Solar as Entertainment: Looking at alternative energy in a new light

Want to monitor the status of your solar hot water tank? There’s an app for that, and Tim Sullivan is taking full advantage of it to show people just how cool his solar hot water tank really is.

The app, developed by Apple and available for most smart phones, shows the temperature for both the solar panels as well as the water tank itself.

“You could be out with friends and family, and you fire up your phone and say, ‘Check out how much hot water we’re making,’” says Sullivan about the app.

As the beneficiaries of one of the first installations conducted by SEA Solar Store of a system of this kind, having a solar hot water tank made Sullivan and partner Candace Perreault “feel like the cool kids” in the neighborhood. Indeed, the decision to go solar is one they’re both satisfied with and eager to share with others.

“While the system was being installed, one of our neighbors walked by and told us how awesome she thought it was,” recalls Sullivan. “And she actually ended up getting one of her own three months later.”

Unfortunately, Sullivan knows not everyone is as easy to influence. He recalls many people asking how long the system would take to pay for itself – something which Sullivan sees as a no-brainer.

“It starts making hot water immediately,” exclaims Sullivan. “So it’s already paying for itself.”

However, Sullivan attests that “it’s not just about saving money, it’s about not burning oil,” something that the solar hot water tank allows him to do even in the middle of a cold, rainy day in January.

“It’s still 50 degrees in the tank, when it’s probably only 32 on the ground,” he says.

One of Sullivan’s favorite aspects of the system is its production on overcast days when the weather is far from ideal, an efficiency that makes the tank so user-friendly.

While Sullivan is a self-proclaimed technology nerd, he says you don’t need to be tech savvy to be able to operate the system.

For eZee Bikes, Spring can’t come soon enough

Considering New England’s dearth of snow these last few months, it’s shocking to think we’re merely six weeks from the first official day of spring. But for the folks at eZee Bikes in Exeter, longer days and final thaws can’t come soon enough.

Indeed, owners Tom and Teresa Hemenway have been chomping at the bit to begin promoting their brand new line of Sym gas-powered scooters. Widely considered some of the best on the market, the Taiwan-produced Syms are – like rivals Honda and Vespa – renowned for their incredible gas mileage, which typically falls in the neighborhood of 120 miles per gallon.

With gas prices this summer expected to reach the painful highs of a few years ago, Hemenway has been eager to once again promote the wallet-friendly virtues of these two-wheeld wonders.

“Just last week we filled up our sedan – not a huge car, by any means – and it cost us close to 60 dollars,” recalls Tom Hemenway. “Then you think about these Sym scooters, and it costs maybe six or seven bucks to fill up.”

Hemenway believes the time has never been better for people to invest in scooters – particularly here in New England, where the relative lack of sprawl and more tightly-knit downtown areas had helped spurn a cycling renaissance of late.

“What’s more green than riding a bike or a scooter?” Hemenway says rhetorically. “We’re seeing them more and more in the cities, and I think they’re only going to get more popular in the next few years.”

Not surprisingly, Hemenway cites Durham, home of the University of New Hampshire, as one of his most reliable target markets – both for eZee’s signature line of gas-powered bikes, as well as the myriad gas scooters stocking his Exeter showroom’s floor.

“We’ve been doing more and more deliveries to UNH, to professors especially,” says Hemenway. “Which is great for the parking issues they have there.”

Organic Food Champion and Farmer Jim Gerritsen Speaks at Food and Health Forum

On Monday, February 13, the Food and Health Forum continues its “Food for Thought” series at Blue Moon Evolution (located at 8 Clifford Street in Exeter, New Hampshire), a location which combines incredible local food with a fun, fresh atmosphere.

The event will feature organic food champion and farmer Jim Gerritsen. Garritsen was recently voted one of Utne Reader’s “25 Visionaries Who Are Changing our World” for his work leading a lawsuit against corporate agriculture giant Monsanto. Jim’s presentation will focus on what each person needs to know to protect their health, the environment, and small farmers.

The upcoming Food and Health Forum seminar includes a superb, three-course locally sourced dinner and a glass of wine. As part of the seminar, attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in conversation with other community members on why and how local food supports a healthier society and what we as consumers can do to play our part.

Additionally, the Green Alliance, a proud partner of the Food and Health Forum, is thrilled to be attending Jim Gerritsen’s event. Both GA and Food and Health Forum agree the collective goal of these seminars is to learn how we can better help protect the world and how we can help support our local farmers.

Downtown Portsmouth Staple, Prelude offers green gifts for Valentines Day

A quest for the perfect Valentines Day present for my fiancé led me to venture for the first time across the threshold of Prelude, a local purveyor of imported soaps, fine jewelry and gifts located at 65 Market Street in downtown Portsmouth, where longtime shop owner Holly Landgarten opened my eyes to a whole new world of products that are not only romantic, but also eco-friendly and socially conscious.

A visit to Prelude may begin with a sampling of Dr. Hauschka, a legendary line of natural skin care products that Landgarten describes as “Delicious!”

“Dr. Rudolph Hauschka was an Austrian chemist who was inspired to develop homeopathic remedies after attending lectures by Dr. Rudolph Steiner, founder of the first Waldorf School and father of Biodynamic gardening in 1920,” Landgarten said. “A lot of Hollywood make up artists discovered Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products during the late 1960’s, back when movie stars were literally abusing their skin with heavy and toxic makeup. I, personally, have been using the products since 1979.”

Dr. Hauschka the man left this world in 1969, but not before giving birth to WALA Heilmittel, which today manufactures 10,000 homeopathic remedies. The skin care products that bear his name are certified natural or organic by NATRUE, an international non-profit organization.

“They list every single ingredient for every product,” according to Landgarten. “And that means you know exactly what you are putting on your skin and you can be assured that it is 100% safe”.

“We are also talking about a company that is invested in helping to grow healthy and vibrant local economies all over the world. For example, WALA trains farmers in Afghanistan to raise roses instead of poppies which are mostly used to make opium,” she noted. Currently, 80 percent of the world’s heroin supply comes from Afghanistan. Production of rose oil, found in a number of Dr. Hauschka products, is an ancient Afghan tradition.

Beyond Hauschka, Prelude offers popular national brands like Burt Bees, as well as locally made skin care products.

Sustainability from the Inside out; Jewett Farms helps to green-up a home’s interior

They just don’t build houses like they used to – they’re getting better. People want to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer without spending a fortune, so as our fossil fuels fizzle out and energy costs rise, there’s an increasing demand for well-insulated homes. It’s one of the many examples of the intersection between environmentalism and frugality, but unfortunately, many people seem to stop thinking sustainability when it comes to the interior of their homes.

What most don’t realize is that filling a tightly sealed home with cheap mass-produced products can negatively affect the interior air quality.

 “Almost everybody uses catalyzed lacquers and conversion varnishes,” says Mike Myers, owner of Jewett Farms & Company Cabinet Makers in Dover, NH, a green-minded cabinetmaker which considers the footprint of all of their handmade products. “These finishes everyone uses are chemically-based, non biodegradable and explosive. You have to wear masks to apply them, so while a home-owner may feel good that they did the right thing in terms of environmental performance with the exterior envelope of the house, they’ve actually dangerously veered from those same environmental values when it comes to the inside. “

Button Up NH workshops teach residents how to stay warm and keep money in their pockets

My Energy Planet’s initiative to teach New Hampshire residents about home energy savings is in full swing. Button Up NH is now in its third year, and now offers participants two different workshops about saving energy at home. Button Up 101 is A Workshop on the Basics of Home Energy Savings, and provides participants with examples of simple actions and investments that can be made to reduce heating, electricity and hot water usage. Button Up 201 is An Advanced Workshop for Controlling Energy costs and is for residents that already have a basic understanding of energy savings and are eager to take their knowledge a step further through things such as do-it-yourself projects.

All Button Up NH workshops will be taught by certified energy professionals, and are free and open to the public. The workshops will be taking place at various locations and times across the state so that more people can take advantage of them. Green Alliance business partner Simply Green Biofuels will be sponsoring and hosting a workshop at its headquarters in Portsmouth at Regeneration Park sometime in March. The Green Alliance is also looking to sponsor one of the Button Up workshops, although the time has yet to be determined. Upcoming workshops will be Button Up 101, taking place on February 1 at 7pm in Sandwich, February 2 at 7pm in Amherst and February 9 at 3pm in Goffstown. My Energy Planet will be updating the workshop schedule regularly, so those who are interested can visit myenergyplan.net/buttonup for more information.

Growing GA Green Jobs Listing proves viability of green locally

When you add up the workers and staff for all 98 Green Alliance Business Partners, you end up with over 1800 people employed at area businesses -- no small thing in a tough economy.

Since 2010, the GA has mainted its very own Green Jobs Listing. During the height of the recession, the page was always pretty sparse -- a job here, a job there, usually weeks, if not months, apart.

How things have changed. In the past six months, our Green Jobs Listing has exploded, a testament to the viability and promising prospects of green commerce here on the Seacoast.

For example, Revolution Energy is currently hiring for a Curriculum Developer and Customer Relations pro! And don't forget that our humble little organization is hiring for a new Customer Service / Office Manager!

Check out our GA Green Jobs Listing by clicking here!

Green Happenings at the York County Shelter Programs

For over 32 years York County Shelter Programs have been helping those who are less fortunate. Specifically, YCSP is dedicated to ending homelessness and helping people reach their potential. Currently, YCSP owns a five building, 74 bed main campus in Alfred that houses families and individuals and provides them a barn-set gymnasium, bakery, and comfortable classroom. Every year, hundreds of people benefit from YCSP’s support.

Since late 2010, The Green Alliance has been proud to work with YCSP. It all started with a passionate inquiry sent by Mary Doyle, the Public Relations Director for YCSP.  Sarah Brown, The Green Alliance’s founder, was blown away by YCSP’s altruistic values. The very next day Brown scheduled a meeting with Doyle. After an hour or so of discussing the benefits of being a Partnering Business with the GA, Doyle happily agreed to join the organization. Even better, Brown revealed that YCSP would be the first ever to join the GA for free. By joining, the YCSP became the first recipient of the GA’s newly launched Sustainable Commerce Scholarship.

Below is a slideshow of recent YCSP “Green Happenings”. It is an overview of many green practices that have taken place recently at YCSP, which include recycling, composting, energy evaluations, incorporations of solar and alternative technologies, and more.

February Green Eggs: Heating with Wood; Is this the Future of the Heating Market?

NH Residents Feel the Pinch of Rising Fuel Prices, Home Heating Prices to Hit Record High in Northeast.

These are just a couple of recent news articles, though it doesn't much feel like news anymore. Home and business owners face the challenge of finding more efficient ways to provide heat in the cold winter months, or be susceptible to increasing energy prices. Pat Coon of ReVision Heat has been helping Mainers take control of their energy destiny for the past decade. He will present on the myriad of heating options that are on the market today and which application makes sense based on estimated or calculated heat loads. Pat will also show you a working pellet boiler and speak to why he feels passionate this is the main stream solution for the future of New Englanders.

The presenters: Pat Coon is the founder of ReVision Heat, before that he co-founded ReVision Energy. Pat is a Master Electrician and has spent his career helping people find ways to reduce their energy loads. ReVision Heat provides boiler optimizations to improve the efficiency of your already existing boiler. They also install heat pump water heaters, air source heat pumps, high efficiency gas or propane boilers and wood and pellet boilers. ReVision Heat is your partner on the road off oil!

Recycled Copper, The Green Option To Love

At Greenovations we're huge fans of recycled copper sinks, perhaps because few products epitomize the meaning of green better than this vital fixture of every home. In fact, when thinking green for home building products, sinks are rarely at the top of anyone's list. Odd considering no fixture, nor hardly any other building material gets more use. So, before plodding into our love for recycled copper sinks let me just define "green" for a moment.

Like it or love it, the term "green" has stuck and has evolved to mean more than just eco-friendly. In fact, we think the term green is an umbrella for 3 important factors when assessing the value of any product: 1) Is it eco-friendly 2) Is it healthy 3) Is it produced with fair trade/labor practices. 

Some materials meet the concerns of all these factors, some meet just one or two. Whatever the end result, demanding these qualities is better for all of us. Recycled copper sinks, such as Premier Copper hand-hammered sinks, are a terrific example of a product the lives up to the full meaning of Green...

Ridgeview Construction offers handy home maintenance plan

Houses are built to endure the changes of the seasons, but not without regular maintenance. Gutters need scraping, windows need caulking, and decks need refinishing. Maintaining a house may come easily to some but for those who can’t find the time or aren’t able-bodied, easy fixes can fester into expensive problems.

So if the neighborhood handyman won’t work for baked goods anymore, it might be wise to call in the professional handymen at Ridgeview Construction.

Ridgeview Construction, which specializes in building ultra-efficient, ecologically responsible custom homes, now offers a home maintenance plan to plug up leaks in your house without poking holes in your pockets. An annual payment of $495 buys three visits – spring, summer and fall – of up to two hours each, which is plenty of time to take care of those seasonal jobs people tend to neglect.

Local residents adopt residential composting program

For Anne Ross, the impetus for taking on home composting didn’t happen at home. It wasn’t prompted while eating out on the town, or even at a grocery store.

Rather, it took an event at her child’s school – a Halloween party, specifically – to flip on the green light bulb and get her thinking more about how to reduce her waste at home.

“I remember being struck by all the paper plates and plastic cutlery people were just throwing away,” recalls Ross, a Dover resident. “That really got the ball rolling for me.”

Soon after her enviro-epiphany, Ross began researching local composting alternatives, in the hopes that she might convince others at the school to adopt more sustainable materials for meetings, parties, and other functions.

She remembered hearing about EcoMovement Consulting & Hauling, mostly through the then strictly commercial composting service’s growing presence working with Seacoast area restaurants. Through Facebook, Ross was able to communicate directly with EcoMovement’s owner, Rian Bedard, gleaning from the 28-year-old permaculture expert useful tips and cost-effective products.

What Ross didn’t know, however, was that – after two years of steadily growing their client list – EcoMovement was poised to launch its own residential compost pickup program. Needless to say, Ross didn’t need much convincing on that front.

“Rian had said once he got enough people around the Seacoast interested in the program, he would launch it, so I let him know right away we were definitely interested,” recalls Ross. “We had already been composting in our back yard, so it really wasn’t that much of a transition. We’re just able to compost a lot more now, and reduce our trash in the process.”

Climate Desk Trailblazer: America's Greenest Dentist?

In the last installment of Mother Jones and Climate Desk correspondent James West's enterprising reportage from New Hampshire, the author had a chance to sit down with Nathan Swanson, owner of GA Business Partner Newmarket Dental. Take a look as Dr. Nathan discusses the tremendous sustainability-minded strides his office has made -- compostable cups and seat covers, recyclable toothbrushes, and an increasingly digital record-keeping and x-ray systems, just to name a few -- while acknowledging the challenges of rendering a traditionally waste-riden industry a little more green.

A big, heartfelt thanks once again to James West for his excellent stories!

Revenge of the Electric Car coming to The Portsmouth Musical Hall

This month, The Portsmouth Music Hall will feature a new movie with a familiar theme. Something comes back from the dead, but it isn’t the usual host of flesh chomping zombies or neck nibbling Emo vampires. 

Director Chris Paine’s new film Revenge of the Electric Car chronicles the recent resurrection of the electric vehicle by Nissan, General Motors, and Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors. The movie is a sequel to Paine’s 2006 documentary Who Killed The Electric Car, a film that has come to symbolize everyday Americans’ frustrations with a system that tramples on innovation and keeps drivers reliant on the gas pump. Apparently someone was listening, because 2008 saw the debut of the Tesla Roadster, followed three years later by the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf.   

Revenge of the Electric Car will play for one night only at the Portsmouth Music Hall on Thursday, January 19, 2012. The movie starts at 7:00 PM and will be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session featuring Gina Coplin-Newfield, Sierra Club’s Senior Campaign Representative for Electric Vehicles.

Stop by the Green Alliance booth at the event for information about the Exeter based eZee Electric Bikes of New Hampshire, just one member of our growing family of nearly 100 local green businesses. Green Alliance members save $300 on any eZee electric bicycle! Not a member yet? It’s easy to join online for just $35. 

Tickets to see Revenge of the Electric Car are just $8.50 for adults and $6.50 for Seniors 60+, Students, and Military movie goers. Save 50 cents by purchasing your tickets in advance online at TheMusicHall.org.

Watch the official Revenge of the Electric Car trailer!

New Hampshire Primary 2012: Local Green Jobs Reality Defies Campaign Rhetoric

In 2008, the presidential nominees for both major political parties agreed on one thing: that clean energy could create millions of green jobs across the nation.

“With green technologies, we can create thousands, millions of new jobs in America,” said John McCain, the straight talking Senator from Arizona whose win that year over Mitt Romney in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary set the stage for a successful run for the Republican Party’s nomination.

Then Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama similarly pledged to “establish a green energy sector that will create up to 5 million new jobs over the next two decades.”

A lot can change in four years.

“The ‘green’ technologies are typically far too expensive to compete in the marketplace, and studies have shown that for every ‘green’ job created there are actually more jobs destroyed,” Mitt Romney now claims in his jobs plan.

“You have an administration that is killing jobs because they want to move us to a green energy,” Rick Perry said of the White House during one debate last fall.

This kind of talk does not sit well with the local entrepreneurs who form New Hampshire’s green economy.

“That’s simply not true, because there’s more green jobs today than there are jobs in the rest of energy industry,” according to Jack Bingham, who as owner of the SEA Solar Store in Dover has seen his own small business grow from a one man operation to include himself and two employees.

A July 2011 study by the Brookings Institute confirms that the “clean economy” employs some 2.7 million workers nationwide, including 12,886 jobs here in New Hampshire, while the fossil fuel industry employs around 2.4 million.

“It takes a lot more people to install solar panels on the roofs of homes,” Bingham explained. “I don’t think any of these guys understand what small solar is or what the term ‘green jobs’ really means.”

No Maple Syrup by 2100?

Back in November, a few of us at the GA had the pleasure to meet James West of Mother Jones magazine. On top of writing screeds for the famous topical monthly, West also serves as one of the chief reporters for Climate Desk, an online partnership of Mother Jones, Atlantic Monthly, Slate, and other national publications focusing on the issues and stories surrounding climate change.

West was in town primarily to attend the first ever Climate Change & New Hampshire's Seacoast conference, held at the Residence Inn and Harbor Events Conference Center in Portsmouth. After the conference, however, West took a trip North to spend a day with maple sugar farmer Martha Carlson. A 30-year veteran of the trade, Carlson shared with West her alarming belief that, by 2010, New Hampshire's entire maple sugar industry could fall victim to the ever-impeding throes of climate change. This is her story.

Watch the video, or check out the story at Atlantic Monthly's Climate Desk by clicking here.

Environmental education in New Hampshire’s Lake Region

Established as a family owned farm more than 200 years ago, Prescott Farm today provides year round environmental education and outdoor recreation opportunities to individuals and families of all ages.

“We are a hidden gem in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire,” said Kimberly Drouin, Office and Communication Manager for the Prescott Farm Environmental Education Center (PFEEC), located at 128 White Oaks Road in Laconia, NH. 

Staying true to the farm’s agricultural roots, the PFEEC offers some unique and fun ways to get involved in the local food movement. 

“Maple Madness is one our most popular programs,” according to Drouin. “For the entire month of March, we host school groups during the week and adults and families on weekends to spend an hour to an hour and a half learning how to tap maple trees and make maple syrup. WMUR has come and covered it.”

One particularly earthy exhibit demonstrates how to use worms to transform everything from leftover food to unbleached paper towels into nutrient rich compost, a process known as vermiculture, or worm composting. Popular workshops themes include soap making and green house cleaning using natural, nontoxic products.

Prescott Farm is named after Colonol Dudley Prescott, who acquired the land in 1796 and 1797 after serving in the Revolutionary War at the age of 19 as a member of the 10^th Regiment New Hampshire Militia. Today, the PFEEC is at the forefront of a very different kind of revolution, the one in green building. 

Visitors can take a green tour of the Samual P. Pardoe Building, constructed in 2005 using locally and regionally sourced wood. The structure features a geothermal heating and cooling systems, as well as solar panels that meet close to half the building’s energy needs. It also incorporates green building technologies that may be unfamiliar to many, such as slate floors that store heat from the sun during the day.

“We refer to it as the ‘Green Building of the 21^st Century’ because of all the green features,” said Drouin. “People can see all the different parts of the building and how they’re green.”

Green Alliance businesses create green jobs despite down economy

What is a green job?

It’s a question economists have been struggling to answer for years, but one thing is certain: we have a ton of them here in New England.

A 2011 study by the Brookings Institute estimated the number of green jobs in New Hampshire to be 12,866, in Maine 12,212, and in Massachusetts 43,207.

Those numbers still seemed low to Sarah Brown, who as Director of the Portsmouth-based Green Alliance works closely with 98 local green businesses to promote the benefits of using sustainable products and services to the greater Seacoast community. After some quick finger work on her calculator, Brown determined the nearly 100 businesses who form the Green Alliance community currently employ around 1,851 people.

“I was really inspired to see how many jobs Green Alliance businesses are creating locally,” she said. “Of course, these numbers barely scratch the surface of the total number of jobs created by the New England wide green economy.” 

Many of these jobs are found in sectors not traditionally considered green, which means they likely go uncounted by green jobs studies. Take, for example, jobs at Portsmouth’s Smuttynose Brewing Company. A longtime Green Alliance corporate partner, Smuttynose is in the midst of designing a new green brewery, with the goal of building a high quality LEED certified facility. 

“Smuttynose currently employs 36 people, but we hope to be hiring number 37 very soon,” said JT Thompson, the brewery’s Minister of Propaganda.

The national economy may be in the doldrums, but business is good at the local beer factory.  

“We just got our final sales numbers for 2011,” Thompson reported. “We shipped out 37,556 barrels, or 1,164,236 gallons of beer this year, which equates to 28.6 percent growth. We are currently expanding our Heritage Avenue brewery, while we've begun a bit of site prep for our new home in Hampton.”

Sustainability will remain a top priority for Smuttynose employees as the new year begins.

Green Home Demonstrates Synergy Between Solar, Geothermal

When Ray and Joann Whitley installed a geothermal heating system in their Salisbury, MA home two years ago, they were thrilled to eliminate the cost of heating oil from their budget.

“While our electric bill did go up because the geothermal back up is an electric fan, it only went up about a third of what we had been paying for oil for the year,” according to Joann.

“We decided to go ahead and install some solar panels on our garage to offset the electrical cost of running the system,” Ray chimed in.

The Whitley’s contracted ReVision Energy, a renewable energy company with branches in Maine and New Hampshire, to install their new solar photovoltaic system.

"ReVision Energy frequently installs photovoltaic systems to complement geothermal projects, combining the best of both worlds: free heating and cooling from the Earth retrieved using electricity generated by the sun,” explained Fred Greenhalgh, Online Marketing Manager & Sales Associates for Revisions Energy.

The move shaved $375 off of the project cost, because the Whitley’s are members of the Green Alliance, a community of local green businesses working together to provide information and discounts on sustainable products and services to consumers who pay just $35 a year to join. ReVision Energy and Ultra Geothermal, the company that installed the Whitley’s geothermal system, are among the Green Alliance’s growing family of close to 100 certified green businesses and over 2,800 consumer members living in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. 

“We received our Green Alliance membership as a gift from Melissa Aho at Ultra Geothermal,” Ray said. “We are going to renew this year.”

“I always love to hear from folks like the Whitley's who are using their Green Alliance membership to buy local, go green, and save money,” said Green Alliance Director Sarah Brown from the organization’s office in downtown Portsmouth, NH. “Ray and JoAnn's home shows just how far renewable energy technology has come in freeing New England homeowners from the burdensome costs associated with fossil fuels." 

Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance on joining the GA and going green

By John Merwin
Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance

“Green Jobs” can encompass many different industries and lines of work. What we do at Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance may not be considered a "green” by many people’s standards. After all, we’re certainly not “saving the environment” by selling auto and home insurance.

But our take is that it still possible to do the green thing -- no matter what the business or industry. In order to achieve that, however, we all must understand the impact we have on the environment on a daily basis, and make business decisions that are mindful of that.

We have seven employees at Portsmouth Atlantic Insurance, having started the business in 2005 with me as the company's only employee.  Since then, we've incorporated green practices and products throughout our business, including a paperless management system, and switching over to electronic fax and email for as many quotes and applications as possible, reducing our paper consumption significantly.

We’ve also changed over to soy-based inks, use sustainable paper and printing supplier, and recently purchased new office furniture made from bamboo, in the process donating our previous office furniture to another professional office.

We've made many great contacts through the Green Alliance since joining in March of 2011. Furthermore, joining the GA has helped make us more aware of our impact on the environment, putting us in touch with other successful local businesses that are open to sharing ideas and green practices which will ultimately make us greener and more profitable at the end of the day.