News & Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

PRESS CONTACTS:

Donna Walden                                                               Andy Goodrich

SiGBA Executive Director                                                greenUP! Chairman

(949) 306-3465, donna@sigba.org                                   (775) 784-7213

 

greenUP! Announces Speaker Series in Reno

 

Reno, CA – September 22, 2009 – Reno based greenUP! who recently became a chapter of the Sierra Green Building Association (SiGBA) announced today their Fall Green Speaker series.   “There has been a good amount of interest for the speaker program already,” said Andy Goodrich, Director Air Quality Management Division at Washoe County District Health who organized the Fall speaker lineup.  “greenUP!’s purpose is to coordinate and promote public events related to environmental education, and public action.  Our speaker series is not only educational, it provides a forum for interested persons in the community to speak up about their ideas and need for advocacy.” 

 

Our next speaker of the series is Christi Cakiroglu, Executive Director for Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful (KTMB) who will be speaking Thursday, October 1 from 2:30 until 4:00 pm at the Regional Transportation Commission Board Room, 2050 Villanova Drive in Reno.   

 

Christi will talk about recycling and illegal dumping issues in the Truckee Meadows.  KTMB is celebrating 20 years of creating a cleaner more beautiful region through education and active community involvement. KTMB programs include Adopt-A-Spot roadside litter pickup, Adopt-A-Park, Neighborhood, Open Space and River Cleanups, Christmas Tree and Phone Book Recycling, the Annual Litter Index, educational, and Waste Warrior and Paper Making Workshops.  They engage over 2,000 volunteers annually and volunteers have removed over 400 tons of trash in the last four years.

Upcoming speaker meetings include:

 

November 5 - Carol Perry/Erin Dixon/Amy Fitch, Walkability and bicycles – at Regional Transportation Commission.  Erin Dixon, Washoe County Chronic Disease Prevention Coordinator, Amy Finch, UNR faculty member  and Executive Director of the Widespread Wellness Project and, Carol Perry, RTC Trip Reduction Specialist will give presentations on how everyone benefits when more trips are made by bicycle and on foot.  Erin and Amy will highlight the benefits of a Bike to Work Day (BTWD) event and describe the success of past BTWD events in Northern Nevada.  Carol will discuss "Walkability:  What is It and Why should You Care?"  Learn how businesses can promote healthy lifestyles, save money, and increase morale and productivity among employees.

 

December 2 – 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. – Dr. John Sagebiel, Ph.D. UNR Environmental Affairs Manager and former researcher at the Desert Research Institute will be speaking about UNR Campus Sustainability at University of Nevada, Reno. 

 

Previous speakers include:  Jess Traver, P.E. Director of Government Affairs, Builders Association of Northern Nevada (BANN) spoke on “Built Green Nevada.”  Travis Johnson, PE., Manager, Substation Construction & Maintenance gave a presentation on: “NV Energy & Electric Vehicles Deployment."  Travis discussed why EVs are good for our country, our customers, urban air quality, and green house emissions.  He talked about electric rates for EVs, how many cars can be charged at night, energy splits and other interesting aspects of the power system.  

 

The speaker meetings/discussions are free and open to the public.  We encourage friends and family and anyone else who has an interest in the subject to attend.  

 

greenUP! supports sustaining the environment in the Reno-Tahoe region by strengthening community awareness of organizations, opportunities, initiatives, and resources that contribute to building an environ-mentally sustainable and economically vibrant community.  greenUP! programs foster networking between local businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations through sustainability events and initiatives; and supports public institutions in choosing sustainable paths for the future.  For more information about greenUP!, see www.greenupdays.org. 

 

Sierra Green Building Association (SiGBA) is leading the Sierra region into a new sustainability era.  Its mission is to educate and promote effective environmental design and building practices in the Sierra Nevada communities via education, networking, and green business promotion.  SiGBA is a 501c3 not-for-profit tax exempt organization. To volunteer or become a business member of SiGBA, visit www.sigba.org. 

 

 - End -

Biographies of Speakers:

Christi Cakiroglu - As KTMB's Executive Director since December 2002, Cakiroglu graduated from the University of Oregon, taught English overseas, returned home to Reno, launched a volunteer program for United Way of Northern Nevada and the Sierra and has accumulated over 15 years of management experience.  

 

Amy Fitch, MPH, CHES - Amy is a member of the School of Community Health Sciences faculty and volunteer executive director of The Widespread Wellness Project, a small non-profit organization.  Her primary interest is health promotion with a focus on the interaction of built environment and behavior change in relation to physical activity.  Amy is active in public health practice and advocacy through her involvement with the Washoe County Chronic Disease Coalition, Northern Nevada Bike to Work Committee, Regional Transportation Commission’s Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the committee to develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan for the Truckee Meadows.  Amy is also immediate past-Vice President of the Nevada Public Health Association’s northern Nevada chapter.

 

Travis Johnson - Travis Johnson is manager of the Substation Construction & Maintenance groups at NV Energy, president of Travis Johnson Enterprises Inc., and a member of NIREC’s TCAB. Gaining NV Energy’s sponsorship, Travis founded the renewable energy minor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has 16 years of electric utility experience including power flow simulation, system protection and control, substation engineering and design, and substation construction and maintenance. Travis has also invented and brought to market two products currently carried by Confluence Watersports, the largest kayak manufacturer in the United States.  Travis received his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a registered P.E. in the state of California.

 

Carol Perry has worked for the Regional Transportation Commission for almost 20 years.  As the RTC's Trip Reduction Specialist, she administers the RTC SMART TRIPS program working with employers and the general public promoting sustainable transportation choices, such as transit, vanpooling, carpooling, bicycling, and walking, as well as trip reduction strategies, such as telecommuting and proximate commuting.  Carol is an active member of the Northern Nevada Bike to Work and the committee to develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan.  Prior to her current position, Carol served in the RTC Planning Department where her scope of work involved computer projections of future traffic and geographic mapping. 

 

John Sagebiel Ph.D. - Environmental affairs manager at the University of Nevada, Reno intends to provide a safe, efficient, and environmentally sensitive campus. In order to maintain a safe and healthy environment, and do so efficiently, environmental management is part of campus planning. The administration has instituted many programs in recent years to help fulfill institutional responsibilities with respect to the environment.  Formerly, Sagebiel was a researcher at the Desert Research Institute. 

Sagebiel is an avid cyclist since being an undergraduate at UC-Davis.  He rides a specially build “human electric hybrid” bike to campus each morning from his home.  It’s a 33-mile roundtrip with a 1,400 foot climb on the way home.  “To me,” he says, it’s all about commuting and having as much fun as I can.” 

 

Jess Traver, P.E. is Director of Government Affairs at Builders Association of Northern Nevada Chartered in 1956, the Builders Association of Northern Nevada is a non-profit organization affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders and is committed to education, information, representation and benefits to our membership, community and the building industry. This is achieved through a team effort of our membership and community to create a better quality of life, housing for our citizens, and economic prosperity.

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS CONTACTS:
Donna Walden                                                   Andy Goodrich
SiGBA Executive Director                                    greenUP! Chairman
(949) 306-3465, donna@sigba.org         (775) 784-7213

Sierra Green Building Association Announces greenUP! Chapter in Reno

Truckee, CA – August 5, 2009 – Sierra Green Building Association (SiGBA) and greenUP! announce the creation of a new SiGBA chapter in Reno. greenUP! is a promotional campaign headed by the governments of Reno, Sparks, Washoe County, the Nevada Small Business Development Center, the UNR Business
Environmental Program, UNR Academy for the Environment, and a number of other public and private
organizations.

"This partnership marks an important development in the regional environmental movement, working
together to promote and educate sustainable practices in the Sierra Nevada communities," said Eli Meyer,SiGBA President. SiGBA's "live green, build green" philosophy encompasses many principles and practices of sustainable living and building. SiGBA’s goal is to empower communities about the benefits of green building and sustainable living through structured networking opportunities, educational events and by providing a platform for green businesses to share their services throughout their communities.

“My Vision for the collaboration between greenUP! and SiGBA is to provide a resource for businesses in the region for successful implementation of sustainability and green practices,” said Andrew Goodrich, chairmanof greenUP and Director of Air Quality Management Division of Washoe County District Health.
Kevin Dick, UNR Business Environmental Program, ran greenUP! for its first two years. He said, “greenUP! began as an ad hoc group of sustainability leaders volunteering their time to promote organization, events, and information about initiatives occurring in the region. greenUP’s affiliation with SiGBA allows promotion and education to continue and solidifies the regional nature of our view toward sustainable action.”
greenUP! will be hosting a live green build green speaker series this fall beginning with a talk by the Builders Association of Northern Nevada on Thursday, August 6, 2009 from 2:30pm – 4:00pm at BANN headquarters, 5484 Reno Corporate Drive, Suite 100, Reno Nevada. Topics will be focused on sustainability issues that are both regional and nationally based. Some joint mixers with other Reno environmental groups are planned.

greenUP! supports sustaining the environment in the Reno-Tahoe region by strengthening community
awareness of organizations, opportunities, initiatives, and resources that contribute to building an environmentally sustainable and economically vibrant community. greenUP! programs foster networking between local businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations through sustainability events and initiatives; and supports public institutions in choosing sustainable paths for the future. For more information about greenUP!, see www.greenupdays.org.

Sierra Green Building Association (SiGBA) is leading the Sierra region into a new sustainability era. Its
mission is to educate and promote effective environmental design and building practices in the Sierra
Nevada communities via education, networking, and green business promotion. SiGBA is a 501c3 not-forprofit ax exempt organization. To volunteer or become a business member of SiGBA, visit www.sigba.org.
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