Allyn Technology Group of Allyn is in the process of testing a ‘smart grid’ energy-saving device it has designed. The company is testing the device at several local locations, including the North Mason Chamber of Commerce.

One of the device’s functions is to profile the energy consumption of appliances in homes and business. In the chamber’s case, it is measuring the daily energy usage patterns of the chamber’s hot water heater. The data profile can be used to discover ways for the chamber to save energy and money. read more »

The Great Peninsula Future Festival, August 1-2, 2009, in historic Port Gamble, was conceived as a fun way to involve the whole community in thinking about sustainability and how our lifestyle choices affect the future of our communities, our economy and our environment.

The festival grew out of a 2007 conference on sustainability, involving some 60 Kitsap community leaders. Sponsored by West Sound Conservation Council and led by Rep. Larry Seaquist (Gig Harbor), the brainstorming workshop involved area mayors, legislators, county commissioners and leaders from many Kitsap community organizations.

“Interest was so high, I decided we needed a way to keep the conversation going and involve the rest of the community,” said Kitsap County Commissioner Steve Bauer. “I invited other Kitsap community leaders to join me in organizing an annual festival with sustainability as its theme. The response was amazing. Dozens of community leaders volunteered.” read more »

Representatives from many groups including the Suquamish Tribe, U.S. Navy, Kitsap County, Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (WASLA), Kitsap Trees and Shoreline Association (KiTSA), Puget Sound Restoration Fund, Washington State Departments of Transportation, Ecology, and Fish & Wildlife, Pacific Northwest National Marine Science Laboratory, Coastal Geologic Services, West Sound Bicycling Club, and other experts, came together on April 25 to develop conceptual trail plans for pedestrians and bicycle riders while restoring a degraded shoreline along Sinclair Inlet between Gorst and the Missouri Gate in Bremerton. read more »

When Team Innovative, Inc. does a landscape maintenance job for a customer with a smaller lawn, chances are the crew pulls up with a trailer that doesn’t just carry equipment — it actually charges batteries used by that equipment. Both the trailer and the truck are the ordinary kind utilized to haul things around, but what makes this setup unusual is an inverter inside the trailer that charges reusable batteries while getting its own “juice” from a battery charged by the truck. The idea is similar to using solar power, only the energy comes from the truck that already has to run its engine to get from point A to B. read more »

Long before “green” became a buzz word and green products grew in consumer demand, one Bainbridge Island couple saw eco-friendly building as the way of the future. David and Ann Knight, owners of Teragren, wanted to invest their time and money into something that would both have value and give back to the planet — and in 1994, that idea gave start to a company that manufactures fine bamboo flooring and other bamboo products.

“I remember in the late ‘90s and even early 2000s. we’d call up architects and they didn’t know what we were talking about; they weren’t interested,” David Knight said. “’Green wasn’t on the radar for anyone.’”

But that didn’t deter the couple, who were avid environmentalists. The company (which had a different original name) started out the usual route: In the garage, with just the couple and another partner. After becoming majority shareholders in 2001, the Knights embarked on a vigorous expansion path, and today the company is a leading manufacturer of bamboo flooring, panels and veneers. read more »

With “green” being such a buzz word today, many businesses understand the need to practice more environmentally sustainable methods — which is good not just for the environment but also for employee retention. But going green may seem like an overwhelming move: Where does one start?

The good news is that greening your business is simple. There are so many things you can do. The best way to proceed is really by simplifying and narrowing down the options that make the most sense for your business, and taking it one step at a time. read more »

Youngsters are naturally drawn to adventures, but what kind of adventure could possibly compel a child to say it’s “better than ice cream, video games and amusement parks all in one day?” Those are the exact words of a fourth grader from Wilkes Elementary School when describing IslandWood, “a school in the woods” that integrates environmental, science, art and technology experiences using nature as a backdrop. read more »

The two Fred Meyer Stores in Kitsap County are carrying a new line of eco-friendly garden products in response to the growing demands for more sustainable, organic products. The products, manufactured by TerraCycle, Inc., are made entirely from waste and school kids can earn money by helping collect some of the waste items used to make the products. TerraCycle’s mission is to provide organic and eco-friendly products without charging a premium.

The product line includes a variety of Worm Poop plant foods and fertilizers that are directly packaged in used plastic containers. read more »