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In this Issue:
1. September's Meeting
2. SBC Named Co-Facilitator of City of Missoula's New Greenhouse
Gas Energy Conservation Team
3. Energy Conservation Tip
4. Member Profile: Home Resource
5. Member News Briefs
6. SBC Calendar of Events
7. Web Site of Interest
8. Local Currency
9. Member to Member Discounts
10. SBC Business & Organization Members
11. About the SBC
1. September's Meeting
Mark Lakeman presents "City Repair Project:The Village Lives" at the September SBC meeting
Mark Lakeman, a nationally renowned speaker from Portland, Oregon, will be presenting to the SBC on September 23rd at the Missoula Public Library large conference room.
The social hour will begin at 5:00 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 6:00 p.m. "City Repair Project: The Village Lives" is a 1.5-hour slide presentation that shares the story of The City Repair Project, in Portland, Oregon.
Mark founded the City Repair Project (www.cityrepair.org) in 1996. As both an organization and a larger movement, City Repair inspires and guides the transformation of the grid infrastructure of the typical American city into a vital social commons. This presentation compares the historic settlement patterns of village societies with the dominant forces of Western colonization as a context for describing City Repair’s work. By re-asserting localized village patterns in the city grid, City Repair establishes both the physical and social foundation for sustainable culture. These patterns include broad participation, local ownership, transference of authority to local populations, creative expression in planned and unplanned processes, and social capital as the primary economic engine of change.
After working for several years in the 1980’s as a lead designer of large scale corporate projects, in the 1990’s Mark embarked on a series of cultural immersion projects with indigenous societies in order to derive place making patterns which could be applied to urban settings in the United States. Mark is now the principal of Communitecture, a private design firm specializing in ecological building and planning projects at many scales. He also sits on the Board of Directors of Southeast Uplift, Portland’s proactive neighborhood coalition that is undertaking numerous initiatives to remake the civic landscape.
This meeting is co-sponsored by the Northwest EcoBuilders Guild, Missoula Institute of Sustainable Transportation, Loken Builders and Home Resource.
2. SBC Named Co-Facilitator of City of Missoula's New Greenhouse
Gas Energy Conservation Team
The Missoula City Council passed the Missoula Greenhouse Gas-Energy Efficiency Plan (the Plan) on May 10, 2004, after several years of work and multiple revisions. The Plan names the Sustainable Business Council - Missoula Area as a co-facilitator, along with the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce, of the newly formed Greenhouse Gas/Energy Conservation Team, which is charged with aiding in community-wide education and communication of energy efficiency opportunities that minimize greenhouse gas generation.
The City of Missoula officially took up the Greenhouse issue on June 17th of 1996 when Dan Kemmis, mayor at the time, signed a resolution passed by City Council pledging that Missoula would join the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign. By joining this campaign, the City agreed to 1) conduct an energy emissions inventory and forecast, 2) establish an emissions target, 3) develop and obtain approval for the local action plan, 4) implement policies and measures, and 5) monitor and verify the results. After the energy emissions inventory was completed, the City Council formed the Subcommittee on Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Energy Conservation in June of 2001 to develop a local action plan. A committed team of individuals, including SBC member Dave Harmon of West Broadway Improvement Corp., took three years to draft, present, revise, and represent a plan.
In April 2004, the SBC hosted a forum to inform members and the public about the revised draft of the Plan and its possible effect on business. Based on member input at the forum, the SBC Board chose to endorse the Plan with the caveat that the Plan needed some mechanism to see it would be implemented. In a flurry of last minute amendments, the Plan was modified in late April and early May and finally adopted by the City Council on May 10, 2004.
As part of the final amendments, two advisory teams were created to insure the plan would be implemented. The Energy Advisory Team, made up of members of City Administration, was charged with meeting to discuss new technologies and mechanisms for the City to improve its energy conservation efforts. The Greenhouse Gas/Energy Conservation Team (the Team), comprised of one government employee and five community members representing different sectors within the community, was charged with outreach to the community to encourage energy conservation efforts by business, non-profits, and individuals.
SBC members Matt Hisel of Home ReSource and Steve Loken of Loken Builders have been selected as members of the Team. Other members include Ben Schmidt of the Missoula Health Department, Steve Patrick of Roscoe Steel, Rex Svoboda of Modern Machinery and Jim Leiter of BFI. The Team's quarterly meetings are open to the public. Their first meeting will be held September 29 at noon in the Chamber of Commerce's meeting room. To read the final version of the plan or follow the activities of the Team visit: www.ci.missoula.mt.us/mayor/Greenhouse-energy.htm.
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3. Energy Conservation Tip
If you replace ten 75 watt incandescent bulbs that are on 10 hours per day
with 25 watt compact fluorescent bulbs, your average savings will be $141
per year and you will reduce your CO2 production from those 10 bulbs by
about 2370 pounds per year. (This information comes from the Missoula
Greenhouse Gas/Energy Conservation Plan and
http://magazine.audubon.org/pdf/Emissions form.pdf)
4. Member Profile: Home Resource
Home Resource, Missoula’s non-profit building materials recycling center, opened its doors August 20, 2003 to receive donations of used doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing and lighting fixtures, lumber, paint and much more. The materials are either donated to charities or resold to the general public to generate revenues for local organizations working on low-income housing issues and sustainability education programs. As of July 31st, Home Resource had successfully diverted an estimated 218 tons of material from the landfill.
Home Resource will celebrate its one-year anniversary on Saturday, September 18th. “We have a lot to celebrate!” says Matt Hisel, who Co-Directs Home Resource with Lauren Varney. “This community has been incredibly supportive and committed to reducing, re-using and recycling.” According to Hisel, gross sales for the first full year (August 2003 to July 2004) were over 30% in excess of projected sales. “We’re already giving back, and this is only the beginning,” says Hisel.
In the last year Home Resource has provided free or very low cost materials to nine local educational and charitable organizations.
The highlights include:
• The Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Missoula: Home Resource board members, staff and volunteers spent 172 hours and Home Resource provided about $300 worth of material to construct a playhouse which was sold at auction for $1,200 to benefit the Boys and Girls Club exclusively.
• The Randolf Homestead: This project of the North Missoula Community Development Corporation is transforming an abandoned historic ranch into an education center where the general public can learn about life on an early Montana homestead. As of July 2004 Home Resource has contributed just over $500 worth of material to the project.
• The Missoula Urban Demonstration Project: Home Resource supported the installation of an experimental ventilation system in which the heat of a passive solar greenhouse will be harnessed to heat the adjacent Tool Library. Home Resource supported the project with over 300 hours of labor and a $500 micro-grant.
Other recipients of Home Resource support are Free Cycles Missoula, UM’s PEAS Farm, The Alternative Energy Resource Organization, HomeWORD, Brown Bear Resources, and The Parenting Place.
In the near future, Home Resource will be teaming up with Opportunitiy Resources Inc. to train adults with disabilities to clean and refurbish materials that would not otherwise be re-usable. The project will be supported by a $20,050 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency.
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5. Member News Briefs
Solar Plexus moved to 1605 Stevens, Suite 2 in Missoula in August 2004 and added solar water heaters to their product line.
Missoula Valley Recycling in partnership with Ozzie's Oil is again recycling glass for a small fee.
Treecycle is now carrying a line of environmentally friendly cleaning products in addition to their recycled papers.
WestRidge Creative, a progressive communications and advertising agency, is working on several local and statewide political races and issue campaigns this season.
Obvious Advertising has been placing full-color group ads for all SBC members since March. A new and updated ad will be going up in September.
This fall Meadowsweet Herbs is again offering classes including its Herbal Medicine Making Series.
GreenPath Properties co-sponsored the Bitterroot Tour of Green Homes in August. The tour included examples of stress panel construction, grid tied solar power, earth ship design, gray water systems and straw bale construction.
Mr. Goodburger's opened a second restaurant in the University Center at University of Montana in September.
The Ecology Project International, which provides programs for students and teachers at the Pacuare Nature Reserve in Costa Rica and in the Galapagos Islands, is expanding its offerings to include summer courses focusing on tropical rainforests and sea turtles during 2005.
The National Center for Forest Practitioners will hold its annual meeting in Ouray, Colorado, October 13th through the 16th. The meeting theme is Responsibility, Collaboration, and Restoration.
The Jeannette Rankin Peace Center will hold its 17th Annual Peace Party on Sunday, September 26 from 4-8 p.m. in Caras Park.
This fall, Missoula Urban Demonstration Project is holding several workshops on food preservation and fall garden preparation.
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6. SBC Calendar of Events 2004/2005
Thursday, September 23
City Repair Project: The Village Lives Mark Lakeman, City Repair Project
Missoula Public Library, 301 East Main St.
Thursday, November 18
The Sustainable Consumer
Beth Sullivan and Kathey Rebish, Patagonia Outlet
MCAT, 500 North Higgins
Thursday, January 20
Solar Power on Your Roof
Lee Tavener, Solar Plexus
MCAT, 500 North Higgins
March, Date to be announced
Recycling and Building with Used Building Materials Matt Hisel, Home Resource
MCAT, 500 North Higgins
Thursday, May 19
Recycling in Missoula
Tom Ernst, Missoula Valley Recycling
To be announced
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7. Web Site of Interest
Montana Hydrogen Futures Project
www.cte.umt.edu/MTFutures/default.asp
At our January 2004 meeting, we showed a videotape of Dean of the College of Technology Paul Williamson's presentation on the Montana Hydrogen Futures Project. This web site answers many of the unanswered questions individuals had at that meeting and has a link to Paul's Montana Vision 2020, which is a strategic initiative to set in motion a plan that will establish Montana as an energy leader by setting target goals for the year 2020.
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8. Local Currency
Many of us spend a considerable amount of time thinking about how we will get money and how we’ll spend it; but few of us probably spend much time thinking about what money actually is, what it represents, or the fundamental distinction between money and value. Money, in the form of printed currency, is only the medium of exchange – the true commodity is our labor, time, effort, creativity, ingenuity, and passions. When using the centralized, impersonal and debt-based paper which the Federal government issues, many of us take the value of these “true” commodities for granted. Alternative currencies provide a medium of exchange that make the value these commodities more apparent by representing participants’ time and effort on a human scale.
During the past two or three decades, thousands of alternative currency systems have been implemented around the world. The various forms of alternative currencies include:
• Internet-based barter systems (like the We Trade Network, a western Montana organization that facilitates barter exchange transactions for a fee and that some Missoula businesses participate in currently, www.wetradenetwork.com),
• “Time Dollars,” which are based on the exchange of participant’s time and labor,
• Commodity-based systems backed by gold, silver, or other commodities,
• And printed local currency system such as Ithaca HOURS that are based on actual notes having a suggested (yet negotiable) value and are honored only within a specific geographic area.
Locally based alternative currency systems encourage people to shop at locally owned businesses that choose to participate. This strengthens the local economy and promotes local economic sustainability. These systems can also promote a deeper sense of community by strengthening ties among neighbors and creating new relationships. The resulting increase in social capital can then be leveraged as the community pursues joint initiatives to improve their ecological sustainability.
Some alternative currency systems are even able to offer small, interest free loans to individuals to start small business ventures or expand current businesses. For instance, Ithaca HOURS system, which began in Ithaca, NY in 1991, offers small loans for business development. For an overview of other benefits to participants in a local currency system, visit the Ithaca HOURS homepage (www.ithacahours.com), which provides information on their system and links to other resources.
UM Graduate student Jeff Mascornick is currently leading an effort to determine if and to what degree Missoulians are interested in establishing a printed local currency system, which he feels is more flexible and provides more benefits than other forms of alternative currency systems. If you are interested in learning more, want to help Jeff study the issue or have any comments or suggestions, contact Jeff at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 542-1593.
The SBC Board will be following Jeff's progress and supporting his research to determine what is required in administering such a system and what the benefit to members might be. We will also consider other mechanisms to promote sustainable businesses and local purchasing such as a sustainability gift certificate or a discount card. If you are interested in helping set up a system or would participate in one once it is set up, please contact us.
Note: This article is based on an article originally written by Jeff Mascornick and edited with Jeff's permission by Susan Anderson, SBC Board Member.
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9. Member to Member Discounts
The following SBC members have agreed to provide discounts or benefits to other members. Just mention you are an SBC member when ordering.
Treecycle - 5% off on all paper products
Obvious Ads - First month of advertising free
Missoula Valley Recycling - First month free of new service
Customer Carpets and Flooring - 10% off on all environmentally friendly products
Home Resource - 5% off on all products (except timber from Heritage Timber)
Historic Montana Publishing - 20% off on purchase of books directly from the publisher
(see the SBC web site for a list of titles available)
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10. SBC Business & Organization Members
BalanceTech, LLC
Big Sky Brewing
Bitterroot Restoration Inc.
Business Development International, Inc.
Calliope Design
Cold Mountain Cold Rivers
Crazy Daisy Clothing Exchange
Customer Carpets & Floors, Inc.
Deborah Richie Communications
Dwight Thomas Carpentry
Ecology Project International
Emergent Solutions
Flying Monkey Creative, LLC
Good Food Store
GreenPath Properties
Hands-On Therapy
Heritage Printing
Historic Montana Publishing
Home Resource
homeWORD
Hunter Bay Coffee Roasters
Irestone Web Design
Jeannette Rankin Peace Center
Le Petit Outre
Livesey All Freight Systems
Loken Builders
MCAT
Meadowsweet Herbs Inc.
Missoula Bicycle Pedestrian Office
Missoula Independent
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Missoula Valley Recycling
MMW Architects
Montana Cleaning Company
Montana Junior Cycling Foundation
Mr. Goodburger's
MUD
National Network of Forest Practitioners
Obvious Advertising
OhMy Graphics
Open Road Cycling & Nordic Equipment
Patagonia Outlet Dillon
Pizza on the Fly
Redfield Construction, Inc.
Rocking M Design
Serenity Day Spa & Salon
Shakespeare and Company
Solar Plexus LLC
The Fire Place Pizza
The Javaman
Timeless Timber
Tipu's Tiger, Inc.
Treecycle
Vandermeer's Wildland Conservation Services
West Broadway Improvement Corp
Western MT Mycology
Westridge Creative
Wilderness Watch
11. About the SBC
The Sustainable Business Council – Missoula Area is a network of individuals, organizations, and businesses working toward a sustainable economy. Its purpose is to promote the economic benefits of a clean and healthful environment; to educate businesses, organizations, and individuals about efficient resource use; and to facilitate the adoption of economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable business practices.
The Council offers Missoula-area businesses, organizations and individuals:
• Educational presentations and workshops;
• Networking with other environmentally and socially concerned businesses, organizations and individuals;
• Resources including a newsletter, publications, and a web site;
• Promotional opportunities for their business;
• And discounts from participating members (see #8 for a complete list of discounts offered by members to other members).
Membership in the Council is open to businesses, organizations, and individuals.
Membership dues are:
$25 for individual supporters,
$50 for businesses or organizations with one to four employees and owners
$75 for businesses or organizations with five or more employees and owners
$250 or larger donations for sponsoring businesses or organizations.
Sponsoring Members Include: BalanceTech, LLC, Livesey Freight Systems, Missoula Independent
Susan Anderson at BalanceTech, LLC, has edited this newsletter. For
submissions or questions about the SBC, contact Susan at 543-5323 or
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The spring newsletter deadline is Feb.
10th. Paid advertising will be accepted for the hard copy version of the
newsletter on a space available basis. |
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