LIVING THE GREEN LIFE SPEAKER SERIES: Your First Edible Garden

WHEN: Saturday,  February 25, 10-11:30am
COST: Free
WHERE: Decatur Public Library

Over the past few years, the interest in living a more green and sustainable lifestyle has grown tremendously. The Oakhurst Community Garden Project, the City of Decatur, and the DeKalb County Public Library are pleased to announce their collaboration on offering you an exciting FREE series of classes in 2012.

In February join Stephanie Van Parys, Executive Director of the Oakhurst Community Garden Project, and learn about spring and summer vegetables and herbs perfect for our region.  It’s a great session intended for first time gardeners, those transitioning to organic methods, or folks who just need to brush up a bit.

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PRUNING WITH DANIEL BALLARD
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 25 from 10 am-12 pm
COST: $30, $25 for members
WHERE: AcoAddendum, 743-B3 E. College Ave Decatur GA 30030

Are you intimidated by pruning?  Does pruning your shrubs feel like cutting your own hair?!  There is hope for your pruning greenthumb.  Join Daniel Ballard, head gardener at Oakhurst Gardens, for an informative class on the basics of pruning.  Topics will include tools of the trade, basic pruning cuts, pruning trees, shrubs, perennials, and annuals (including edibles).  Participants should bring a pair of bypass hand pruners and gloves for practice.

The class will be held at EcoAddendum in Decatur. Pruning is a great way to get your yard ready for new spring growth.  So if you rent, own, or dream of having a home in the future, consider coming to this class.  It is only $25 and it will give you the confidence to Do-It-Yourself!

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The City of Decatur has been awarded the designation of Tree City USA for a 2nd year! The Tree City USA program is sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the Georgia Forestry Commission in order to recognize successful community forestry programs.

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To qualify as a Tree City USA, a town or city must meet four standards.

1. A Tree Board or Department
2. A Tree Care Ordinance
3. A Community Forestry Program With an Annual Budget of at Least $2 Per Capita
4. An Arbor Day Observance and Proclamation

If you have any questions about Decatur’s application, please contact Lena Stevens at lena.stevens@decaturga.com or 678-553-6577.

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In December, the City of Decatur announced that the Duggan family won the $10,000 Home Energy Makeover Contest.  With the generous donations made by the project’s sponsors, work began in mid-January.  One of the sponsors, ACS Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., even documented the project on their website.  Click HERE to see what they encountered on Day 1.

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When describing their first visit to the home, ACS stated:

“On my first trip to the house, I was astonished at how poorly the ductwork had been installed. The distribution was not only falling apart, but the design and layout would never heat and cool the house properly.”

The City of Decatur plans to fully document the project with a case study, and monitor the home’s energy usage over the next year or two, so stay tuned. A big thank you to all of the project’s sponsors:

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Speaking of Green is a radio show created by Southeast Green that interviews business, government and non-profit leaders about how they are making the Southeast greener. Beth Bond, host of the show, interviewed Decatur’s Resource Conservation Coordinator, Lena Stevens, today about how she became interested in environmental initiatives and her work in Decatur. They discussed some of the great programs going on like DecaturWISE, the Kilowatt Crackdown, and training for code officials on the new Georgia Energy Efficiency Code.

> Click here to listen to the interview.

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The Duggan family on their front porch newly decorated with holiday cheer.

In July 2011, the City of Decatur and City of Atlanta partnered to create the Home Energy Makeover Contest. Hundreds of entries were received and we are proud to announce that the Decatur winning home has been selected and will receive a home energy makeover worth up to $10,000! Not a bad holiday gift right?

Dana Duggan, an Oakhurst resident and proud mother of 3 daughters, was selected based on her home’s ability to demonstrate the significant difference that energy efficiency improvements can make to reduce energy bills and increase comfort. This 1,500 square foot house was built in 1970, and had an addition built in 2003. Despite enormous energy bills, areas of the home remain uncomfortable year round. “You can be freezing in the back room, and then sweating while you eat dinner in the front,” says Ms. Duggan.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Duggan and touring her home last week with the contractors who will be donating their energy efficiency services. The energy audit of her home was donated by Joe Thomas of Renewal System Solutions. Home energy audits are a great way to get professional advice on how your particular home, with all its unique characteristics, can be retrofitted to reduce your utility bills. This service is being offered by more providers every day, and the prices have become competitive. Ms. Duggan’s audit showed a significant amount of air leakage, meaning the that home’s inside air is exchanging with the outside air through leaks and holes too frequently. This is measured using a blower door test. The test of this home showed a leakage of .77 air changes per hour (ACH), meaning that every hour approximately 77% of the house’s air will exchange with the outside air. High performance homes rank less than .35 ACH.

Even more alarming was her duct leakage test. Duct leakage is expressed as a percent: duct leakage divided by total floor area served by that duct system. Ms. Duggan’s leakage was 76%.  High performance homes rank less than 5%. This means that a high percentage of the air she is paying to have heated and cooled is never making it into her living areas. This likely due to  loose and leaky duct work around various connection points in the home. Older homes generally rank between 20-30%. As a reference, when my 1940’s era home was tested last year, I had 36% leakage.

The home also suffers from missing and improperly installed insulation and old heating and air conditioning equipment. So what are we going to do about it? Several partners have stepped up to help.

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Partners

We plan to share all the details on the work done to Ms. Duggan’s home in January, however we would like to take this opportunity to thank the contractors and companies that have stepped up to donate their services to this makeover. This list is likely to grow and change as the scope of work is finalized in the coming weeks.

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Partner	Service
	Wellhome is serving as the primary contractor.  Their contribution will likely include insulation work in the attic and crawlspace.
	ACS Inc. is providing installation of a new heat pump and replacement of the duct system.
	Lennox has agreed to donate a new heat pump needed to replace the old and aging equipment currently in the home.
	Renewal System Solutions provided the energy audit for the home which will be used to prepare the scope of work.
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Stay tuned for more information. If you have any questions about this contest, please contact Lena Stevens at lena.stevens@decauturga.com or 678-553-6577.

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The City of Decatur is excited to announce the second phase of the DecaturWISE Commercial Rebate Program. Businesses and organizations will have another opportunity to apply for rebates for energy efficient upgrades to buildings located within the city. Funded through an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant administered through the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), rebates ranging from $1,000-$4,000 will be awarded on a first come, first served basis.

Why improve the energy efficiency in your buildings?

According to ENERGY STAR, commercial and industrial buildings are responsible for 45% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions, and almost 30% of the energy in these buildings is wasted.  By expanding the DecaturWISE Program to commercial buildings, businesses and organizations can now save energy costs over time, as well as reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in their facilities and throughout the city.

How to obtain a rebate:

Step 1:  Contact the City of Decatur’s Resource Conservation Coordinator, Lena Stevens at 678-553-6577 or lena.stevens@decturga.com for help developing an application.

Step 2:  Obtain a detailed cost estimate for the project.

Step 3:  Apply for a DecaturWISE Commercial Rebate by 5:00 pm, November 4, 2011

Step 4:  Contractor installs energy efficient upgrades.

Step 5:  All invoices, receipts, and documents related to the project and energy assessment must be received by the City of Decatur by January 31, 2012.

Further information and applications can be accessed via the DecaturWISE website at http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=617.

If you have questions, please contact:

Lena Stevens
Resource Conservation Coordinator
678-553-6577
Or
lena.stevens@decaturga.com

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The deadline for the DecaturWISE Commercial Rebate Program has been extended to September 16th at 5:00pm.

Decatur businesses and organizations have the opportunity to apply for rebates for energy efficient upgrades to buildings located within the city. Funded through an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant administered through the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), rebates ranging from $1,000-$4,000 will be awarded on a competitive basis. Check out our website for more details.

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