos of real world
projects will be shown.
Dan Cartier is a Mechanical
Engineer educated at URI with a Certification in Energy
Management. Dan has worked with renewable energy systems
for over twenty years. Currently Dan is working for the
Chariho Regional School District as Director of Building
and Grounds and consults on renewable energy systems
as well.
Sustainable Communities
Brad Hyson
Ecological Communities are human settlements that achieve a high standard of
living with a low impact on the environment. They integrate
green building design, renewable energy, on-site food
production, community based businesses, and family
friendly environments within a context of radically
reduced environmental impact. They can be rural, urban
or suburban in location, and have appeared throughout
the world. This workshop will share Apeiron Executive
Director Brad Hyson’s findings from a year long fellowship
to travel and research 13 eco-villages in 4 countries
and 6 U.S. states. He will explore common themes of
sustainable human settlements and leave participants
with a variety of ideas for their own communities.
Bradley Grove Hyson is
a founder and the executive director of the Apeiron
Institute for Environmental Living. Over the course
of 12 years with Apeiron, Brad has educated more than
10,000 students, legislators, state employees, trades
people, businesspeople, and concerned citizens about
sustainable living concepts and practices. His vision
for making RI the nation’s “1st Sustainable State”
is the driving force behind Apeiron’s current program
and the Eco-House, which showcases more than 50 ecological
systems and products. In 2001, Brad was awarded a RI
Foundation Leadership & Development Fellowship, which enabled him to travel around the world researching
Eco-Communities and other forms of collective living.
Brad is also a musician, songwriter and recording artist,
the stepfather of 3 children, and an avid meditator
and yoga practitioner.
Sustainable
Food Systems
Noah Fulmer, Susan Letendre, Alicia Lehrer
In this one hour workshop
we will examine our current food system and its limits.
We will spark ideas with a few short films from the “Good
Food” film series from Media that Matters. We will then
have an open discussion of a few alternative sustainable
models now being explored locally.
Noah Fulmer has worked with
Farm Fresh Rhode Island over the last two years, developing
the local food web marketplace http://www.farmfreshri.org/,
organizing local food forums and farmers markets. Noah’s
primary goal is to connect local food producers to local
consumers and institutions and to develop a great working
model of a local food system.
Susan Letendre has spent the
last six years developing leadership skills and knowledge
in RI youth in the arena of Food Security. Susan has
worked with 800 students, helped develop multiple school
gardens and greenhouses and explored world-wide food
systems first-hand. Susan has an amazing global perspective
on food systems.
Alicia Lehrer has led the
Southern RI Conservation District for the last 9 years.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Natural Resources Science
and is a water quality specialist. Alicia has been involved
in preserving local agriculture through the Farm, Forest
and Open Space program connecting farmers directly to
resources that help them to remain viable.
Water for Rhode Island Today and Tomorrow
Greg Gerritt, Eugenia Marks, Beverly O’Keefe
A panel presentation by 3 of the people involved in creating the booklet “Water
for Rhode Island Today and Tomorrow” and the conference
of the same name. Topics to be covered include how
much water does RI use, how much is available, what
we can do to conserve, and what the future holds.
Greg Gerritt is a long time activist on environmental
and economic issues, and former Green Party candidate
for mayor of Providence. Gerritt is currently focused
primarily on issues of prosperity and global warming.
Eugenia Marks serves as
Senior Director for Policy at Audubon Society of RI
where she has worked for 27 years. She has worked in
freshwater resources and water policy through these
years, with the RI Water Resources Board and RI DEM
to achieve water policies that serve the public interest.
Beverly O’Keefe is a Supervising
Planner for the RI Water Resources Board. O’Keefe serves
on the Executive Board of the URI Master Gardeners
as the Advanced Education Coordinator, and is affectionately
known as "The Water Lady" across the state by those who have adopted rain barrels and rainwater harvesting
techniques.
What
is Bio-Diesel
Bob Cerio
Introduction to Bio-Diesel,
the fastest growing alternative energy resource today
and a look at its emerging markets.
Bob Cerio has over twenty
four years experience in the field of Energy Conservation
and Management with a focus on integrating renewable
energy resources into an energy portfolio.
