Ditch the word consumer and just get behind the people doing stuff….We are all still pioneers.–Britta Riley on TED TV

The following video offers a twofer: First, it explains a method for growing your own food garden in small spaces, even inside apartments. Building window farms is the method used to create these vertical gardens. (I wrote about vertical gardens from another angle in a previous post.) Second, the video redefines the word “consumer” as well as redefines how business should and could work.

When you watch the video, you might find a few more categories in which this video could be placed. So watch the video and get some food for thought. Pun intended.

Britta Riley describes herself as an innovation culture hacker, social entrepreneur and artist who is working “to open up new markets that I think people and nature need now…. [Her] current company, Windowfarms.org was named one of the top 100 businesses to watch in 2010 by Entrepreneur Magazine. Windowfarms makes vertical hydroponic platforms for food growing in city windows in conjunction with an online citizen science web platform with over 16,000 community members worldwide.”

Previously, I wrote about the Phytopod as an example of vertical gardening and an upcoming post will discuss another version, window farms. That post will be about how social media is playing a part in perfecting a particular type of vertical gardening as well as redefining the word “consumer.” In the meantime, you can learn more about vertical gardening at an upcoming talk at the next Laguna Beach Garden Club talk.

Even the narrowest of spots can host a lush garden with careful planning and adaptable plants. Find out how this is done at the next general meeting of the Laguna Beach Garden Club on Friday, December 09. Landscape Designer and “Horticulture” Magazine Contributing Editor Rebecca Sweet talks about ’skinny space’ solutions and the gardening techniques that can reduce the visual impact of unattractive landscape features. Ms. Sweet is the co-author of the best selling book “Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Large and Small Spaces“, blogs on www.gossipinthegarden.com, and contributes to many popular garden magazines such as “Horticulture“, “Women’s Day Gardening“, “Fine Gardening” and “The American Gardener“.–Laguna Beach Information Center

Here are the details in a nutshell:

What: Vertical Gardening for Large and Small Spaces

When: Friday, December 9, 2011; 9:30 am

Where: Presbyterian Church (Tankersley Fellowship Hall), 415 Forest Avenue. Laguna Beach (corner of Forest and 2nd Street)

Cost: Free to first-time visitors

Graphic courtesy Susan Morrison/Rebecca Sweet

If you are planning on installing a solar panel system for your home, some things that you will need to keep in mind are in the following checklist.

This checklist for installing a photovoltaic (PV) system was written by energy consultant, Rik DeGunther, and can be found in his book, Solar Power Your Home for Dummies.

1. Perform an energy audit and take conservation steps.

2. Determine the utility rate structure you’ll qualify for after the equipment is in place.

3. Review the physical installation options. (For example, roof conditions, size and shading.)

4. Decide how much to invest and how to finance it. (Be sure to check for federal, state and local incentives.)

5. Locate contractors and go out for formal bids.

6. Choose the best contractor and write the contract.

7. Wait for equipment to arrive (it’s rarely stock), approvals from building permits, subsidies, tax break and so on.

8. Allow for installation and inspections by the county and utility company.

9. Wait for the utility to put in a new meter and connect to the grid.

10. Get a tutorial on how to operate your system.

11. Submit any paperwork to utilities, states, and so on for final rebate payment.

12. Change your household habits to optimize system payback. (For example: If you’re on a tiered rate structure, or TOU rate structure, you probably need to change some of your consumptions habits in order to capitalize on the system.)

13. Maintain and repair the system.

Note: These steps might seem like a lot to take on, but your utility company or a qualified installer can handle many of these steps for you. In addition, reading the book will break down each step.

Additional information on solar energy that you might find helpful: The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Solar Power for Your Home by Dan Ramsey and David Hughes

Up first, the advantages of including batteries with a grid-tie solar power installation:

• When power from the utility company is down, a grid-tie system without a battery does not provide the energy needed to power your home. So, in this case, you have the solar panels installed, but still no working lights, heat, stove, etc. Addition of batteries can solve this. Therefore, if you live in an area that tends to have many power outages or that tends to have outages that last a long time, battery backup is particularly helpful.
• If your comfort level in dealing with power loss during an outage is low, batteries use is appealing.
• If you have health or business equipment in your home that you cannot live without for even a short time, then some type of backup connection (such as batteries) might be essential.

Now, the disadvantages of including batteries with a grid-tie solar power installation:

• Batteries cost. You can set up your solar panel installation to replace 100% of your energy needs or just power a few appliances. Batteries will add an additional cost to your solar panel installation that is proportional to the size of your home and the amount of energy that you want to provide to your home via solar energy. This could be anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars.
• A system with batteries requires additional controls and safety devises. This will further add to the cost.
• Batteries require maintenance and replacement costs.
• A system with batteries involves a more complex setup.
• Battery use involves some additional level of danger.
• Systems with batteries are 2%-4% less efficient.

This information should help you decide if using batteries with a grid-tie solar panel installation is an efficient option for your particular situation.

Photo Courtesy DC Battery Specialists

Incentives through the City of Irvine for solar installation will end on November 18th. Sullivan Solar Power is holding a free luncheon program at Irvine’s City Hall this Saturday, August 27 that will cover how to take advantage of this program for little to zero upfront costs. The talk will also cover how to make use of California state rebates and federal tax credits. Since these Irvine incentives end on November 18th, time is of the essence. Additional information is available at IrvineSolarProgram.org or 1-800-SULLIVAN.

WHAT: Irvine Solar Program Luncheon

WHEN: Saturday, August 27th, 11 am

WHERE: Irvine City Hall, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Irvine CA

To qualify for a rebate, all purchase invoices or receipts must be dated between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. All rebate items must be purchased and installed prior to submitting an application for a rebate. Qualifying rebate applications must be postmarked no later than December 31, 2010 to be eligible.–The Gas Company

Following is The Gas Company’s green rebate list. In addition to the time requirements listed in the above quote, additional requirements exist. So click on the following links for additional requirement information as well as product information.

• Clothes Washer–$35
• Dishwasher–$30
• Low-Flow Showerhead–$15 rebate on Evolve^TM ShowerStart^TM Roadrunner showerhead
• Furnace–$200
• Insulation--$0.15 per square foot on qualified attic or wall insulation
• Natural Gas Storage Water Heaters–$30
• Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater–$200
• Also, see Solar Water Heating Incentives (California Solar Initiative-Thermal) for homes and businesses.

Note: Multifamily-unit and business rebates are also available.

For additional information on local green rebates:

• Southern California Edison Green Rebates for Home and Apartment Owners
• Irvine’s Environmental Programs page

And from The Gas Company:

• Instant and Mail-in rebates
• Financing for your energy-efficient appliance upgrades
• Home Energy Efficiency Survey: An online assessment of your home’s energy use

And for Federal tax credit information, see the Energy Star page.

The City of Irvine has been ranked as one of the country’s “Smarter Cities,” by the Natural Resources Defense Council for its strides in environmental stewardship, sustainable growth, and livability. Irvine ranked 13th among the 178 medium-sized cities surveyed.–City of Irvine website

One of the programs that helped Irvine obtain the “Smarter Cities” award was the giveaway of over 60,000 CFL light bulbs to Irvine residents.

An ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.–EPA

Irvine’s award-winning program that distributed 71,706 to Irvine residents between 2006 to 2008 achieved the following benefits:

• An annual saving to Irvine residents of $392,000
• Annual carbon emissions reduction of 1,421 tons
• The carbon emissions reduction is equivalent to taking 241 cars off the road every year.

The City exceeded its goal of distributing 60,000 CFLs to Irvine residents.

To see a list of additional programs that make the City of Irvine one of the country’s “Smarter Cities,” see the City’s Environmental Programs page.

Graphic Courtesy City of Irvine

Today’s post lists some of SCE’s green rebate programs for businesses. Again, this information is straight from Irvine’s environmental programs webpage. But the rebates are available to all SCE businesses, not just Irvine businesses.

SCE provides a wide variety of rebates and other incentives to small, medium and large commercial customers. A brief description of each program is below.

• Express Efficiency - provides rebates for a wide variety of energy efficient products - lighting, refrigeration, food service, agriculture, air conditioning and premium efficiency motors to retrofit existing buildings.

• California New Homes Program - provides financial incentives to builders and developers for exceeding Title 24 Energy Standards in new home construction.

• Retro Commissioning - provides an in-depth investigation of building operation and maintenance improvements to HVAC mechanical equipment, lighting, refrigeration and related controls to optimize energy usage and reduce inefficiencies in existing commercial buildings.

• Savings By Design - provides assistance in the designing of energy efficient commercial buildings and incentives to owners to offset the costs of energy efficient buildings and to designers who meet ambitious energy efficiency targets. For more information visit www.savingsbydesign.com or call (800) 338-8502.

• California Solar Initiative - provides incentives on a per watt basis for solar generation.

For more information on SCE’s business rebates, see SCE’s Energy Management Solution webpage.

Related post: The Gas Company Green Rebates for Homes (and Businesses)

Source: City of Irvine, Green Building Resource Guide

Although the list is from Irvine’s environmental programs webpage, the rebates are available to all SCE residential customers. This includes separate rebates for homeowners and apartment owners.

SCE offers a rebate program that allows residents to save money and energy. The rebate program offers cash rebates on qualifying energy-efficient upgrades or improvements you make to your home. A brief description of available rebates is below.

Appliances

• ENERGY STAR® Qualified Refrigerator Rebate Program - Receive $50 back.
• Refrigerator & Freezer Recycling Program - Receive $50 back.
• Energy Efficient Electric Water Heater Rebate Program - Receive $30 back.

Heating and Cooling

• ENERGY STAR® Qualified Room Air Conditioner - Receive up to $50 back.
• Summer Discount Plan - Receive up to $200 back.
• Whole House Fan - Receive up to $50 back.
• Evaporative Cooling - Receive up to $600 back.
• Cool Roof - Receive up to $0.20 per square foot on qualified roofing materials.

Lighting

• ENERGY STAR® Qualified Lighting - Save up to $125.
• Lighting Emitting Diode - Save up to $6 per month.

Pool Maintenance

• Pool Pump Rebate Program - Receive up to $200 back.

Renewable Energy

• California Solar Initiative

For multifamily building owners and managers, SCE also provides rebates for energy efficiency improvements in the categories of lighting, HVAC, insulation and windows to retrofit existing multifamily properties of two or more units through the Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebate Program.

For more information on SCE rebates for homeowners and multi-unit owners, see SCE’s Home Rebate and Savings page.

Green jobs on the county level:

Orange County will likely add 3,130 new energy-related jobs over the next three years, most of them in the realm of project managers for construction or design work, according to a new report by a local college-affiliated group.–Pat Brennan, “Report: O.C. to add 3,000 jobs in energy sector”

Green jobs on the state level:

From January 2007 to January 2008, green jobs in California increased by 5 percent, while jobs decreased by 1 percent in the economy as a whole.–Pat Brennan, “Need a job? Think ‘green’ - jobs booming in O.C., statewide“

Green jobs on the national level:

The push for clean energy could lead to explosive job growth in the United States, according to a new report by a clean-energy research group.

The report, Clean Tech Job Trends 2009, says activity is high in the renewable energy market, with some predicting the biggest chance for wealth and job creation since the rise of computers and the Internet.–Pat Brennan, “Report: job potential high in renewable energy“

Green jobs and national security:

According to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, going green is important not only because of the personal job benefits it might bring us, but also for our national security.

We are transferring our wealth to countries around the world who don’t agree with us and, in many cases, are funding the very terrorists that we are sending our young men and women out to fight….We have got to get somehow or other to [energy] independence. It’s doesn’t matter if you are a greeny or not. The bottom line is we cannot keep funding our enemies.–Michael Bloomberg on Meet the Press

For more information on green jobs and the economy, see:

• Energy Efficient Occupations in Orange County, Center for Excellance, California Community Colleges
• Green Business by Media Planet
• EDF’s Clean Energy Jobs State Fact Sheets
  

Graph Courtesy Wikipedia