(12/30/02) Not only do NCAT's many staff members spend their working hours making the world a better place by championing sustainable technologies, but many employees also volunteer and contribute support to worthwhile causes individually. At the close of the year, NCAT is taking this opportunity to recognize those efforts.

NCAT and its employees participate in the workplace giving programs for both United Way and Montana Shares. NCAT employees in the Butte, Montana, office also participate in the Mining City Christmas program, sponsoring a needy family's holiday celebration.

In addition to these organization-sponsored activities, NCAT employees in the Arkansas, California and Montana offices are also engaged in an impressive array of voluntary efforts on their own. A number of employees donate their time and energy to youth activities, including Boy Scouts, school activities, student tutoring, science fairs, and speech meets. Many NCAT employees also support youth and adult sports by volunteering as coaches, umpires and organizers for baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, cross-country skiing, hockey and motocross.

Employees throughout NCAT participate in a wide range of community service organizations and activities. Several employees are active supporters of community food banks. Two who regularly donate blood have provided four and five gallons, respectively! NCAT employees also volunteer for groups including Highlands Hospice, Service Corps of Retired Executives, Jeanette Rankin Peace Resource Center, Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Citizen's Advocates for a Livable Missoula, Special Olympics and the American Civil Liberties Union. Some NCAT employees are also active members of service organizations such as Kiwanis and the 15-90 Search & Rescue.

A number of employees participate in public service, serving on boards and in local government. Their activities include: Council of Neighborhoods, Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee, Big Hole River Recreation Advisory Committee, St. James Healthcare, and EdTech Federal Credit Union board. Many NCAT staff members are also active with churches, as teachers for children and adults and on various committees.

NCAT salutes its outstanding staff members for their service to NCAT and their communities!

Helping to Promote a Better World

(12/23/02) As 2002 draws to a close, it seems an opportune time to review and acknowledge NCAT's contributions this year to its community, and the larger community of the planet. NCAT's many diverse projects help support the organization's mission to "champion sustainable technologies and community-based approaches that protect natural resources and assist people, especially the economically disadvantaged, in becoming more self-reliant." In addition to NCAT's own project work, the organization is an active supporter of other worthwhile efforts related to its mission.

For example, NCAT helps to provide a web presence for the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. During the past year, many NCAT staff members in the Fayetteville office helped with the logistics and content of the SSAWG annual conference.

NCAT was also active in supporting a number of efforts in Montana, site of NCAT's main office. As an active member of the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, NCAT hosts the Coalition's website. NCAT also contributed to the Big Sky or Big Sprawl Conference in 2002, as a supporter and an exhibitor at the event. In fact, NCAT provided educational exhibits and presentations at numerous events across the state of Montana this year, ranging from the State Fair to the Sustainability Fair. In 2002, NCAT will assist in organizing the Greening Under the Big Sky conference.

In the fall of 2002, NCAT co-sponsored a 13-week Sustainable Communities Lecture Series at the University of Montana in Missoula. The University's Environmental Studies and Sociology Departments and the Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana joined in sponsoring the free public lectures, which were also available to students as a for-credit course. The Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana itself was also fostered by NCAT as the organization developed.

In 2002 NCAT offered a special sustainable energy award at the Montana State Science Fair. NCAT offices in both Arkansas and Montana have worked with a number of colleges and universities to offer internships to students. In addition, NCAT's Butte, Montana office has collaborated with worker training programs to help their clients enter the workforce.

On a broader scale, NCAT is a board member of the Northwest Energy Coalition, and participates in that organization's meetings.

NCAT Releases Numerous New ATTRA Publications

(12/16/02) The past six months have been especially busy and productive ones for NCAT specialists who work on Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) publications. In that time, our authors have produced what is probably a record number of titles — a total of 53 at last count, with a half-dozen or more additional works in line to be formatted and made final. Lists of the new and updated publications that have been released to date appeared in the summer and fall issues of ATTRAnews, available on the ATTRA website or from NCAT offices.

NCAT is especially pleased to announce new additions to our growing portfolio of agricultural-energy publications. Among the timely new titles in that increasingly popular subject area are "Biodiesel: A Brief Overview," "Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems," "Freeze Protection for Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems," and "Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Wastes." A new publication on energy-efficient farm buildings is in the final stages of formatting and will be ready by early spring 2003.

To support compliance with the National Organic Standards enacted in October, NCAT has released several new publications on organic production, including "Organic Farm Certification and the National Organic Program," "Protecting Water Quality on Organic Farms," "Creating an Organic Production and Handling System Plan: A Guide to Organic Plan Templates," and the timely "Organic Pumpkin and Winter Squash Production," to name but four. Other organics titles cover such topics as alternatives to treated lumber, predator control, "bug vacuums," and marketing organic grains.

From the ATTRA "Beast," or Livestock, Team have come recent publications covering grazing networks, organic feed suppliers, meat goat production, sustainable poultry, and the economics of grass-based dairying, among others.

This flood of new and updated publications represents a Herculean effort by NCAT’s agriculture and ag-energy specialists. With over one hundred publications now offered, ATTRA is meeting the needs of its audience with current information on timely topics. ATTRA publications are available free of charge in print format to farmers, extension agents and educators. Titles are also made available to the public online in PDF or HTML format.

Efficient Holiday Lights to Decorate NCAT Headquarters

(12/9/02) In NCAT's historic building in Butte, Montana will be sporting a new look this holiday season, with decorations lit by energy efficient LEDs, or light emitting diodes. The holiday lighting will put leading-edge technology on the nearly century-old building.

Originally constructed in the early 1900s as the Silver Bow, Montana, County poor farm, the brick building that is today NCAT's headquarters office has had a noteworthy history. The building was adapted to serve as a county hospital by 1930. The building housed both resident patients and operating rooms where surgeries were performed. The building had been standing empty for several years by the time NCAT was founded in 1976, and set up its offices in the landmark structure. NCAT Headquarters

NCAT has updated the building to serve today's communication and computer needs without damaging its historic character. In 2000, a 4 kW solar electric system was installed on the building, marrying the historic structure with modern photovoltaic technology to demonstrate the viability of solar electric generation. Now the NCAT building will once again serve as the site of a new technology demonstration, with 24 strings of the Ruby Red and Sapphire Blue Forever Bright LED String Lights decorating the building in December.

The LED light strings have several advantages over conventional decorations. First, they use 85-95 percent less energy than conventional incandescent string lights to operate. In addition, the durability of the lighting is remarkable. Lamps are rated at 200,000 hours, and the lights come with a five year warranty. The lens is touted as indestructible, further adding to the lighting's longevity. Finally, the lighting doesn't produce waste heat, so is cool to the touch, reducing fire danger.

NCAT obtained its lights through the Okanogan (Washington) Public Utility District. These lights allow NCAT to show its Christmas spirit and commitment to wise energy use at the same time. NCAT is once again serving as a community leader in demonstrating effective new technology.

Montana Wind Power Guide Released

(11/25/02) In Montana homeowners and landowners who need help with small wind power systems need look no further than the National Center for Appropriate Technology. From information to grant programs to anemometer loans, NCAT has a variety of projects that actively encourage development of small-scale wind power systems in Montana.

NCAT's latest offering in the area is a publication, Montana Wind Power, a 32-page consumer’s guide to small wind-electric systems. NCAT specialists John Walden and Jim Tracy compiled the booklet, now available from NCAT. The guide, fashioned after a Minnesota wind-energy publication and paid for in part by NorthWestern Energy’s Universal System Benefits Program, covers all the topics someone contemplating installing a small wind power system needs to know. wind generator

Montana Wind Power explains in easy-to-understand terms what a homeowner should know in choosing a system and place to locate it. The guide also covers zoning restrictions and insurance, costs and savings, financial incentives specific to Montana, and installation and maintenance support. The booklet provides details on a step-by-step process for buying a small wind system, and includes a directory of Montana wind energy equipment dealers, as well as a wind glossary and a list of other information resources.

Copies of the guide will be mailed directly to Montana utilities and renewable energy equipment vendors and will be distributed at energy fairs, conferences, workshops and other events attended by NCAT staff. NCAT also plans to publish an on-line version of Montana Wind Power by mid-December. Free hard copies of the printed booklet, meanwhile, are available by contacting John Walden at 1-800-275-6228.

Montana Wind Power is a companion to a more generic guide published earlier this year by NCAT and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America program. That booklet – Small Wind Electric Systems: A Montana Consumer’s Guide – is available online.

Southwest Marketing Network Project Progresses

(11/18/02) In February, 2002, NCAT began a multi-year project aimed at expanding markets for small-scale, alternative, and minority agricultural producers in the Southwest, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The ultimate purpose of this project is to increase the number and viability of farms, ranches, and food enterprises in the Four Corners states. Over the past few months, NCAT has taken some significant steps in launching a Southwest Marketing Network.

NCAT has developed and launched an initial website for the Southwest Marketing Network. The website and the resources it offers will continue to be expanded throughout the project, but the site already offers a calendar of events and listings of state, regional and national resources on agricultural marketing.

The highly-qualified independent project Steering Committee has been meeting to assist NCAT with planning for the first annual Small Farm and Ranch Marketing Conference to be conducted as part of this project, set for March 31 in Durango, Colorado. This conference will combine training sessions with collaborative work sessions designed to advance development of the Network.

The first issue of the quarterly Southwest Marketing Network Newsletter was mailed out in mid September. Approximately 2500 people and organizations have received the issue so far by mail, with up to 800 more copies handed out in person at regional events. NCAT gathered the names for the newsletter mailing list during its work in developing a resource database for the project that includes organizations, producers, and other resource people.

NCAT's project partners, the Wallace Center, along with many members of the Steering Committee, have been working to develop a survey of organizations throughout the region, designed to determine what groups and individuals in the region have expertise, training materials, or other assistance to offer, as well as what training, information, and other assistance is most needed by service providers themselves and how best to make the various types of assistance available to them. The survey was completed and mailed to the first 307 recipients in early November, and a second run will be mailed in late November.

In addition to the Wallace Center, other project partners include Farm to Table and the Western Rural Development Center. Additional funding has been provided by the USDA Risk Management Agency.

NCAT Conducts Solar Energy Workshops at Sunset

(11/12/02) So far this fall NCAT staff have completed five of six scheduled “Solar Energy Workshops at Sunset” for Montana rural electric utilities under a contract with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roofs (MSR) program. The workshops expand on earlier and ongoing MSR efforts to educate customers of Montana’s rural electric utilities about solar energy.

Electric utilities in six growing Montana communities enthusiastically agreed to host and promote these workshops for their customers. They are:
+ Vigilante Electric Cooperative – Dillon
+ Glacier Electric Cooperative – Cut Bank
+ Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative – Huntley
+ Ravalli Electric Cooperative – Corvallis
+ Fergus Electric Cooperative – Lewistown
+ Mission Valley Power – Pablo

The utilities have promoted the workshops with announcements in bill inserts and Rural Montana magazine, radio and newspapers ads, flyers and personal phone calls to customers who had expressed an interest in renewable energy. NCAT has completed the first five workshops, and the sixth is set for December 12 at Mission Valley Power, a tribal utility in Pablo, in conjunction with the utility’s annual meeting. To date 77 rural electric customers have attended the workshops.

The workshops involve a presentation by a National Center for Appropriate Technology solar energy specialist, consisting of: a 12-minute video (“Communities Going Solar” produced by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council); an hour-long slide show explaining the basics of solar energy (photovoltaic and solar, thermal) and its applications, plus numerous examples of how Montanans are using solar technologies; and questions and answers.

NCAT also has made available to participants a variety of printed materials, including:
— Solar and wind manuals published by NCAT;
— Montana Energy Savers Guidebook;
— Directory of Montana renewable energy dealers;
— List of Montana renewable energy incentives;
— Low-cost Passive Solar Greenhouses;
— Montana Green Power website information;
— NCAT’s Websites for a Sustainable World;
— ATTRA Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems publication;
— ATTRA Freeze Protection for Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems publication;
— ATTRA brochure and publications list.

Sun4Schools Completes Third Round Installations

(11/4/02) Five more Montana schools are now generating their own clean electricity after the installation of solar electric systems under this year’s Sun4Schools project, administered by NCAT. The schools are Anderson School in Bozeman, Dillon Middle School, Drummond High School, Judith Gap School, and Malta Public School. These additions bring the number of participants in the Sun4Schools program to 22 schools across the state.

sun for schools 2002 represents the third annual round of Sun4Schools that NCAT has conducted. Sun4Schools has been funded through NorthWestern Energy (formerly Montana Power Co.) Universal Systems Benefits fund. Any middle or high school in NorthWestern Energy’s service territory is eligible to apply for participation, though certain site requirements must be met.

Each school participating in the program received a 2,900-watt photovoltaic (PV), often called solar electric, system. Simply put, PV systems produce electricity from the sun, for consumption within the building. Because the systems are “net-metered,” any excess electricity produced by the system goes back into the utility grid. The systems will produce about 3,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, though performance varies according to several factors. The systems for this third round of schools were installed this fall by Sundance Solar Systems of Luther, Montana.

In addition to the hardware components of the system, each school received a solar energy curriculum unit to implement in its classrooms. The unit includes nine hands-on lessons so that students can learn first-hand how solar energy systems work.

To increase outreach for the project, NCAT awarded U.S. Savings Bonds with certificates of achievement to the two best solar energy projects at the state science fair this year. In addition, NCAT staff presented teacher training sessions at the annual state teacher’s conference in Missoula in October. An essay contest for students will be held later this school year.

NCAT Promotes Local Food Purchasing

(10/28/02) NCAT staff members are cooperating with Stanford University in an effort to encourage more local food purchasing by the institution’s food service operations. A number of organizations across the country have instituted "buy local" initiatives that connect institutions—or individual food buyers—with local farmers that have food to offer. These local food initiatives are helping to strengthen diverse local farm economies, while providing school cafeterias, markets and restaurants with a healthy, tasty variety of fresh food that doesn’t have to be transported great distances.

At the beginning of October, NCAT’s Rex Dufour attended a conference held in Seattle by the Community Food Security Coalition, titled "Farm to Cafeteria: Healthy Farms, Healthy Students." This event helped inform and inspire the pilot project that NCAT’s California office staff members are developing with Stanford University.

Stanford appears to be a particularly good candidate for a local food program, because the university operates its own food service and does its own purchasing, unlike other schools that subcontract food provision to national companies or franchises. In addition, some student cooperative housing groups on campus are able to buy produce independently of the central dining services, so these groups may offer an initial pilot market for local produce. NCAT is not only providing information to the food services department and student groups on the benefits of local food purchasing, but is also working with Latino farmer cooperatives in the area, to help them become certified vendors that meet university purchasing requirements. With NCAT facilitating the process and helping to identify and overcome barriers, local food purchasing could become a reality for Stanford.

NCAT is also helping to promote local food purchasing among its own staff members. A committee in NCAT’s Butte, Montana, office is exploring options for NCAT staff to enter into a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) agreement with a local farmer. A group of NCAT employees would partner with a local farm by purchasing shares in the coming season’s harvest.

Home Energy Rating Service Offered by NCAT

(10/21/02) NCAT has staff members in its Sustainable Energy Program who are qualified as Home Energy Raters, and is now offering a Home Energy Rating Service. Raters are trained and certified by accredited organizations, and are then qualified to evaluate homes for their energy performance. Through the NCAT raters and other certified raters, homes may earn a Home Energy Rating System score that allows buyers to qualify for an Energy Efficient Mortgage, or qualifies the home as an Energy Star house.

Energy rating can be performed on either new construction or existing structures. The rating considers levels of insulation in the building shell, air-tightness and system efficiency. An energy rater can look at home plans and specifications and predict energy performance using energy modeling software. When the home is built, the rater conducts field tests, including a visual inspection of the construction materials and installation practices used, a blower-door test to determine air leakage, and a duct blaster test if the home contains a furnace. These tests can also be performed on existing homes. The energy rating can predict future energy costs, as well as measuring energy performance.

Homes that receive a high enough score may qualify for energy efficient mortgages that extend purchasing power, or may be able to refinance at a lower rate. Meanwhile, homes that qualify for the Energy Star program are able to advertise their performance standard, which can help builders sell the energy-efficient homes they construct.

NCAT currently has two Home Energy Raters who are able to offer a uniform, independent, third-party evaluation for homes or other small-scale buildings on a fee basis. The raters file the projects they evaluate with the organizations where they received their rater training. One NCAT rater was trained by Energy Rated Homes of Utah, and the other by the Kansas Building Science Institute. This geographic diversity allows NCAT to provide energy rating services throughout the multi-state region surrounding its Montana office.

For more information on NCAT’s Home Energy Rating Service, contact Sustainable Energy Program Manager Dale Horton.

"Sustainability Workout" Co-hosted by NCAT in Missoula

(10/14/02) On October 2^nd NCAT was one of the conveners of a workshop on the ecological footprint for community leaders in Missoula, Montana. The workshop was conducted by Mathis Wackernagel, co-author of Our Ecological Footprint and Sharing Nature’s Interest, and program director of the Sustainability Program at Redefining Progress. Wackernagel is internationally known for his work with the concept of the ecological footprint, including an article "Tracking the ecological overshoot of the human economy," that was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Wackernagel was in Missoula to give a presentation as part of the Sustainable Communities Lecture Series at the University of Montana, a fall-semester course co-sponsored by NCAT and the Environmental Studies and Sociology Departments of the University. Wackernagel’s lecture "Lighten Up: Getting Serious about Sustainability with the Ecological Footprint" drew an audience of nearly 250 on October 1. The Ecological Footprint measures how much productive land and water area a population requires to produce the resources it consumes and for the absorption of its waste. Wackernagel presented data showing that humans are exceeding the carrying capacity of our planet, using resources at a faster rate than they are replenished. Dividing the planet’s resources by Earth’s current population reveals that there are only 4.5 acres of productive land per person. Yet people in many countries lead lifestyles that require far more land to support them. In the United States, the average ecological footprint is more than 24 acres.

Building on the momentum of this initial presentation, NCAT, Women’s Voices for the Earth, the Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana and the Environmental Studies Department of the University of Montana convened the "Sustainability Workout" for the second day of Wackernagel’s visit. Almost forty invited community leaders participated in the morning workshop, which focused on the simple, yet powerful message of the ecological footprint concept and how to effectively convey that idea to diverse audiences.

While in Missoula, Wackernagel also met with members of the City Council, to introduce the ecological footprint idea to local government leaders. His visit also included a presentation to a university environmental science course, time to meet informally with Environmental Studies students, and a community potluck hosted by the Missoula Urban Demonstration Project.

NCAT Receives Grant for Risk-Management Workshops

(10/7/02) On September 24 NCAT was awarded a new grant by the USDA Risk Management Agency to create a pilot project focused on risk-management workshops designed specifically for Latino farmers in California. According to Rex Dufour, the Project Manager, "Risk management in the past was a euphemism for crop insurance, and projects to help farmers with risk management were based on that premise." The approach by NCAT is different—in some aspects, in fact, unique.

As a pilot program, the "Non-Traditional Risk Management Outreach" project will seek first to evaluate where the participating farmers stand in regard to current risk-management strategies. Then the workshops will focus on barriers that prevent the farmers from understanding and implementing risk-management plans that go beyond crop insurance. Indeed, many of the participants are at present unable to benefit even from crop insurance, because they lack the record-keeping skills necessary for recording data used in filing claims.

NCAT’s California staff members—Rex Dufour, Martin Guerena, and Ann Baier—all have experience working overseas, in Asia and Central America. They see many similarities between the groups they worked with abroad and the those they will serve in California. Both groups are often disenfranchised, underserved by government programs, and outside the cultural mainstream. As a result, the California team will be using approaches they found successful outside the U.S. to develop the workshops for their client farmers here.

The NCAT project will be guided by themes of community involvement, flexibility, and mutual learning. Not only will the participants make the decisions about what practices to adopt, but the NCAT team will also look to the communities for local knowledge and strengths that can benefit the workshops. Based upon what the participants want and what the community has to offer, the nature of the workshops will change, adapting in ways that best realize the goals of risk management.

The project is currently working with 11 Latino growers who are members of an organic marketing cooperative. This winter, the project will survey the participants and develop the initial curriculum. The first workshops will begin in spring 2003. Among the strategies they will explore are alternative marketing (including community-supported agriculture, institutional and organic markets), improved record keeping, and crop diversification.

NCAT Attends National Community Action Partnership Meetings

(9/30/02) More than 1,800 individuals gathered in New York City’s largest convention hotel the first week of September to celebrate the achievements of the nation’s community action agencies. NCAT staff and board attended this annual conference, networking with community activists and providing information on NCAT’s projects aimed at helping low-income households with information on energy-efficient housing and the impact of electric deregulation. In addition to NCAT staff member Jeff Birkby, NCAT board members Jeannie Jertson and Gene Brady attended the conference.

Community Action Partnerships (CAPS) are private, nonprofit or public organizations that were created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s "War on Poverty." CAPs seek to involve the community, including public officials, private sector representatives, and low-income residents in attacking the causes and conditions of poverty. They address the multiple needs of low-income clients through a comprehensive approach, including projects that address food and nutrition, employment training, transportation, housing, economic development, health care, education, and community organization.

The 2002 Annual Conference of Community Action Partnerships recognized the myriad successes realized by the more than 1,000 local CAPs throughout the United States. "I was impressed by the strong sense of friendship and respect that the conference attendees had for each other," said Jeff Birkby, manager of NCAT’s Sustainable Community Program. "Many of the people at the conference had worked on low-income issues for more than three decades, and had developed very close relationships with other CAPs around the nation. It was gratifying to see so many dedicated organizations united to promote positive and innovative methods to reduce poverty and provide new opportunities to low-income citizens of the United States." Jeff Birkby | NEAAP booth

An exhibitors’ hall at the conference featured more than 100 organizations and support companies that provide services to low-income groups. NCAT’s booth at the exhibit highlighted our low-income programs, including the National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project (NEAAP). NEAPP provides state-by-state profiles of the impact of energy deregulation on low-income populations. The consumer-oriented website is useful to both consumers and policymakers concerned with the impacts of energy restructuring.

NCAT to Assess Impact of Nutrient Runoff from Pastures

(9/23/02) In partnership with the University of Arkansas and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, NCAT is conducting a study to assess nutrient runoff from fields dressed with poultry wastes and evaluate the impact of that runoff on water resources. NCAT Agriculture Specialist Barbara Bellows is working on the project under a three-year, $190,000 Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant.

Poultry production is a major economic force in western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, and area lakes and rivers are severely taxed by high nutrient levels entering the watershed from pastures and fields. A similar situation exists in many parts of the South, where poultry and hog wastes have helped create productive pasture on once infertile land, but have also created phosphorous pollution. This study will look at the relationships between various types of grazing practices and phosphorous runoff from fields manured with poultry litter.

Rotational grazing – the practice of moving livestock herds among paddocks in a subdivided pasture – is an area of particular interest to the study. Because it reduces characteristics that favor runoff – by reducing soil compaction, increasing vegetative cover, and distributing manure evenly across fields – rotational grazing may allow farmers and ranchers to continue to use poultry wastes as manure and still reduce the flow of phosphorous into rivers and streams. The study will examine the impacts of haying, intensive grazing, and rotational grazing on soil and water quality.

Farmers from Arkansas and Oklahoma will be involved in on-farm research and demonstration projects to measure changes in soil and water quality after different periods of rotational grazing. Economic studies will perform cost-benefit analyses of rotational grazing and assess its off-farm economic and environmental significance. A principal goal of the study is to contribute to the national discussions on allowable levels of phosphorous in runoff and what practices are best for controlling it. Participants in this study will meet at least twice yearly to talk about experimental methods and results and the practicalities of balancing production with environmental objectives. Ultimately, the study will yield a Water Quality Checksheet for Pastures that farmers, Extension agents, and others can use to achieve this balance of management practices and water quality.

Study Finds Restructuring Can Adversely Affect Consumers

(9/16/02) A new NCAT study out September 17 documents the adverse impacts of electric and natural gas market restructuring on some residential consumers. The five-state study is the first product of an ongoing NCAT project to examine the impacts of restructuring on residential consumers, particularly low- and moderate-income households. The study reviews Georgia’s restructuring of its natural gas market, as well as the restructuring of electricity markets in Massachusetts, Texas, Ohio, and part of New York.

"In the states that have relied on the pass through of short-term market-based rates for default service, residential customers appear to be worse off compared to pre-restructuring rate policies and are certainly worse off compared to customers in those states that have adopted rate caps and rate freezes that insulated customers from price volatility," said consumer expert Barbara R. Alexander, one of the study authors. At a minimum, the consumer experiences documented by the project suggest that legislators and regulators should develop policies that rely more on long-term stable rates and avoid short-term price volatility, she added.

The NCAT study also found that, with few exceptions, restructuring laws have not resulted in the lower prices or increased choices that many policymakers had anticipated. The exceptions noted in the study occurred in selected regions in two states (Ohio and Massachusetts) that have utilized a strategy called opt-out aggregation, a low-cost way to pool the buying power of a large number of customers. The study found that this strategy has yielded significant electric bill savings for consumers and given them access to competitively-determined electricity prices and green power.

The study, titled The Transition to Retail Competition in Energy Markets: How Have Residential Consumers Fared? will be available on September 17th. It is part of NCAT’s continuing effort, through its National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project, to document how restructuring is affecting residential consumers. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. A forthcoming study will examine how low-income consumers have been impacted by the transition to competition in the five states.

Sustainable Communities Lecture Series and Seminar Begin

(9/9/02) The fall semester lecture series and the graduate-level seminar that NCAT is co-sponsoring with the University of Montana Environmental Studies Department began last week with introductory sessions, and will continue until mid-December.

The Sustainable Communities Lecture Series will offer 13 presentations by regional and national experts on several different facets of sustainability at the community level, including energy, food systems, building design, transportation and business. The entire lecture series is free and open to the public, as well as being available to registered students as a one-credit class. Lectures take place Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m., in room 123 of the Gallagher Business Building at the University of Montana in Missoula. Local speakers will highlight the ways that sustainability strategies are successfully being applied in Montana. In addition, two nationally-known authors and educators are included in the series, offering a national perspective on the subject.

Co-author of "Our Ecological Footprint," Mathis Wackernagel will give a presentation on October 1 as part of the lecture series. In conjunction with Wackernagel’s visit, NCAT and other local nonprofit organizations are hosting a "Sustainability Workout" for community leaders. Wackernagel conducts these workshops nationally, helping participants evaluate the impact of their actions—and their community’s actions—on the planet.

David Orr, chair of the Environmental Studies program at Oberlin College and noted author, will also speak during the series, on a special Thursday date of November 7. "Designing a World that Works" is the topic of Orr’s talk. David Orr has a newly-published book "The Nature of Design," and spearheaded the construction of the Adam Joseph Lewis Environmental Studies Center, an exemplary green building at Oberlin.

For graduate students who wish to engage in a more thorough exploration of the sustainable communities topic, NCAT staff members are facilitating a seminar course based on the lecture series. Students will read background materials from current literature, periodicals and websites, and engage in further discussion of the lecture series topics. In addition, students will complete projects designed to encourage sustainability in their own community.

Grant to Help NCAT Promote Montana Wind Power

(9/3/02) NCAT has actively encouraged the development of wind power and other forms of renewable energy for many years. Now, thanks to a new grant, NCAT will have the opportunity to expand its involvement in promoting wind energy throughout the state of Montana. wind generator

NCAT and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality are partners in a Small Wind Development project that has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program as a Special Project for 2002. A grant of $75,000 will help NCAT and Montana DEQ provide technical and financial support for small wind energy development across the state.

wind generator As part of the small scale wind development project, DEQ and NCAT will incorporate activities that develop small wind projects for state and local government applications including on- and off-grid operations. The project will investigate the feasibility of wind systems above 10kw that may not necessarily need a net-metering agreement to complete.

NCAT has supported the installation of residential-scale wind systems for several years, through a number of different projects, such as wind anemometer loans for assessing wind resources and a wind generator installation rebate program funded by NorthWestern Energy Universal Systems Benefit Charges. However, only residents of NorthWestern’s service territory were eligible to apply for wind energy system installation rebates under the existing program. This new grant will allow NCAT to support small-scale wind energy throughout the state.

NCAT Work Recognized by Peers

(8/26/02) This summer several NCAT projects have received positive acknowledgement from other organizations working in some of the same fields of endeavor. NCAT is pleased to have the value of our activities recognized by our peers.

On August 20 PLANetizen, a national urban planning and development website named its 2002 list of the 50 most important websites for urban planners and developers. The Smart Communities Network website administered by NCAT for the U.S. Department of Energy was one of the websites chosen from 475 that were evaluated. The "Top 50" list was compiled from suggestions by PLANetizen readers, Internet research, and industry sources. The list is divided into seven categories, including Directories, Professional & Industry Associations, Publications, Research and Data, Government websites, Special Focus, Regional/Local Sites, International, and Outside the Box.

NCAT’s Sustainable Communities program staff members have performed design, content development and daily updates for the Smart Communities Network website since 1995. The website, which offers more than 4,000 pages of information on sustainable development for communities, was previously known as the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development, and acquired its new name in July.

The work of NCAT’s Sustainable Energy program has also been recognized recently, when the NCAT-led Montana Million Solar Roofs partnership won a "Best Progress" award for its region from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Million Solar Roofs initiative conducted an interview with NCAT Program Specialist Jim Tracy regarding the achievements of the Montana Solar Partnership. It is posted at the Million Solar Roofs website.

Another NCAT Energy project, the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, was rated by its Health and Human Services project manager as ‘exceptional.’ This is the second year in a row that NCAT has received the exceptional rating for the quality of its work, cost control, timeliness of performance and client satisfaction. The rating is reserved for "rare instances of contractor performance that clearly demonstrate a level of quality/innovation/performance well beyond the contract requirements."

Finally, NCAT’s Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development program continues to receive attention for its operation of the well-respected ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas) project. Several periodicals have noted ATTRA’s release of numerous new and updated publications on a wide range of sustainable agriculture topics during the past few months. California Certified Organic Farmers Newsletter, Agro-Ecology News and Perspectives, and Mother Earth News are some of the publications that favorably mentioned ATTRA publications in recent issues.

NCAT Launches Green Tree Website

(8/19/02) On August 19 NCAT launched a new website designed to introduce architecture and construction management students to the wide range of resource efficient building materials that they can use in design and building projects. Green Tree: Decisions for Environmental Buildings encourages student—and professional—designers to consider environmentally responsible alternatives for three major building components: foundations, wall systems, and flooring.

Rather than just listing potential products to use, the Green Tree website leads the designer through a step-by-step decision process that can help to identify which material is the best choice for a particular project situation. Green Tree introduces the designer to an array of possible material options based on six principles of resource efficiency: Reused Materials, Recycled Products, Renewable and Abundant Materials, Materials that are Climate Appropriate, Reduced Material Use, and Locally-Sourced Materials. The website brings out the special considerations that are involved when a designer evaluates the potential for using resource efficient building materials.

In addition to assisting the designer in evaluating the appropriateness of materials he or she may have in mind, the Green Tree site also features case studies highlighting the application of numerous resource efficient materials. These examples, with photos of resource efficient products, can help to reassure designers new to environmentally responsible materials by documenting a variety of resource efficient building products successfully applied in actual projects.

The Green Tree website has been created specifically for the needs of students in the design and construction fields. NCAT is often contacted by students interested in resource efficient building and conducting independent research in the field. Green Tree is designed to help make those students aware of the materials options that exist, and to provide the students with a decision-making tool for evaluating the appropriateness of resource efficient materials. Students can not only use the decision-making criteria in their current design projects, but can continue to employ them throughout their professional careers. With Green Tree, NCAT hopes to improve the comfort level of designers in specifying and applying resource efficient materials.

Development of Green Tree was funded by a grant from Home Depot. NCAT plans to expand the content of the website over time, eventually adding seven more component sections with illustrated examples, to present resource efficient options for all major building systems.

NCAT Helps Communities Cross the Digital Divide

Lee County cityscape (8/12/02) NCAT staff and Board members have been at work the past four years to help bridge the "Digital Divide"—the lack of opportunity for disenfranchised people in the U.S. to have access to new telecommunications technologies that could make such a difference in their lives.

NCAT is addressing the technology divide through such innovations as websites that offer greatly-expanded information for the clients we serve and projects like the W.K. Kellogg Foundation initiative, "Managing Information with Rural America (MIRA)." NCAT has been involved with several projects and activities in this realm:

A network of seven technology centers that were established in the Arkansas Delta in 1999 continues to thrive. To name a few accomplishments of the network: six hundred people from Lee County, Arkansas, have been trained in computer technologies, more than 50 people have received their GED certificates, four people have been awarded A+Certification degrees that will enable them to obtain higher-paying jobs, and local schools are using the centers to help high school seniors pass SAT exams and enter college.
A DigitalDivide listserve has been established within NCAT so staff members and the Board can share current information and resources to help one another.
NCAT in July participated in discussions and offered a letter of support for a proposal by Montana State University, Northern at Havre, for a mobile technology education unit to be used in rural, remote areas.
NCAT hosted a technology summit for nonprofit organizations in Arkansas during May. Based on the summit, NCAT has submitted proposals to establish technology coalitions for community-based nonprofit organizations in northern Arkansas and in the Delta states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
NCAT has proposed to found and operate an Arkansas Delta Technology Learning Coalition for impoverished counties along the Mississippi.

Montana Solar Partnership Wins Regional Energy Award

(8/1/02) A partnership developed and led by NCAT that includes utilities, retail businesses, government agencies and non-profit groups has received one of six U.S. Department of Energy Million Solar Roofs Best Progress awards. The award was announced at the American Solar Energy Society's annual conference in Reno, Nevada, in June, where NCAT staff member Cathy Svejkovsky accepted the award on behalf of the Montana Solar Partnership. Solar Award

More than 250 solar electric and solar water heating systems have been installed on buildings in Montana since 1999. Those include systems for dozens of homes on and off the electric grid, schools in 16 communities, a fire station in Missoula, a "Prayer Lodge" on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Busby, the state Capitol in Helena, and Spa Hot Springs resort in White Sulphur Springs.

"Montana has really excelled at developing solar energy over the last few years," NCAT Executive Director Kathy Hadley said. "We have a unique partnership that has resulted in a lot of people working together to get solar projects installed. Because of our on-the-ground successes, we have been selected for the Best Progress award in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Denver region."

In addition to NCAT, the Montana partnership includes Northwestern Energy, solar equipment dealers across the state, some rural electric cooperatives, the Department of Environmental Quality and other state government agencies, Bonneville Power Administration, Western Area Power Administration, Indian tribes and non-profit groups.

According to Dave Ryan, a NorthWestern Energy engineer and president of the Montana Renewable Energy Association, the partnership goal is to install 1,000 systems in Montana by the end of 2010. "The great progress we have made over the past few years is an indication of the cooperation we have had among a diverse group of interests coming together to encourage renewable energy development in Montana," Ryan said. "Working with policy makers, utilities, and renewable business, we hope to continue this excellent trend of building renewable energy."

Sustainability Fair Features NCAT Exhibit

(7/22/02) At the Sustainability Fair 2002 in Livingston, Montana on July 13, the thermometer soared to 103 degrees. But the heat didn’t deter several thousand people who visited the 80 booths and displays set up by vendors, non-profits and government agencies, including NCAT.

The NCAT display, staffed by Paul Williams and David Zodrow of the Fayetteville office and Jim Tracy of Butte, drew a steady stream of passersby who asked questions about everything from low-income heating energy assistance, to small scale wind power, to industrial hemp. The booth stood only a few paces from a 22-foot wind tower and turbine, a joint display of the Montana Renewable Energy Association and NCAT.

The NCAT team distributed reams of literature on the organization and its programs. The most popular handout was Low-Cost Passive Solar Greenhouses, a 170-page NCAT classic. More than 250 people took the greenhouse manual home with them. Fair visitors also enthusiastically grabbed up dozens of copies of Build Green Today! – a joint publication of NCAT and the Environmental Protection Agency. Other popular handouts included NCAT’s directory of renewable energy businesses in Montana, NCAT "Websites for a Sustainable World," ATTRA’s publication list and sustainable agriculture materials, and a brochure describing the Montana Rivers Project.

In its third year, the Sustainability Fair has steadily grown in numbers of visitors and exhibitors, according to Lill Erickson, director of the Corporation for the Northern Rockies, event organizers. The 2002 theme was "Shining a Light on Sustainable Choices." "Whether you're ready to go solar or are just looking for ways to reduce your ‘ecological footprint,’ you’ll find choices for more sustainable living at CNR’s Sustainability Fair 2002," promotion literature promised.

Most visitors would agree that it delivered. Visitors sampled fruits and vegetables from a sustainable garden, tasted produce and meat from local farms and ranches, strolled through a forest of native and drought resistant trees and shrubs, discovered healthful and environmentally friendly apparel, cosmetics, and home products, previewed cutting-edge energy technologies and building materials, and even test drove a hybrid car.

NCAT Expands ATTRA Hotline Services

(7/15/02) NCAT’s Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project has expanded its telephone hotline services by extending its phone hours and adding a new Spanish-language hotline.

The ATTRA hotline is now answered live by project staff members from 7 am to 7 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. The extended hours make it easier for farmers, ranchers, educators and others to reach ATTRA staff during working hours from locations across the country. Hotline callers may request copies of more than 200 different publications offered by ATTRA—including a number of new titles—or ask specific sustainable agriculture questions of the specialists on the phone. The toll-free hotline number is 800-346-9140.

The ATTRA project also opened a new Spanish-language hotline on July 15. This toll-free hotline provides a place for Spanish-speaking farmers and ranchers to obtain information about all aspects of organic and sustainable agriculture. Spanish-fluent NCAT staff members from NCAT’s California office will answer the hotline from 8 am to 5 pm Pacific Time, while off-hours calls will be received by voicemail. The toll-free Spanish-language hotline number is 800-411-3222.

The Spanish-language ATTRA hotline received its first call just hours after opening, and the staff is looking forward to this new opportunity to meet the information needs of people interested in sustainable agriculture. NCAT is conducting a major campaign to promote the Spanish hotline, providing Spanish-language radio stations that broadcast in rural areas a 30-second Public Service Announcement. About 100 radio stations have received the PSA to date, in California, New Mexico, Texas, Arizona, Washington, Florida and Puerto Rico.

The Spanish-language hotline represents just one of the efforts NCAT is making to reach out to more people involved in agriculture. NCAT’s growing California office helps the organization better serve that state’s significant agricultural sector, while NCAT’s Four Corners project is helping minority farmers in that region develop stronger markets for their crops. Many new publications on timely topics are also helping NCAT’s ATTRA project serve its audience.

NCAT Board to Convene in Montana

(7/8/02) NCAT’s national Board of Directors will gather in Butte, Montana for a July 12-13 meeting at NCAT headquarters. The 16-member board, which has four meetings each year, schedules at least one meeting per year in Butte.

In addition to transacting regular business, the Butte meeting gives board members an opportunity to meet and talk with staff members and to see some NCAT projects firsthand. A variety of activities are planned during the NCAT Board’s time in Butte.

On Friday, July 12, the board begins with program committee meetings. At noon NCAT’s Montana staff from Helena, Missoula and Butte, along with several visiting staff members from the Arkansas office, will gather together with the board for an informal lunch. After lunch, staff from NCAT’s three program areas, Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Communities, and Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, will host open houses for board members, featuring recent and ongoing project work. Board and staff members will have an opportunity to visit about past and planned projects, and staff will showcase recent publications, websites, and demonstration projects.

Later in the afternoon, NCAT board members will be treated to a tour of several functioning renewable energy projects in the Butte area. These will include schools that have installed solar panels under the Sun4Schools project, ranches with solar-powered livestock watering facilities that have been developed in cooperation with NCAT’s agriculture and energy programs, and examples of NCAT’s irrigation efficiency work. In addition, the tour will include one of the wind generating systems installed under the project administered by NCAT, as well as other solar installations facilitated by NCAT. Following the tour, board members will enjoy a Montana-style barbecue.

On Saturday, July 13 the board will hold its full-session meetings.

Tour to Showcase Solar Livestock Watering and Fish-Friendly Ranching

(7/1/02) On Thursday, July 11, NCAT and the Ruby Valley Conservation District will sponsor a tour of the Sauerbier Ranch solar-powered pumping system, along with a tour of irrigation ditch improvements in Montana's Ruby Valley.

Cattle on the Sauerbier Ranch will be roaming farther and more freely this summer, using grass on more of the ranch’s eight section pasture in the Sweetwater Basin (between Alder and Dillon, Montana) thanks to a new solar-powered pumping system that was installed last September. The land on this family-owned ranch was too far from any source of drinking water, and the animals inevitably stayed close to Sweetwater Creek. Pumping water to a stock tank did not appear to be an option because the nearest power line was at least ten miles away.

The Sweetwater project is possibly the largest and most powerful solar pumping project ever built in Montana. NCAT helped design and build the solar pumping project, with major cost-sharing from the Montana Power Company (now NorthWestern Energy) Universal System Benefits Charge program. A three-horsepower piston pump, powered by 24 120-Watt solar panels, pushes 11 gallons of water per minute up a large hill, through a 12,000-foot pipeline, and into an 8,500 gallon storage tank. Water flows by gravity from this tank to several nearby stock-watering tanks.

In addition to benefiting cattle, the project should also benefit trout in the creek, by reducing grazing pressure along the stream banks. Also, a local volunteer fireman came up with the idea of installing a valve on the system storage tank that allows fire trucks fighting range fires to fill their water tanks - a further benefit to property owners living in this dry and remote area.

The tour will begin at 10 a.m. at the Alder Community Center, and is free and open to the public. The first stop will be a number of nearby irrigation ditches where measuring devices and fish-friendly diversion structures have been installed by the Ruby Valley Conservation District.

For more information contact Shirley Galovic at the Ruby Valley Conservation District.

The French Poultry Connection

(6/24/02) Two of NCAT’s Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Program staff have just returned from a research trip to France, where they learned more about the Label Rouge free range poultry production system. This trip followed a Spring 2001 visit, which introduced NCAT to the national certification system in France that brings poultry producers a premium for their use of specialty genetics, processing and marketing techniques.

Label Rouge was founded in 1965 as a grassroots organization for small family farms interested in marketing poultry. They system has grown over time to include thirty-eight production and marketing organizations that represent nearly seven thousand farmers, and to certify pork, beef, vegetables and fish as well as poultry.

NCAT staffers Holly Born and Anne Fanatico joined the U.S. delegation for both trips, which included visits to agencies, farms, slaughter facilities, and certification bodies. The travel was funded by the USDA Scientific Cooperation Research Program. The highlight of the follow-up visit was the time they spent in the Landes region, where Label Rouge originated. Farmers in Landes use small, portable chicken houses that are the closest equivalent to the US "pastured poultry" model. Visits to the SASSO poultry breeding headquarters, the MAISADOUR cooperative which supplies feed and equipment, and the processing facility that handles Landes poultry, as well as to some farms in the area, provided a complete picture of how the Landes supply chain is organized.

One benefit of a program like Label Rouge is that it can expand markets for range poultry producers. Earning a premium for their certified product would help to make poultry production a more viable income source for some farmers Farmers also retain some control over production and marketing decisions in the program, which attempts to ensure that all the players in the supply chain receive a fair return.

Following the research trips, NCAT will be continuing its efforts to bring the Label Rouge program to the United States. Through a Small Business Innovation Research Grant, NCAT’s for-profit arm New Horizon Technologies will be researching the feasibility of establishing a Label Rouge-like system in the United States. NHT will be conducting trials on two genetics packages for range production—one package developed in Northwest Arkansas—as well as investigating setting up a coordinated supply chain and a certification system. Research will take place in Arkansas and Wisconsin.

NCAT to Co-Sponsor Sustainable Communities Lecture Series

(6/17/02) During Fall Semester of 2002, NCAT is joining with the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies Department and Sociology Department in sponsoring a Sustainable Communities Lecture Series. The series will be offered by the University as a one-credit class for enrolled students. The presentations by an impressive slate of speakers will also be free and open to the general public. The weekly series will be held Tuesday evenings at 7 pm, beginning September 10 and concluding December 10, 2002, on the University’s Missoula campus.

The lecture series is being coordinated by two of NCAT’s Sustainable Communities Program Specialists who are both alumni of the University of Montana’s graduate Environmental Studies program, Mike Kustudia and Tracy Mumma. They are also planning a Sustainable Communities seminar course for graduate students, to be held in conjunction with the lecture series.

The Sustainable Communities Lecture Series is intended to engage students and the community in a broad overview of the many facets of sustainability: transportation, energy, food, development, business and design. Many of the thirteen scheduled speakers are involved in sustainability work in Western Montana, and will be able to provide the audience with tangible local examples of how to implement sustainability principles in their own community. In addition, a selection of regional and national speakers will round out the agenda with presentations on sustainability on a larger scale.

Featured speakers for the series include Paul Horton, of Climate Solutions in Olympia, Washington, addressing links between energy, climate change and sustainability, green builder Steve Loken, and noted author David Orr, chair of the Environmental Studies program at Oberlin College, on the topic of environmental design. Mathis Wackernagel, another well-respected author who works with Redefining Progress, and has been a pioneer in the concept of ecological footprints, will also speak during the lecture series, as well as offering a "Sustainability Workout" for community and university leaders.

NCAT is pleased to work with other sponsors in support of the Sustainable Communities Lecture Series.

Renewable Energy in the New Farm Bill

(6/10/02) A variety of provisions in the new Farm Bill signed by the President in May make now a good time to learn about renewable energy opportunities for farms, ranches and rural communities. NCAT’s ATTRA project is offering free information on the clean energy provisions of the Farm Bill, making available copies of A Summary of the Clean Energy Provisions of the Farm Bill, produced by the Environmental Law and Policy Center. Through ATTRA, NCAT also offers a number of its own publications on renewable energy that are especially relevant with regard to the provisions of the farm bill. These include titles such as:

Learning More About Wind-Powered Electrical Systems for Homes, Farms and Ranches: A Resource ListBiodiesel: A Brief Overview
Solar-Powered Stock Watering Systems.

The Farm Bill includes both a new Energy Title and renewable energy provisions in the Conservation and Rural Development Titles. It presents new opportunities for farmers, ranchers and rural communities to develop, produce and benefit from a wide range of renewable energy sources.

For example, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been amended to allow wind turbine installation on CRP lands, with no reduction in payments. In addition, biomass -- any organic material available on a renewable basis for energy production -- may be harvested from CRP lands. Refineries for biodiesel and ethanol production can be developed with the assistance of new competitive USDA biorefinery development grants.

The Rural Development Title has been amended to include start-up funding for renewable energy projects. Farm- and ranch-based renewable energy projects are now considered "value added agricultural products" and are eligible to bid for competitive grants. The grants can be used to develop feasibility studies, marketing and business plans and as capital to establish alliances or business ventures.

Energy efficiency audits and improvement; hydrogen and fuel cell development; and payment support programs for producers of ethanol and biodiesel, cellulosic commodities and oils and fats are among the many other clean energy provisions of the bill.

Some clean energy program funds are available in 2002, while other programs will be funded starting in 2003.

NCAT Gears up for 2002 Irrigation Season

(6/3/02) Throughout the summer months NCAT staff will be in the field performing irrigation efficiency audits, while also working on their suntans and fending off rattlesnakes, mosquitoes, and farm dogs. The Efficiency Plus Irrigation Program was designed to help irrigators in NorthWestern Energy company’s service territory become more efficient, saving precious water, energy and money.

There are approximately 2000 irrigators in NorthWestern’s Montana service territory, and within its first few weeks NCAT’s irrigation efficiency project has already received 260 requests for information and assistance. NorthWestern’s irrigator customers in Montana can receive rebates on energy-saving measures such as new nozzles, gaskets, drains, or soil moisture monitoring devices. They can also request an irrigation audit (performed by NCAT staff) or propose their own energy-saving project. At the end of the 2002 irrigation season the program will award a $1000 prize for the most innovative energy-saving project.

An irrigation efficiency audit includes careful measurements of flow rate, pressure, and energy consumption. Based on these measurements, as well as an inspection of the whole irrigation system, NCAT staff will make recommendations to improve the efficiency of the system. In addition to providing audits, the Efficiency Plus Irrigation Program also makes available funding to help reduce out-of-pocket costs for suggested improvements. Incentives are based mainly on expected energy savings, but the program also strongly encourages measures that benefit soils, water quality, fish, wildlife, or provide other public benefits.

NCAT expects to be conducting numerous irrigation efficiency audits over the coming weeks. The organization has purchased a new ultrasonic flow meter to make the audit process easier and faster. This amazing device is clamped to the outside of a pipe and sends an ultrasonic signal through the pipe and the flowing liquid inside it. By measuring the time between transmission and reception of the ultrasonic signal, the meter measures the velocity of the flowing liquid inside the pipe. This helps provide accurate data on water transmission efficiency.

Staff working on the Efficiency Plus Irrigation Program include Mike Morris, Ray Schott, John Walden, Vicki Lynne, Jerry Johnson and intern Corrie Heisler.

This program is funded through the NorthWestern Energy Universal System Benefits Program. For more information contact Program Specialist Mike Morris, phone 1-888-319-1669, or e-mail mikem at ncat dot org.

NCAT To Conduct Sustainable Livestock Management Workshops

(5/28/02) In Fall of 2002 NCAT will be conducting Sustainable Livestock Management workshops in five central and southern states, under a grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The first workshop will be July 25 - 27 in Marksville, Louisiana. In September, workshops are planned for Branson, Missouri and Quitman, Arkansas, and in October the workshops will be offered in Clemson, South Carolina and Spring Hill, Tennessee. The full schedule, with contact information for each location, can be found on NCAT’s Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) website.

These workshops offer NCAT the opportunity to expand the audience for sustainable livestock management events that it has been conducting for several years. NCAT Technical Services Managers Ron Morrow and Ann Wells first began teaching livestock workshops on sustainable beef management in conjunction with the University of Missouri. Later NCAT received a SARE grant to develop a beef farm sustainability checksheet and teach workshops in collaboration with the University of Tennessee. A Sustainable Livestock Production workshop on Using Grass Profitably, also sponsored by NRCS, was held in Fayetteville, Arkansas in October 2001. The current workshop series is an outgrowth of the teaching experience and partnerships developed in past years, as well as information derived from ATTRA publications and calls from clients.

Over time the Sustainable Livestock Management workshops that NCAT offers have expanded to cover not only beef cattle, but also dairy cattle, goats and sheep, reflecting the work that NCAT’s ATTRA project is doing with a range of livestock species. In addition, the livestock management workshops include an advanced grazing workshop, recognizing the role that pasture management plays in sustainable livestock production. The workshops address farmers’ needs with a range of speakers covering topics from the basic systems approach to specifics of animal health and nutrition. Classroom sessions are often combined with in-field tours. Workshops that include both educators and farmers/ranchers allow all participants to learn from each other

NCAT is not only making its expertise available through the upcoming workshop series, but through other venues, as well. Related speaking requests have been received from Maryland, California, Arizona, Virginia, Missouri, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Iowa.

NCAT Projects Help Install Solar and Wind Energy Capacity

(5/20/02) More Montanans will use the power of the sun and wind to generate their own electricity through a pair of renewable energy projects funded by NorthWestern Energy customers and administered by NCAT on behalf of the utility. Last month, 21 homeowners in NorthWestern Energy’s Montana service area received word they had been chosen to participate in either a solar electric or wind electric demonstration. Nine will receive assistance installing photovoltaic systems ranging in size from 1200 watts to 3900 watts, while thirteen others will receive support for installation of wind electric systems ranging in size from under 1 kilowatt to 10 kilowatts. Participating homeowners were chosen April 24 in a random drawing of qualified applicants. NCAT received 377 inquiries following an advertising campaign for the program: 64 for wind alone, 200 for solar alone and 113 for wind and solar combined.

Participants may hire a dealer to install the systems or they may install them on their own. NorthWestern will install electric meters that turn backward whenever excess power generated by the systems is fed into the utility grid. The homeowner must sign a net metering agreement with the utility. Once the photovoltaic systems have been installed, inspected and approved, homeowners become eligible for a rebate amounting to $4.50 per watt. The owner of a 2400-watt system, for example, would receive a $10,800 rebate, or about half the cost of the system. Total installed capacity for the wind electric systems will be 83.2 kilowatts, and wind system owners are eligible for a rebate amounting to $1.25 per watt. The owner of a 10kw system would receive a $12,500 rebate, also about half the cost of the system.

When installed, the new solar electric systems will bring to 44 the total systems installed under the program since 2000. The new wind generators will raise the total to 21 wind systems installed since the wind energy portion of the program started in 2001. Together the two projects account for more than 135kw of new renewable energy capacity installed in Montana over the last three years.

Funds for the NCAT project come from the Universal System Benefits Charge paid by all NorthWestern Energy customers. For more information on the solar project, please contact NCAT Headquarters.

Resource Centers Offer Access to Wealth of Information

(5/13/02) NCAT is fortunate to possess outstanding resource centers in its offices, with collections of books, periodicals and other publications on topics relevant to NCAT projects. Perhaps no one realizes better than NCAT staff how difficult it can be to find good information on appropriate technologies and sustainable practices. Recognizing the importance of information in adopting new technologies and bringing about positive change, NCAT offers public access to its unique and specialized collections. The public may visit and use the resource centers in NCAT’s Butte, Fayetteville and Missoula offices, although materials are not available for public check out.

In Butte, NCAT’s Tony Maggiore Resource Center is open each weekday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. except Wednesdays, when it is open 2-4 p.m. This Resource Center has a highly specialized collection of materials in the areas of renewable energy and energy conservation technologies; low-income energy assistance; weatherization of dwellings; energy efficient building; environmental issues as they affect low-income communities, irrigation conservation; urban sprawl, the "greening of America," and beneficial small scale technologies.

NCAT has a collection of resources on alternative and environmentally friendly building technologies at its Missoula location, including product samples. These resources are publicly available by appointment. Some of the topics covered include recycled materials, straw bale and rammed earth construction, and construction and demolition waste prevention and recovery.

In Fayetteville, visitors to NCAT’s ATTRA Resource Center may browse through 3500 books, 300 current periodicals, and more than 900 vertical files at the library, preferably with advance notice. The collection focuses on sustainable agriculture topics, including: livestock health and production, pasture and forage management, agronomic and horticultural crop protection and production, soil health and management, weed management, agroforestry, farm waste management, water quality, marketing, and organics. The Resource Center has a large collection of materials published outside traditional book publishing avenues—such as trade publications, experiential information (farmer-produced), newsletters and monographs from other sustainable agriculture organizations, proceedings from farmer-focused conferences and workshops, directories, vendor catalogs, and extension and experiment station publications. The ATTRA Resource Center is in the final phase of automating its holdings, allowing electronic searches and record-keeping. The Resource Center has also recently joined a consortium of other small libraries in Arkansas, a membership that provides shared purchasing power and makes the Resource Center a member of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC).

NCAT Recognizes Sustainable Energy Science Fair Projects

(5/6/02) For the first time this year NCAT offered a Sustainable Energy Award for the top solar energy science fair project in the high school and middle school divisions of the Montana State Science Fair. The Sustainable Energy Award consisted of a $100 savings bond and a certificate of achievement to recognize the student’s effort.

Montana’s 2002 State Science Fair was held in Missoula on April 8. Program Specialist Ray Schott, who works with NCAT’s photovoltaic projects, served as the judge for the Sustainable Energy Award. Among 128 high school projects entered in the science fair and 522 middle school entries, Schott reviewed 5 high school and 24 middle school projects covering topics of solar energy, hydropower, wind power, battery storage, fuel cells, and alternative fuels. He identified two middle school projects related to solar energy as the winners of this year’s award.

NCAT’s 2002 Sustainable Energy Awards were presented to Scott Young of Washington Middle School in Missoula for his project entitled: What is the Effect of Different Colors of Light on the Voltage Output of a Solar Panel? and to Abby Roberts, a seventh grade student from the Chief Joseph Middle School in Bozeman for her project Solar Evaporator for Mine Waste Water.

NCAT is heavily involved in solar energy education for Montana middle and high school students through its Sun4Schools program that furnishes selected schools with solar energy systems and related curriculum. Offering the science fair Sustainable Energy Award is a logical complement to the organization’s work promoting renewable energy in Montana and throughout the country. Several other NCAT projects, such as "Streams as Living Laboratories" and "Building Our Children’s Future," also work with schools and students, providing curriculum and hands-on learning activities related to sustainable technologies.

NCAT plans to continue to offer the Sustainable Energy Award at the Montana State Science Fair in coming years.

NCAT To Host "Nonprofit Technology Coalition" Summit

(4/29/02) NCAT will host a "Technology Summit for Nonprofit Organizations" May 15 in Springdale, Arkansas, to explore the formation of a coalition to assist nonprofits in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi with their information technologies needs. The event is being sponsored by the Foundation for the Mid South and its coalition of nonprofit organizations, the Mid South Collaborative for Nonprofit Development.

"The event hosted by NCAT is the first in a series of nine technology summits being held in May to gather feedback from nonprofit organizations in the three states about the proposed technology coalition," NCAT Program Specialist David Zodrow said. "Nonprofit organizations participating in the coalition would assist one another and have a source for professional technical assistance with their computer and information systems needs. Many of our organizations, particularly small, community-based nonprofits, struggle with even the basics of these powerful technologies, which have become so important to our work and survival."

The proposed Nonprofit Technology Coalition is partly an outgrowth of a project by NCAT and partners to establish a community technology centers network in Lee County, AR. Located in one of the 10 most impoverished counties in the U.S., that successful network has made a vital difference to nonprofit organizations and people who use it every day. The network has also become a model for other rural communities in the Delta.

Members of the Mid South Collaborative for Nonprofit Development have also discussed a comprehensive effort to address the technology needs of nonprofits in the region. They received funding from an anonymous donor to carry out planning for the technology coalition. In addition to the summit being held by NCAT, other summits are set for Marianna and Little Rock, AR; Lafayette, New Orleans and Shreveport, LA; and Jackson, Hattiesburg and Starksville, MS.

"We’re conducting a survey of nonprofits in the three states to learn about technology needs and resources we can share with one another," Zodrow says. "Following the summits, we will draw plans for the Nonprofit Technology Coalition and seek funding from several sources. It’s our dream to have it up and running within a year."

Nonprofit organizations interested in participating in the Arkansas Nonprofit Technology Coalition summit can contact NCAT Southeast.

Interns Gain Experience at NCAT

(4/22/02) NCAT is proud to provide college and graduate students with valuable work experience through internships. Many students have participated in NCAT’s internship program in the past, and NCAT continues to offer both academic-year and summer internships at its various offices.

Since each of NCAT’s offices is located in a college town, students from local schools have often found it convenient to combine a part-time NCAT internship with their classroom studies. Montana Tech of the University of Montana located in Butte, The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and The University of Montana in Missoula have all been sources of multiple NCAT interns. NCAT’s Fayetteville office has a particularly strong tie with the University there, since it is located on campus! NCAT also has a formal relationship with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff to provide an internship opportunity each year for a UAPB student. NCAT is also willing to accept qualified interns from schools in other areas, for full-time short term internships. Most NCAT internships are paid, and minority students may qualify for a living stipend.NCAT’s interns are offered a variety of opportunities, based on their skills and interests. Past interns have worked in computer, accounting and administrative fields, as well as NCAT’s program areas of sustainable energy, sustainable agriculture and rural development, and sustainable communities. In addition to honing skills learned in school, NCAT internships help students experience the organizational environment, learn to use new software and technologies, and collaborate with project teams. At the same time, interns have contributed their skills and enthusiasm to the successful completion of many different NCAT projects. Previous NCAT interns have gone on to further education, jobs in their fields, and in some cases, careers at NCAT.

In addition to offering student internships, NCAT has participated in university work-study programs designed to help students finance their educations. NCAT has also worked with several job placement programs, to help provide experience for other workers entering or re-entering the workforce. Current internship and job opportunities at all NCAT offices are posted on the Employment Opportunities page of the NCAT website.

California Office Expands

(4/15/02) NCAT’s office in Davis, California, which opened last Summer with one staff member, has expanded to better serve the needs of farmers through the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project. In addition to California Programs Manager Rex Dufour, the office now includes new Program Specialist Martin Guerena and the services of part-time contractor Ann Baier, working in Santa Cruz.

Martin Guerena is a former Peace Corps volunteer (Ecuador) with a BS in International Agriculture Development and Plant Science from UC Davis. His MS in Agriculture, Plant Protection from California Polytechnic State University, also led him to be active in establishing an organic experimental farm at that university. He is a certified California Pest Control Advisor, implementing biologically based pest management. Martin has experience working as a farm advisor and as a teacher, most notably as a University of Arizona Cooperative Extension agent for La Paz County and the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation.

Ann Baier is also a UC Davis graduate with an MS in International Agriculture Development and Agronomy. She is an inspector for the California Certified Organic Farmers and was the Executive Director of Roots and Wings, a non-profit that provides farm and garden based education and training programs to young people. Ann is well known in the sustainable agriculture community in California and brings a wealth of experience in providing training and education to minority and limited resource farmers.

"We are so pleased to be expanding our California office," said Kathy Hadley, NCAT’s Executive Director. "We are hopeful that having additional staff 'on the ground' in California will help us spread our message to more farmers and farm organizations. A number of former agriculture workers have become small producers and we would like to provide those growers with information on sustainable agriculture practices. Martin and Ann will help us identify areas where ATTRA can be of assistance. We are looking forward to working with both of them."

Both Ann and Martin are fluent in Spanish. They will be especially focused on helping ATTRA to provide outreach to limited resource farmers in California.

NCAT’s California office shares space with the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), at the historic T.S. Glide Ranch two miles West of Davis.

New Directors Named to NCAT Board

(4/8/02) Two new Directors joined NCAT’s Board for its quarterly meeting held in Washington, DC at the end of February. These new additions bring the Board of Directors to 16 members.

One of NCAT’s new board members, Lolita Ross, is Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Community Action Agencies, located in Jackson, Mississippi. In this capacity she implements and directs the Association’s programs, which include training and technical assistance for the agencies in the state, as well as providing information to the state legislature on community action issues and acting as a liaison between local community action agencies and state and federal agencies. Prior to her current position Ms. Ross worked as an Associate Planner for the City of Jackson Redevelopment Authority and as a Program Analyst for the Mississippi Center for Technology Transfer.

NCAT’s other new board member, Henry Knawls, is Division Chief for the Community & Senior Services Department of the County of Los Angeles. Mr. Knawls has over 30 years experience administering public and private grant funded programs in Los Angeles County. He began his career with a private Community Action Agency that received Federal monies to alleviate poverty in the County. He joined County government in 1972 where he has held various management positions over employment, homeless, domestic violence, dispute resolution, delinquency prevention, substance abuse, telecommunications and energy conservation programs. Mr. Knawls directed a service delivery system that included over 100 non-profit agencies in the County. As an advocate for low-income households, Mr. Knawls has served on several statewide boards.

NCAT’s diverse national Board of Directors is made up of professionals in the fields of energy, housing, resources and environment, and human services. The full Board convenes four times each year, with at least one meeting at NCAT’s Butte, Montana headquarters and another meeting held in Washington, DC. The next meeting of the NCAT Board of Directors is scheduled for July 12-13, 2002 in Butte.

Energy Affordability and Accessibility Website Launched

(4/1/02) NCAT is launching a new website this week to showcase its National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project (NEAAP).

The NEAAP website is a resource tool for residential energy consumers, policy makers and energy service providers on utility restructuring and its impacts on low- and moderate-income households. It has been designed to address questions from the following:

Residential consumers who want to know the status of energy restructuring in their states (both electricity and natural gas), and what consumer rights and protections are available to them;
Residential consumers who want to access programs in their states that will help make their energy bills more affordable and/or their homes more energy efficient;
Residential consumers trying to make sense of what’s happening with energy in their states, regardless of restructuring status;
Policy makers or energy providers wondering about the impacts of energy restructuring or energy market changes on the households they represent or serve.

The website has three components especially geared toward consumers: a state restructuring profile that features state-by-state overviews on the status of restructuring, customer choice, and consumer protections; a state energy programs profile that details programs for both low-income and non-low-income residential consumers, and a news and analysis section that monitors state restructuring developments that impact consumers.Other features of the website are a "clickable" state restructuring map allowing users to quickly view their state’s restructuring status (both electricity and natural gas), a detailed listing of other helpful restructuring websites, and a glossary of restructuring terms. In the coming months, NCAT will launch another website component, an "online journal," that will feature special in-depth studies, articles and analysis from national experts on restructuring.

NEAAP is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation.

More New Publications for Farmers

(3/25/02) NCAT has released a number of new publications over the past several months, designed to help farmers learn more about renewable energy, sustainable agricultural practices and value-added products. Many of the new publications have been developed through NCAT’s Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project. NCAT is making new titles available both in print and online through various project websites, to serve the widest possible audience.

One ATTRA publication that has recently been updated is Organic Potting Mixes, a Horticulture Technical Note by Program Specialists George Kuepper & Katherine Adam that was released in February 2002. This title is one of a number of ATTRA publications that address organic production. With new federal organic production standards scheduled to be fully implemented in October of this year, references that are consistent with the new rule are especially valuable to agricultural producers.

Organic Potting Mixes has been updated with some fresh scientific information, and is in adherence to the National Organic Program's Final Rule requirements. The subject of organic potting mix is especially important because it addresses a specific need in the organic community at this time. Organically grown seedlings and transplants are now required for all organic production. With few commercial sources available, farmers who have never grown transplants before will now need to grow their own or contract for someone else to do it according to the federal standard. Information on organic growing media will be essential, and this new publication is an important step toward addressing that need. The publication is currently available in hard copy from ATTRA and as a PDF file.

Another new ATTRA publication is Sustainable Goat Production: Meat Goats. This Livestock Production Guide by Program Specialist Linda Coffey was also released in February 2002. It joins several related publications on other aspects of sustainable goat production. This publication explores how meat goat enterprises can fit in with other agricultural production, how goats can aid in noxious weed control, and how the meat product can be marketed. Case studies of meat goat operations in Missouri and Montana are included.

Several other interesting new titles and updated publications will be forthcoming this Spring.

New Solar-powered Livestock Watering Publications Available

(3/18/02) As part of its work demonstrating agricultural uses of solar power and distributing information on renewable energy, NCAT has released two new Energy Briefs. Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems and Freeze Protection for Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems are both designed to introduce Montana farmers and ranchers to solar livestock watering technology, and help them understand how to design and maintain systems.

The Energy Briefs are part of a solar project made possible by Universal System Benefits Charge funding from Montana Power Company. The Energy Briefs are available in PDF format online, and print copies of the documents are being distributed by NCAT to interested livestock growers across the state. To obtain a printed copy of either title, contact Program Specialist Mike Morris.

Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems highlights the advantages of a solar livestock watering system for remote or off-grid pumping. Remote watering helps livestock have greater access to forage, and can help to reduce livestock pressure on riparian areas. Solar powered pumping systems can be cost effective over time, particularly for areas far from utility lines, and when the maintenance and long-term expense of petroleum-powered generator options are considered. NCAT’s new 4-page Energy Brief provides an introduction to solar pumping, describing the components of the technology and how a system is designed and installed. The publication includes six case studies of solar-powered pumping systems installed on Montana livestock operations in conjunction with NCAT’s Ag Solar project. The case studies include system details and costs for each solar installation.

The other new Energy Brief, Freeze Protection for Solar-powered Livestock Watering Systems, addresses two considerations for solar pumping systems: winterizing summer-use-only systems, and planning system design to allow for winter use of solar pumping. While solar electric technology is good for pumping water, it’s not as good for electric resistance heating to prevent watering stations from freezing in winter. This publication provides several suggestions for keeping watering tanks open and keeping storage tanks from freezing, in order to make solar-powered stock watering systems effective all year.

These new publications from NCAT join several other titles and projects that are helping to make renewable energy sources a viable, accessible and understandable option for agricultural operations.

New Resources for Sustainable Agriculture

(3/11/02) As Spring arrives across the United States, farmers have a number of new publications available to help guide them in practicing more sustainable agriculture. Over the past several months, NCAT has developed and released several new titles, and updated some of its existing works. For the next several weeks, this space will be highlighting new references that NCAT is making available to farmers. We’ll begin with some of the publications from NCAT’s Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project.

ATTRA offers free technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, market gardeners, extension agents, agricultural organizations, researchers, educators, agribusinesses, and others involved with U.S. commercial agriculture. ATTRA makes available more than one hundred different publications on a wide range of topics related to sustainable agriculture. Demand for the print versions of these publications is at record high levels, and many are also accessible through the ATTRA website in PDF format.

One new title this season is Nutrient Cycling in Pastures, a Livestock Series Guide compiled by Program Specialist Barbara Bellows. This publication, released in December 2001, is designed to help the reader understand the unique components of water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles and how these cycles interact with one another. This helps the reader monitor pastures for breakdowns in nutrient cycling processes and identify and implement pasture management practices to optimize the efficiency of nutrient cycling.

In the Current Topics area, Organic Field Corn Production is a 16-page brief prepared by Program Specialist George Kuepper in January 2002. This publication details how corn can be one crop in an integrated organic production system. Another Current Topic publication also released in January 2002 is Organic Small Grain Production, by Program Specialist Preston Sullivan. This 5-page document discusses and provides references on how organic small grain growers maintain soil health, supply plant nutrients, and minimize insects, weeds and diseases.

Sun4Schools Demonstration Project Accepts Applications

(3/4/02) NCAT's successful Sun4Schools demonstration project is currently accepting applications from Montana schools interested in generating electricity from the sun and incorporating solar energy curriculum.

In this, the third year of the Sun4Schools project, five middle and high schools in Montana Power Company's service area will be selected to receive two kilowatt, grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems at no cost. The project is funded by the Universal System Benefits Charge, or USBC - paid by Montana Power Company customers.Each school PV system will generate about 3,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. The systems will be utility-intertied, which means the electricity they produce can be fed into the utility grid, in effect running the meter backward. Participating schools will be able to monitor their system’s performance through an Internet-based metering system. In addition, a solar energy curriculum developed for the project will be provided to each participating school and to other schools that request it.There have been 17 previous solar system installations in Montana under the Sun4Schools project, in large and small towns, and large and small schools. Schools across the state have qualified to have panels installed, and have been able to observe and compare their systems' performance through an NCAT-hosted Internet site. Instructors participating in the program have called it "a rewarding and educational experience," and noted that the demonstration project has interested community members in general, as well as students.In addition to its popularity in local communities, NCAT's Sun4Schools project is also becoming well-known outside of Montana. NCAT’s Sustainable Energy staff members have received numerous requests for information on the project from other states looking to implement a similar project.

In the 2002 round of Sun4Schools, the five available systems will be awarded to qualifying schools on a first-come, first-served basis. Schools must be Montana Power customers, and have a roof that is adaptable for installing solar panels with open southern exposure. For application information, contact Cathy Svejkovsky by emailing: cathys at ncat dot org.

New Project to Expand Markets for Southwest Small-Scale, Alternative and Minority Producers

(2/25/02) NCAT has recently received a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in support of a project to expand markets for small farmers in the Four Corners region of the United States. The project ultimately seeks to increase the number and viability of farms, ranches and food enterprises in the area. The goal of the project is to ensure that new, existing, and prospective Southwest producers—especially small-scale, alternative, and minority producers—have the connections with others, technical and financial assistance, marketing information, business and marketing skills, and peer examples needed to improve their marketing success as a means to improve their profitability, viability, and numbers.

The Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico is characterized by very small, isolated agricultural producers, high poverty rates, and a challenging climate. A previous project assessing the needs of the area identified distance to markets as a key issue, and recommended creation of a regional marketing network. In this project NCAT will be establishing a marketing network in the Southwest, and increasing regional marketing expertise and opportunities. The project will focus on the Four Corners area and the American Indian and Hispanic communities throughout the region.

To improve agriculture and marketing systems in the region, the project will take a non-traditional, co-learning approach using methods such as systems processes, small training workshops, skills-building, networking, direct capacity-building, mentoring, utilization of local and outside experts, and participatory research and evaluation. The project will develop a marketing network supported by an Annual Small Farm and Ranch Marketing Conference, newsletter and website. Resource databases of agricultural organizations, local food projects and regional resources and expertise will be developed. The project will provide marketing training responsive to the region’s needs, provide regional marketing research, and foster several on-the-ground marketing projects to serve as models.

An impressive steering committee of experts from local and regional institutions has been assembled to help guide and implement the project, and a diverse group of collaborators already identified in the four-state area will comprise a nucleus for the marketing network. NCAT will act as the lead institution for the project. NCAT’s Four Corners coordinator in Colorado, Jim Dyer, will act as project director and provide "on-the-ground" work. Teresa Maurer, Program Manager for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, will coordinate technical assistance from NCAT.

NCAT Fosters Sustainability Alliance

(2/18/02) As part of its commitment to fostering community-level sustainability, NCAT has been one of the organizations supporting the development of the fledgling Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana. This young group, now embarking on its first projects, is the outgrowth of a conference co-sponsored by NCAT in September 2000.

The Spirit, Commerce and Sustainability Conference, held in Missoula, Montana, brought inspiring speakers including Paul Hawken, Alan AtKisson, and Rev. Nancy Wright to the community. The conference also showcased the work of many other people involved in the various aspects of sustainability locally and regionally. Many of the conference attendees organized into working groups based on the themes of the event. These working groups continued to meet regularly, long after the conference ended, and became the catalyst for the formation of a new alliance devoted to sustainability in the region.

The Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana provides a forum for organizations and individuals devoted to sustainability to cooperate in advancing their cause. The Alliance aids in communication between existing groups, and provides a framework for collaborative efforts. After long months of work by dedicated volunteers, the Sustainability Alliance has crafted a set of by-laws, elected its first coordinating council, and obtained a grant from CONCERN, Inc. to support its first projects.

As one of its first endeavors, the Alliance is conducting a sustainable community asset mapping project. Alliance members are identifying key people and organizations in Missoula and Western Montana doing the work of sustainability. This process is also assessing the possibility of putting on a leadership forum of people working on sustainability related projects.

Alliance members are also working on a brown bag series with the Missoula Public Library and its "Libraries Build Sustainable Communities" project during the month of April. Topics and displays will look at voluntary simplicity, organic gardening, climate change and home energy efficiency, transportation alternatives and sustainable business practices. The Alliance also has a lively listserv, a website under construction, and a Montana sustainability e-newsletter planned.

NCAT is pleased to be playing an important role in supporting local community sustainability efforts in the region where it has been based since 1976.

NCAT Helps Montana Residents Catch Wind Energy

(2/11/02) Over the past year an NCAT project has helped install eight residential-scale wind machines in Montana. Through this project funded by Universal Systems Benefit Charges from Montana Power Company, NCAT is able to offer qualifying landowners financial assistance for the installation of wind generating systems on their properties.

In order to qualify for the wind energy grant program, applicants must have at least an acre of land to house the machine, and be a Montana Power Company customer. The applicants design their own wind power system, and if the proposal is approved by NCAT the grant pays about one-third of the cost of system installation. After the eight successful installations this past year, NCAT is looking for additional participants in the program.The residential wind systems in this program are hooked to the power grid. When the machines generate electricity it is supplied to the power grid, making owners’ electric meters run backward. Meanwhile, Montana Power Company is able to supply electricity on days when the wind isn’t blowing. Residential-scale wind generators are smaller than the generators used by utilities and are able to operate at lower windspeeds. One program participant commented that his 70-foot high windmill with 11-foot blades makes the same amount of noise as a dishwasher. Although the installation of a wind system represents a significant investment of around $20,000 for the landowners even with the incentive program, the machines may generate enough electricity to pay for themselves in about ten years.

Montana offers an excellent wind resource, and NCAT’s energy grant project should help to pave the way for the installation of more residential wind systems in the state. NCAT provides extensive wind resource information on the Montana wind resource through its Montana Green Power website. The website also offers extensive information on wind power generation and links to helpful small-scale wind resources.

Montana Solar Initiative Reaches out to Consumers

(2/4/02) NCAT is helping to develop and strengthen demand for clean solar energy and remove market barriers to the solar energy industry as part of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, a national program that started in June 1997. The goal is to install one million solar energy systems across America by 2010.

The Montana Solar Initiative supports the national Million Solar Roofs Initiative by using local resources and creating local partnerships to help consumers who are looking for information about solar energy and solar power systems. The Montana effort also seeks to aid and strengthen the Montana solar industry. There are currently two dozen renewable energy businesses in the state.

Montana’s share of the national initiative is to install 1,000 systems by the year 2010. However, to focus activities in the short term, the aim is to promote the installation of at least 100 new systems by the end of this year. NCAT’s part in the effort is to supply potential solar energy users with information on technical and financial resources. That information package includes "Montana Solar House – A Guide to Adding Solar to Your Home," a list of Montana Renewable Energy Businesses, plus a reference to the Montana Green Power website.

NCAT has been mailing the information packet to people who respond to ads placed in daily and weekly Montana newspapers. The same information is available to people who respond to news about the initiative through a number of Montana "green groups." The directors of those groups have been asked to inform their members, through newsletters and other means, about the initiative and the availability of information. There is no charge for the solar guide and other material.

On another front, NCAT has offered to make the same information available to customers of Montana’s 26 rural electric cooperatives and to answer customer questions about solar energy. NCAT has also asked Montana renewable energy dealers to provide case studies about people using solar, wind, micro-hydro in the state. These stories are posted on the green power website. The dealers have also been asked to provide information on solar installations to be included in the Million Solar Roofs registry.

"Tools for Better Building" Completed

(1/28/02) The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has released "Tools for Better Building: A Practical Guide to Reducing Waste & Improving Efficiency," as the culmination of a project in which NCAT was a key collaborator. The Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) Demonstration Project headed by Montana DEQ received funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify, demonstrate and document strategies for reducing resource use and waste in residential construction in Montana. A number of collaborators have cooperated in the project over the course of the past three years: Montana Department of Environmental Quality Pollution Prevention Bureau, the Montana State University Extension Service Pollution Prevention Program, the Montana Building Industry Association, and NCAT’s Center for Resourceful Building Technology.

In the course of the CCAP Demonstration Project, NCAT identified twelve key resource efficient construction products and resource efficient construction techniques that were readily applicable in the mainstream residential construction market in Montana, and that could significantly reduce resource use and waste compared to standard residential construction practices. NCAT assembled information on these materials and strategies. Montana DEQ and the Montana Building Industry Association then conducted a survey of Montana builders and architects to identify those who were already using resource efficient materials and methods.

Using the results of the survey, NCAT staff members conducted months of interviews and construction site visits, to document resource efficient construction as applied across the state, in completed, ongoing, and planned projects. In "Tools for Better Building" the documentation is assembled into case studies that are combined with background information on each material and technique to create a series of fact sheets. Each Montana-specific fact sheet is supplemented by a national fact sheet and national case studies. These national fact sheets were supplied through agreements with the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, the Efficient Windows Collaborative, and Clean Washington Center. Montana DEQ compiled images and text supplied by NCAT to create the "Tools for Better Building" package. This toolkit will be used by project collaborators as a resource for builder training and continuing education programs in Montana.

Sustainable Agriculture Conference Features NCAT Staff

(1/22/02) NCAT staff members from the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project will play important roles in the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group 2002 Conference, "Practical Tools & Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms." The conference is slated for January 25-27, 2002 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

The Southern SAWG Conference is a three-day event created by and for farmers, researchers, advocates, youth, and others who support sustainable agriculture, to provide practical tools and solutions to help improve the sustainability of farming. NCAT staff members will be involved in putting on the conference, as support personnel, hosts, tour organizers and featured speakers.

In particular, the conference’s two major field trip offerings have been arranged and will be conducted by NCAT’s ATTRA specialists. The featured livestock field trip will include an intensive grazing management and holistic livestock health practices lab, led by Ron Morrow and Ann Wells, well-recognized grazing experts with the ATTRA project. NCAT Agriculture program specialist Linda Coffey will contribute with a presentation on Multispecies Grazing, while Michelle Thomas will speak on Dung Beetles, and beneficial soil activity. Meanwhile, NCAT specialist George Kuepper, who is especially active in NCAT’s work with organics, created the educational program on "What Makes a Farm Organic" for a concurrent field trip to Shinbone Valley Farm.

NCAT staff members will also be integrally involved in events at the conference site itself. Aside from the staff who will assist with registration and exhibit an ATTRA project display, NCAT’s Jim Lukens currently serves as President of the SSAWG Board of Directors, and will be hosting conference events. NCAT staff have also been involved in planning a workshop on genetically engineered crops in conjunction with the Southern Region Sustainable Ag Research and Education – Professional Development Program, scheduled to take place at the start of the conference.

In addition, during the conference program specialist Ann Wells will speak on "Herd Health," and program specialist Anne Fanatico will facilitating the Day Range Poultry Production session of the conference.

See detailed information on the 2002 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Conference.

Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development Website Enters Eighth Year of Operation

(1/14/02) NCAT has recently extended its agreement with the US Department of Energy to manage the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development Website (CESD). The CESD website, which appears online at www.smartcommunities.ncat.org, is widely recognized as a leading reference for sustainable development information. The comprehensive CESD site contains more than 4,000 pages, including news and events, case studies of various aspects of sustainable development, and background information on land use planning, transportation, energy efficiency, green building, financing, and other sustainability topics.

NCAT first contracted with DOE to produce the CESD website in 1995, when the information available consisted of a searchable database of organizations and agencies related to sustainable development. Today, after seven years of NCAT operation, several major site redesigns and substantial site development to accommodate the expanding amount of information available, the CESD website is a much larger entity. Now the CESD website presents not only a database of more than 1000 records, but also extensive annotated and hot-linked listings of resources and references on fourteen specific topic areas. Case studies, or success stories, are offered for each topic area. A significant portion of the CESD website has also been translated into Spanish.NCAT has received a number of accolades for the CESD website. A professor at the California Polytechnic State University recently stated that "This has to be the best web site on the planet for matters related to sustainability." In December 2001 the CESD website was named one of the Top Ten Planning Websites on the internet by the Open Directory Project. The Project is the core directory service for the Web's largest search engines.

Five NCAT staff members work regularly on the CESD website, researching and updating daily news, coming events, and funding opportunities sections, as well as reviewing and adding general topic area content, and producing a monthly e-newsletter that is sent to more than 2,400 subscribers. Under its current agreement with DOE, NCAT will update and maintain the CESD website in 2002. The project, which was previously the purview of DOE’s Denver Regional Office, is now overseen by DOE’s Office of Building Technology, State and Community Programs in Washington, DC.

NCAT Plans for a New Year

(1/7/02) As NCAT enters 2002, its twenty-sixth year of championing sustainable technologies, the organization plans to continue to serve the public with a wide array of new and ongoing projects and programs. Many of NCAT’s popular and well-known projects will continue in 2002, while a number of new projects will be introduced.

Some of the wide-ranging NCAT projects that have recently received funding that will allow them to continue in the coming year are Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development Website, the Montana Green Power website, the Public Housing Energy Efficiency Clearinghouse, and solar and wind power initiatives. Several other NCAT projects will continue during 2002 under multi-year funding previously received. These include the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, Affordable Sustainability Technical Assistance, Streams as Living Laboratories, and the Montana Rivers project. For more information on these projects, see the Current Projects sections of NCAT’s program areas.

NCAT is also looking forward to launching some new projects in the coming months. In the near future, we will be implementing a comprehensive irrigation efficiency program in Montana in conjunction with Montana Power Company. NCAT staff members will also be working with other nonprofits in the Missoula area to foster development of the new Sustainability Alliance of Western Montana and begin planning for a sustainability summit. In addition, within the next few months NCAT will unveil a new website called Green Tree that will introduce architecture and construction students to resource efficient building materials and guide them in the process of making building product decisions. In 2002 NCAT will also be expanding its California office, opened in 2001, and increasing its sustainable agriculture outreach to minority communities through a variety of projects.

NCAT also has a number of other exciting new projects in the planning stages, and we look forward to announcing these projects as they come about. Check back to this website frequently for news about our new endeavors and the success and recognition that all our projects achieve this year!

2001 News Archive

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NCAT News Archive for 2002

THE NCAT MISSION Helping People by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.

THE NCAT MISSION
Helping People by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.