Speaker Program

Speakers Program 1800 Building

 

Room 1812

 

12:00 – 1:00

“Clean Heating Choices: Alternatives for the Hearth and Home”

Amy Warren, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

 

1:00-2:00

“Developing Geothermal Energy in the NW, The Energy Under Our Feet”

Susan Petty, AltaRock Energy

 

 

Room 1813

 

12:00 – 1:00

 “Renewable Energy in the Pacific Northwest”

Kelly Keilwitz, Whidbey Sun & Wind

 

1:00-2:00

“How to Create a Healthy Home Environment”

Doug Kennedy, Pathway Design & Construction

 

2:00-3:00

“Gross National Happiness”

Cecile Andrews, Founder, Phinney Ecovillage

 

3:00-3:30

“Forevergreen – Progress Towards a Sustainable Community”

Juniper Nammi, City of Shoreline Planning & Development Services

 

3:30-4:00

“Are You Comfortable in Your Home?”

David Vollan, Home Performance Inc.

 

Room 1814

 

12:00-1:00

“Community Solar: It’s Happening Here!”

Linda Irvine, Northwest SEED

 

1:00-2:00

“The New Economy of Energy Retrofits: Incentives for Builders and Homeowners”

David Bangs and Dan Wildenhouse, Home Performance Washington

 

2:00-2:30

“Changing the World”

Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division

 

2:30-3:00

"Build a Healthy Garden by Building Healthy Soil"

Nancy Morrison, Garden of Weedin’

 

3:00-4:00

“Life as a Volunteer: an on-going search for fun, friends and making a difference"

Rebecca Luke, les Egoistes, LLC and Sustainable Style Foundation

 

 

2010 SolarFest – Additional Speaker Information

 

 

Cecile Andrews, Founder, Phinney Ecovillage

“Gross National Happiness”

“Most of the ills in our society can be traced to our beliefs about money and happiness. Americans think that if we’re rich we’ll be happy, so making money has become our national goal. But this goal not only does not deliver happiness, it destroys the planet. How can we change this? A new campaign for a Gross National Happiness standard is catching fire. Join us to explore what true happiness is and learn how we can influence national policies for the well-being of people and the planet.”        

 

Bio: Cecile Andrews is the author of Slow Is Beautiful: New Visions of Community, Leisure and Joie de Vivre (New Society Publishers, 2006), and The Circle of Simplicity: Return to the Good Life (HarperCollins, 1997).
 

 A former community college administrator, Cecile has been a visiting scholar at Stanford University and affiliated scholar at Seattle University. She is founder of the Phinney Ecovillage in Seattle. Her work has been featured in the PBS video "Escape from Affluenza" and the TBS video "Consumed by Consumption" (featuring Cecile, Ed Begley Jr., and Phyllis Diller), CBS News "Eye on America," New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Esquire, and various PBS and NPR programs. Cecile received her doctorate in education at Stanford University and gives workshops and presentations; she has written a column for the Seattle Times, and; she has co-hosted a local NPR program.

 

David Bangs, Home Performance Washington and Energy Friendly Ventures & Dan Wildenhouse, Home Performance Washington and Fluid Market Venture Strategies

“The New Economy of Energy Retrofits: Incentives for Builders and Homeowners”

Energy and water waste in existing homes and buildings is clearly at the center of our ability to respond to the climate crisis. New local and national programs and incentives are providing big opportunities to retrofit homes for improved efficiency, comfort and health. Home performance expert Dan Wildenhaus will describe the home performance process, which starts with diagnostic testing to determine a whole house plan, and continues through installation to make the house perform better in every respect. Then, Home Performance Washington founder David Bangs will outline emerging opportunities, such as new utility incentives and the proposed federal Home Star” program.

 

Bios: Dan Wildenhaus brings an impressive resume to the Fluid team with his work as the technical support and trainer for the ENERGY STAR Homes Northwest program. Wildenhaus has been an instructor in the Seattle Community College system, conducted home energy audits, weatherization repairs, and provided consultation and analysis for private clients in both the new construction and existing home markets. Wildenhaus is the Technical Standards Chair for Home Performance Washington and the new Chair for Seattle’s Residential Energy Efficiency Opportunity Committee.

 

David Bangs, Principal of Energy Friendly Ventures and former Microsoft manager, founded Home Performance Washington (HPW) one year ago by bringing together a handful of like-minded energy auditors and contractors interested using a whole house energy retrofit approach to maximize efficiency, comfort, durability and safety. The group found that working together would be necessary to surmount significant obstacles and transform an industry traditionally focused on installing individual products. Today, HPW is comprised of over 100 service providers, conservation programs, educational institutions and other stakeholders statewide.  David serves on the executive committee of Efficiency First, an association with more than 900 members nationwide, which has been instrumental in putting together the federal Home Star legislation currently before Congress. Learn more at www.homeperformancewashington.org and www.efficiencyfirst.org.

 

Linda Irvine, Northwest Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (SEED)

“Community Solar: It’s happening here!”

Community Solar projects are catching on, as new state and federal policies make it easier to share costs and benefits. Hear examples of the latest projects from across the country and a close-up of two local projects in development: Seattle City Light’s Community Solar project and The Port of Coupeville’s Solar P-Patch.

 

Bio: Linda Irvine is Project Manager for Northwest SEED. She supports utilities, municipalities, and community groups in planning and implementing successful solar projects. She is currently researching a national version of Northwest SEED’s Community Solar Guide. She began her energy career as an intern at Renewable Northwest Project in 2000, and continued to pursue efficiency at PECI and the City of Langley. In her spare time, she raises goats and reads spy novels.

 

Kelly Keilwitz, Whidbey Sun & Wind
 “Renewable Energy in the Pacific Northwest”

An overview of renewable energy options in our region and how to select which is best for you. Includes solar water heating, photovoltaic, wind and micro-hydro power, and a summary of current financial incentives.

 

Bio: Kelly Keilwitz is the founder and chief of Whidbey Sun & Wind, a renewable energy design, sales and installation company on Whidbey Island. Kelly is a professional civil engineer, is a NABCEP Certified Photovoltaic Installer, and a WA State Electrical Administrator. Kelly’s extensive training and experience with renewable energy began in 1999.

 

Doug Kennedy, Pathway Design & Construction

“How to Create a Healthy Home Environment”

As we are building new homes and renovating many others to meet and surpass the new energy codes, it becomes increasingly important that we understand how the home is going to function and the impact that it will have on both Indoor Environmental and Indoor Air Quality. This presentation will explore many of the problems and their causes, and present possible solutions for individuals who are exploring the renovation of an existing or construction of a new home. 

 

Bio: Doug has been involved in the building/real estate field for over 35 years.  His overlapping careers in education, residential construction, real estate appraisal and property management have helped shape his beliefs as to the importance of the symbiotic relationship between individuals, their residences and the environment. Working with the ALA – “Master Home Environmentalist Program,” the Built Green – “Healthy Home for Building Professional Trainings,” as well as his continuing EPA-RRP training for the TM4 Group and National Center for Healthy Housing, have further solidified a commitment to help make a difference by trying to provide Pathway’s employees, clients, and others in the community useful information needed to make informed decisions regarding their construction and remodel projects.

He serves on the American Lung Association Master Home Environmentalist steering committee and Master Builders/Built Green Remodel committee, both of which are committed to furthering community education. He was recently presented the 2008 Governor’s Award of Excellence, for work with the ALA-MHE program and the 2009 Master Builder’s Built Green “Pioneer Award.”

 

Rebecca Luke, les Egoistes, LLC and Sustainable Style Foundation

“Life as a Volunteer, an on-going search for fun, friends and making a difference"

What can be done when a party girl wants to save the world? She enlists her friends. The start of Sustainable Style Foundation could have a seemingly cerebral and esoteric story, but it is the story of two friends who love all things ‘fabulous” hoping they could save the world in style.  The mission? To educate, support and inspire people from all walks of life to make more sustainable personal lifestyle choices at work, at home, and at play™. Cut to seven years later and Sustainable Style Foundation is known, internationally, as one of the organizations that founded the “sustainability movement.”  Rebecca Luke, Co-founder & Sr. Stylist will share how Sustainable Style Foundation showcases that, “The world is full of opportunities to ‘do good, live well and look fabulous’.”™

 

Bio: Rebecca Luke - Managing Partner & CEO les Egoistes, LLC
Rebecca founded les Egoistes (lesegoistes.com) in 2000 and Rebecca Luke Style (rebeccalukestyleblog.com) in 2008.  She has over 20 years experience in fashion. With skills that run the gamut from production, public relations, and marketing services to art direction, styling, costume design, choreography, and visual display, her expertise has been honed by working with clients nationally across several industries. Currently, les Egoistes focuses their creative energy on most anything that requires an image; Rebecca is also a stylist, costume designer and personal image consultant. She speaks across the country on wardrobing, is a published author and blogs about fashion and lifestyle (rebeccalukestyleblog.com). As co-founder of the Sustainable Style Foundation (sustainablestyle.org), Rebecca continues to merge her passion for giving back with her style industry experience. Rebecca holds a BA in Marketing with an emphasis in Clothing and Textiles. Her current portfolio can be view at rebeccalukestyle.carbonmade.com.

 

Nancy Morrison, Garden of Weedin’

"Build a healthy garden by building healthy soil"

This will be a 15-minute presentation on how to build up your garden soil to make it healthy and happy.  When your soil is healthy, your plants will thrive.

Bio: “My background is that I have a Ph.D. in pharmacology.  I have since switched fields and now run a garden maintenance business called "The Garden of Weedin'." My background in pharmacology has made me acutely aware of the hazards of pesticides, so my business is purely organic.”

 

Juniper Nammi, City of Shoreline Planning & Development Services

“Forevergreen – progress towards a sustainable community”

In July 2008, Shoreline City Council adopted the Shoreline Environmental Sustainability Strategy.  What is the City of Shoreline doing to implement this Strategy?  How can you recognize a project that is part of our sustainability programs?  Over the past two years an interdepartmental team of City staff has been working to implement the Strategy, starting with top 16 priority recommendations.  Additionally, a wide variety of City and community projects are incorporating environmental sustainability elements.  Come learn about the City’s progress towards a sustainable future.  Juniper will provide an overview of the City’s projects and programs underway and introduce new tools and resources that are being developed.

 

Bio: Juniper Nammi is currently an Associate Planner with the City of Shoreline and a Shoreline resident.  She acted as project manager for development of the Shoreline Environmental Sustainability Strategy and is currently co-chair of the City’s interdepartmental Green Team which is charged with implementation of this Strategy.  Juniper also works as part of the permit services team reviewing a wide variety of permits and assisting customers when they have questions about City regulations.  She has a Masters degree in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004).

 

Susan Petty, AltaRock Energy

“Developing Geothermal Energy in the NW, The Energy Under Our Feet”

A demonstration of how geothermal energy works

 

Bio: Susan Petty is president, CTO and founder of AltaRock Energy, Inc., a developer of geothermal heat and power projects using Engineered Geothermal Systems (EGS) technology. She has over 30 years experience in the geothermal industry, including negotiation of geothermal lease agreements, power sales agreements, geothermal project financing agreements, geothermal property sales and purchases, and policy studies for state and federal agencies.

 

David Vollan, Home Performance Inc.

Are You Comfortable in Your Home?

Many homeowners aren’t very comfortable in their homes. When they invest in a home improvement project with the expectation that they will feel a difference sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t.  I will explain the basic building science which can help guide homeowners toward home improvement projects that will improve comfort, indoor air quality and lead to decreased energy bills.

 

Bio: David Vollan is the owner of Home Performance Inc., one of the leading home performance contractors in the Seattle area.  Home performance contracting is basically applied building science. We use diagnostic tools to assess a home’s air barrier, insulation performance and heating system to address comfort, indoor air quality and high utility bills. Prior to home performance contracting David was a “green” remodeler and carpenter. His interest in energy efficient building practices lead him to specialize in the still relatively young field of home performance contracting.

 

Amy Warren, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency

“Clean Heating Choices: Alternatives for the Hearth and Home”

Decisions you make about how you heat your home make a difference for air quality, your health, the health of your neighbors and the health of our planet. Different fuel choices come with an array of environmental, economical and health considerations.

 

During the winter months, over 60 percent of the Puget Sound region’s fine particle pollution come from fireplaces and wood stove, compared to about 15% coming from vehicles and 2% from industry.    It takes just three months for wood smoke to become Washington’s third leading source of air pollution.

 

Studies show that people who heat their homes with wood have more respiratory problems than those who don’t. Smoke particles also invade neighboring homes. Research shows that children in wood-burning neighborhoods are more likely to have lung and breathing problems.

 

Come learn ways that you can still enjoy a fire in your home, but lessen your impact on pollution in your neighborhood.  We’ll discuss alternatives to heating your home with wood, as well as better ways to burn wood that produces more heat with less pollution.

 

Bio: Amy Warren is a Communications Specialist for the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency where she plans, implements, and manages marketing, education, and outreach programs.  She also serves on local and statewide task forces developing strategies and campaigns to engage the public in reducing fine particle pollution from indoor heating with wood. Amy has a degree in broadcast communications from Western Washington University and earned a certificate in public relations from the University of Washington.  She is also a trained Master Composter/Soilbuilder for the City of Seattle and enjoys volunteer outreach promoting natural gardening and yard care.

 

Tom Watson, King County Solid Waste Division

“Changing the World”

How to use all the tools available to us - social media, working with governments, activism, supporting green products and more - to advance renewable energy and other environmental goals. Tom will give his thoughts and lead an open discussion.  

 

Bio: Tom manages the King County EcoConsumer public outreach program, and as part of that work he writes the EcoConsumer column for the Seattle Times and does regular appearances on KOMO4 TV and KOMO radio.  Tom has been a project manager with King County Recycling and Environmental Services for 18 years.


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