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Featured Speaker:
John
Patterson
Friday July 29, 5:00, Open-air Classroom
Since 1979, John Patterson has been an Oregon solar activist
who walks his talk. John passionately believes that if we are
energy-aware and cultivate positive personal attitudes, we can take
control of our energy destiny. He has lived and worked with solar
since 1979.
As president of Mr. Sun Solar in Portland Oregon, John has
installed over 2000 systems including solar hot water, solar pool
heating, and photovoltaic systems. He is proud that these systems,
many of which have been featured on solar home tours, combine to
generate or save over 20,000 kilowatt-hours per day. |
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John has served three times as the president of the
Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA), and chaired the
Citizens Utility Board (representing ratepayers before the PUC). He
writes articles for newspapers and magazines, and is the author of
Footprint: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Extinction. He
appears at local K-12 schools and has taught solar energy to hundreds
of students from Portland Community College.
John is active in promoting good renewable energy policy, and
was instrumental in getting four key solar bills through the Oregon
Legislature. He serves on the Oregon RET Apprenticeship Committee.
PELLET
PLANT PRODUCES ENERGY FROM FOREST FUELS FOR LOCAL USE
Join us for the tour of the Malheur Lumber
Pellet Plant and one or both of the KÖB-Viessmann Pyrot boilers
that have been installed in commercial settings locally. Meets
Friday 2:00, at the campground gate of the fairgrounds (by
KJDY Radio). Transportation provided, limited to 16 passengers, call
541-575-3633 for reservations.
Generations of sawlog harvesting can leave commercial forests
choked with forestry leftovers: sapling-sized and un-merchantable
trees, which need to be thinned to make way for healthy growth. In
January 2009, Grant County government began an investigation to see
whether there was enough of this type of woody biomass in the area to
support a pellet plant, and what that plant might look like. The
Grant County Fiber Utilization Study took more than 4 months and
enlisted the help of several local, state and federal agency
employees, foresters and business people. When complete, the study
was shared with individuals, government agencies, legislators and
congressional delegates.
Because the county had a completed study, it was a prime
candidate for support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act. The pellet plant went into production in March, 2011, and is
designed to produce approximately 50 tons per day of wood pellets and
bricks. Pellet plant supervisor John Rowell reports the plant employs
11 people and supports two additional jobs at the chipping station.
The pellets are packed 8 bricks to a bundle, and 80 bundles or 640
bricks on a pallet. One pallet of bricks or pellets equals about a
cord of fire wood. The pellets and bricks are marketed and
distributed by Bear Mountain Forest Products of Portland, Oregon.
Modern wood pellet and wood chip fueled heating systems are
capable of achieving particulate emissions levels that are 10-50
times lower than EPA certified wood stoves, without expensive
secondary filtration devices. If lower emissions are required, flue
gas cleaning systems are available that achieve particulate emissions
similar to natural gas fueled systems. New boilers have been
installed at the Grant County Regional Airport and the Blue Mountain
Hospital. Both systems were purchased from A3Energy from Portland and
will use locally produced Bear Mountain Pellets. The system at the
hospital cost $411,000, and is projected to save approximately
$50,000 per year in 2011 energy dollars.
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Pushing the "Re-set" Button
Opinion by Jennifer Barker
There are plenty of things in our lives that have a
"re-set" button, whether it's a literal one, or just a
figurative one. When my computer gets too many processes clogging it
up, it's time to turn it off for a moment, and start afresh with an
uncluttered electronic memory.
But what's with our society? It seems like no matter how many
short pauses we take for a brief rest or sleep, we mostly get up and
go at it each day in the same way, continuing to push the same
Keynesian goals: as long as the economy is humming, we don't stop to
question our part in it, we just get on the treadmill and do our part
for "productivity." It's hard to ask big questions of
ourselves when the rewards are so high for not asking.
Last year, however, for the first time in decades, the economy
slumped almost to a standstill. Americans dramatically reduced their
discretionary spending, meaning that a lot of useless junk just
stayed put on the shelves or didn't even get manufactured. The
"Story of Stuff" cycle (mining-manufacturing-short useful
life-landfill) slowed down, consuming less energy than the previous
year for the first time ever. It seemed as if last year, American
society collectively pushed the "re-set" button. Whew. |
Did we spend some time re-assessing what our
individual dreams are? Did each of us lay out a plan to get where we
wanted to be? Do we pause on a frequent basis to check our plans
against reality, make slight adjustments to course as necessary, and
forge ahead on the path towards our dreams? If we keep our goals in
front of our eyes, how much less likely we are to be sidetracked!
I sense that one of the new directions people are taking is to
place a new value on traditional skills - but with a new,
technological twist. Appropriate technology can smooth out the path
to the dream, whether using a computer to check the weather for
planting your garden and find a remedy for your sick goat, or using
home-made renewable energy to keep warm and power that computer even
in the most challenging setting.
Everyone is welcome at SolWest Fair. Self-reliance, and the
search for a sustainable life, are equal opportunity pursuits. If you
can't afford to come to SolWest, please email or call us* for
volunteer opportunities and transportation assistance. SolWest is not
about what you look like, how much money you have, where you come
from, or what kind of politics you endorse. It is about learning,
talking with others, taking strides toward your personal goals, and
sharing in the company of others on the same journey. Please join us
* Volunteers get into SolWest and camp free. We can
help with rideshares and carpools. Call JJ at 541-575-3633 for more info.
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