2007 WORKSHOPS - 2008 Workshops to be posted later

2007 Workshop Schedule

Meet the Presenters

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Saturday Workshop descriptions

Transportation and Mix Use Living

10:00 – 11:00 Susana Lein

Intro to Permiculture to Create a Homestead and Farm (from scratch)

Learn permiculture principles and methodologies used to build a homestead and organic farm with very limited financial resources, on marginal land with no existing infrastructure. Topics include: building productive, healthy soil, recycling local resources, salvaging” waste” in building, gravity-fed spring water, no mortgage house building, no-till fields, ponds, fertilization, season extension, intensive crop diversity, marketing, bartering. Questions and discussion encouraged.

11:00-12:00 Susana Lein

Intro to Permiculture to Create a Homestead and Farm (from scratch)

12:00-1:00 Sustainable Cities

Dick Levine

Dick Levine—Mr. Levine is a professor of architecture, an architect and urban designer and a director of the Center for Sustainable Cities, where he has been working on projects developing both the theory and practice of the sustainable city-region. He is one of the solar energy pioneers in the U.S., a holder of U.S. patents on structural systems and solar energy applications and the architect of a number of award winning solar buildings including his widely published Raven Run Solar House (1974). His Hooker Office Building (1978)) with its double glass walls with insulated aluminum louvers between them has become the prototype for numerous energy conserving commercial buildings in Europe. Levine was the founding Chair of the Sustainability Division of the American Solar Energy Society. He has over 200 publications on solar energy and sustainability research and projects. He has conducted sustainable city research and projects in Italy, Austria, China, the Middle East, as well as in Kentucky.

2:00 Making Lexington Bicycle Friendly: The 2010 Challenge

Shane Tedder

Mayor Jim Newberry, above right, announced a day-long bicycle summit – a first for Lexington – that will bring together citizens and government and community leaders interested in making the community more bike friendly. The summit, scheduled from 8 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, at the University of Kentucky Student Center, will feature workshops on bike facilities, safety, education, health and wellness, bike tourism and local bike culture. Brad Flowers, above center, of Pedal Power Bike Shop, spoke about the recent advances in bike safety and trails in Lexington. Council members Jay McChord, above left, and Tom Blues, right, emphasized the importance of bike and pedestrian trails to the community, including the phase of the Town Branch Trail, which is currently under construction. Bike Lexington website -- Register for summit

3:00 David Coyte

Changing the Transportation Paradigm: Keystone to Sustainability

Transportation is the elephant in the room that none wants to acknowledge. Transportation accounts for 2/3 of our oil consumption and a significant portion of our greenhouse gas emissions. Our highway investment strategy of the last 50 years has swallowed our farmlands and choked our cities while forcing investment in unsustainable infrastructure. This workshop looks at the energy and economic impacts of transportation and the dramiatically better alternatives available.

4:00 Restoring Streams and the Wild Ones Native Plant Program

Russ Turpine

Streams are a part of our rich natural legacy. That’s why it’s important to protect, improve, and preserve them for generations to come.

If you have a stream in your yard, you have a special responsibility. What you do or don’t do on your part of the stream affects you and those who live downstream

from you. When you fulfill that responsibility, you get something in return. You have the opportunity to:

• Increase your land value.

• Reduce problems such as erosion along your stream.

• Improve water quality.

• Improve wildlife habitat.

5:00 Lexington Community Gardens/Container Gardening

Jim Embry

You will have the opportunity to learn about building ecologically sustainable and socially just communities while becoming more knowledgeable about global cultures.

- get a close up view of the emerging Lexington community garden movement
-meet community organizers, elders and especially the youth who are working on community gardens
-learn how you can get involved to create backyard gardens, school gardens, community gardens, hospital gardens, "Gardens of Eating" at faith institutions, Green Sanctuary programs, composting and more
-help create plans for a Lexington Community and School Garden Conference -meet and network with new friends

Saturday Workshop descriptions

ENERGY

11:00 UK Energy Efficient Homes

Jerry Hash

Remember, saving energy prevents pollution. When you use less energy at home, you lessen greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere. If every home in America completely replaced the five light fixtures they use most with ENERGY STAR qualified models, we would collectively prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 10 million cars. Residential Light Fixtures By replacing the five most frequently used light fixtures in your home with ENERGY STAR qualified models, you can save more than $65 each year in energy costs. Light fixtures that have earned the ENERGY STAR combine quality and attractive design with the highest levels of energy efficiency available today.

12:00 Efficient Lighting and Windows

Lannie Sproul

Energy efficient windows complete a green approach to renovation and new construction

1:00 Stand-by and Phantom Loads

John Robbins

John F. Robbins, AEE member and CEM since 1990 and member of the Southwest Ohio Chapter and owner of Robbins Alternate Energies, had an extensive article titled, "One Part Solar, Five Parts Load Reduction," published in the October/November 2003 edition of HOMEPOWER Magazine. The article appears on pages 88 to 95. The information contained focuses on John's 2001 home office project that involves going off the power grid and conversion to solar electric and batteries and load reductions. John has served the local chapter in many capacities from membership chair, treasurer, educational chair, newsletter editor /secretary and residential chair. John is involved in applying high performance design and energy saving technologies for small residential and small business owners.

2:00 All About Tankless Water Heaters

Lonnie Sprawl

What is a tankless or on-demand water heater? How do they compare to conventional water heaters? Are they more energy efficient? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Attend this workshop to find out Demand (tankless or instantaneous) water heaters—heat water directly without use of a storage tank. Demand systems produce a limited amount of hot water—a 70°F water temperature rise is possible at a flow rate of five gallons per minute through gas water heaters and two gallons per minute through electric water heaters. these are best suited for low-demand or remote applications. Tankless coil water heaters—use a heat exchanger integrated with a space-heating boiler to heat water instantaneously. These are generally recommended for use only in an extremely cold climate. An indirect water heater is a tankless coil water heater with a separate storage tank to reduce boiler cycling. When matched with a high-efficiency boiler, this becomes a most efficient hot water system.

3:00 Biofuels

James Schrader, James Bush

Biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel offer a renewable alternative to oil for liquid transportation fuels. They can be made from virtually any agricultural crop or from recycled materials like restaurant grease and sewage sludge. Corn ethanol and soy-based biodiesel have a positive net energy balance and burn more cleanly than gasoline and diesel. Their use strengthens rural economies, decreases America's dependence on imported oil, reduces air and water pollution, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

4:00 Solar Water Heating

Andy McDonald

A solar water heating system can be one of the best long term investments you can make in your home. This workshop will address the different types of solar water heating systems, system costs, and components, and the many residential and commercial applications for solar hot water.

5:00 Net Metering for Solar PV Systems

Josh Bills

Net metered and grid intertied solar electric systems offer certain advantages over stand alone solar PV systems and are becoming the norm for solar instillations around the US. Learn how these systems operate and what their advantages and disadvantages are.

Saturday Workshop Descriptions

Green Building and Renovation

11:00 Green Roofs

Janet Faust

A green roof system is an extension of the existing roof which involves a high quality water proofing and root repellant system, a drainage system, filter cloth, a lightweight growing medium and plants. Green roof systems may be modular, with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, interlocking grids, or, each component of the system may be installed separately. Green roof development involves the creation of "contained" green space on top of a human-made structure. This green space could be below, at or above grade, but in all cases the plants are not planted in the "ground'. Green roofs can provide a wide range of public and private benefits. Green roof technologies not only provide the owners of buildings with a proven return on investment, but also represent opportunities for significant social, economic and environmental benefits, particularly in cities. Find out more about the private and public benefits of green roof technologies below. http://www.j-drain.com/pdfs/Greenroof%20Booklet.pdf

12:00 FHA Energy Efficient Mortgages and 203K Streamline Rehab and Repair HUD

Robin Penick

This program seeks to help achieve national energy-efficiency goals (and reduce pollution) and provide better housing for people who might not otherwise be able to afford it. By considering the savings on monthly utility bills when determining how large a mortgage the household can afford, as many as 250,000 more new homebuyers could qualify per year, according to a 1986 study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies. Although EEMs have been available in some States since 1980, they have been little understood or marketed. With EEMs, borrowers do not need to get a separate, costly loan for energy improvements when buying an existing home. Section 203(k) fills a unique and important need for homebuyers in another way as well. When buying a house that is need of repair or modernization, homebuyers usually have to follow a complicated and costly process, first obtaining financing to purchase the property, then getting additional financing for the rehabilitation work, and finally finding a permanent mortgage after rehabilitation is completed to pay off the interim loans. The interim acquisition and improvement loans often have relatively high interest rates and short repayment terms. However, Section 203(k) offers a solution that helps both borrowers and lenders, insuring a single, long - term, fixed - or adjustable - rate loan that covers both the acquisition and rehabilitation of a property. Section 203(k) insured loans save borrower’s time and money, and also protect lenders by allowing them to have the loan insured even before the condition and value of the property may offer adequate security. Insurance commitments for 17,000 homes were made in FY 1996; the estimated number of homes to be insured under Section 203(k) for FY 1997 is 19,000, and 15,000 for FY 1998. For housing rehabilitation activities that do not also require buying or refinancing the property, borrowers may also consider HUD's Title I Home Improvement Loan program.

1:00 SouthFace

Southface promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance. Southface is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. With a longstanding reputation for providing sound environmental education and outreach programs, Southface has been recognized for excellence by the U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, Georgia Environmental Council, Earth Share of Georgia and numerous other industry and community organizations. Southface began as a grassroots organization, and memberships and sponsorships continue to support our efforts.

2:00

3:00 Designing High Performance Healthy Homes

Rodney and Sydney Wright

What is the relationship between a high performance home and the resident’s lifestyle? Drawing on first hand experience, as well as on the comments of our clients, we will examine the impact of a sustainable home on the people who dwell there. Design decisions based on high performance green homes will provide a healthy home, without polluting materials. The design will bring daylight into the life of the occupants, enhancing their visual and psychological well being while reducing energy demand.

4:00

5:00 Green and Healthy Building Materials

Clive Pohl

This workshop will concisely explain the ideas of sustainability as they apply to the materials we use to build and finish our homes and workplaces. The presenter will suggest ways for everyone to embrace healthy and more sustainable choices as consumers. In today’s complex world, there are so many consumer options and so many products making competing claims. Learn how to organize your decision-making in order to make informed and effective choices regarding building materials and contribute to a larger environmental option.

Saturday Workshop Descriptions

Sustainable Living and Wellness

11:00 Energy 101: Making Sustainable Choices

John Robbins

Where to start to make your personal energy use more sustainable. Conducting a home energy audit, implementing efficiency and conservation measures, selecting among renewable energy choices.

12:00 Energy 101: Making Sustainable Choices

John Robbins

Where to start to make your personal energy use more sustainable. Conducting a home energy audit, implementing efficiency and conservation measures, selecting among renewable energy choices.

1:00 Sustainable Foods

Bob Perry

We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to pleasure and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition and culture that make this pleasure possible. Our movement is founded upon this concept of eco-gastronomy – a recognition of the strong connections between plate and planet.

Slow Food is good, clean and fair food. We believe that the food we eat should taste good; that it should 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.

We consider ourselves co-producers, not consumers, because by being informed about how our food is produced and actively supporting those who produce it, we become a part of and a partner in the production process.

2:00 Cool Cities Lexington is part of a growing initiative.

3:00

4:00

Sunday Workshop Descriptions

Transportation and Mix Use Living

11:00 Green Roofs

Janet Faust

Green roof systems may be modular, with drainage layers, filter cloth, growing media and plants already prepared in movable, interlocking grids, or, each component of the system may be installed separately. Green roof development involves the creation of "contained" green space on top of a human-made structure. This green space could be below, at or above grade, but in all cases the plants are not planted in the "ground'. Green roofs can provide a wide range of public and private benefits. Green roof technologies not only provide the owners of buildings with a proven return on investment, but also represent opportunities for significant social, economic and environmental benefits, particularly in cities. Find out more about the private and public benefits of green roof technologies below.

12:00

1:00 Lexington Community Gardens

Jim Embry

You will have the opportunity to learn about building ecologically sustainable and socially just communities while becoming more knowledgeable about global cultures. - get a close up view of the emerging Lexington community garden movement, meet community organizers, elders and especially the youth who are working on community gardens, learn how you can get involved to create backyard gardens, school gardens, community gardens, hospital gardens, "Gardens of Eating" at faith institutions, Green Sanctuary programs, composting and more, help create plans for a Lexington Community and School Garden Conference andmeet and network with new friends

2:00 Bike Maintenance

Shane Tedder

Mayor Jim Newberry, above right, announced a day-long bicycle summit – a first for Lexington – that will bring together citizens and government and community leaders interested in making the community more bike friendly. The summit, scheduled from 8 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, at the University of Kentucky Student Center, will feature workshops on bike facilities, safety, education, health and wellness, bike tourism and local bike culture. Brad Flowers, above center, of Pedal Power Bike Shop, spoke about the recent advances in bike safety and trails in Lexington. Council members Jay McChord, above left, and Tom Blues, right, emphasized the importance of bike and pedestrian trails to the community, including the second phase of the Town Branch Trail, which is currently under construction. Bike Lexington website -- Register for summit

3:00 Rain Gardens and Rain Barrels

Russ Turpin

By combining simple, proven and inexpensive solutions with effective awareness, education & outreach tools homeowners can learn how to reduce local flooding and urban stormwater pollution while improving water quality and beautifying their neighborhoods. Rain Garden Network offers planning tools, project implementation & site installation services and custom & Off-the-shelf education & outreach materials & services to homeowners, municipalities, watershed groups, schools, churches and businesses to ensure that their rainwater management projects are planned, installed and publicized successfully. Building a rain garden (or a couple of rain gardens) in your own yard is probably the easiest and most cost efficient thing you can do to reduce your contribution to storm water pollution. By capturing rainwater from your roof, driveway and sidewalks and diverting it into a great looking rain garden where it can slowly soak into the ground, filtering contaminants and keeping quantities of clean water from going down the sewer system you'll have a great looking garden that puts water in its place. But mimicking the natural absorption and pollutant removal abilities of a forest, meadow or prairie rain gardens can absorb runoff more efficiently - as much as 30% - 40% more then a standard lawn. By capturing rainwater in a rain garden, holding it and then slowly releasing it into the soil the rush of a large storm can be slowed and cleaned – quickly , neatly and naturally . Because rain gardens are dug 4" to 8" deep, and in some cases 1' - 2' deep, they hold larger quantities of rainwater making their overall construction more cost efficient then other green alternatives. Rain gardens also need less technical experience to install and can be installed without permits or heavy equipment. Rain gardens are one very good option that helps to lower the impact of impervious surfaces and polluted runoff because they are low-tech, inexpensive, sustainable and esthetically beautiful. A rain garden is a shallow, constructed depression that is planted with deep-rooted native plants & grasses. It is located to receive runoff from hard surfaces such as a roof via a downspout, a sidewalk and driveway. Rain gardens slow down the rush of water from these hard surfaces holds the water for a short period of time and allows it to naturally infiltrate into the ground. A rain garden can be thought of as a personal water quality system because it filters the runoff from your roof and lawn and recharges the groundwater. A rain garden also conserves municipal water resources by reducing the need for irrigation. Rain gardens are a beautiful and colorful way for homeowners, businesses and municipalities to help ease storm water problems. There is a growing trend by municipalities and homeowners to incorporate natural processes to help relieve flooding and pollution.

4:00 Recycling Centers

Sunday Workshop Descriptions

ENERGY

11:00 Energy Efficient Homes

Jerry Hash

Remember, saving energy prevents pollution . When you use less energy at home, you lessen greenhouse gas emissions in our atmosphere. If every home in America completely replaced the five light fixtures they use most with ENERGY STAR qualified models, we would collectively prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 10 million cars. Residential Light Fixtures By replacing the five most frequently used light fixtures in your home with ENERGY STAR qualified models; you can save more than $65 each year in energy costs. Light fixtures that have earned the ENERGY STAR combine quality and attractive design with the highest levels of energy efficiency available today.

12:00 Net Metering for Solar PV Systems

Josh Bills

1:00 Standby and Phantom Loads

John Robbins

2:00 Super Efficient Passive Solar Homes

Gary Watrous

3:00 Tankless Water Heaters

Lannie Sprowl

4:00 Near Zero Carbon Living

Mark Issacs

Global Warming: What you can do now towards Near Zero Carbon Living presents 14 things every American can do right now in their own lives to cut their carbon footprint as much as 65%. Mark then introduces the concept of Near Carbon living and shows who that is being realized at Legacy Lofts in Louisville through a careful balancing of super insulation, geothermal heating and cooling, solar hot water, photovoltaic’s, energy efficient lighting and appliances. Independent consultants have calculated heating and cooling bills to be under $10.00 per unit per month at sales prices under that of other downtown condominiums. Come find out how Near Zero Carbon Living is affordable now.

Sunday Workshop Descriptions

Green Building and Renovation

11:00 Green and Healthy Building Materials

Clive Pohl

12:00

1:00

2:00 Solar Water Heaters

Andy McDonald

3:00 South Face

4:00 AIA Architects

Alan Warren

A growing share of homeowners are concerned with utility costs, which has led to an increase in demand for energy efficient solutions, greater popularity of home offices, along with healthy business conditions in the home improvement sector. These findings are from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Home Design Trend Survey for the second quarter of 2007 that focused on systems, technologies, and functional rooms in the home. “As the environment and utility prices become more scrutinized, homeowners are demanding more energy efficient products and sustainable designs,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “Structural insulation panels, geothermal heating / cooling systems, tankless water heaters and green flooring products such as bamboo and cork are all in high consumer demand.” A recent AIA poll revealed that 91% of registered voters said they would be willing to pay $5,000 more for a house that would use less energy and protect the Earth.

For the third straight year, home offices are the most popular special function room. Addressing specific design issues, Louis B. Smith, AIA, chair of the AIA Small Projects Practitioners committee said, “Homeowners are looking for more than just a desk in a bedroom. They are looking for additional acoustic privacy, better natural lighting and even separate entry for clients. An architect’s design can help create the proper relationship between the office and the home, as well as ensure a productive environment that allows for work to be accomplished comfortably and efficiently.”

Sunday Workshop Descriptions

Sustainable Living and Wellness

11:00 Energy 101: Making Sustainable Choice

John Robbins

Where to start to make your personal energy use more sustainable. Conducting a home energy audit, implementing efficiency and conservation measures, selecting among renewable energy choices.

12:00 Making Sustainable Choices

John Robbins

Where to start to make your personal energy use more sustainable. Conducting a home energy audit, implementing efficiency and conservation measures, selecting among renewable energy choices.

1:00

2:00

3:00 FHA Energy Efficient Mortgage and 204K Streamline Rehab and Repair HUD

Robin Penick

Section 203(k) fills a unique and important need for homebuyers in another way as well. When buying a house that is need of repair or modernization, homebuyers usually have to follow a complicated and costly process, first obtaining financing to purchase the property, then getting additional financing for the rehabilitation work, and finally finding a permanent mortgage after rehabilitation is completed to pay off the interim loans. The interim acquisition and improvement loans often have relatively high interest rates and short repayment terms. However, Section 203(k) offers a solution that helps both borrowers and lenders, insuring a single, long - term, fixed - or adjustable - rate loan that covers both the acquisition and rehabilitation of a property. Section 203(k) insured loans save borrower’s time and money, and also protect lenders by allowing them to have the loan insured even before the condition and value of the property may offer adequate security. Insurance commitments for 17,000 homes were made in FY 1996; the estimated number of homes to be insured under Section 203(k) for FY 1997 is 19,000, and 15,000 for FY 1998. For housing rehabilitation activities that do not also require buying or refinancing the property, borrowers may also consider HUD's Title I Home Improvement Loan program.

4:00 Kentucky Outdoor Classrooms

Kandris, Tom Biebighauser

Outdoor Education in Kentucky is fastly becoming and opportunity for teachers to bring hands-on, inquiry based curriculums to life. See how Kentucky fairs Nationally in the attempt to have an outdoor classroom at every school, learn about the curriculum available and the opportunites for teachers and parents to bring

To inquire about presenting a workshop at the 2007 Expo Click Here