Appalachia
-- Science in the Public Interest
Working for healthy land and sustainable communities in Kentucky and Central
Appalachia.
Appalachia
-- Science in the Public Interest
Working for healthy land and sustainable communities in Kentucky and Central
Appalachia.
Donations
A-SPI is a 501-3(c) Non-Profit
The
Flea Market
Books, Tapes, and other Items.
Late Fall 2006 Number 88
Our New and Improved Mission
For the last 18 months the Board, Staff, and Volunteers of ASPI have worked to complete a transition within the organization to map a new path and identity for the next thirty years.
With the assistance of Kentucky Waterways Alliance and the River Network, we completed two full-day planning sessions. The result is a new mission statement and action paragraph which reflect both our roots and, we hope, our wings as we look to the future.
New friends and old alike, we believe you'll recognize us right away:
Appalachia - Science in the Public Interest, working for healthy land and sustainable communities in Kentucky and Central Appalachia.
ASPI is a non-profit resource center advocating for sustainable development, responsible resource management, and informed personal choices. We use science and technology to benefit current and future generations and the environment by promoting innovative ideas and appropriate technologies. We accomplish this through education, advocacy, research, consulting, and demonstration projects.
From our Board President as We Head into a New Year:
Terrie Curd
Dear Friends,
It's hard to believe that winter is upon us, what with the sunny, sixty-degree days that we've been having here in Kentucky. Hope you have also had a beautiful fall and early winter. This year, in the interest of our forests, we are including our Annual Fund Appeal within our fall Appalachian Alternatives newsletter to cut back on paper usage and postage expenses. Your donations, whether large or small, have such an impact on ASPI's daily functioning. Thanks to all of you who have or will contribute this year. We could not survive without your interest and support.
In the coming year we will be continuing these projects, and focusing on long-deferred maintenance of our facilities and updating of our demonstrations as well as examining our organization's carbon footprint. We'll bring you details in our next newsletter, so please stay tuned!
Don't forget to order your 2007 Simple Lifestyle calendars. They make such an appreciated, unique gift. The quotes and lifestyle hints that Mark Spencer includes are a great way to get your day off to a good start. They are also a major source of income for ASPI, so order bunches right now!
Thanks again to everyone who has donated his or her money, time, and/or energy this year. Enjoy your holidays, and best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year!
Terrie Curd, Board President, and all the Board, Staff and Volunteers at ASPI
Kids make their own take-home
solar ovens at Children's Expo
We are very happy to announce publication of the 2nd edition of The Kentucky Solar Energy Guide, released in October 2006. The 2nd edition contains an updated chapter about incentives to support renewable energy and energy efficiency and an updated directory of professionals working in these fields and green building in Kentucky. There is also a new case study about a home employing active and passive solar heating systems, and the updated cover features new photographs of Kentucky homes using solar energy.
We are excited that we were able to sell and distribute over 600 copies of the 1st edition of the Solar Guide within 18 months of its publication. Through a grant from the US Department of Energy we distributed copies of the Guide to nearly every public library in Kentucky (146 in all), along with educational display materials about solar energy.
The Kentucky Solar Energy Guide is available for $13.95 plus shipping from ASPI Publications. To order a copy, please call the office or visit our website's publications link.
Solar Water Heater Rebate and Loan
Programs are Building Demand for Solar
Our pilot Solar Water Heater Rebate Program has been a success and we are currently seeking additional funds to continue the program. In January 2006 we approved our first $500 rebate and by the first of the year we expect to approve our 25th and final rebate application (until new funding is secured). Many homeowners and solar installers have remarked on the importance of the rebate program in helping families make the leap to using solar energy.
Here in Kentucky, with some of the lowest energy prices in the country, the rebate program is important for helping families make the financial commitment needed to use this solar technology. Numerous financial incentives are being offered by states around the nation to spur development of renewable energy resources, and the greatest growth in the solar industry is being seen in states with substantial incentive programs. Rebate programs such as this are important to help finance the transition to a sustainable energy system based on clean, renewable resources. They also help families to reduce the cost of living, by substituting free solar energy for electricity or natural gas.
The Solar Water Heater Loan Program, offered in partnership with the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development, has now approved 10 loans for solar water heating systems. These loans are supporting the investment of over $50,000 in solar energy systems in Eastern Kentucky. The interest rate for our loan program increased from 3.0% to 6.0% on September 1, 2006, due to an increase in the prime rate. Our interest rates are fixed, however, so this increase had no impact on recipients whose loans had been approved before this date.
ASPI Helps Create Featured Solar Energy Exhibit at KY State Fair
The Kentucky State Fair, held in Louisville August 17 - 27, featured a major educational exhibit about energy this year and ASPI helped produce one of the central exhibits about solar energy. The Renewable Energy Garden, located at the entrance to one of the main exhibit halls, included a pond with a waterfall produced by a solar powered pump.
A model Solar Electric House and Solar Pavilion, each featuring Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) panels, produced solar electricity to power the pump which produced the waterfall. A mini-solar water heater was included in the exhibit, as well, illustrating water heated to over 145 °F on sunny days. Andy McDonald helped build the model house and pavilion, wired the BIPV system, and designed and built the mini-solar water heater.
The State Fair solar energy exhibit was put together through a collaboration between the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Center for Environmental Education, the Solar Energy Center at the University of Louisville, ASPI's Kentucky Solar Partnership, and several other private and public entities.
Following the State Fair, the Solar Electric House and mini-solar water heater came to ASPI and are now being used to exhibit at events around the region. ASPI helped JCPS move the Renewable Energy Garden and Solar Pavilion to an elementary school in Jefferson County, where the solar electric system is now on display at an outdoor classroom.
Kentucky's Utilities and State Government
Taking Action to Improve Energy Efficiency?
ASPI has been actively involved in two efforts that are showing promise to raise support for energy efficiency and conservation among the state's power companies and in state government. Since the summer of 2005, ASPI has participated in an informal Utilities Working Group (UWG) which was created to seek strategies for encouraging electric and gas utilities to make much greater efforts to promote energy efficiency and conservation.
The UWG was spearheaded by members of the Sierra Club, with the support of other environmental and public interest groups such as ASPI, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and the Kentucky Resource Council. Numerous electric and gas utilities are participating in the UWG, such as eOn, East Kentucky Power, and others.
Although environmental groups and utility companies are often at odds over issues such as these, there are signs that the utilities are opening up to the need to place a higher priority on efficiency and conservation. The greatest indication is that a conference entitled "Utilities and Energy Efficiency: The Fifth Fuel" was held November 28, 2006, in Lexington, Kentucky. Duke Energy organized this conference with the support of numerous other utility companies, the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy, and public interest groups such as ASPI.
ASPI also participated in the Governor's Task Force on Energy Efficiency, which was established in the spring of 2006. The Task Force met four times during the summer and has drafted a set of recommendations that are being finalized before being presented to the Governor. The Task Force had over 30 members, representing a wide range of interests, including ASPI and other environmental/ public interest groups, utility companies, the Kentucky Homebuilder's Association, state agencies, and others. The final recommendations have not yet been presented to the Governor, and we hope that the strong, substantive suggestions that went into the draft documents will still be there in the end. If the final document resembles the draft documents, the Governor will have a strong set of policies to implement that could have a major impact on the way energy is used here in Kentucky.
Promoting Solar Energy Around Kentucky
In the past six months the Kentucky Solar Partnership has made presentations to numerous groups around the state, and set up educational exhibits about solar energy at many community and educational events. We have also written an article on solar energy that will be published in the upcoming issue of Sustain, a journal published by the Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Development at the University of Louisville.
2006 Solar Tour a Great Success
More than 100 people turned out on a beautiful sunny day in October to attend the National Tour of Solar Buildings in Kentucky. The Tour, sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society, was again organized locally by ASPI, along with support from several local volunteers and organizations. The Berea Outpost, a small non-profit working toward the development of a sustainable community, served as co-sponsor of the tour. Because of this additional support, two components were added to this year's tour- a free shuttle bus loop and bike tour in Berea. Also, the tour received media coverage from two local newspapers and the local NPR station, which featured stories about the tour and the larger issue of embracing renewable energy.
This year's tour included 13 sites in Richmond, Berea, and Mt. Vernon, and attracted the largest number of attendees since ASPI began organizing a local event. Some highlights of the tour included Egret's Cove intentional community, the Berea College Ecovillage, Lee Bivins' biodiesel workshop near Mt. Vernon, and a doctor's office in Berea. Tour participants came from all over Kentucky, including Pikeville, Louisville, Lexington and Danville, and included college professors, contractors, homeowners, students and interested citizens. Said Tammy Mahan, a student in the Master's of Urban Planning program at the UofL, "I loved the tour...I'll definitely be coming back next year with friends."
If you have ideas for next year's tour, or would like to volunteer, please contact Laura Wick at the ASPI office. Also, if you live outside the ASPI service area, you can check the ASES website (www.ases.org) for information about the National Solar Tour in your area.
3rd Annual Bluegrass Energy & Green Living Expo Exceeds Expectations
This year's Expo held in Lexington in mid-October, was a success on many levels. With an expanded format to include green living, the event attracted close to 1500 attendees and a host of exhibitors, speakers, and volunteers. ASPI's Ben Perry coordinated the Expo, KSP's Andy McDonald handled the educational displays and workshops, Kim Nicholson of Garrard County's TEACH managed the Children's Expo, and Steve Casals of CitizensCreate put together the music and art program. Well over a hundred student and adult volunteers worked alongside ASPI staff during the event to ensure everything ran smoothly.
To kick things off, Mayor Teresa Isaac of Lexington officially proclaimed Oct 9th through 15th Bluegrass Energy & Green Living Awareness Week. Ben Perry gave several interviews on local radio, the Lexington public access channel ran a 15 minute TV spot, and the Lexington Herald-Leader, which circulates statewide, published several stories about Expo offerings and an editorial calling for more attention to energy issues.
The trade show featuring alternative and renewable energy suppliers and environmentally friendly businesses was complemented again this year by workshops and displays about solar electric systems and water heaters, converting vehicles to run on waste vegetable oil, year-around gardening, and healthy home design and construction among other topics. Attendees were also able to talk with architects and designers and get free energy audits and advice, and meet representatives of many environmental non-profits and community groups. In conjunction with the Expo, a one-day Green Building Seminar titled "Green Building from the Ground Up" was offered to over 120 homebuilders from around Kentucky.
The Expo has grown to be a year-around project and involves countless volunteer hours of planning, networking, and collaboration with exhibitors, citizen groups and sponsors. The Steering and Publicity Committees are already meeting, so if you are interested in participating in the planning of the 2007 event please give us a call for more information about these opportunities.
Continuing Staff Reintroductions
Terrie Curd, President of the Board, has been involved with ASPI since 1995. Former board member Lowell Wagner, knowing of Terrie's interests in promoting alternative sources of energy and in energy and water conservation, recruited her for the Board. Terrie grew up in Frankfort, KY and she and her husband, Philip, a physician, moved to Jackson County in 1973. They established Health Help, Inc., a non-profit community health center in McKee, KY, which is now The Whitehouse Clinic and has grown to include four offices with medical, dental, and pharmacy services.
Terrie became very interested in energy efficient building while designing and constructing their home on a farm bordering the Daniel Boone National Forest, and completed a two-year degree in Architectural Technology. Their pole-constructed, board and batten sided home has wood heating, passive solar features, and a composting sewage system. They are presently investigating the possibilities of installing photovoltaic panels.
In addition to her Board duties, Terrie volunteers at ASPI one day a week, managing the gardens and working in the library. She and her husband have become quarterly donors to ASPI, which she encourages everyone to do.
Meet Mark Spencer, ASPI's graphic artist and Simple Lifestyle Calendar author
and designer. Mark is one of six kids and was born in upstate New York.
He's widely traveled, including a stint at Mother Teresa's hospitals in
India, and a through-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Mark arrived from Herron School of Art and Design as an intern at ASPI in 1986, and with a few breaks for biking and trekking in between, has been here since. Through the years Mark has worked on many important ASPI projects including the design of ASPI and project logos, audio and video recording for oral history projects, and the Earth Healing TV shows. He lives in the Solar House and enjoys hiking, reading, and collecting all sorts of crazy stuff for "found object" art projects. But your cards and letters with calendar kudos and suggestions still do the most to light up his eyes.
Volunteer and Service Learning News
Sierra Club members and Wilderness Volunteers from the region, organized and led by Cynthia Cooke of Louisville, spent a few days at the Rockcastle River Demonstration site, followed by a group of 15 adults and kids from Mounds Baptist Church of Anderson IN. Together the late spring and early summer volunteers accomplished many tasks including Zalla Trail maintenance and construction, patching of the Yurt roof, and some library and painting jobs at the Mt. Vernon office.
Kenyon College volunteers work at
Rockcastle's first-ever E-scrap Event
Rockcastle County PRIDE Coordinator James Renner has kept our volunteers busy this year on environmental cleanup projects. In October, student members of the Appalachian Service Organization (ApSO) of Kenyon College came for a long weekend and worked at the county's first ever PRIDE E-scrap event, unloading and packing over 10 pallet loads of obsolete and broken electronic equipment bound for proper recycling here in the US, and not overseas as is unfortunately often the case. Next, they spent a full day applying labels to several thousand books in our Appropriate Technology Library. THEN they worked a day on a community revitalization project with Mt. Vernon's Main Street Manager Lynn Tatum cleaning out the first floor of an historic building in downtown Mt. Vernon.
The week following the ApSO trip, students from the University of Notre Dame arrived to continue the projects. Following several days of work at ASPI's Energy Expo and at the Nature Center, the ND students picked up where Kenyon left off and cleaned out the second floor of the Jones Building, and started on the basement. They also helped host a group of middle schoolers from Good Shepherd School in Frankfort, for an overnight lock-in at the Livingston Gym, and supervised the kids as they pitched in on the Jones Building and cleaned along a one mile stretch of Old US 25, and did chores at ASPI.
We are continually amazed at the goodness which motivates our young people, and their willingness to spend school breaks pitching in to help others and learn about the environment and challenges facing our region and planet.
Community Partners Needed!
We are blessed with plenty of able workers, and are looking for additional community partners to generate projects, hospitality and interaction with local folks. If you are in the Rockcastle region and have meaningful environmental or social justice work that would lend itself to work blitzes in spring and fall, or if you can spend a few hours working alongside groups of students, just get in touch so we can include your project in our work descriptions that are sent out to prospective groups, and let you know when we have groups coming in.
Maintenance and Gardening volunteers are needed! If you are in the Rockcastle region and would like to regularly volunteer any amount of time - from a day a week to a day a month - we could use your help maintaining our organic and pollinator gardens and our buildings. Chores include such simple tasks as raking leaves, painting, washing windows, and weeding. Please give us a call for details or to schedule a day at your convenience.
Appropriate Tech Library is Looking Good
Continuing a project begun in 2005, John Horton, a professional librarian from New Jersey, worked with Jack Kieffer and volunteered 10 weeks with us over the late summer and into fall, labeling our Appropriate Tech Library volumes with Library of Congress (LoC) numbers and constructing an electronic card catalogue with well over 3000 entries. Now Jack continues the work, reshelving all the books in LoC order. We are seeking an intern or volunteer to classify and catalogue the government documents, conference proceedings, and grassroots newsletter collection in our Mt. Vernon office. We plan to eventually have a searchable collection database online, but for the time being, if you need to locate a book or article on a certain subject, please email or telephone us and we will search the file for you, using author, title, or keyword.
THANK YOUs
Sr. Judith Sheahan of Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ruben Angel, Bro. Fred Chiappone, Nancy Jackson, Paula Fezty, Stephanie Fiebing, Paula Felty, Mary Clark, Casey Sterr, Mary Cary Paul & Harry Atkinson, Rebecca Brown, Ian Rudick, Janice DiMario, Leonard Levine, Joyce Eisold,Ronald & Nancy Leeseberg, Sr. Anne Regina Lannon of St. Stephen Outreach, Mr. & Mrs. Rodrigo Botero, Sr. Francesca Bartos, Terrie & Philip Curd, Robert Thompson, Righard Henighan, Patricia Hoover, Angie Johnson, Stephen & Patricia Boyce. Sheryl Wright & Dennis Blair, Ray Graves, Ed & Christina Fritsch, Andy Niekamp, Robert Ukeiley, Kelvin Lee, Werner Jud, Harold & Velma Naber in honor of Celeste Rossmiller, Union Church of Christ, Jerry Hardt, Michael & Patricia Hazard, Richard & Elaine Stoltzfus, Celeste Rossmiller, Sally Firestone, Frank Fritsch, William & Helen Naumann, Laura Lindell, Judith Arnold, Lowell Wagner, Sharon Fradenburgh, Rosemary Thielke, Virginia Ann Frochle in honor of Sr. Ellen O'Bryan R.S.M., Connie Schmitt, Leah Aasen, Meg Bowerman, Ben Atkins, Maggie Brandt, Kit Pilgrim, Martin Ogle, Delbert & Ruth Shirley, Carole Russell, Sandy McFarland, Katherine Thiel, Steve Swanback, Susan Fountain, Sally Wells, Mary Allen, Bill Deutsch, Jane Rector Donaldson, David Grandgeorge, Dawn Marie Day Morals, Laurie Webb, Bob DeJonge, Rebecca Laffoon, Fred Weckenmann, Mary Grisco, Margaret Batko, Frank Schwartz, Beverly Bunnell, Tenley Weaver, Doris Magan, Jill Owen, David Cockley, Fr. Henry Atkins, Shirley Reynolds, Marilyn Cleveland, Robert Blinn, Judith Shock, Katie Rehwaldt, Mary Sue Gmeiner, June Tosh, Rosemary Corsetti, Rev. Pam Tinnin, Rev. Arthur Avery, Joyce Eisold, Ronald Seaton, Mary Carol Michie, Francie Link, Joyce Sheehey, Sharon McComb, Roberta Guthrie, Judith McCandless, Lois Fishbeck, Nick Schnitzer, Betty Graham, Joy Crosby, Joe Olah, Helen Harms, Jan Gordon, Charlotte Offerdahl, Lynne Moody, Diane McCallum, Louise Hamel, Mary Templeton, Marie Mocny, Missie Carrigan, Ann Magner, Lorena Klinnert, Mary Dresser, Karen Hinchen, Beth Davies, Philip Williams, Michele Handelman, Barbara Spicer, Nancy Troxler, John Cleveland, Fred Schwerer, Carolyn Lambert, Mary Ann Kokenge, Sue Eick, Albert Ruschman, Anne Woodard, Katrina Cometa, Clara Fister, Gena Krueger, Sarah Peterson, Luci Merlo, Lynn Chong, Anna Auteri, Herb Petitjean, Heather & James Bartos, Lyle Starr, Elke Muller, Pat Dewees, Thomas Brudenell, Vicki Matte, Charlotte Pyle, Kate Campbell, Ed Newman, Joe Steen, Dan Kendrick, Pauline Reeser, Hilary Lambert, Marliese Reick, Henry Klug, Dawn Ramsay, Mike & Judith Shremshock, Patrice Emmerson, Kristy Higgs, Jackie Schmid, Heather Poucher, Katherine Schmitt, Betty Bielenberg, Rebecca Schroder, Joan Kay Yeager, Marjorie Rakow, Rebecca Brown, Frank & Carol Scheel, Donna Goebeler, Anna Kunzler, Terrie Hogan, Teresa Maurer & James Morgan, Jack Vetter, Leo Babeu, Cecile Parker, Tim Lee, Robert Beaudoin, Mrs. Geo. Montgomery, Sue Ann Salmon, Kathy Birmingham, Ron Roberts, Carol Kulesza, Marjorie Cipkar, Allene Long, Jane Thompson, Rosemary Leahy Reynolds, Susan Gray, Dennis Testerman, Sarah L. Heilemann, and Nancy Jackson.
<INSERT CALENDAR BROCHURE PAGE, PDF ON DISK>
Appalachia – Science
in the Public Interest
Working for Healthy Land & Sustainable Communities in Kentucky & Central Appalachia.
Contact information:
50 Lair Street, Mt. Vernon, Ky 40456-9806
Phone: (606) 256-0077 Fax: (606) 256-2779
ASPI website
www.a-spi.org
email
aspi@a-spi.org
The Kentucky Solar Partnership
www.kysolar.org
The Appalachian Ginseng Foundation
www.a-spi.org/AGF/index.htm
The Bluegrass Energy & Green Living Expo
www.bluegrassenergyexpo.org
Office hours: 9-4 M-F, Facility tours by appointment
SUPPORT ASPI through DISCOUNT COMMUNICATION SERVICES
NEW iTurboCharger™ Web Accelerator Internet Service- Ideal for rural areas where DSL is not available, or for users who need more speed but do not want to pay DSL or cable rates! 5X Faster than standard dialup!
ASPI supporters save 33% off the regular $14.95 rate. Pay $9.95 per month for Unlimited Access, Five 10MB POP3 Email accounts, Toll free tech support, Free set up software, Pop-Up Blocker, Anti-Spam/Anti-Virus Email Protection, Customized Webmail, No advertisements, Instant Messenger Compatibility, Free Content Filtering Software, Win/Mac/WebTV/Linux Compatible, No setup fees!
Call Novocon.net today at 877-882-6686. Mention code ASPI to save 33% off your monthly bill and to designate at no cost to you 10% of your monthly bill to ASPI!
Discounted Long Distance Service for Home or Business - No monthly service fees, no minimum billing, low-cost calling cards, and six-second billing. * Mention this ad and designate (at no cost to you) 3% of your bill to ASPI.
For more information or to order new service, contact
Ian Rudick with Come From the Heart at 1-888-622-0957