6/15/2007 11:37:00 PM Green businesses unite to improve offices and codes Seeds of change
TCBN/Nathaniel Kastelic ---
MacRae Nicoll, owner of High Desert Rain, puts a second coat of paint on a 550-gallon rainwater catchment system at a Prescott home.
PRESCOTT - A passionate group of entrepreneurs is working to make its green mark on the Prescott region.
The 23 members of the 2-year-old non-profit Green to Gold Business Network aim to promote sustainable "green" businesses, and educate others about how their goals contribute to a healthier local economy.
The group chose to register as a 501(c)6 non-profit so it can make political statements if it wants to, said Mary Lin, marketing and public relations director for Prescott College, which is one of the Green to Gold members. Lin co-founded the Green to Gold group with Jan Bryan, a local financial planner.
"We thought it was important to be able to advocate for green business," Lin said.
Other members include Arizona Public Service, a leader in green energy production, and Prescott City Council Member Bob Luzius, who wanted to educate himself about green business. Several architects and builders are members, too.
Most of the members also belong to the national Co-op America Business Network and work closely with the statewide Sustainable Arizona, Lin said. A northern Arizona chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council is in the formative stage. This past year the Green to Gold group organized a Green to Gold Conference and during Earth Day festivities in April, it conducted an expo to talk to the community about what members do as green businesses.
The members meet quarterly to help each other improve business practices and brainstorm about ways to get the word out about their mission.
"We don't believe there's any such thing as a perfect business, and we're not the green police," Lin said.
Some of their goals are simple. D's Pet Service uses biodegradable pet grooming products, and Realtor Rob Israel leads buyers to environmentally friendly homes, for example.
Seeking green building codes More recently the group has been tackling more complex issues, such as changes to local building codes that encourage sustainable communities.
Members of the network and green building experts such as the Ecosa Institute met with three members of the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission recently to initiate discussions on how to encourage sustainable building design.
County Planning Commission member Gene Kerkman said he wants to sustain human population growth as well as the environment.
"We're here to listen," said Tom Reilly, an architect and fellow commissioner. He wanted to know about building code impediments to green construction techniques.
The Green to Gold members weren't shy about offering ideas.
It would help if local governmental planning and building departments offered information about green building, said James Lazok, a Prescott native and owner of Energy Smart Builders. He also would like to see more building officials who understand his cutting-edge work.
How can building codes deal with construction issues such as the Lowe's store in Prescott, wondered architect Matthew Ackerman of Catalyst Architecture.
"That hillside is pretty much ripped off," he said of the mountain that Lowe's is grading to make room for its store.
Landscape designer Andrew Millison agreed.
"People are allowed to do things that are very destructive," he said. "People are paving over large expanses," which creates heat islands and sends rainwater downstream to pick up pollutants and create erosion.
He would like to see local governments encourage or mandate on-site rainwater collection systems.
Tony Grahame, owner of Shelter from the Storm and a Yavapai College building instructor, wants local governments to adopt energy conservation codes for construction.
The county is doing just that, Reilly said. Others such as the City of Prescott aren't doing it yet.
Ecosa Director Tony Brown said it's important to think about how the county should look in 2030.
"If we don't change our direction, we're likely to end up where we're headed," he said, referring to an old Chinese proverb.
He suggested a green government enterprise zone to encourage new green businesses.
"People need to learn their house is a system," said Ron Taylor of Advanced Insulation.
Local architect Michael Frerking suggested building orientation requirements to help homes face the best direction for energy efficiency. He also likes the idea of building fee discounts for green construction.
David Eisenberg and Tony Novelli of the Development Center for Appropriate Technology in Tucson told the group about what other areas are doing.
Pima County has a green building ombudsman, offers building fee waivers for solar power and is greening up its guidelines, Novelli said.
Aspen, Colo., has a renewable energy mitigation program, Eisenberg said. Homes that use large amounts of energy pay money into a fund that helps make schools energy efficient and helps build affordable housing.
This county could do the same thing with homeowners who choose excessive impacts on local water systems, he said. They could pay into a fund that helps others buy water-efficient fixtures.
Subdivisions need to include public transportation systems into their designs, such as easements for bus corridors, Eisenberg added.
All this information needs to get to builders and Realtors, because the average guy on the street just gets in his car and drives, County Planning Commission Member Tex Province said.
(To learn more about the Green to Gold Business Network, call Jan Bryan at 771-0052.)
