http://sustainablecreekside.org An Open Communication Medium for Creekside Residents Fri, 11 Jun 2010 23:00:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Last Wednesday (Jun 9,2010) Advanced Energy Systems finished the physical installation of the first solar PV system in Salem's Creekside neighborhood. Click here or on the photo above to see a video that shows before and after shots and clips taken during the installation. Next steps are inspection by the City ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/06/first-solar-pv-installation-in-creekside-completed/ Click here or on the image above to view this story. From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/05/story-of-stuff-project-help-create-a-more-sustainable-world/ The City of Salem and Marion County will soon be considering expanding what can go into the current green yard waste cart. If approved by city and county leaders in upcoming public hearings, the yard cart will soon become the Mixed Organics Cart. Every year, tons of what otherwise can be ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/05/green-cart-hopefully-to-become-mixed-organics-cart/ Today's (5/13/2010), USA Today ran an article by Tracy Loew on page 3 that reports, "It's a scene that's being played out across the country. As homeowners increasingly seek to turn to green practices such as using clotheslines instead of dryers or moving to solar or wind power, they are finding ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/05/creekside-support-of-solar-featured-in-usa-today/ I just talked to Burt and he said: "I attended the meeting tonight (4/22) of the Creekside Architectural Review Committee and am happy to report that my 2.5 kW photovoltaic solar energy project was approved.  I will provide updates as the project progresses. I hope this news will prompt others in Creekside who ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/04/arc-approves-first-creekside-solar-installation-on-earth-day/ Today the Statesman Journal ran a follow up article to their coverage on April 12 of our fight for solar rights. They were responding to Creekside resident Barbara Husseini's questions, "do homeowner associations pose significant obstacles to resident trying to reduce their impact on the environment?" After Statesman Journal reporter, Beth Casper researched ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/04/hoas-pose-obstacles-to-reducing-impact-on-environment/ On Monday April 12 the Statesman Journal ran a front page article, by Beth Casper, on our efforts to provide a process in Creekside for the approval of solar installations. The article was syndicated to the Associated Press and picked up by many AP affiliates. The subject seems to be ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/04/first-creekside-solar-installation-gets-media-coverage/ Well, not you.....let beneficial parasites eat the grubs. Each summer we see those giant "mosquitoes" flying around our yards. These are crane flies. They don't bite--but are an annoyance--and the grubs they hatch from can cause lawn damage. Crane flies lay eggs in your lawn that eventually become grubs. These grubs, which ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/03/eat-grubs-dont-poison-them/ Today (Wed 3/10) the Creekside HOA board unanimously voted to approve these solar guidelines. So after 8 months of working the problem of getting the Creekside HOA to create a process for allowing and approving solar panel installations, the Creekside Architectural Review Committee is now prepared to accept and review installation plans for ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/03/hoa-board-approves-solar-guidelines/ On January 22, 2010 the Ad Hoc committee for Solar Guidelines met and agreed on a set of solar guidelines (click here to view the guidelines). The general process for approval of the guidelines is as follows: Guidelines will be reviewed by the HOA legal council (complete). Guidelines will be presented to ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/02/update-on-status-of-the-creekside-solar-guidelines/ In early January we sent out a mailer to all Creekside residents to let them know about the this web site and encourage participation and feedback. The mailer resulted in a bunch of votes on the solar poll (on the left side-bar) and many new e-mail subscriptions to the site ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/01/creekside-mailer-results-in-a-variety-of-great-community-feedback/ A recent article in the Eugene Register Guard described the growth of the solar power industry in the Willamette Valley. There are currently seven facilities, from Portland to Eugene, producing everything from silicon ingots and wafers to solar cells to inverters. These facilities employ about 700 people, with plans to expand to over ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2010/01/how-green-is-my-valley/ A report from renewable energy advocates says Oregon is among the best states for regulations that encourage distributed renewable energy, like residential solar panels. Read the whole article at: http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/11/report_gives_oregon_high_marks.html http://sustainablecreekside.org/2009/12/oregon-gets-high-marks-for-integrating-renewable-energy/ Dow Chemical Company, Oct. 5, 2009 Solar shingle are just that: shingles similar to roofing shingles on most homes. Except these shingles are photovoltaic and produce electricity, like solar panels. While solar shingles (versus panels) have been around for awhile, there does not appear to be many if any big-name manufacturers producing ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2009/11/new-name-in-the-solar-game/ In early 2009 my wife and I decided that we wanted to start moving towards the use of renewable energy. These days there are more and more motivations to take renewable seriously. At the time our biggest motivation was to support the use of clean, renewable energy. So, after attending the ... http://sustainablecreekside.org/2009/10/3rd-post/