Home SolWest Fair Program Newsletter Calendar of Events Our Photo Album Our Business Members Support EORenew RE Links Page Contact & Access Archives and Articles In this issue: News from EORenew News Briefs Feature article Calendar of Events

selections from: Winter '11-12 Download the full issue in .pdf format, with all the graphics (2.5 MB) EORenew: What We Do -- our Annual Report to our Members EORenew supports eastern Oregonians, and other north-westerners, who want to change the way they and their communities think about and use energy. Since 1998, we've made renewable energy and energy-efficiency education available through schools, tours, classes and events in eastern Oregon. Here's some of what we've been doing in 2011: PROJECTS: The Grant County Historical Museum ARRA (stimulus) project took up a lot of our spare time this year. It is finished, and we're proud to say that the building has been given a whole new lease on life! Everyone agrees that the new windows, the efficient heat pump, the insulated and finished walls and ceiling have made the building more comfortable to be in. Between the weatherization/HVAC upgrades, the new bright ceiling and lighting, and the solar electric system installed in 2010, the city says the energy bills have already dropped quite a bit! Lee Willeman of the Oregon Department of Energy had the following praise for the project: "It is rewarding to me as a project manager to see these Recovery Act funds have such a big impact on a community like Canyon City. The HVAC, lighting and weatherization upgrades make the space more usable and comfortable and will save considerable energy in the future. In addition, Canyon City used local contractors on the project which helped stimulate the economy. It shows how important the federal stimulus funding was to rural communities that used it on worthy energy projects."

ENERGY EDUCATION CLASSES FOR ALL AGES: EORenew's Jennifer Barker traveled to Burns to be part of the "Going Solar" class presented by Solar Oregon in January. By popular demand, EORenew offered a follow-up class in February on Do-it-Yourself solar projects, and repeated the DIY class in John Day in March. In the fall, our "News for Teachers" went out and prompted a call for a class at the Humbolt Elementary 4th grade. Elementary education means fun, games, and a "What is Renewable?" presentation. As usual, Jennifer traveled to Portland for the NW Solar Expo at the Convention Center, and taught classes on Off-grid Living and Solar Cooking. This is a valuable outreach event for us, as we make contact with many people who decide that SolWest Fair is the right place for them to be later in the summer! PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL EDUCATION: This year's pre-SolWest classes included both a solar electric and a solar thermal track, with class participants eligible for NABCEP, Oregon BCD and Oregon Dept of Energy continuing education hours. We continued the trend towards making regular SolWest workshops eligible for CE hours as well. SOLWEST EXPANDS FOCUS TO TRADITIONAL SKILLS: Last winter, we formed a SolWest focus committee to explore possibilities and decide what they wanted to see at SolWest 2011. While not every lead ended up working out for the event, the committee worked hard to find do-able projects and line up a slate of wonderful new workshop topics. This year's workshops (over 50!) included traditional skills such as food growing and preservation, natural building and, of course, renewable energy technology. The expanded focus attracted many new participants, and everyone agreed it was a hit! Keynote speaker Philip Ackerman-Leist carried the theme with his tales of sustainable living in communities around the globe. One of the traditional skills covered this year was earthen building. John Day Community Garden volunteers constructed a cob oven, and instructor Kiko Denzer (author of "Build Your Own Earth Oven") journeyed to SolWest to oversee the work and to teach several classes during the weekend on all aspects of earthen building. Vendor, activity, and publicity focus groups are now forming for SolWest 2012. Volunteers are already working on new ideas, including a Sunday Sustainable Swap Meet on the parking lot! What exhibitors, activities and workshops would you like to see next summer? Do you have an idea that you would like to step up and organize? Contact us by email or phone to join a group.

NATIONAL SOLAR TOUR: This year's solar tour headed out to new territory. First, we stopped by the Grant County Historical Museum to see the utility-intertied system and the almost-completed weatherization project. Visitors commented on how bright and comfortable the building had become, and on how wonderful the artifacts and displays were. They promised to return next May for the grand re-opening! Then we hit the road west to Dayville and Oswalds' off-grid home with super-insulation, shading, and solar electric system by North River Electric; after which, we visited Smiths' passive solar home and solar hot water system built by Mark Boss Contracting. The contractors were present at both locations to answer questions about the technology, the discussion was animated, and a wonderful time was had by all!

Our funders and donors play a major role in continuing our work of promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. Who are EORenew members? RE manufacturers, distributors, and retail businesses People in building trades (architects, electricians, contractors etc.) Electric utilities Local stores and service businesses Professional individuals (all sorts, incl. public servants, financial services, health care, consultants, bookkeepers, etc.) Ranchers and farmers Self-employed people (artisans, professional services, etc.) Teachers and students Retired people Native American tribal organizations -- and anyone interested in learning about and promoting energy self-reliance! -- are you on this list? Join us and support EORenew! Thanks to the following new and renewing business members. Your support makes our programs possible: Canyon Mountain Center, John Day OR Certified Software Corporation, John Day OR Humble Roots Farm & Nursery LLC, Mosier OR Joseph Millworks, Baker City OR JWN Company, Prairie City OR Morning Hill Associates, Canyon City OR Oregon Solar Energy Industries Assoc (OSEIA), Portland OR REDI-Renewable Energy Dev. Int'l, Eugene OR Solar Assist, Eugene OR Wholesale Solar, Inc, Mount Shasta CA ... and a big thanks to all our renewing members! You have the power to make a difference! More thank-yous to... ... to Mark Breakey for making a pledge through United Way for his 2012 donation. ... to Jerry & Marcia Franklin of Eastern Oregon Realty for donation of office space. ... to The Nature Conservancy of Oregon, for donation of three laptop computers. EORenew supporters are the GREATEST! Our Wishlist: Portable sound system Volunteer needed: To put up a bulletin board in our hallway For some data entry and web research To sort through our old magazines We want your old Computer Stuff: USB wheel mouse USB cordless mouse or presentation clicker DVD writeable USB drive Adobe Photoshop (or elements) Adobe Acrobat (full version)... ... all compatible with Windows XP   -let us know if you can donate any of these items Thanks to all the folks who responded to our wishlists! Like most nonprofit organizations, EORenew owes much of its funding to your generous donations. Contributions above value received ($15 for our print newsletter) are eligible for deduction from your taxable income as charitable donation. Every dollar you donate frees up valuable funding for our renewable energy education, information, and energy service programs! We accept donations designated for specific programs. You may also make a donation through your local United Way. Please consider EORenew when making your charitable donation decisions. Why I support EORenew: "I support EORenew because "renewable" is the only viable future for human use of energy; we really have no other good choices but to learn as much as we can about existing renewable technologies." -- Kay Firor, chair, EORenew Board of Directors  "As the energy costs for the consumer increase, it is imperative that the consumer is informed of the possible alternatives to formulate a prudent decision about their energy alternatives." -- Ken Primrose, EORenew Board of Directors

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