Celebrate sustainable living with live music, local and organic foods, beer and wine tasting, and activities for the whole family.

Sponsored by SiGBA (Sierra Green Building Association), GreenFEST is a carbon-neutral event promoting local businesses, green products and services.  Learn more about the newest technologies affecting our world, innovative methods of efficiency, and ways we can conserve and protect our planet. GreenFEST will feature local green businesses who will share how they are doing their part to protect the environment.

A Sustainability Conference will take place Sunday, July 11, with local experts discussing international and regional concerns and the importance of community gardens. GreenFest is powered by Bently Biofuels using fuel produced by locally recycled cooking oil.

Tahoe GreenFEST

Saturday and Sunday
July 10-11, 2010
9am-5pm

Kings Beach State Recreation Area

It’s Free too!  See you there.

Growing up in Kings Beach you see, Bob always shared something in common with his neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Bear.

Trash.

Yes, Bob loves trash.

However, Bob quickly realized that trash was killing his fellow Tahoe natives.  So he got to work collecting scraps of metal, discarded pieces of whatever – old car pieces, wood, anything – and he started to weld and create some beautiful one-of-a-kind bear boxes that made Smokey proud.

Bob calls his recycled bear boxes “an amalgam of the past, a multi-layered quilt of metal that lived a former life in a completely different context.” Considered art, Bob’s Bear Boxes are completely functional and not only help reduce the waste in our landfills, but they may just help keep our Tahoe bears alive by keeping them away from last night’s dinner.

To learn more about Bob’s Bear Boxes and to see his custom, intricate designs, click here.

Following family and friends, Bret’s passions include protecting the playground he enjoys daily by practicing what he preaches, and through his new green business, Healthy Home Consultants.

Bret Hackett, local builder and designer of the first LEED home in the Tahoe Basin, discusses the ten key elements that make a house green. And, he should know.  Bret won the 2008 Best in Basin Awards for the “Best Green Building Project” presented by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.  Congratulations Bret!

As the principal of a green design and build company, I receive a lot of questions from clients regarding the green-ness of products and design principles.

Considering past projects and future designs, there tends to be one commonality.

Unless one is looking at a large array of solar panels or a residence that resembles a green house made from tires and adobe, the common response is: What’s Green about that?

Green building is not rocket science, nor is it as complex as nanotechnology. In fact, green building has a closer resemblance to the homes of our ancestors than the homes we live in now. In the words of David Johnson, a green building consultant in Colorado, Green Building is simply “applied common sense.” In this article I will give ten examples of Green Building. The photos will not show endless rows of solar panels or geo-thermal heat pumps, rather, the examples will display simple and elegant solutions to creating a healthy, efficient, and bomb-proof home. Yes, a Green Home.

The ten examples below were all implemented on a recent project which was designed and built by my company, Healthy Home Consultants, in South Lake Tahoe. This home is the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certified Home in the Tahoe Basin.

The home is angled on the lot so that one large gable end is oriented to the South. (see top photo)

This allows passive solar heating which can reduce heating bills. It is accomplished by placing an extensive amount of glass on the south side which brings in the low winter sun to heat the concrete floors. The gable end facing north has few windows to protect against heat loss.

The garage is a separate structure from the home, attached with a covered walkway.

This ensures that the home will have the best indoor air quality possible by keeping chemicals and exhaust out of the home.

The home is sided with corrugated steel and CertainTeed fiber cement.

The steel will weather naturally, and last indefinitely with a mountain style patina which requires no maintenance.

The fiber cement siding was finished in the factory and has a 50 year warranty.

Radiant Floor Heating. The Pex tubing is laid out and ready for a finished concrete floor. The home is heated by circulating warm fluid through concrete floors.

There are five separate zones on the first floor and eight throughout the house.

This gives the homeowner complete temperature control, which improves comfort and saves money.

The home is constructed of Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS) which are stronger, more durable and more energy efficient than conventional building.

Hard at work as the second floor wall panels are craned in. A 6 ½ inch SIP wall has a true R-Value of R-21 compared to a 2×6 stud framed wall with a true R-Value of R-11.

True R-Value is the measurement of a completed wall assembly (studs, insulation, sheathing).

Structure as Finish is a very important green design principle. It unites people with the bones of a building and minimizes resource and material use.

This photo exemplifies how we used two crucial structural elements to create a finished product.

The steel I-beam was left exposed as opposed to being wrapped with sheetrock or wood.

The concrete floor, which holds the energy from the radiant heat, was dressed up for a no-maintenance, beautiful floor as opposed to adding tile or hardwood as a finish.

Daylighting is a green design principle which uses the sun to light a building as opposed to electricity.

Interior glass doors and interior windows located at strategic locations are a vital element in accomplishing daylighting in a building.

This door illuminates an otherwise dark hallway.

One of the basic tenets of green building and sustainability in general, is using local materials and local production.

These counter-tops were made locally (onsite by Healthy Home Consultants carpenters) and produced from locally salvaged wood.

The bar-top is a Juniper slab and the butcher block counters are made from juniper and oak.

In order to supply the home with fresh air throughout the day and night which is essential for Indoor Air Quality, the home has a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV).

This technology is a must in today’s tight homes.

The heat recovery occurs in the winter; as the HRV exhales stale indoor air it stores the heat in a heat exchanger, thus capturing up to 90% of the heat, and using it to heat the incoming fresh air.

This home’s walls are protected by large eaves which are the extension of roof beyond the wall.

The eaves are 2 and 3 feet throughout the house and garage.

This design feature protects the walls from moisture in the winter and intense sun in the summer.

Creating quality Outdoor Living Space is not only a green design principle, but a fundamental element to every structure.

Areas where one can relax, reflect, and connect with their surroundings are essential for promoting a comfortable and relaxing setting.

This home has outdoor living on both the north and south aspects.

The north facing entry porch gives shelter to skiers, groceries and guests in the winter and a cool spot for conversation and relaxation on the hot summer days.

The deck is oriented to due south to take advantage of the warm Tahoe sun whenever one desires.

To see this LEED home and to learn more about Healthy Home Consultants, contact Bret at 530-412-0316 or bret@healthyhomeconsultants.net

Photos by Bret Hackett

Meet Bret Hackett

Bret Hackett lives and plays in South Lake Tahoe with his wife Rosie, daughter Ruby, and dog Osa. Bret followed the snow from Flagstaff, AZ to serve the local community as a ski patroller at Heavenly and an avalanche educator at Lake Tahoe Community College for 8 years.

In between adventures of rock climbing, mountain biking, skiing, surfing and river running, he has worked in the building trades and studied sustainable building since 1994.

From 1996-1999 he studied Ecological Design at Prescott College both nurturing his passion and expanding his knowledge base for green building.

Currently, Bret is paving the way for green building in the mountain environs of the Sierra Nevada. In 2008, he designed and built the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) home in the Tahoe basin. Bret continues to serve this beautiful mountain town with stunning architecture and high quality craftsmanship with his company Healthy Home Consultants.

To fulfill this dream, Compost Tahoe needs funding and has entered the Beat Waste Startup Challenge.

Help bring a year-round compost program to Lake Tahoe. Vote now.

In January 2010, Compost Tahoe established a pilot collection program in South Lake Tahoe to collect food waste from businesses to reduce their waste. It went so well, that Compost Tahoe is looking to expand the program into the entire Lake Tahoe region.

Compost Tahoe’s first phase is recruiting and training restaurants in the Lake Tahoe region in food waste diversion techniques and organizing transport to a nearby commercial composting operation. Later, Compost Tahoe will sell the compost they produce and support community gardens, which (will) grow nutritious, organic produce year-round for local restaurants, schools and farmers markets.

By diverting nitrogen-rich food waste from landfills where it produces methane, Compost Tahoe instead creates premium, nutrient-dense compost while reducing solid waste, miles driven, and water usage. Compost Tahoe wants to create composting and growing systems that allow for a year-round operation, despite the harsh alpine environment. If it’ll grow here … it’ll work anywhere.

Their plan will establish a permanent food waste collection service for the whole region, then focus on promoting compost sales and local food growing techniques.  To learn more about Compost Tahoe, click here.

But first, they need funding.

So they’ve entered the Beat Waste Startup Challenge competition, which is offering $25,000 in cash prizes for businesses and social enterprises that reduce or eliminate waste. It is sponsored by Adventure Ecology, organizers of the Plastiki expedition. The challenge is for early stage ventures seeking funding to grow. Click here to vote for the Compost Tahoe, so we can help the planet, help ourselves and other mountain communities.

According to Slow Food USA, it’s “an idea, a way of living and a way of eating. It is a global, grassroots movement with thousands of members around the world that links the pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment.”

With values like that, it’s no surprise we have a chapter based in Truckee.

In a nutshell, Slow Food is an international movement to counteract our fast paced lives. Slow Food is good, clean and fair food.  Slow Food members believe that food should taste good and be produced in a clean way that does not harm the environment, animal welfare or our health; and that food producers should receive fair compensation for their work.

Slow Food Lake Tahoe hosts the popular Dinners in the Barn events and promotes regional farmer’s markets and community supported agriculture (CSAs).  They even list some healthy tips and recipes for veggies on their website.  And, fundraisers help the Truckee Tahoe Nutrition Coalition which promotes optimum health through nutrition and physical activity such as Fun Food Days, Harvest of the Month, and Fit, Fueled, Ready to Move and the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Student Wellness Policy.

Slow Food Lake Tahoe is committed to promoting the environmental and health benefits of slow food and these four key ingredients:

1. Good: Naturally delicious food created with care from healthy plants and animals.

2. Clean: Grown and harvested with methods that have a positive impact on ecosystems and biodiversity.

3. Fair: Produced by people who are treated with dignity and justly compensated for their labor.

4. Fun: Connecting with like-minded community members who savor good food and good times.

To learn more and how you can get involved, please visit www.slowfoodlaketahoe.org.

New Moon Natural Foods has been open in Tahoe City for 30 years. Wow!

So now, after keeping it real, and healthy and local for 3 decades Billy has opened a much larger store in Truckee.

Much of the success of the original New Moon in Tahoe City is not just the knowledgeable staff like Mark and Johnny, and the complete line of vitamins, health products and the Uncommon Kitchen ethnic deli, it’s the selection of local products.

Billy has made a conscious effort to support local entrepreneurs being one himself – knowing that supporting local is the cornerstone of green consumerism.

So next time you’re in New Moon in Tahoe City, look for these locally made products:

Greeting cards by local photographer Susan Nielsen of Cosmic Dance Images that feature Tahoe wildflowers, landscapes and wildlife.

Organic herbal salves like arnica rub, lavendar oils, and healing salves made in South Lake Tahoe by Passionflower Herbals.

Sierra Grains Organic Breads. This mountain organic pan bread, wheat sourdoughs and English muffins are baked in Tahoe Vista, and have no Cane Sugar, White Flour, Preservatives, Saturated Fat or Cholesterol. This local favorite flies off the shelf…so you may want to figure out when delivery is. (ask Mark)

And of course, don’t miss the Uncommon Kitchen Ethnic Deli owned and operated by Doug Baehr for sushi, salad or a sando on fresh baked baguettes.

New Moon Natural Foods
Keeping it real for 30 years.

Tahoe City:
505 W Lake Blvd
(530) 583-7426

Young, conscious and entrepreneurial. From Tahoma, brothers Chris and Erik Taylor launched Tahoe Green Packaging in April 2007 – a distributor of biodegradable plastics.

Tahoe Green Packaging has been selling their biodegradable plastics like bags, cups and utensils made out of sugar cane and corn plastic to many local restaurants and retailers, including these:

• Alpenglow
• CB’s Pizza
• Uncommon Kitchen
• New Moon Natural Foods
• Syd’s Bagelry
• Sawtooth Ridge Cafe
• Austin’s

For these business owners, it’s a no brainer. Having bio-degradable bags and containers like the Bio-Bags reflects their core business and personal values, as well as their customer’s.

The owners also prefer to support a local business and are saving $ in shipping costs from out of area suppliers and like having a more convenient, local distribution channel.

To order from Tahoe Green Packaging, call 530-356-3733 or 530-386-2657 or click here to visit their website.

Serving our favorite locally roasted coffee, Alpen Sierra Coffee.

Not a coffee drinker? No problem. Gaia Licious will also serve Fair Trade tea by Rishi, along with locally-made snacks and World Music.

Gaia Licious is one of our favorite shops to find locally-made and Fair Trade products and works of art, along with clothing, jewelry and unique gifts.

Don’t miss this celebration of our common planetary consciousness.  Learn more about Fair Trade and be counted as part of a worldwide movement.

2nd Annual World Fair Trade Day & Fair Trade Coffee Break

Saturday, May 8

10am to 1pm

Gaia-Licious Global Gifts
987 Tallac Avenue
South Lake Tahoe, CA

For more info, call 530.542.4244

What is Fair Trade?

Fair Trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers, and the environment. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people-to-people connections, justice, and sustainability. Fair Trade offers consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their every day shopping.  Click here to learn more.

Be part of the movement at World Fair Trade Day on May 8th, and let’s beat last year’s attendance of 35 people.

“Together, we can create a market that values the people who make the food we eat and the goods we use.” - Fair Trade Resource Network

Truckee’s premier eco-village and art community.

Brickelltown is one of the most historic neighborhoods in Truckee named after lumberman E. J. Brickell. It is located directly across from the railroad, below the base of a steep hill which used to have many springs and wells.

In the last few years, Brickelltown has been rediscovered by local artisans and entrepreneurs, and is Truckee’s premier eco-village.

It’s the place to be to get a taste of local flavor and to sample Truckee’s burgeoning art community and green businesses.

Like minded proprietors have come together in Brickelltown to provide a complimentary mix of goods and services to promote their dedication to sustainability, and to make it easier for locals and visitors to become part of it. This shared passion has been carried over into the renovation of historic buildings dating back to the early 1900’s and the exposure of local art, recycled and fair trade gifts, and green business services.

The core shops of Brickelltown include Riverside Studios, The Feather’s Edge and Drake & Lulu’s Art Shed, Small Pond Marketing & Design, and Blue Sky Home Center that have revitalized the community.

And, they know how to have great parties like First Fridays each month that unite locals and visitors.

A Little Bit of History:

Around 1868, many of the Truckee’s most prominent citizens lived in Brickelltown. The original Coburn’s Station occupied much of the neighborhood. Brickelltown was subdivided by a lumber company owned by W. H. Kruger and E. J. Brickell.

Many of the employees of the lumber company built their homes in Brickelltown. Truckee’s “China Town” was built on the hill above Brickelltown. China Town was inhabited by the descendants of Chinese laborers brought in to help build the transcontinental railroad.

Photo: Alanna Hughes of Riverside Studios

Long-time South Shore local, Joyce Coker (aka “the Pie Lady”), has set up a 21′ yurt at the Burnside Lake trail head, located at Pickett’s Junction in Hope Valley.

Although it’s off the grid, the yurt is home of the Hope Valley Outdoor Center which offers high voltage fun.

Don’t miss the full moon ski tour on March 29  starting at 7pm.

Joyce’s deep love of Hope Valley is personified in every detail of this symbolic mountain structure from its nostalgic Tahoe decor and local art to solar power. Yes, that’s right. The yurt is green!…using solar power to produce all of the electricity.

The Hope Valley Outdoor Center offers over 60 miles of marked trails and dogs are welcome.  Joyce and the crew offer cross country skiing and snowshoe lessons and guided tours, and equipment rentals.

The yurt is open daily, and there are no trail fees. Instead, appreciative mountaineers are asked to donate at least $10 to help Joyce offset her costs for maintaining the trails.

To help us experience Tahoe ski culture, the solar-powered Yurt at Hope Valley provides human-powered fun at several full moon ski and snowshoe tours throughout the winter season.

For more info, call (530) 694-2266 or click here to visit the website.