The project began in 2002, when leaders of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwa invited the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Landscape Architecture to participate in a “community planning and design initiative that would address the need for affordable housing while preserving their natural and cultural resources.”  Faculty and staff from the university worked with representatives from community planning, housing, social services, and natural resource programs to create an economically, ecologically, and culturally appropriate plan for developing new housing and community facilities on the reservation. The planning process was open to the community at-large through a series of public workshops to invite feedback on the different plans under consideration. Following approval of the project by the Tribal Council, construction began in 2005. By the end of 2008, 24 new homes had been built.

The success of the Red Cliff project resulted in requests for similar collaborative efforts in other communities in the region. This led to the creation of the Green Communities and Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country Tech Transfer/Jobs Training Initiative to disseminate the skills and technology training utilized in the Red Cliff development project. Working with the Madison-based nonprofit architectural and planning group Design Coalition and several other organizations, the UW Landscape Architecture faculty has facilitated workshops to craft development plans in collaboration with several tribes across the upper Midwest, including the St. Croix Ojibwa, the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Superior Ojibwa, and the Mole Lake Sokaogon Ojibwa.

Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country training sessions consist of community-based workshops and the development of one or two model projects under the direction of experienced builders and contractors. In this way, program coordinators are “training the trainers” in construction and design techniques so community residents can have the skills and knowledge to implement further development.  Furthermore, the projects themselves provide hands-on training for community members without previous experience in general labor and construction. The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College, near Hayward WI, has institutionalized this training by joining with the University of Wisconsin, Design Coalition, and Kelly Design Group to expand green building techniques taught through their Sustainable Living Institute and their Alternative Energy and Construction Technology Programs..

The core of the Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country training content involves the “Northern Light Straw-Clay” wall construction techniques developed by Design Coalition, which are specifically tailored to promote energy efficiency and cost effectiveness for houses in the Upper Midwest. Training also includes information on wood-efficient framing and specialized construction details; the selection and installation of high efficiency heating; ventilating and hot water systems; green building materials; sustainable site design and storm water issues; solar housing design; electrical wiring; and job site efficiency and safety.

In addition to sustainable and low-cost construction, another important component of Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country projects is attention to cultural appropriateness in home design. During some of the initial workshops, it became clear to project coordinators that the standard single-family home was not necessarily the most desirable or efficient model for the tribes. Thus, an emphasis on multi-generational housing design became central to the projects. This type of design typically features a larger kitchen and common space, along with additional bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate the needs of extended family living together. Multi-generational housing has the additional benefits of being cheaper and more energy efficient than multiple single-family homes, because only one system for heating, cooling, and plumbing is needed, and more space is shared.

More Information:

Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country

http://affordablegreenhousing.org/admin/

The Parkersburg, West Virginia-based company manufactures several lines of energy-efficient windows and doors that have been in high demand this summer. While window installation typically peaks during the second and third quarters of the year, Simonton’s popularity boost can also be attributed to an energy efficiency tax credit in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“We have definitely seen a consistent increase over time of homeowners wishing to purchase energy efficient windows,” said Kathy Ziprik, spokesperson for Simonton Windows. “As consumers become more educated about the benefits of energy efficiency, we have seen an overall increase in sales.” These benefits are now available to customers in the greenest way possible: cold hard cash.

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the federal government grants a 30 percent tax credit of up to $1,500 per household for homeowners to make energy efficiency improvements. Shortly after the ARRA passed in early 2009, Simonton introduced a set of Energy Tax Credit (ETC) packages for doors and windows. All of Simonton’s ETC packages qualify because they meet the government’s minimum energy efficiency standards. The homeowner receives the credit by sending in the receipt for their energy-efficient products with their annual tax return.

Several states have implemented additional incentives in order to encourage residents to purchase energy efficient products. Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Georgia and West Virginia have created Energy Star sales tax holidays, during which the state’s sales tax is waived for Energy Star-certified products. According to Ziprik, the sales tax holidays have had a positive impact on Simonton’s sales, a trend she expects to continue.

Distributors of Simonton Windows nationwide are reporting overall sales on par with those of 2008–a significant accomplishment given today’s economic climate. Customers see this as an ideal time to replace old windows and doors - not only will they receive a tax credit at the end of the year, but they will continue to see savings every month on their utility bills.

Simonton Windows was founded in 1946 as a manufacturer of aluminum windows and doors. The company switched to vinyl in the 1980s because of the material’s superiority in quality and efficiency, and has been an Energy Star company since 1999, meaning that all of the company’s products meet or can be ordered to meet the strict energy efficiency standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Simonton’s vinyl windows are not only more energy efficient, they require three times less energy to manufacture than those made with aluminum or steel. Simonton also uses recycled pre-consumer vinyl in its products.

“The most important part of the window for energy efficiency is the glass package,” said Ziprik. “If you take a solid piece of glass and put it on the window, the sunlight is going to travel straight through it.” Instead, Simonton windows are made of two panes of glass with a layer of dense Argon gas (which is six times denser than air) in between. This prevents energy loss by resisting the sun’s ability to penetrate through the window. Another available energy-saving option is “Low E glass.” Low E glass has a transparent coating that prevents penetration of long-wave infrared energy, thereby providing further insulation. Simonton also recently launched a stainless alloy spacer system, as well as a popular line of interior laminates and hardware styles.

Simonton has manufacturing facilities in Illinois, Oklahoma and California. The company employs nearly 2,000 workers nationwide, though the number fluctuates depending on the season. Simonton hires its production employees locally, and full-time workers receive health care and other benefits.

Despite national recognition and rising popularity, Simonton is still confronting the same economic woes that are facing most American manufacturers. “When housing starts are down, it affects our output,” said Ziprik. “We are doing well, we have a good market share, but sales aren’t the same as they were three or four years ago.” But the significant rise in sales brought on by ARRA seems to be gaining momentum as people learn more about energy efficiency tax breaks and state incentives like the Energy Star tax holidays grow in popularity. In fact, West Virginia just announced that the state’s tax holiday will be extended from two weeks last year to three months this fall. The success of these incentives suggests a bright future for energy-efficient manufacturers such as Simonton Windows, as well as for the people who will go to work in good, green-collar jobs as the company grows.

The initial streetcar was unveiled on July 1 in a ceremony attended by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who called Portland the transportation, streetcar and livable community capital of the United States. Union workers from Oregon Iron Works flanked LaHood as he lauded the successful partnership between the city and the transit operator, calling it “exactly the kind of synergy we need in the United States of America today.”

“I believe this is the dawn of a new era for public transportation in the United States,” said LaHood. “A new opportunity to claim ‘Made in America.’ It’s a chance to generate good-paying union jobs right here in the region.”

LaHood also announced the allocation of $360,000 in ARRA funding for the East Side Loop extension of the Portland streetcar system, which is what has created the demand for additional streetcars in Portland. The Federal Transit Administration has also awarded the East Side Loop extension $75 million in Small Starts funds.

United Streetcar, LLC was formed in 2005 after Chandra Brown, the company’s president and a vice president at parent company Oregon Iron Works, made the startling discovery while talking to friends that modern streetcars were not manufactured in the United States – or at least not by American companies – and hadn’t been for 58 years. Given the variety of complex products that Oregon Iron Works has manufactured since 1944, Brown was sure that the company could handle streetcars as well.

For 65 years Oregon Iron Works has manufactured metals and complex machines, including hydropower equipment, plate fabrications, bridges, aerospace ground equipment, nuclear containment work, specialized boats, and wave energy.

United Streetcar’s ultimate goal is to provide modern streetcars to cities nationwide. Portland and Tucson are just the start.

“Knowing the huge success of the Portland streetcar line, we were positive that streetcars were on the brink of exploding into a large and extremely viable market,” said Brown, a 15-year veteran of Oregon Iron Works. “We thought that a separate website and company specific to streetcars would be the best way of reaching out around the country in this new marketplace.”

Brown added that more than 65 U.S. cities are currently looking into implementing streetcars. Portland, though, is leading the way in public transportation.

The streetcar that United Streetcar recently unveiled — and hopes to put into operation this fall — is truly an American-made product. To meet “Buy America” requirements, at least 60 percent of the components had to be domestically produced by American companies. Brown claims that United Streetcar’s product is approximately 70-percent U.S.-made, with components coming from vendors in more than 20 states. The steel streetcar shell was fabricated in Portland; a company in Pennsylvania finished the trucks; a company just down the freeway from Portland provided the fiberglass; and the seats came from Michigan.

“We truly consider the streetcar project the creation of an industry,” said Brown. “It has opened doors for vendors across the nation. Specialized companies who have never had the opportunity to work in the streetcar arena now find themselves with new work in their shops.”

The propulsion system, one of the few foreign-made parts, comes from Skoda in the Czech Republic, with which Oregon Iron Works has an exclusive license agreement. While United Streetcar wanted to manufacture its own vehicles, it didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, explained Brown. So the Portland company evaluated European companies that had experience and credibility in the streetcar fabrication industry, and settled on Skoda.

Portland currently has 10 streetcars in operation, not including United Streetcar’s new prototype. The six new cars will service the Portland East Side Loop extension. Brown said that the city’s next expansion will likely be a seven-mile extension to Lake Oswego, which will necessitate 10 additional cars. Portland’s streetcar plan envisions many extensions of service throughout the city. In a decade, Brown believes, there could be as many as 30-40 cars.

The last streetcar made by an American company and assembled on U.S. soil was completed in 1952 by the St. Louis Car Company, which specialized in PCC (Presidents’ Conference Committee) streetcars — vehicles that were popular in the 1930s but faded after the Second World War when the U.S. stopped expanding its transit networks, says Rick Gustafson, director of Portland Streetcar, Inc. Unlike the PCC cars, United Streetcar’s new models are low-floor vehicles that make it easy for wheelchairs, senior citizens and baby strollers to enter and exit, thus complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. United Streetcar also provides air conditioning and a heating system, energy efficient lighting, and regenerative braking.

Brown added that Portland residents have wholeheartedly embraced this unique public-private venture. The streetcars boost the city’s reputation as a public transportation pioneer, and they provide good-paying union jobs. Oregon Iron Works employs a total of 400 workers. The shop workers are represented by Ironworkers Local 516, and the electric workers who perform the streetcar’s electrical outfitting are under IBEW Local 48. Those working on streetcars perform dual roles: they may build streetcars one day and then move to another of the parent company’s activities the next day.

“Instead of outsourcing jobs, we are ‘insourcing’ jobs, bringing them back to the States,” Brown said. “This is key to keeping Portland’s manufacturing industry thriving, as well as promoting American-made products.”

Contact:
Chandra Brown
President, United Streetcar
Vice President, Oregon Iron Works
9700 S.E. Lawnfield Road
Clackamas, Oregon 97015
cbrown (a) unitedstreetcar.com
(503) 653-6300

Read another Signature Story about Oregon Iron Works’ wave technology project.

Volunteer receives weatherization materials.

For the last two autumns, students from the University of Buffalo, Daemen College, and Nichols School stood side-by-side with union workers and community members to caulk, seal and insulate homes in Buffalo, New York. The all-volunteer energy efficiency crews are part of a project started by Frank Hotchkiss, chairman of the Western New York Apollo Alliance and New York State Apollo steering committee member.

Now Hotchkiss is gearing up for year three.

In 2006, Hotchkiss was searching for a way to improve delivery of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) in New York State. The first obstacle he encountered was bureaucracy – a homeowner needs an energy audit to qualify for WAP services. At the time the project started, there was a two-year waiting period for audits.

Fortunately, Hotchkiss happened to know someone with New Buffalo Impact, a non-profit Community Action Agency that performs weatherization through WAP. When the two discussed how to help those who couldn’t access services due to energy audit backlogs, they came up with a baseline weatherization checklist and home energy conservation kit that included the necessary materials for homeowners to make basic improvements themselves. And thus, the Home Energy Conservation Kit (HECK) project was born.

To implement his idea, Hotchkiss, a staff representative with District 4 of the United Steel Workers, recruited members from Carpenters Union Local 249 and the International Painters Union to lead teams of volunteers to weatherize low-income homes. He then looked to Westside Neighborhood Services to find homeowners who would benefit more than most from lower energy bills. For funding in the first year, he received a grant from City Councilman Nick Bonafacio. In the second year, in addition to the grant from Bonafacio, Hotchkiss received a grant came from state Senator Antoine Thompson, bringing the program’s total annual budget to $16,000. Since the project has no paid staff or overhead, all the money goes directly to materials and food for volunteers.

A HECK kit costs less than $75 per home and includes: an insulation blanket for hot water heaters; hot water pipe insulation; foam inserts for electrical outlets in exterior walls; weather stripping for doors and windows; door sweeps for the underside of doors; aluminum foil tape for heating duct joints; and caulking to seal holes in the basement and line pipes and wires that go to heated spaces and exterior windows seams.

Volunteers attend an eight-hour training session where they learn how to apply the materials and get important safety tips. Teams of three volunteers – composed of a union tradesperson, a student or community member, and a community educator – spend about an hour in each home.

The volunteers test for problems going into the home and, after they have performed the work, as they leave – what they call “test in, test out.” The team inspects the house for major problems such as missing windows or a furnace that doesn’t work properly. Next they check the furnace filter and replace it if it’s not clean. They then check the thermostat on hot water tanks to make sure the temperature is neither too high nor too low. They also educate the homeowner on how to be energy efficient and save money through state programs. And, of course, they caulk, seal, and weather strip.

During the falls of 2007 and 2008, between 50 and 60 volunteers participated in the project. A total of 83 homes were weatherized in a windy, lakeside neighborhood that is one of Buffalo’s poorest communities. Hotchkiss is still compiling the 2008 data, but in 2007 the weatherized homes used 15-20 percent less gas than in previous years. That’s a lot in a place like Buffalo. Approximately half of the homeowners took advantage of other efficiency programs that New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) offers. And weatherization improves living conditions and comfort in the home. In one of the first homes volunteers visited, a carpenter went to put weather stripping on the window, but the glass was gone. The program wasn’t prepared to replace windows, so he sealed it with heavy gauge plastic and called a community group that has a home repair service to replace the missing glass. Teams also came across a cracked heat exchanger that vented gases into the home and alerted the local gas company.

HECK is not a full-blown weatherization program – it is a volunteer-based initiative that helps people get over the bad months and keeps people in their homes during the winter, which in turn stabilizes the neighborhood. The ultimate goal is to turn the project over to a neighborhood group that can turn it into a business.

The volunteer program accomplishes a lot with extremely limited resources for a grateful community, but retrofitting and weatherization are about to become an important part of the nationwide move to become more energy efficient.

If the stimulus bill is properly implemented, large-scale, comprehensive weatherization programs will explode. In New York State, the budget for WAP is going to increase from $20 million to approximately $500 million. New York’s share of WAP funds will be administered by the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), who will then distribute the majority of funds to local community action agencies and other groups. Many community weatherization programs require a certified energy audit before granting any retrofitting funds, and as of January 1, 2010, the DHCR will require energy audits as well. So a skilled, trained workforce – which the state currently lacks – is crucial.

The Workforce Development Institute (WDI), convener of the New York State Apollo Alliance, is working to make sure that New York has a well-trained workforce that can meet the demands of the new and expanded WAP. The WDI is working with NYSERDA and community colleges to offer a 36-hour building analyst course approved by the Building Performance Institute (BPI) that teaches students to identify how structures can be made more energy efficient. Sixteen students were trained in the spring as auditors, 10 of them in the Adirondacks and six in the Buffalo area.

The expanded offering for building analyst training is still in its infancy. The WDI is working with NYSERDA on a modified agreement that will allow it to train at multiple locations throughout New York with a primary focus on the building trades. The goal is to offer it first to individuals who are unemployed, and then to others to meet the growing demand. The WDI also is partnering with the New York State Green Building Council to offer Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) training at union halls for members of the building trades, which include electricians, roofers, plumbers and more.

“It’s easy to say that the mechanism to spend the money on weatherization is not in place,” said Hotchkiss. “But the steps are defined – we just need the political will to get there.”

Hotchkiss and the New York State Apollo Alliance are doing everything they can to build the political will to ensure proper implementation of the Weatherization Assistance Program.

At the start of the 20^th century, the city of Gainesville, Fla., installed modern municipal water, electricity and sewer systems, which made it an attractive location for the University of Florida and helped it become a major educational and cultural hub in the state. Now, more than 100 years later, Gainesville is once again taking bold steps, this time to become a national clean energy pioneer.

On Feb. 5, 2009, Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) reached an agreement with the city to implement a landmark feed-in tariff program to promote the use of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy in the area. Under the program, GRU customers who invest in solar PV systems can sell the electricity generated directly to GRU at a fixed price of $0.32 per kilowatt hour for 20 years. The rate paid to new customers decreases each year, as technology evolves and solar PV energy generation becomes more cost-efficient.

Although other feed-in tariff programs have been implemented in the U.S., the GRU program is the first and only one patterned after those that have successfully encouraged renewable energy generation in Europe. Other feed-in tariffs in the U.S. are based on factors like the purchasing utility’s cost savings, the cost of climate mitigation measures, or the value of negative impacts on health and air quality. The European-style feed-in tariff is based on the estimated generation costs of the renewable energy system, plus a mandated rate of return on investment. In addition to being easier to calculate, this guarantees a profit for renewable energy producers because it takes into account actual costs of production.

By offering a long-term guaranteed profit, feed-in tariff programs help make renewable energy generation a stable and attractive investment. Feed-in tariffs have been credited with significantly boosting renewable energy generation in Europe; in 1990, renewable electricity generation in the European Union started growing by an annual average of 3.4 percent, accounting for 14.6 percent of total electricity produced by the end of 2006. Experts predict that Gainesville’s feed-in tariff program will increase local installation of solar PV systems by an average of 1000 kilowatts per year over the next two decades. As the utility purchasing the generated solar PV electricity, GRU is allowed to pass on the cost of feed-in tariff payments to its customers, though this is estimated to increase consumer costs by less than one percent.

The program was implemented in March 2009. Less than a month later, GRU had already received proposals for approximately 12 megawatts of solar PV energy. To date, GRU has accepted enough applications to generate sufficient solar PV electricity to meet the program’s targets through 2016. However, the utility states that it “will continue to accept and approve applications…to fulfill targets for future years.” There are currently 36 solar PV systems already installed in the GRU service area, with a total capacity of 210 kilowatts.

The GRU feed-in tariff program has the potential to attract major new renewable energy investments and provide a vital boost to the local economy. More than 220 companies currently produce, sell or install solar PV products in Florida alone. While the program does not require that solar PV equipment be sourced from or installed by local or in-state companies, products and service providers must meet all applicable national and local standards and be licensed to operate in Florida.

Indeed, solar companies in the Gainesville area reported that the initial implementation of the feed-in tariff program was good for business. Wayne Irwin, president of Pure Energy Solar, a contractor based in the city, says the program will “grow the industry.” Mike Antheil, executive director of the Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy, agreed that investments could amount to as much as $50 million in the long run. However, because preference for local solar companies was not written into the program, it may also attract solar companies from out-of-state who aim to capitalize on the expected growth.

The GRU feed-in tariff program has drawn other criticisms now that implementation has begun.

“It was poorly designed. …I think the rigor in reviewing applications was not there,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), at the PV Industry Forum held in Munich, Germany last May. “So many applications were put in place and then accepted by project developers who have never developed projects in the past…What you are going to find is the first tier of projects that have received acceptance probably won’t ever get constructed.”

Harald Kegelmann, CEO of Advanced Solar Technologies, another Gainesville-based solar installation company and SEIA member, disagrees with Resch. “GRU has done an excellent job designing a FIT policy in a very short time,” he stated. “But being the first always means that there are growing pains.” Mr. Antheil agrees, calling the GRU feed-in tariff a “living, breathing program” and claiming there were bound to be “hiccups” and confusion at the start of implementation.

The GRU feed-in tariff program attracted what Mr. Kegelmann calls “speculative projects and solar carpet baggers.” The lack of an application fee resulted in proposals that could not be implemented because they overstated the potential system size, or were for buildings that had yet to be constructed. Furthermore, since applicants were not required to show that they had the necessary funds to actually pay for the system, the queue for project proposals filled up very quickly. As a consequence, the participation of homeowners, schools and non-profit organizations was limited, lowering these sectors’ chances of benefiting from the program. In addition, although the program has stimulated local interest in solar PV installations, Mr. Kegelmann estimates that 78 percent of the projects in the pipeline for the next six years will be handled by out-of-town companies, meaning fewer investments going into the local solar PV industry and fewer secondary benefits trickling down into the greater Gainesville community.

However, all is not lost for feed-in tariffs. Mr. Antheil assures that the GRU team overseeing the implementation of the program is “committed to making the program work” and is seeking to address the implementation issues that have emerged.

Mr. Kegelmann also recognizes that feed-in tariffs remain a good way to keep cash flowing into the community “and make the community more independent of spikes in energy prices.” He recommends increasing annual capacity quotas at the start of implementation to prevent an initial rush of applications, many of which may be unqualified. At the same time, stricter requirements – such as application fees and inclusion of drawings of the proposed system, as well as rules requiring projects to be built on existing structures – are necessary to encourage applications for truly feasible projects. Mr. Kegelmann has proposed additional measures to build awareness of renewable energy investments, broaden local participation in the program, and help stimulate the local economy. These include educating local investors; engaging stakeholders to help validate feed-in tariff rates and channel business to local firms; and setting aside a portion of the program quota for households, schools, public buildings and non-profit organizations.

The GRU program has become one of America’s most visible feed-in tariff programs. The recommendations arising from the Gainesville experience will help to not only fine-tune the GRU program, but also to help ensure success for similar programs in the future.

Mike Antheil
Executive Director, Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy
(561) 703-4345

Harald W. Kegelmann
CEO, Advanced Solar Technologies, Inc.
(352) 372-2556

Gainesville Regional Utilities
Communications Office (for media inquiries)
(352) 334-2677

Photo credit: University of Florida, Gainesville.

Chattanooga, which used electric streetcars from 1889 until shortly after World War II, modeled its ETVs after a battery-powered system in Santa Barbara, Calif. Though it initially encountered a few speed bumps, by 1996 the ETV transit system’s rubber-tired buses were running solely on American-made, 100-percent recycled, rechargeable, zero-emission electric batteries. The transit system has fueled Chattanooga’s downtown revitalization and created good jobs in the process.

Now CARTA is seeking funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to buy hybrid buses for its non-electric, suburban routes.

Ron Sweeney, CARTA’s general manager, estimates that as many as a million passengers enjoy ETV service every year. Drivers pay to park their cars in one of three garages in or near downtown, and the shuttle itself is free.

“People want the shuttle because it’s a very convenient, safe way to get around downtown,” said Sweeney. “Where the shuttle runs, the businesses prosper, because it brings activity and people. There are requests from three or four different parts of town to expand the shuttle service into their area. As time goes, on we’ll need more buses so we can expand.”

The ETV shuttle program has also created good jobs. CARTA employs approximately 120 people full time, including 13 drivers and eight technicians who work on the downtown ETVs. Employees start off earning 75 percent of a top (diesel bus) operator’s rate of $18 per hour. After two years on the job, the pay increases to 80 percent of that salary. CARTA workers also have access to an employer-sponsored pension plan to which the company contributes.

In addition to its ETV shuttles, CARTA has 60 regular diesel buses that transport passengers between Chattanooga’s suburbs and its downtown. CARTA recently acquired two hybrid buses to begin replacing the diesel-guzzlers, and it has applied for Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to buy eight additional hybrids.

“We know it’s good for the environment around us, and for the nation to get us off foreign oil,” explained Sweeney.

Meanwhile, CARTA’s 15 downtown ETVs use no fossil fuels except for propane heaters, which only operate during the winter months. The shuttle buses are each 22 feet long and 92 inches wide. They seat approximately 25 people and run a 3.8-mile loop, from 6:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. Once a day, the ETVs are switched out for replacement vehicles with fully charged batteries, usually between noon and 2 p.m. The electric-powered batteries are stored in 3,000-pound cubes inserted and removed from the sides of the buses with forklifts. The batteries take approximately six hours to charge.

Most of the ETVs were built in the 1990s by a Chattanooga company called Advanced Vehicle Systems, which has since gone out of business. Ninety-five percent of the lead-acid batteries are made by Deka Batteries in Pennsylvania, and according to CARTA’s technician foreman Clifford Lowrance, regular maintenance on the batteries includes neutralizing the harmless sulfuric acid with tap water. The process uses no hazardous chemicals and doesn’t even require purified water. The batteries themselves are 100-percent recycled.

“These batteries last 1,200-1,300 cycles, or five-six years; there’s no waste,” said Lowrance, who started working at CARTA just after it was created and has logged 35 years on the job. “We monitor these batteries from cradle to grave. You’ll never find a battery in a river or in a field. And there’s very little carbon footprint because (the Tennessee Valley Authority’s) hydroelectric dams supply most of the energy.”

Contact:
Ron Sweeney
General Manager
Chattanooga Area Regional Transportation Authority
1617 Wilcox Blvd.
Chattanogga, TV 37406
(423) 424-1300
RonSweeney@gocarta.org

“We started off wanting to look at reducing our energy use,” said Jyoti Stephens, the sustainability and stewardship manager at Nature’s Path. “Internally, we had a couple of ideas—solar water heating systems, waste water capture and re-use systems. But the more we dug into it, we discovered there were these great resources available that could help us look for projects that could have an even bigger impact than what we could think of ourselves.”

Those resources were available through the “Lean and Green” program, which began in 2006 as a pilot project funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The idea behind Lean and Green was simple: to benefit manufacturers and customers by uniting organizations that help small manufacturers improve their business efficiency with organizations that advise businesses on how to enhance their environmental performance.

“There’s a core group of us who work with industry on energy efficiency who have felt for a long time that we should be coordinating,” said Christine Love, an industrial services program manager at the Washington State University Extension Energy Program, one of the partners in Lean and Green. “In my opinion, our programs are stronger when we come together and leverage our resources. We strengthen our region’s infrastructure that way.”

The original Lean and Green partners were the Washington State Department of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program and Washington Manufacturing Services (WMS), an affiliate of the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership. After the pilot phase, additional partners were brought in to strengthen the energy efficiency aspect of the program. They included the Washington State University Extension Energy Program and the University of Washington Industrial Assessment Center, among others.

The term “lean” in the Lean and Green name comes from the lean manufacturing process, a set of tools made famous by Toyota Motor Corporation that is now being used by companies all over the world to identify and eliminate waste (be it wasted time or energy), improve product quality, and reduce production time and costs. Many MEP affiliates offer services in lean manufacturing to small manufacturers in their states, and WMS was no exception. These services are designed to make companies more productive and competitive.

The “green” component came from the EPA’s realization that lean production methods can enhance environmental performance. Hugh O’Neill, a toxics reduction unit manager at the Washington Department of Ecology, explains the link between lean and green this way: “How it all started was that in 2003 the EPA came out with some research that said essentially that lean manufacturing tools are inherently good for the environment, and using those tools can have even more benefit for the environment and energy efficiency if one consciously looks for those kinds of wastes during a lean manufacturing event. So, we [WMS and the Department of Ecology] decided to team up and see what happened.”

During the pilot phase of Lean and Green, the partners worked on efficiency improvements at three manufacturing firms: a cabinet company, a bathware company, and a paint company.

“You start on Monday and finish on Friday, and by the end you improve the processes,” explained O’Neill. “The idea is the workers are going to know where the inefficiencies are and are going to be able to come up with the solutions.” According to O’Neill, the companies agree at the outset that there will be no layoffs associated with the program, so none of the efficiency improvements will result in the elimination of workers.

The results of the three pilot projects were impressive. WMS and the Department of Ecology identified numerous significant operational, financial and environmental improvements at all of the companies. A year later, when the partners went back to the companies to assess the lasting impact of the improvements, they found that collectively the three pilot projects saved the companies $1.6 million annually in operational costs; saved 36,900 gallons of wastewater; reduced the use of hazardous substances by 68,700 pounds; and saved 146,700 therms of natural gas, among other benefits. And this was before energy efficiency experts were incorporated into the process!

Nature’s Path Foods was the first company to enroll in the Lean and Green Program after the pilot projects were deemed a success. Their interest in Lean and Green wasn’t surprising, as food processing is among the most energy-intensive U.S. manufacturing industries. The company was also determined to live up to its founding principal of “leaving the earth better than you found it,” which meant they would need to reduce carbon emissions, waste production, and energy use. Nature’s Path is a Canadian company, but it has a manufacturing facility with 165 employees in Blaine and will soon open another facility in Sussex, Wisconsin.

Nature’s Path’s Stephens described the Lean and Green process at her company as several different assessments and programs that went on simultaneously—Washington State University did a 3-day energy efficiency audit; the University of Washington brought in a group of students to do measurements around the plant and conduct interviews; there was a “value stream mapping” of waste and energy around one particular product’s production cycle done by WMS and the Washington Department of Ecology;  a wastewater assessment was carried out by the Department of Ecology’s Technical Resources for Engineering Efficiency team; and the company developed a process map, focusing on where the physical areas of waste in the plant were and what the opportunities were to reduce waste and energy. After all of these assessments, Nature’s Path was presented with various recommendations they could choose from, each of them with a cost-benefit analysis showing how long it would take for the company to make back in savings the money it would need to invest to achieve various types of improvements.

Although the assessment process was intensive, Stephens called it “a great experience.” O’Neill of the Department of Ecology added, “These are really fun projects to do. People are in it together. There’s a big sense of teamwork, a really positive attitude going into these projects. People are very serious about finding opportunities for improvement, but it’s really satisfying too to come back and find that something’s been accomplished.”

From the value stream mapping exercise, Nature’s Path implemented several waste reduction projects, including better managing of airflow on equipment; installing an overhead conveyor system; and adjusting equipment speed to eliminate spill points. With additional help from the Department of Ecology, the company is working on a condensate water recapture system, which should save between $11,000 and $48,000 per year in wastewater disposal costs.

Nature’s Path also decided to pursue a number of the recommendations made by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program and the University of Washington’s Industrial Assessment Center. The plant has purchased moisture sensors for one of their extruders, which will improve product quality and energy efficiency. The plant will receive incentive funding from Washington State University for the moisture sensors, and to help purchase equipment for a relative humidity control project, both of which will help the company reduce its natural gas usage. Once these projects are implemented, the expected energy savings to Nature’s Path will be close to $30,000 per year.

Nature’s Path was recently recognized as one of Canada’s 30 greenest employers of 2009. With the help of the Lean and Green program, they are adding energy-efficient manufacturing to their list of green accomplishments. The Lean and Green program itself is a model for how Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers can collaborate with state and local environmental and energy efficiency programs to help manufacturers throughout the U.S. reap huge benefits—for their bottom lines and for the environment.

“We were a small company trying to get a start with no help whatsoever,” said Keith, a former roofer. Despite the company’s modest beginnings, Sunrise Solar’s profits have risen from $40,000 in 2003 to a projected $4 million in 2009. At a time when most businesses across the country are struggling due to the recession, Sunrise Solar has seen its profits skyrocket, with no drop-off in sight.

“We can’t keep them on the shelves,” said Keith of his energy-saving fans.

He has even asked his suppliers to keep a safety stock of materials to keep up with his product’s rising demand. And because the solar fans are being ordered faster than they can be made, Keith already has plans to open another production facility – possibly as early as spring 2010. In addition to enabling Sunrise Solar to meet the intense demand for its fans, the new plant would help protect local manufacturing jobs. Keith only made the decision to open a new factory once he was sure that purchasing from it would not result in job losses for his Indiana supplier.

At the heart of Sunrise Solar’s mission is a pledge to support the American economy, especially that of Keith’s home state of Indiana, by buying from nearby suppliers and manufacturers whenever possible. Making good on the company’s promise, Keith established mutually beneficial partnerships with suppliers in Warsaw and neighboring Elkhart, communities that have been hit particularly hard by the economic crisis.

In an area where unemployment rose from 4.7 percent at the end of 2007 to 15 percent in mid 2009, Keith’s top priority is to hire locally in order to support individuals and companies that have suffered from the decline of the automotive and RV manufacturing industries. Sunrise Solar employs five people in the administrative office, and the plastic molding plant that produces the fans employs 24 people. Workers average $18 per hour, plus vacation time and benefits. When asked why he doesn’t manufacture in and buy his materials from China, where materials and production costs are significantly cheaper than in the United States, Keith answered: “What good does that do if I put all of my friends and neighbors out of business?”

Sunrise Solar’s fans save as much as 30 percent on the cooling portion of a consumer’s energy bill. The fans cost between $500 and $700 and require no energy to run, which means they pay for themselves within approximately two years in the Midwest – and even faster in areas that receive more sun. The attic fans are one of the least expensive ways to bring solar power into homes. In addition, Indiana recently implemented a 30 percent tax credit that includes solar-powered fan installation, making Sunrise Solar’s product even more affordable for the average home or business owner.

Sunrise Solar’s fans have been named “Best Product” by BUILDERnews Magazine and “Most Valuable Product” by Building Products Magazine two years in a row. Indiana Senator Richard Lugar named Keith an “Energy Patriot” in 2007 due to his innovation and success in the clean energy industry. Keith has also been honored for speaking at local universities and says he spends every spare moment participating in community outreach.

Keith suggests that tax incentives and other government support would benefit companies – like Sunrise Solar – that resist pressure to buy and produce products abroad and instead hire local workers to manufacture domestically. The growing number of utility-based incentives to reduce peak energy use gives Keith hope that help is on the way. He admires progressive energy companies in states such as California, New York, Arizona and Hawaii (where the Honolulu airport recently placed a large order for Sunrise Solar’s fans) that have implemented such incentives, and is anxious to see the rest of the country catch on.

“I am excited about the future,” said Keith, referring to his own company’s projected growth as well as the broader development of the clean energy sector. “With government incentives, we will see more people like me becoming successful.”

Perhaps Sunrise Solar’s success is best understood not through facts and figures, but by feedback from its customers. The company’s website features letters from suppliers who are proud to sell Sunrise Solar’s fans, as well as from happy customers who have installed the attic fans in their homes. “Installing your roof vent was the best thing I could have done for my home in Phoenix,” wrote Jeff Ofstedahl of Arizona in one such testimonial. Ofstedahl praised the efficiency and savings of the fan, but also noted an added bonus that highlights just how good of an investment the fans really are: “When I sold my house, the appraiser and the home inspectors both upgraded the value of my home and cited as one feature: the Sunrise Solar roof vent system.”

The Oakland Green Jobs Corps is among the first training programs of its kind. The Green Jobs Corps was developed and proposed by the Oakland Apollo Alliance, a local partnership of business, labor, community groups, and workforce development programs convened by the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and IBEW Local 595. The group won support from the Oakland City Council, which allocated $250,000 in seed money to create the program. Funds were awarded through an RFP (Request for Proposal) process to a partnership between Laney Community College, Cypress Mandela Training Center, and Growth Sector – a workforce intermediary.

Each member of the training partnership plays a key role in ensuring students’ success. Cypress Mandela, a community-based pre-apprenticeship program, does targeted outreach through high schools, churches, job fairs, and community organizations to recruit low-income Oakland young adults. Applicants must complete a criminal background inspection, a driving record check, a drug test, and an assessment to determine basic math and reading skills. They should also have a high school diploma or GED, though those with neither can get assistance through the program to obtain a GED.

Students begin with a 16-week “boot camp” in which they learn basic construction and undergo soft skills training, including literacy and life skills such as money management, job readiness, and an understanding of labor unions and apprenticeship programs. Students earn their OSHA certification and receive intensive case management provided by Cypress Mandela staff. They also have access to wraparound support services, such as drug and alcohol counseling, childcare assistance, or resolution of driver’s license issues.

Students then move to Laney Community College, where they spend 12 weeks taking environmental education classes and learning construction and technical skills with an emphasis on green construction and solar photovoltaics – all while earning college credit. Part of the solar skills training is done on-site with GRID Alternatives, an Oakland volunteer-based non-profit that installs solar panels on low-income homes.

The graduates, the first ever to go through the program, glowed with pride at having successfully completed a total of 28 weeks of training. “It’s one of the best programs I’ve ever been involved in,” said Mary Vanek, a 37-year-old single mother of five. “I’m hoping my boys or even my two girls go into it.”

After completing the classroom portion, Growth Sector connects students with three-month, full-time internships at local green businesses, where they gain on-the-job experience. During their internships, students earn $15 an hour (half of which is paid by the employer; the rest comes from grant funding). Upon completion, Growth Sector works with participants to place them in jobs with local firms. Case management and supportive services continue to be provided during this time.

According to Growth Sector Director Caz Pereira, the economic downturn has made implementing this final component more challenging. From the first class of graduates, 21 were placed directly in jobs with local employers like SolarCity, Sunlight & Power, Swinerton, Canyon Construction, Sungevity and Dan Antionioli Construction. A few more will continue on to a new weatherization training program at Laney College. The rest are using their job search skills to find internships with local construction and solar firms, where opportunities will soon open up thanks to a project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The Green Job Corps training curriculum was developed in partnership with Professor Raquel Pinderhughes of San Francisco State University. The curriculum incorporates six key training elements: soft skills/life skills training, hard skills training, financial literacy, environmental literacy, internships, and an Employer Council.

The Employer Council is a key element of the Green Jobs Corps program. It consists of businesses and nonprofits working in the energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green building sectors in the Oakland/East Bay area. Council members help identify skills to be included in the training curriculum, while also making a commitment to provide internship and potential employment opportunities for program participants.

Most importantly, the Employer Council builds a bridge between businesses and green job seekers. “That we can trust that they’ve had good training is unprecedented,” said SunPower CEO and Council member Gary Gerber.

Growth Sector is currently working to establish a framework that will ensure the long-term viability of the Green Jobs Corps. The program has already won grants from the California Employment Development Department and the California Energy Commission. It is also eligible for a Department of Labor ARRA grant. To help improve student success, Green Job Corps coordinators plan to reduce the number of weeks spent in training and hope to begin providing a training stipend to the next class.

In the meantime, the current class of graduates sees a bright future ahead. “Before I came to [the Green Job Corps], I had no goals in life,” said graduate Jason Smith. “I didn’t know what green was, I thought it had something to do with recycling. Now we are pioneers in the green movement.”

For more information about the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, contact Caz Pereira, Director, Growth Sector, 2625 Polk St. Suite 4, San Francisco, CA 94109; (415) 902-6951.

For more information about the training model contact Professor Raquel Pinderhughes at raquelrp (at) sfsu.edu.

In partnership with Autokinetics, a Michigan-based automotive engineering design and prototype company, Fisher has designed a hybrid bus that is 300 percent more fuel efficient than conventional diesel models and twice as efficient as current hybrid buses on the market.
The $3.5 million project was primarily financed by the U.S. Department of Energy through its FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies programs, which promote advanced transportation technologies. Fisher executives say they expect to generate at least 500 new jobs within the company, as well as more than 1,000 additional jobs in the Metro Detroit area over the next seven years as they start commercial production of their new, ultra-light 40-foot transit bus. According to John VanAlstyne, vice president for marketing, the company has moved into a temporary pilot manufacturing facility in Oak Park, a suburb of Detroit, and hopes to be well on its way to securing Federal Transportation Administration certification for its buses by the end of the year. Fisher expects to select and move into a long-term manufacturing facility by 2010.

One of the main impediments to making city buses more fuel efficient is their size and weight. It takes a lot of energy to get something as heavy as a transit bus moving. Engineers on the project quickly realized there were only two solutions.

“You either go really slowly or you get the weight down,” said VanAlstyne. “We got the weight down.”

Fisher’s chief executive officer, Gregory W. Fisher, is the grandson of Alfred J. Fisher, one of the original Fisher brothers who formed the Fisher Body Company in 1908. Fisher built one of the nation’s most recognizable brands by understanding and leading the transition from horse-drawn carriages to cars, and by constructing chassis from metal instead of wood. By 1919, Fisher Body Company was one of the biggest companies in the industry, and the advertising slogan “Body by Fisher” was a household phrase.

Now a new generation has taken the helm and is pushing the company to respond to emerging market opportunities created by the energy, climate and job crises by manufacturing ultra-efficient, low-emission public transit vehicles.

“Our bus is everything you think a 21st century bus should be,” said VanAlstyne. “The Fisher brand has a legacy. But in this world where drilling reserves are limited, we need to be more conservative in our consumption patterns and more innovative in our solutions. It’s our whole mission.”

For More Information:
Fisher Coachworks
John VanAlstyne
Vice President of Marketing
Phone: 248-577-5100

Autokinetics Inc.