(12/29/03) NCAT staff members not only spend their working hours championing worthwhile causes, but many also volunteer time in support of their communities. NCAT's Montana employees participate in workplace giving programs for both United Way and Montana Shares. For many years employees in the Butte, Montana, office have participated in the Mining City Christmas program. This year the staff collected funds to provide gifts and groceries for two area families.

More than two dozen NCAT employees reported volunteering during the past year. Some staff members volunteer for organizations that align closely with their work at NCAT, including Arkansas Farm Community Alliance, Montana Renewable Energy Association, Montana Electricity Buying Cooperative, Jefferson River Watershed Council, Ozark Natural Foods, Northwest Arkansas Society of Professional Journalists, Citizen Advocates for a Livable Missoula, Missoula Urban Demonstration Project, and Fayetteville Farmers' Market. In addition, NCAT staff support protection of natural resources by donating their time to the National Wildlife Federation, Alliance for Wild Rockies, USDA Forest Service Butte District, Clark Fork River Technical Assistance Committee, Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund, Trout Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Federation of Fly Fishers.

Some employees are active in local government and community development, by serving as board members or citizen volunteers for efforts including Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Silas Hunt Community Development Corporation, Lee County Technology Centers Network, Downtown Fayetteville Master Plan Committee, Town Mountain South Neighborhood Association, Keep Fayetteville Clean and Green, Fayetteville Council of Neighborhoods, and EdTech Credit Union.

Staff members also support a wide range of community service organizations and efforts to promote community health, such as Habitat for Humanity, Kiwanis Club, Fayetteville Battered Women's Shelter, Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, United Way, Montana Shares, Highlands Hospice, St. James Healthcare, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Red Cross blood donation and 15-90 Search & Rescue. A number of employees report volunteering for their churches, as well.

Finally, NCAT employees volunteer in support of youth activities and community sports. Staff members volunteered for schools, devoting time to speech and debate, band, basketball coaching and refereeing, and the Butte High Chemical Free Graduation Party, as well as the Retired Teachers scholarship committee. Staff also supported youth activities such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and FFA, Special Olympics and VH1 Save the Music. Employees also devoted their time to Montana Motocross Association, Butte Hockey Club, the Hogeye Marathon, MT Tech Women's Basketball, and Nordic Ski and Tennis clubs.

NCAT Helps to Promote a Better World

(12/22/03) As each year draws to a close, we at NCAT like to reflect on some of our nonprofit's activities that contribute to making the world a better place. In addition to the major initiatives detailed in past news stories and on the web pages of our three program areas, the organization is also involved in a range of other activities that deserve recognition.

NCAT is an active supporter of a number of coalitions that align with the organization's work and interests. For example, NCAT is a member of the Northwest Energy Coalition, an alliance of more than 100 environmental, civic and human service organizations, progressive utilities and businesses that promotes energy conservation and renewable energy resources, consumer and low-income protection and fish and wildlife restoration. NCAT is also a partner organization in the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, dedicated to educating the public on the importance of a sustainable food and agriculture system that is economically viable, environmentally sound, socially just, and humane. In addition, NCAT is a member of and supports the work of both the Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group and the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group.

NCAT was a founding member of the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, and also helped to launch the Montana Renewable Energy Association. NCAT is also a member of the International Association of Sustainability Businesses and Organizations, and helped host a gathering of that group in Montana this fall. In 2003 NCAT was co-sponsor for a number of conferences and trainings, including an organic training in Montana, the "Under the Big Sky Greening Conference," the South Regional Meeting of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, and the 3rd Harvesting Clean Energy Conference. NCAT is also a charter member of the Montana Nonprofit Association.

In 2003 NCAT also continued its long-time support of youth and education by sponsoring a Sustainable Energy Award at the Montana State Science Fair and providing the opportunity for more than a dozen interns to work alongside NCAT staff in the organization's Arkansas and Montana offices. In addition to students, NCAT also helps others transition into the workplace by participating in programs such as AFLCIO Project Challenge Work Again and Experience Works, as well as working with the Human Resource Development Council. NCAT is proud to lend its support to a diverse group of efforts to make the world better!

NCAT Continues to Promote Local Food Connections

(12/15/03) NCAT is pleased to announce the latest milestone in the organization's work to support healthy local and sustainable farm economies by promoting local food purchasing. Bringing Local Food to Local People: A Resource Guide for Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs is a new publication released by NCAT's ATTRA project.

This 28-page publication provides farmers, school administrators, and institutional food-service planners with contact information and descriptions of a wide range of local food programs across the country. These listings offer examples of existing programs that have successfully made connections between local farmers and local school lunchrooms, college dining halls, or cafeterias in other institutions. To help communities and institutions elsewhere initiate similar programs, this publication includes several useful tools: resource lists of publications on how to initiate and manage local food programs, a directory of funding and technical assistance sources, and a listing of provisions of the 2002 Farm Bill that specifically support farm-to-school and other community food programs.

Print copies of the publication are available free of charge to farmers, agricultural educators and other agriculture professionals. An electronic version of the publication is available to the public for free download as a PDF file, from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website.

The new publication is just one of NCAT's efforts to connect food service operations with local suppliers. During 2003 NCAT participated in an All-Ozark meal project that highlighted regional farm products with cooking demonstrations and special meals at restaurants in the Fayetteville, Arkansas, area. Meanwhile NCAT's California office has conducted several projects aimed at helping minority farmers work toward selling their farm produce to institutions such as Stanford University's food service program. NCAT's Montana headquarters has become involved in local food as well, incorporating local products and specialties into refreshments served at NCAT events.

NCAT Invests in Energy Efficiency Tools

(12/8/03) NCAT has recently acquired some tools that will help the organization in its work to improve the energy efficiency of homes. Two pieces of equipment, a blower door and a duct blaster, provide means for measuring actual air leakage in completed homes. Meanwhile a new software program can help NCAT's energy specialists predict homes' energy performance based on plans and specifications.

These energy tools are valuable for NCAT's certified Home Energy Raters, who are available to help homeowners or developers achieve Energy Star ratings for their residential building projects. In addition, the new tools are helping NCAT complete a project aimed at increasing the number of Energy Star homes built in Montana. Using the new equipment, NCAT can verify that homes meet the Energy Star performance standards. NCAT will also be using the equipment and software to help train Builder Option Package (BOP) inspectors in the organization's new role as a certified BOP provider. (See NCAT Accredited to Help Apply Energy Efficient Home Standards.)

NCAT's new tools can provide home designers, builders and owners with some very specific information that helps improve energy performance. The TECTITE software program runs an analysis of a house's specifications to predict thermal performance and air leakage under normal and extreme atmospheric conditions. The program is especially useful for demonstrating to builders how addressing common air leakage sites during construction of a building can make a dramatic impact in the structure's energy performance.

When construction is completed, the duct blaster equipment is used to pressurize the heating and/or cooling duct work in a forced-air system, revealing where conditioned air may be leaking from the seams or fittings of the duct system. Energy Star requirements for homes specify that no more than 6% of the volume of air carried by the ducts may be lost from the system. This helps ensure that heated or cooled air is delivered to where it is needed within the home's living space.

The blower door equipment performs a similar air leakage test, but on the house as a whole. When a test is run, an exterior door of the house is replaced with a fan assembly that pulls air out of the house. It is then possible to identify locations where and how much outside air is infiltrating the structure. If necessary, energy specialists can offer recommendations on how to seal air leaks to bring homes up to Energy Star performance standards.

New Website Fosters Small Poultry Businesses

(12/1/03) NCAT has been working with Heifer International on a project to help farmers as they establish or expand small poultry businesses. In this poultry project, the organizations developed educational materials for use across the nation and carried out project activities in several southern states. Now NCAT is making the results of that work widely available through a new website, Sustainable Poultry.

Many small poultry farmers focus on natural or pasture-based poultry production and would like to expand operations. Since consolidation in agriculture and meat processing has left few small plants, the small farmers have little access to slaughter facilities. NCAT and its collaborators Heifer International and Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture have developed informational materials and business tools that help poultry farmers who want to grow their business or perhaps become involved in poultry processing.

Growing Your Range Poultry Business: An Entrepreneur’s Toolbox focuses on feasibility issues that look at personal and family considerations, as well as marketing, production, and economic issues. In addition, NCAT developed and produced Small-Scale Poultry Processing to provide technical information for processing in small plants. These publications are just some of the materials available on the new Sustainable Poultry website.

The website also offers links to NCAT's ATTRA project publications on sustainable poultry production, processing, and marketing. Reports on a pasture poultry project, NCAT's work with the French Label Rouge marketing system, and poultry entrepreneurship also appear online. Information on Heifer International's work developing a Mobile Processing Unit for use by Kentucky poultry producers is included. An online collection of images related to the French Label Rouge certification program is part of the site as well.

As free-range, organic and other specialized poultry increases in popularity, NCAT is pleased to be able to offer producers easy online access to information on producing, processing and marketing sustainable poultry.

NCAT Accredited to Help Apply Energy Efficient Home Standards

(11/24/03) NCAT has recently achieved accreditation from RESNET, the Residential Energy Services Network, as a Builder Option Package Provider. NCAT is the only accredited Provider in Montana under this national program.

Builder Option Packages, known as "BOPs" are a series of prescriptive standards developed by EPA that builders can use to demonstrate compliance to the national ENERGY STAR Homes program standard. ENERGY STAR qualified homes are independently verified to be at least 30% more energy efficient than homes built to the 1993 national Model Energy Code, based on heating, cooling and hot water energy use. The energy savings are typically achieved through a combination of building envelope upgrades, high performance windows, controlled air infiltration, and energy-efficient home systems. BOPs specify performance levels for the thermal envelope, insulation, windows, orientation, HVAC system and water heating efficiency that meet the ENERGY STAR standard for a specific climate zone.

In order to verify that homes built using BOPs meet the ENERGY STAR standard, they are evaluated and, if necessary, tested by trained inspectors. A BOP Provider is nationally accredited to oversee BOP Inspectors and issue the certification for homes that meet the Energy Star standard.

NCAT was accredited as a BOP Provider by RESNET using criteria based upon the Mortgage Industry National Home Energy Rating System Accreditation Standard. BOP Providers are charged with training and certifying inspectors in building science and energy testing practices, and developing procedures for inspection of homes. Requirements to become a BOP provider typically include building science and weatherization training, as well as training concerning blower door and duct leakage equipment usage. Organizations seeking to become BOP Providers undergo review by RESNET. NCAT has passed that review, and become an accredited BOP Provider.

As an accredited Provider, NCAT is listed by RESNET on the National Registry of Accredited Providers, and is one of only eight organizations in the United States who currently have that honor.

NCAT to Co-Sponsor Organic Agriculture Training

(11/17/03) NCAT is one of the co-sponsors for a training session on organic agriculture, to be held in Great Falls, Montana on December 3 and 4. The two-day training is geared for a broad audience of extension agents and specialists, resource conservationists, other agriculture educators, farmers and ranchers, and interested members of the general public.

Organic agriculture is the fastest-growing sector of U.S. agriculture, and Montana ranks near the top nationally for total organically certified acreage, counting both pasture and cropland. Given these facts, it's important for Montana's agricultural professionals to be well informed about the regulations that govern organic production and the principles and practices used in organic agriculture. The training session will bring a slate of researchers, farmers and ranchers, and organic educators to Montana to share their expertise in organic production. Trainers from across Montana, the Pacific Northwest, Minnesota and Alberta will participate in the event, better equipping Montanans to engage in organic production themselves or offer organic producers technical assistance and support.

NCAT sustainable agriculture program specialist Nancy Matheson has been involved in planning and organizing the event. Many of the instructional materials that will be distributed at the training were produced by NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project.

The training is sponsored by the Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO), the Montana Natural Resources Conservation Service office, Montana State University's Cooperative Extension Service, the Montana Department of Agriculture, and the Independent Organic Inspectors Association, in addition to NCAT. There is no charge to attend the session, though pre-registration is required. For information or to register, call AERO in Helena at (406) 443-7272.

NCAT Director Addresses International Renewable Energy Roundtable

(11/10/03) Executive Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology Kathy Hadley was one of the presenters at a renewable energy roundtable held in Washington, D.C. on October 23. "Approaches - Challenges - Potentials: A German-American Roundtable on State Initiatives for Renewable Energy" was sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Heinrich Böll Foundation North America and the National Wildlife Federation. The expert workshop focused on state initiatives to promote renewable energy in Germany and the United States and the role of federal-state interaction in the promotion of renewable energy.

Hadley, who in addition to her NCAT duties is a member of the National Wildlife Federation Board of Directors, was invited to open the conference with a brief overview of individual state initiatives for renewable energy in the United States. Her presentation cited a number of examples of state leadership in promoting renewable energy adoption, ranging from state renewable energy portfolio standards to state-sponsored grant and incentive programs for consumers. Hadley also touched briefly on some of the renewable energy projects that NCAT has fostered in the state of Montana, as further examples of initiatives that involve state government working in conjunction with utilities and non-governmental organizations.

Specifically, NCAT is involved in renewable energy projects that have helped assess the wind resource in Montana, offered incentives for installation of wind and solar electric energy systems, and installed solar electric systems on public buildings such as schools and fire stations. In addition, NCAT is working with farmers and ranchers in Montana to demonstrate how renewable energy generation can produce revenue, as well as provide power that helps improve land management practices.

The Washington workshop was arranged to coincide with a visit by Ms. Bärbel Höhn, Secretary for Environment, Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, to the United States. Her visit sought to establish connections with officials, business and civil society representatives engaged in renewable energy to exchange information and explore opportunities for collaboration. Hadley commented that the meeting offered interesting insight into German states' strong commitment to fostering the development and application of renewable energy.

Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Program Holds Planning Session

(11/3/03) At the end of October, more than 30 NCAT managers and program and technical specialists gathered in Fayetteville, Arkansas for a two-day program planning session. Fourteen staff members from NCAT's Montana and California offices were able to join their Arkansas colleagues for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development (SARD) program planning.

The meeting fulfilled several objectives. First, SARD staff members were able to offer input on the 2004 work plan for NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project. Working in small groups and as a whole, meeting participants then identified initiatives for the SARD program to pursue over the next three years, and prioritized projects for 2004. Project "champions" were named to spearhead the development of each priority project.

In addition to advancing program planning, the meeting also allowed an opportunity for staff from offices in scattered locations to get to know each other better, and have face-to-face meetings on ongoing project work. Several recently hired staff members were introduced to their remote program colleagues for the first time.

During the activity-filled planning session, SARD professional staff identified initiatives to pursue in the fields of international sustainable agriculture, organics, family farm viability, farm energy, information technology and outreach. Issues of food security, urban agriculture, and serving low-income and underserved populations of both farmers and food consumers were also raised at the meeting, and work groups will be addressing many of these topics over the long term.

The planning session was held at the beautiful and historic Mount Sequoyah Center in Fayetteville, where attendees had a chance to enjoy fall colors and a view over the city. Staff members at the meeting also enjoyed a selection of locally grown fruits and vegetables, and many out-of-town staff took the opportunity to visit the homes and farms of their local colleagues and tour area landmarks.

Fayetteville Office Reports Fall Happenings

(10/27/03) The NCAT office in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has a lot to be excited about this fall. The specialists who work in the ATTRA project's sustainable agriculture information service continue their production of new publications, including several by George Kuepper concerning organic certification, production and handling that will be announced to Cooperative Extension agents and organic certifiers in November and December. The All Ozark Meal project, led by Julia Sampson, has been an unqualified success, introducing local products to local consumers and prompting more local restaurants to support local farmers. Publications across the country are increasingly turning to NCAT agriculture specialists and ATTRA publications for articles and background research. Lance Gegner’s work on humane hog production appeared this fall in both “The Organic Broadcaster” and “American Small Farm,” and Steve Diver was cited in “LILPOH” for his work in biodynamic farming systems. And in a long-awaited development, Nana Mejia has come on-board as Technical Supervisor, to help coordinate the work of the Agronomy/Horticulture and Livestock teams.

George Kuepper’s timely and much-needed organics publications are indispensable tools for anyone making the transition to organic production, for Cooperative Extension Service personnel not familiar with rules and regulations under the new National Organic Program, and for organic certifiers themselves. These workbooks, checklists, and documentation forms will guide producers, Extension agents, and organic certifiers through all the steps and requirements for organic certification.

The All Ozark Meal project has been delightful, delectable, and a terrific boost to local sustainable farmers. Meals and cooking demonstrations—held at a variety of venues, from up-scale restaurants to church recreation centers—were, literally, sell-outs, and the local press gave them thorough coverage. Best of all, farmers reported a growing swell of interest from local restaurants.

Nana Mejia, who comes to us from Cooperative Extension in Colorado, has diverse overseas experience stemming from her work for USDA in Albania and Armenia. Her energy, intelligence, and enthusiasm have already made a mark on the Fayetteville office, where she will have responsibility for coordinating both many team activities and some operational facets of the ATTRA project.

NCAT Project Aids Installation of Montana Cooperative Wind Generators

(10/20/03) The first cooperatively-owned wind turbine in Montana was dedicated October 14 on a Stanford-area ranch. The project was made possible in part by NCAT's wind energy generation incentive program funded by NorthWestern Energy's Universal Systems Benefits (USB) charge paid by the company's electric customers.

Two other ten kilowatt systems are also being dedicated this month, at an East Glacier bison ranch and a Liberty County maintenance shop. The systems are all owned by Our Wind Cooperative, a unique cooperative investing in small-scale wind turbines on farms, ranches and rural facilities across the West. Initially supported with partial federal funding, Our Wind Co-op is creating low-risk opportunities to explore on-farm green power producer, distributor, ownership and marketing models supporting wind turbines supplying power for local loads. Our Wind plans to install six more wind turbines in the Northwest this fall. The cooperative will sell "Green Tags" based on the clean energy produced by the wind generating facilities.

The Stanford-area wind energy system dedicated this week will serve the ranch's energy needs, and excess power generated will be fed back into NorthWestern Energy's power grid.

This wind generator installation represents just one of the ways that NCAT is fostering renewable energy production and use by farmers and ranchers. For almost two years, NCAT's Ag-Energy Task Force has worked to coordinate the organization's sustainable energy and sustainable agriculture work. NCAT's emphasis in the field has been on identifying and fostering technologies that save farmers energy and money, or allow them to become involved in viable renewable energy production. Wind, solar and bio-product fuels, as well as farm energy efficiency are some of the areas where NCAT is offering informational publications or incentive programs. Both Energy and Agriculture program staff representing all NCAT offices are involved in the Ag-Energy effort.

NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Experts Speak in Diverse Venues

(10/14/03) NCAT's sustainable agriculture program specialists have a wealth of knowledge about a wide array of subjects. NCAT staff members are often invited to give presentations at field days, workshops and conferences across the country, to share information on their own particular expertise, or to let people know about the services and projects of NCAT's Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development program in general.

Some of the venues where NCAT staff have recently appeared or are speaking later this fall include the national Extension in Indian Reservations Program, two North Carolina workshops, and the Iowa Organic Conference.

On October 13, California program specialist Martin Guerena took an NCAT display to the Intertribal Agricultural Council Conference in Temecula, California. Guerena was also invited to give a presentation on the tools NCAT has to offer at the Extension in Indian Reservations Program (EIRP) meeting preceding the conference. EIRP agents are assigned to various Indian Reservations nationwide, on the front lines involving agriculture on reservations.

Also in October, program specialist Steve Diver will be one of the presenters for a North Carolina Workshop on "Using Compost and Compost Tea for Better Crops," to be held in Pittsboro. In November NCAT's Tim Johnson heads to North Carolina too, as one of the featured speakers for a workshop in Salisbury on "Opportunities for Value-Added Livestock Products." Johnson will speak specifically on researching market opportunities.

Meanwhile, four NCAT staff members have been invited to give presentations at the Iowa Organic Conference, held in November. At that event Holly Born will address organic poultry production and the economics of organics, while Steve Diver speaks on fruit production techniques and biological controls. Janet Bachmann will lead a session on organic flower production, and Preston Sullivan will speak about corn and soybean production.

These few events provide just a small sample of the many topics and venues where NCAT sustainable agriculture staff share their knowledge and represent the organization. NCAT's ATTRA project provides sustainable agriculture information to farmers and agency and Extension service personnel not only by telephone, online and in publications, but also face-to-face at field days, workshops and conferences. Whether the topic be goats or grazing, vegetable production or insect management, NCAT's sustainable agriculture specialists are ready to fill the bill.

NCAT Co-sponsors Sustainability Meeting

(10/6/03) NCAT was one of the sponsors for a meeting of the International Association of Sustainability Businesses and Organizations (IASBO) held September 26-28 in Missoula, Montana. NCAT has been active in the group for several years. Staff members have attended a number of previous IASBO gatherings, and were eager to help host a meeting in NCAT's home state.

Roughly 45 people attended the two-and-a-half day event, with nearly half of the participants coming from Washington and Oregon, one from as far away as Mexico City, and the remainder from Montana. The meeting opened with a walking tour of Missoula's historic downtown and visits to a sustainable, affordable housing development, an urban sustainability demonstration center, and a not-for-profit urban farm. Friday night participants gathered at the historic Florence Hotel for a delicious -- and sustainably sourced -- dinner.

Saturday and Sunday's presentations from local and regional experts looked at how sustainability could be--and is already being--integrated into the economy, government, and social equity. Highlights included overviews of Washington and Oregon's Sustainability Executive Orders, a look at the changing demographics of Montana's economy, a glimpse of Montana's possible hydrogen future, and a lively conversation about low-income housing and energy issues. In addition, Steve Loken, founder of the Center for Resourceful Building Technology (now an NCAT project) gave a presentation related to sustainability in building. Open space--a planned opportunity for networking and follow-up sessions--filled out a schedule that also included a field trip to the Missoula Farmers' Market, meals and breaks.

The International Association of Sustainability Businesses and Organizations (IASBO), was started in 2000 for the purpose of networking, support, collaboration and education. The IASBO gatherings typically draw a third of their participants from the business world, a third from nonprofits and a third from local, state and federal government agencies. The organization has met in locations around the Northwest, from Portland, Oregon to Whistler, British Columbia. This was the first IASBO meeting held in Montana. NCAT Sustainable Communities program manager Jeff Birkby and program specialist Mike Kustudia were part of the planning committee for the Missoula IASBO gathering, and NCAT hosted a conference break as part of its sponsorship. Other sponsors included homeWord, the Missoula Sustainable Business Council, the Human Resource Council, and Chris Allen & Associates.

Smart Communities Network Website Named to Top 50

(9/29/03) The Smart Communities Network administered by NCAT on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has again been named to PLANetizen's list of the Top 50 Urban Planning and Development websites. According to PLANetizen, the highly-anticipated annual list recognizes the innovative use of the Internet in urban planning and development.

"The PLANetizen Top 50 list recognizes a wide range of outstanding websites, from essential resources by large organizations, to ingenious efforts by individuals," says Abhijeet Chavan, Managing Editor of PLANetizen. "We hope this valuable reference for professionals encourages the creative use of technology in planning and development." PLANetizen is known as the premier information exchange for the urban planning and development community, and is visited daily by more than 10,000 professionals interested in issues related to the built and natural environment. PLANetizen announced that the "Top 50" list will also be widely distributed to academic programs throughout the country.

The Smart Communities Network was recognized in the Special Focus category, which includes topics such as Smart Growth, sustainable development and transportation. Last year Smart Communities Network was included in the Government category of the list. Other categories on the list include Tools, Reference, Design, Data and Statistics, News/Publications, Research, Industry and Professional, and Local/Regional. The complete list may be found online.

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 offers more than 4,000 pages of information on sustainable development for communities, addressing topics such as green building, community energy, transportation, water efficiency and sustainable business. The website attracts tens of thousands of visitors each month, with up-to-date sustainability news, daily postings of funding opportunities, and a calendar of coming events, as well as extensive annotated links to organizations, publications, programs and case studies.

Sun4Schools Project Conducting New Installations

(9/22/03) NCAT's Sun4Schools project is currently installing solar electric systems on five schools in Montana. These latest installations bring the total number of photovoltaic systems Sun4Schools has placed on middle and high schools in the state to 27.

Sun4Schools is funded by NorthWestern Energy’s Universal Systems Benefits (USB) charge paid by the utility’s electric customers. Under the program, schools in NorthWestern Energy's service territory have had the opportunity to apply for a free solar electric system during each of the past four years. In addition to being located in NorthWestern Energy's territory, the schools must have reasonable solar access and provide information on how the school would use the system for student education.

Sun for schools Under Sun4Schools, NCAT installs grid-connected solar electric systems capable of generating two kilowatts of electricity on the roofs of the schools selected. The systems provide some of each school's electricity. Any excess electricity produced by the systems will be fed into the utility grid through a net metering agreement, to serve other customers. Sun4Schools also furnishes each participating school with a special solar energy curriculum that has been developed by NCAT to correspond with the project. In addition, participating schools are able to monitor their system’s performance on the Internet on a weekly basis.

The schools where systems are currently being installed in the fourth round of Sun4Schools are Augusta Public School, Duvall Junior High in Deer Lodge, Roundup High School, Sheridan High School, and Willow Creek School.

NCAT Awarded Contract to Continue LIHEAP Clearinghouse

(9/15/03) NCAT recently received a multi-year contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Community Services, to continue its national Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Clearinghouse (LIHEAP) Clearinghouse project. This is the sixth time that NCAT has received a contract to operate the LIHEAP Clearinghouse through a competitive solicitation process.

The Clearinghouse is an information service for state, tribal and local LIHEAP providers, and others interested in low-income energy issues. It collects, develops, organizes and disseminates information on low-income energy issues to state, tribal, and territorial LIHEAP grantees; community action agencies and local government offices (subgrantees); low-income energy service organizations; fuel funds; utilities and utility regulatory commissions and media.

NCAT received its first award to operate the LIHEAP Clearinghouse in 1988, and has consistently expanded the services the project offers, to keep pace with technology and client needs. Through its website, a quarterly newsletter, and dedicated phone line, NCAT’s LIHEAP Clearinghouse has become a recognized national resource on LIHEAP and other low-income energy programs operated by states, utilities and nonprofit community, charitable, and church groups. For the past two years, the LIHEAP Clearinghouse has also operated the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project, which provides the general public with free referrals on where to apply for LIHEAP.

In annual evaluations, the Health and Human Services project manager has twice rated NCAT's LIHEAP Clearinghouse work as exceptional in terms of work quality, cost control, timeliness of performance and client satisfaction. According to HHS, the "exceptional" rating is reserved for "rare instances of contractor performance that clearly demonstrate a level of quality/innovation/performance well beyond the contract requirements." NCAT is pleased to have been awarded the opportunity to operate the LIHEAP Clearinghouse for another five years.

To contact the LIHEAP Clearinghouse staff, call 406-494-8662 or send an email to Kay Joslin or Sherry Vogel. To contact NEAR, call 866-674-6327, or send an email to energy@ncat.org.

Montana Irrigator's Pocket Guide Released

(9/8/03) This week NCAT released a new edition of the Montana Irrigator's Pocket Guide, a "take-to-the-field reference to help irrigators save energy, water, and money."

The first edition of this popular publication was created in 1989 by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. The initial printing was quickly snapped up, as were two reprints. While soil, water, and plants haven't changed too much in the past 14 years, the needs of irrigators have changed substantially. This prompted NCAT to propose a new edition of the Pocket Guide.

Over a year and a half in the making, this second edition is substantially rewritten, greatly expanded, and incorporates over a decade’s worth of new information, technology, and science, including Internet-based resources and tools, new irrigation technologies, and the latest scientific information. There is a much greater focus on energy conservation measures, to reflect growing concern about the very serious problem of high-energy costs for irrigators. Since irrigators today are being held to higher environmental standards, the book also includes a much greater emphasis on water conservation and preserving water quality.

The book is designed to be water resistant, easy to slip into a pocket, and packs loads of valuable information into its 178 pages. The Pocket Guide is really two books in one -- Equipment Maintenance on one side and Water Management on the other side -- and also includes 14 pages of handy conversions and formulas. The Equipment Maintenance side includes sections on pumping plant maintenance, distribution system maintenance (for sprinkler, flood, and drip irrigation systems), saving energy, and renewable energy ideas. The Water Management side includes sections on determining your system's capacity to apply water, determining your soil's capacity to store water, determining the water needs of your crops, irrigation scheduling techniques based on evapotranspiration and soil moisture monitoring, and water management challenges.

The project was funded by Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Montana Water Center, NorthWestern Energy, USDA Rural Business-Cooperative Service. An initial printing of 7500 guides will be distributed free of charge through NRCS, Extension, local watershed groups, Montana utilities (including co-ops), and various agricultural and conservation groups. Copies may also be requested through NCAT's ATTRA project, by calling (toll-free) 1-866-6-4FARMS.

Wind Generator Installed through Incentive Program

(9/2/03) A Vigilante Electric Cooperative customer in Montana has installed a new wind generator with help from a project developed by NCAT, working in conjunction with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.

The joint project, which is funded under a U.S. Department of Energy Special Energy Project (SEP) grant, offers incentives for installation of small wind systems to power customers who are members of electric cooperatives across the state. The project awards a $1.25 rebate per installed watt of wind energy generating capacity, with a $10,000 cap on rebates for any single installation. NCAT worked with state cooperatives to help identify participants in the program.

a 10 kW generating system

The pictured installation of a 10 kW generating system south of Twin Bridges, Montana, is the first net-metered system for Vigilante Electric Cooperative, although not the first among coops in the state.

There are four other installations in progress across the state that are partially funded through the SEP project. In total, the project will help install almost 27 kW of wind generating capacity in Montana this year. The yet-to-be completed projects are located in Great Falls, Sun River, and Browning.

NCAT to Complete Solar Workshops at Sunset

(8/25/03) NCAT staffer Jim Tracy will make a presentation on solar energy to members of Lincoln Electric Cooperative on Thursday evening, August 28, in Eureka, Montana.

The Lincoln event is the last in a series of seven “Solar Energy Workshops at Sunset” Tracy has been conducting since last October for Montana rural electric utilities. The workshops expand on efforts NCAT has made through the federal Million Solar Roofs program to educate customers of Montana’s rural electric utilities about solar energy.

Lincoln Electric Cooperative, with about 3,200 members, is unique among Montana cooperatives in that it has installed a solar electric system on the roof of its headquarters. The installation demonstrates how a grid-connected system works. Lincoln is also one of only a handful of Montana utilities that have adopted a net-metering policy.

The other cooperatives that have hosted workshops 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 enthusiastically agreed to host and promote 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. Altogether, some 380 electric coop customers have attended the workshops so far.

Two utilities – Fergus Electric and Mission Valley Power – invited NCAT to come back again this year to repeat the workshops.

The workshops include a video, slide show, demonstration and question and answer sessions. Participants also receive a packet of printed informational materials prepared by NCAT.

New Edition of "Building Better Rural Places" Planned

(8/18/03) NCAT has received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update the publication Building Better Rural Places.

Building Better Rural Places is a directory of federal programs for sustainable agriculture, forestry, conservation and community development, published by U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies working together for sustainable rural development. This directory was produced by the federal agencies in collaboration with The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in 2001. NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project assisted in compiling information for the directory, and in distributing the publication.

Printed copies of this popular publication were exhausted in 2002, but NCAT has continued to make an electronic version of the document available to the public via its National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. Strong continuing demand for the publication--and a number of new federal programs that have debuted since the directory's publication--inspired NCAT and The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute to propose an update of the directory in 2003. The project has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is expected to take approximately six months.

For the update, NCAT staff will review the appropriateness of current listings in the directory and update them as necessary. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute staff will compile information on new programs to be added to the directory, and NCAT will then assemble the material for review. The final product will be turned over to USDA for formatting and printing. An electronic version of the directory will be available online, and NCAT will offer links to this version and make available printed copies of the directory.

Building Better Rural Places addresses program resources in value-added and diversified agriculture and forestry, sustainable land management, and community development. It is designed to help farmers, entrepreneurs, community developers, conservationists, and other individuals, as well as both for-profit and not-for-profit private and public organizations. The guide is organized by the type of assistance and resources that federal programs offer, including resources in the categories of research and information; financing; business management; marketing; land and resource management; and community development. Programs that offer either or both funding and technical assistance are included in the directory.

NCAT Launches Residential Energy Efficiency Database

(8/11/03) NCAT’s National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project (NEAAP) has just launched a new online feature designed to help residential energy consumers save energy and money.

Through the NEAAP Residential Energy Efficiency Database, http://neaap.ncat.org/db/ residential electric and natural gas customers can find out what programs their utilities offer, such as home energy audits, rebates for energy efficient appliances, and zero- or low-interest loans to upgrade insulation or replace old heating and cooling equipment.

The extensive, regularly updated database lists residential energy efficiency programs offered by public and private utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and state agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Database users can search for residential energy efficiency programs by state(s), utility name, utility type (investor-owned, municipal, etc.), program type (appliances, audits, financing, heating/cooling, lighting, special rates, and weatherization) or by keyword(s). Users of the database are invited to submit program corrections or additions through an online update form.

The programs included in this database are for general residential customers, not just low-income individuals. However, NEAAP also lists low-income energy assistance and energy efficiency programs on its website. At this site users can select their state and view its “low-income energy profile” that lists the state LIHEAP and weatherization office public inquiry numbers, provides a link to LIHEAP local administering agencies, and provides a brief description, plus contact information (toll-free numbers and/or websites) for any state- or utility-funded energy programs the state may have. Additionally, the low-income energy profile includes “last resort” energy emergency contacts--also called fuel funds--in each state that are usually operated by church, community or charitable organizations.

NEAAP is funded through a contract with the U S. Department of Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation. In addition to information on residential energy programs, its website features state-by-state overviews on the status of energy market restructuring, news and analysis on consumer-related restructuring activity, and consumer protections under restructuring.

ATTRA Project Launches Outreach Campaign

(8/4/03) In an effort to help increase farmers' familiarity with the free services it offers, NCAT's ATTRA project is conducting a new outreach campaign. While ATTRA publications and sustainable agriculture research services are well recognized in some parts of the country, NCAT is eager to boost use of ATTRA in areas where the project is less well known.

The ATTRA project is a national sustainable agriculture information service funded by the US Department of Agriculture through a partnership agreement with the USDA Rural Business--Cooperative Service. ATTRA provides information and other technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, Extension agents, educators, and others involved in commercial sustainable agriculture in the United States. ATTRA offers nearly 200 publications on sustainable agriculture topics, available through a toll-free hotline or online at the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. NCAT also makes speakers and technical assistance available through the ATTRA project.

The new ATTRA outreach campaign involves radio advertising and print media appearances, and introduces a new toll-free number, 1-866-6-4FARMS that people can use to request publications. NCAT began its radio advertising campaign the last week in July, with a series of advertisements on the Northern Ag Radio Network promoting publications of particular interest in the region: the newly-revised Montana Irrigator's Pocket Guide and a special compilation of publications assembled as the Northern Plains Organic Packet. This advertising will continue through October. Subsequent media campaigns in other regions will tout the availability of free publications of special interest to audiences in those areas, via coordinated print and radio campaigns, as well as direct mailings to organic certifiers and organizations.

NCAT has also recently introduced a weekly electronic-mail newsletter for ATTRA's National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. The free Weekly Harvest newsletter offers readers selected highlights of the sustainable agriculture news stories, events, funding opportunities and publications featured on the website. Anyone interested in receiving Weekly Harvest can subscribe online by submitting their name and e-mail address. As part of its media campaign, NCAT is also distributing regular press releases on the ATTRA project to a variety of media, organizations and listserves.

Board and Staff Convene in Montana

(7/28/03) Members of NCAT's Board of Directors and staff representatives from all NCAT offices gathered at the organization's Butte, Montana headquarters in mid-July for several days of meetings, training sessions, strategic planning and festivities.

Program staff and managers from Arkansas and California met with staff from across Montana to discuss shared projects, brainstorm outreach ideas, and learn more about a new database system developed for NCAT's ATTRA project. Many staff members joined in tours of a ranch that is using grazing systems that protect riparian zones and a dairy that uses intensively managed grazing to support a milking herd on small acreage. Staff members also had the opportunity to attend in-service training on communication, conducted by a professional facilitator.

On the final day of the meeting, board and staff members worked on the 5-year strategic plan for the organization that is being developed this year.

As staff and board members gathered for lunch on the lawn between meetings, they were treated to a presentation on local history by Marilyn Maney Ross. The talk focused particularly on the interesting history of the NCAT headquarters building, which was constructed in 1902 to serve as the county poor farm and later became a surgical hospital, before becoming NCAT's main office in 1976.

A special evening event gave staff members and their families a chance to socialize with board members and visiting staff. An outdoor dinner prepared by Montana staff featured a selection of regional foods, as well as meat raised by visiting Arkansas staff members. The menu featured lamb kabobs, organic beef, grilled steelhead trout, portabella mushrooms, lentil salad and organic greens, among other delicacies. During the meal, staff and board members had the opportunity to bid on a range of items in a silent auction to benefit the NCAT Endowment Fund. Board and staff contributed a wide variety of handmade goods and specialties of their respective regions to the auction, including California wines, Virginia honey, jewelry, books, fishing gear and arts and crafts.

NCAT Embarks on Agroforestry Project

(7/21/03) NCAT has contracted with the Association for Temperate Agroforestry (AFTA) to work on the group's "Agroforestry Outreach Initiative." During the remainder of 2003, NCAT will be collecting electronic resources on agroforestry--both websites and documents--to add to the AFTA website. NCAT will also be writing summary reports and case studies on agroforestry research and applied practices. As a later step in the project, NCAT will be updating a contact database of organizations, institutions and individuals involved in agroforestry research, education or practice in the U.S. and Canada.

Agroforestry integrates farming and forestry activities on the same land, delivering both environmental and economic benefits. Some of the primary practices of agroforestry include use of windbreaks, silvopasture (tree and pasture combinations), riparian buffer zones of trees, alleycropping systems that alternate trees planted in rows with crops, and harvest of special (non-timber) forest products. Trees and shrubs can offer landowners diversified income sources, as well as improved production of crops and livestock and protection of soil, water and wildlife.

The results of NCAT's agroforestry research under the current project will be available to members of the Association for Temperate Agroforestry and to the general public via the organization's website. The AFTA website is being expanded under this same outreach initiative, to help the public learn more about agroforestry in general, and AFTA services and resources in particular.

NCAT has already done work in the field of agroforestry. NCAT's ATTRA project offers two publications on the topic: Agroforestry Overview, and Woodlot Enterprises, which looks at specifically at managing a woodlot for income. Woodlot Enterprises includes discussion of some opportunities for producing special forest products. In addition, ATTRA has a silvopasture resource list currently under development.

NCAT's project work for the Association for Temperate Agroforestry will be led by Program Specialist Alice Beetz. Some of the interns who have joined NCAT for the summer will assist Alice in researching and compiling the agroforestry database.

NCAT Study Finds Default Service Decisions in Several States Pose Higher Risks for Residential Energy Customers

(7/14/03) In a study sponsored by NCAT's National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project, author and consultant Barbara Alexander found that recent decisions in three Eastern states could prove risky for residential electricity customers and result in more volatile prices. The national expert on utility consumer affairs examined developments on the design and pricing of Default Service in six states that have adopted retail electric competition and who are ending their rate freeze or transition period. Her report, "Managing Default Service To Provide Consumer Benefits In Restructured States: Avoiding Short-Term Price Volatility," is available through the NEAAP website.

Default Service refers to the electric service provided to customers who do not choose a competitive electric supplier, or who are not able to obtain service from a competitive supplier - the vast majority of residential and small commercial customers in most states that have adopted retail electric competition.

Recent developments in New Jersey, Maryland, and Massachusetts have based the price of default service almost entirely on short-term wholesale market prices. According to Alexander's report, these decisions "indicate a cause for serious concern and a likelihood that current trends, if not reversed, will carry significant risks of harm to consumers, particularly residential consumers." Relying on short-term markets is risky, she said, because of the possibility of volatility in prices, including price spikes and other external events such as fuel emergencies.

Other states are taking a more long-term view of the Default Service obligation. Both Montana and Connecticut, in particular, have recently adopted legislation that requires Default Service to be priced and managed based on long-term price trends and reflect a balanced portfolio of short- and long-term energy resources, including renewable resources.

The National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project, which sponsored the study, was funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families to document how restructuring is affecting low- and moderate-income residential consumers.

NCAT Board and Staff Prepare to Gather in Butte

(7/7/03) Each year the NCAT Board of Directors holds one of its meetings at the organization's Butte, Montana headquarters. The Butte board meeting offers an opportunity for staff members from NCAT's far-flung offices to gather and work with each other in person, as well as a chance for staff to interact with the members of NCAT's national board. This year the Butte board meeting is scheduled for July 17-19. Staff members are already hard at work, preparing to show visiting staff and board members a touch of Montana hospitality.

NCAT staff members representing the California and Arkansas offices will begin arriving in Montana on July 15. NCAT's Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development program staff in Montana will take their visiting colleagues on a tour highlighting NCAT's renewable energy and irrigation efficiency work in the state, and showcasing some of the sustainable agriculture operations in the area.

Board members will arrive in Butte on July 17, and begin their committee meetings the next morning. Staff and board will enjoy lunch together and participate in joint meetings and activities during the afternoon before an informal dinner Friday night.

The board will resume its meetings on Saturday, continuing with the update of NCAT's strategic plan, a process begun earlier this year. At a strategic planning retreat at a previous board meeting in April, held in Texas, board and staff members worked on refining the language of NCAT's mission and goals, and laying out the strategies that will be used to meet those goals over the next five years. This meeting will continue the planning process, incorporating staff input.

Grant to Help NCAT Promote Energy Star Construction in Montana

(6/30/03) NCAT recently received a grant from EPA Region 8 to fund a project aimed at increasing the number of Energy Star homes built in Montana. Energy Star is a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps businesses and individuals protect the environment through superior energy efficiency. Energy Star offers certification for appliances, heating and cooling equipment, office equipment, lighting, and new and existing homes and commercial buildings. In particular, Energy Star homes are certified to meet strict energy-efficiency standards, at least 30 percent more efficient than the 1993 Model Energy Code.

EPA Region 8 and NCAT are both eager to have more builders building more Energy Star homes in Montana. NCAT's new project should help to achieve that goal, through a two-part approach. First, NCAT will become the Energy Star Builder Option Package (BOP) Provider for the state. In order to qualify for the Energy Star certification, homes must be certified by a third party verifier. One way for builders to qualify the homes they build is to use a BOP--a set of construction specifications that set forth minimum qualifying performance levels for thermal envelope, insulation, windows, orientation, HVAC system and water heating efficiency for a particular climate zone. NCAT will become the BOP provider for Montana, and will then be qualified to certify homes, as well as to conduct inspector/verifier training for others in the state.

The second portion of NCAT's Energy Star project focuses on builder recruitment and technical assistance. In the coming year NCAT will recruit at least two builders or contractors to become Energy Star Partners, and will work with them by providing design and technical assistance to qualify the homes they build. These first Energy Star Partners will set an example for other builders in the state.

NCAT anticipates that this project will result in 5 to 10 homes in the state being constructed to Energy Star standards during the next year. Program Specialist Jim Maunder, who is a Certified Home Energy Rater, will be working with builders in this project.

Goat Field Day Conducted by NCAT

(6/23/03) NCAT sustainable agriculture specialists recently organized and conducted a field day on goats in Quitman, Arkansas. Originally requested by a farmer who reported high interest in goats in what he called "perfect goat country," the event became a full-day workshop that drew nearly 80 people. The local Natural Resources Conservation Service cooperated in producing the event, providing facilities, doing publicity for the event, providing lunch and arranging a panel of producers to speak at the event.

Goats NCAT's Ann Wells, a trained veterinarian who has specialized in goats, acted as the moderator and discussion leader for the morning session of the workshop. Working from a list of questions provided by the audience, Wells led the panel of local producers in a discussion of topics requested by attendees. Following the panel discussion, Wells presented "Getting Started in Meat Goats," a PowerPoint presentation prepared by NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project. Attendees also received a packet of publications and handouts from ATTRA, to take home with them and share with others.

During lunch break NCAT program specialist Linda Coffey and intern Jana Reynolds assisted in answering farmer questions in an informal setting. After lunch Ann Wells shared center stage with some live goats, as she demonstrated several practical aspects of selecting a good goat, including noticing the health and condition of the goat.

The workshop continued with an afternoon field trip to the farm of Delane and Linda Wright, who are using goats to control brush and reclaim a cattle pasture that was totally overgrown. The Wrights are very pleased with the job the goats do, and stressed to the audience that the goats had improved the land at no cost and without destroying the natural mounds or mature trees.

NCAT received very enthusiastic positive feedback from the workshop participants. One staff member attributed the success of the event to the approach NCAT used: the workshop was built around responding to the real needs of the farmers, included farmers as educators, used a real farm as a teaching tool, and was done as a cooperative effort by farmers, NRCS agents, and NCAT.

NCAT to Co-Sponsor Regional Flower Growers Meeting

(6/16/03) NCAT is joining with the Department of Horticulture at the University of Arkansas to co-sponsor the South Regional Meeting of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc. The meeting will be held August 9-10 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

In a challenging agricultural market, specialty cut flower production is an agricultural enterprise that appears to offer potential profitability for both small- and large-scale farm operations. Many agricultural producers are interested in learning more about the potential for adding a cut flower enterprise to their operations. Responding to this demand, NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project has produced and distributes two publications related to the topic: Sustainable Cut Flower Production and Woody Ornamentals for Cut Flower Growers. These publications help producers learn more about cut flower production and how it can be accomplished more sustainably. Sponsoring and helping to organize the ASCFG South Regional Meeting will afford NCAT the opportunity to offer information on this specialty enterprise to a broader audience.

NCAT Program Specialist Janet Bachmann has been instrumental in organizing the South Regional Meeting and developing its agenda. In addition to her sustainable agriculture work for NCAT, Bachmann is herself a market gardener, growing flowers and vegetables on a one and a half acre plot to sell at the farmers' market--and the NCAT office. These dual professions complement each other well, and contributed to developing an informative and entertaining agenda for the South Regional ASCFG Meeting.

The schedule for the South Regional Meeting includes a visit to the Fayetteville Farmers' Market, where almost half of the fifty vendors include flowers in their retail offerings. An afternoon technical session offers presentations on different facets of producing and marketing flowers, including NCAT program Specialist Steve Diver speaking on Compost and Soil Fertility. The second day of the meeting features a tour of Dripping Springs Gardens, a 40-acre farm that features two and a half acres of organically-grown flowers and vegetables. The tour will showcase a range of flower varieties and different production methods, such as greenhouse, hoophouse, and no-till production and trickle irrigation.

Student Interns Gain Experience at NCAT

(6/9/03) NCAT is proud to offer an internship program that gives students the opportunity to gain experience in a professional environment, and has led many to careers in their field. This summer NCAT has ten interns from four schools in its Arkansas and Montana offices, working on a wide range of projects.

* Tiffany McKinzie is a 2003 graduate of the University of Arkansas--Pine Bluff with a degree in Agricultural Economics. Tiffany will be working this summer with sustainable agriculture program specialists at NCAT on publications and projects.
* Jenay Clark is seeking a degree in Finance from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. She began working part-time for NCAT in March, and during her summer internship will continue with administrative duties and assist with sustainable agriculture projects.
* Kevin Everett is a student at the University of Arkansas--Pine Bluff, working toward a degree in Agricultural Business. This summer he will assist sustainable agriculture program specialists at NCAT with a variety of projects.
* Kelvin McClellan, Jr. is a Computer Science student at the University of Arkansas--Pine Bluff. With a background in computer repair work, Kelvin will be assisting the Fayetteville office Computer Services staff.
* Lisa Pollard began working at NCAT during the school year, performing administrative support work. She will continue her work during a summer internship. Lisa is in her third year at the University of Arkansas.
* Jana Reynolds is a University of Arkansas student seeking a degree in Animal Science, and has her own goat herd. She will be working with Program Specialist Linda Coffey on a ruminants project.
* C.J. Fisk, a major in Environmental Engineering at Montana Tech of the University of Montana is putting his farm hand experience to work this summer as an intern working on NCAT's irrigation efficiency projects, based in the Butte office.
* Nathan McConnell is currently pursuing a Masters of History at the University of Montana. He is interning this summer for NCAT's for-profit business, New Horizon Technologies, on an energy inventions project website.

Two more interns will begin work at NCAT later in the summer. Some NCAT interns receive support from the John T. Brown Minority Internship Fund, which offers living cost assistance for minority students who come to NCAT offices to participate in the internship program.

NCAT Helps Organize "Under the Big Sky Greening Conference"

(6/4/03) NCAT is one of the organizers for a national conference set to take place in Montana June 11-13. The "Under the Big Sky Greening Conference" takes a broad look at sustainability, addressing energy, conservation, environmental stewardship, and expansion of renewable fuels.

Other organizers of the conference include Ethanol Producers and Consumers, Headwaters Cooperative Recycling Project, Montana State University Cooperative Extension Service, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the Montana Solid Waste Contractors, and Yellowstone National Park. Meanwhile, major sponsors of the conference include the National Park Service, the Unilever Company and the U.S. Department of Energy.

“NCAT teamed up with these organizations to produce the conference because the resources and expertise of this collective effort are far more powerful than any one alone," said NCAT Program Specialist Al Kurki, who has spearheaded NCAT's contribution to the event. As part of the conference planning team since September 2002, Kurki has helped organize the portion of the conference devoted to biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel and biolubricants. Kurki has also done much of the conference publicity with the regional farm press, rural daily papers and farm organization newsletters.

At the conference state and national experts on biodiesel will share their perspectives on growth in markets and production of biodiesel. They’ll also offer information on the incentives and barriers to making and marketing of biodiesel and biolubricants that cut pollution and make use of renewable and recyclable resources. In addition, more than 15 alternative fuel-powered vehicles will be featured at the event, for participants to see, sit in, and--in some cases--ride.

This conference will help to highlight a number of Montana efforts that are leading the way toward fossil fuel independence based on renewable biofuels. The emerging renewable energy vision embodied by the conference follows the fine tradition of Henry Ford and Rudolph Diesel, who were both active supporters of the development and use of biofuels nearly 100 years ago. To find out more about the conference, visit the Under the Big Sky Greening website.

NCAT Receives Grant for Minority Farmer Training

(5/27/03) A proposal submitted by NCAT in January has been funded by the USDA’s Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES), under its program for Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers.

The agency has provided $163,000 in funding for the NCAT proposal to provide training for approximately 240 Latino farmers and farmworkers who want to become farmers, and a few Cambodian and other minority farmers and prospective farmers, about record keeping, organic agriculture, individual development accounts and other topics. NCAT proposes to offer eight two-day training courses at different locations around California, to train minority growers about the benefits and techniques of farm record-keeping.

Good records are important for obtaining loans, participating in government programs, identifying profit/loss centers in an operation, and accessing the growing market for organic products. Along with the training sessions, the new project will provide specific record-keeping tools and resources in Spanish and offer ongoing technical assistance for participants in the project.

NCAT's approach to the training will be to link the achievement of participants' family and personal goals with improved record keeping. The training will also familiarize participants with organic agriculture and with the types of records that are required for organic certification. The training will emphasize the overlap between keeping records for organic production and keeping records to better understand the production and marketing components of a farm operation. Meanwhile, gaining knowledge about organic agriculture will expose trainees to a new and rapidly growing market for farm products. In addition, the training will include a section on Individual Development Accounts, a program that uses a combination of private and public funds to match money saved by low-income farmers 3:1.

This new project will be able to build upon many of the curriculum materials, forms and other materials developed by NCAT during its just-completed Risk Management Agency Outreach project, which also focused on training for minority farmers in California. That project helped reveal the need for the new project, through a survey of participants that showed record keeping represented a weak link in farmers' efforts to obtain loans, and lack of record keeping prevented the farmers from better understanding which of their farm operations were making or losing money.

Science Fair Sustainable Energy Award Presented by NCAT

(5/19/03) For the second year NCAT has sponsored a Sustainable Energy Award at the Montana State Science Fair. This year the award was won by two North Toole County High School students, one a U.S. citizen and the other Canadian, who collaborated on a project titled "The Designing, Building, and Testing of a Portable High Output Hydrogen Electrolysis Unit." science fair exhibit

The judge for the Sustainable Energy Award was Ray Schott, an NCAT Program Specialist and engineer who works on a number of renewable energy projects for NCAT's Sustainable Energy program. Schott said he was impressed by the presentation the two students gave at the Science Fair, held April 7 in Missoula.

Dan Cox, a senior from Kevin, Montana, and Cody Ford, a junior from Coutts, Alberta, Canada, designed and built two prototype systems for hydrogen production through electrolysis. By passing electricity through carbon and aluminum electrodes with a sodium sulfate/distilled water solution to complete a circuit, they were able to separate and produce hydrogen and oxygen. When their first prototype failed because the electricity was not able to flow quickly through the unit, the pair built a second prototype based upon the Hoffman Apparatus, an electrolyzer. This second prototype was tested at Lethbridge Research Center to determine the quality of hydrogen output, which proved to be 99.1 percent pure. The students offered some suggestions for improvements in their design to help the electrolyzer work even better.

The two students predict a bright future for hydrogen as a fuel, since it can be used to power almost anything that requires a combustible fuel.

Each of the two students was presented with the NCAT Sustainable Energy Award, a $100 savings bond and a certificate of achievement to recognize a student's effort. Their hydrogen electrolysis project garnered a number of other awards, as well.

A total of eight high school projects and 24 middle school projects related to sustainable energy were considered for NCAT's Sustainable Energy Award.

NCAT Irrigation Projects Improve Efficiency

(5/12/03) Irrigation is one area where NCAT’s work on Sustainable Energy finds a natural overlap with our work on Sustainable Agriculture. With irrigation season starting, it’s a good time to take a look at some NCAT projects that help irrigators save water and energy.

The Montana Rivers Project works with local watershed groups on irrigation efficiency projects, promoting better irrigation practices that conserve water along chronically dewatered streams in the state. Last year the project worked with the Jefferson River Watershed Council, Big Hole Watershed Committee, Blackfoot Challenge, and Upper Shield River Watershed Council. This spring the project will continue working with these groups and will also expand to include the Ruby River Watershed Council. As part of the Montana Rivers Project NCAT sponsored an irrigation efficiency workshop in early April, and conducted a workshop in late April that showed irrigators how to install soil moisture monitoring equipment that enables them to gain better control over the irrigation process and avoid overwatering.

Since NCAT installed the very first AM400 soil moisture monitor in Montana three years ago, interest in these devices has grown dramatically. NCAT has now assisted in the installation of about 75 state-of-the-art soil moisture monitoring systems on Montana farms and ranches.

In another irrigation-related endeavor, several NCAT staff members are at work revising and reprinting the Montana Irrigator's Pocket Guide, an extremely popular guidebook for irrigators that was first published in about 1990 and is now long out of print. One half of the book covers basic irrigation equipment maintenance issues; the other half covers irrigation management. The new edition, due out in 2003, will be completely rewritten and updated, with a more informal and friendly tone; new practical information about energy and water conservation, water quality protection, fish-friendly irrigation; and summaries of new technologies and internet resources. The goal of the book is to be a concise and practical guide, building confidence and self-reliance in irrigators and showing them how to conserve water, energy, and soil while increasing crop yields. The sections of the book simplify and demystify the irrigation process, cutting through the sometimes-intimidating layers of soil science, agronomy, and physics that are involved in the irrigation process.

For more information on NCAT's projects involving irrigation efficiency in Montana, contact Program Specialist Mike Morris.

NCAT Programs Help Irrigators Conserve Water and Energy

(5/5/03) Again this year NCAT is running two programs designed to help irrigators conserve water and energy: the Efficiency Plus (E+) Irrigation Program and the Montana Rivers Project. This news story covers NCAT’s work with the E+ program. An update on the Montana Rivers Project and other NCAT irrigation efficiency efforts will appear next week.

Funded through the Universal System Benefits Charge that utility customers pay as part of their monthly energy bill, the E+ Irrigation Program was mandated by the Montana legislature to help Montana irrigation customers of NorthWestern Energy cope with the high cost of electricity. Irrigators are heavy consumers of electricity in Montana, spending an average of around $30 per acre simply to run the pumps that deliver irrigation water to their fields. These energy costs increased substantially in 2002, and they are likely to increase again in July 2003, placing a significant burden on Montana's already-cash-strapped farmers and ranchers. Making matters worse, many irrigation systems in Montana are old and highly inefficient, wasting scarce water and energy.

The E+ Program offers three main kinds of help for irrigators: rebates, free energy audits, and funding for customer-proposed projects that save energy. The rebate program provides cash incentives for customers who take simple energy-saving measures such as replacing worn sprinkler nozzles or gaskets, or installing irrigation shutoff timers or soil moisture monitoring devices. Customers may also request a free energy audit. During an audit NCAT staff visit the farm or ranch, check the irrigation system, and carry out a series of tests that measure pumping plant efficiency and identify opportunities for cost-effective energy savings. Finally, under the E+ program customers may propose an energy-saving project of their own for possible cost-sharing. NCAT staff evaluate these proposals, offer financial incentives for approved projects, and carry out follow-up studies to confirm the actual energy savings that take place once the project has been implemented.

Interest in the E+ Program is running high. Over 500 NorthWestern Energy irrigation customers have requested information about the program, and about 40 irrigators have already signed up for energy audits for 2003. It should be a busy field season for NCAT staff.

NCAT Recruits Participants for Renewable Energy Demonstrations in Montana

(4/28/03) This year NCAT is administering a number of different projects that help to demonstrate residential and community applications for renewable energy in NorthWestern Energy's Montana service territory. These projects are funded by the Universal Systems Benefit charge that NorthWestern Energy ratepayers in Montana pay on their monthly utility bill. NCAT is currently accepting applications from NorthWestern Energy customers to participate in three renewable energy demonstration projects.

NCAT has coordinated a variety of USB-funded solar and wind energy demonstration projects during the past five years. This year's projects include the continuation of successful and popular programs that install renewable energy systems on homes and schools, as well as the introduction of some new technologies and applications.

The Sun4Schools project places solar electric systems on qualifying middle and high schools in NorthWestern Energy service territory. In these systems, photovoltaic panels generate electricity for the school, and the school receives a companion curriculum so that students can learn more about the systems and monitor the power they generate. Sun4Schools will install five systems on qualifying schools this year, bringing the total number of schools participating in the program to 27. A new, but similar, project will install 2-kilowatt solar electric systems on six qualifying community fire stations. These systems feature a battery bank that provides an un-interruptible power supply--an important feature for an emergency services facility. These systems will feed excess power back into the power grid. Like schools, fire stations offer a high-visibility community center building where the public can see solar electric technology at work. Both of these programs will accept applications on a first-come, first-served basis as long as funds remain.

Another new project this year will offer rebates to NorthWestern Energy customers for the installation of solar water pre-heating systems. Customers who install a qualifying system and submit a completed application will be eligible for a rebate of $3,000. Applications are now being accepted for the solar water pre-heater program. Another demonstration project, which offers a financial incentive for installation of residential solar electric systems in NorthWestern Energy service territory, has received applications for the funds available in 2003. The successful applicants will be announced, and will have their new systems installed during the next few months.

Local Food Initiative Will Promote All-Ozark Meals

(4/21/03) NCAT recently received nearly $10,000 in funding from a Southern SARE Sustainable Community Innovation Grant to help launch a Northwest Arkansas Local Food Initiative with a series of All-Ozark Meals. A variety of organizations and individuals have begun local food programs in several states, as a means of reconnecting consumers with the source of their food, promoting consumption of healthy, fresh foods, and supporting a strong local farm economy. Now NCAT is joining in by spearheading the effort throughout the Northwest Arkansas region.

By featuring locally-sourced farm products in a series of high-profile meals at restaurants and public events, the All-Ozark Meals project will help to raise consumer awareness of the abundance of locally produced foods available.

Creating the All-Ozark Meals will involve NCAT in identifying products that are grown and/or processed in Northwest Arkansas, such as vegetables, fruits, herbs, meat and poultry, and cheese. By surveying producers, NCAT will determine what products are available and when, and compile this information in a database that can inform potential buyers. The project will also survey local restaurant chefs, to assess their interest in and ability to use local products. By matching chefs and producers, NCAT will coordinate the creation of at least five All-Ozark Meals to be served either at restaurants or at special events. These meals will be highly publicized to generate public interest in obtaining and using local food. The project will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and will serve as a model for other local food initiatives.

The Northwest Arkansas Local Food Initiative grew out of a study-action group that began meeting in 2002 to discuss the local food system and begin taking action to bring about the desired future food system. The group included retailers, restaurants, food processors, and others interested in supporting a local food system. A number of group members are collaborators with NCAT in the All-Ozark Meals project.

Smart Communities Network Project Provides Respected Resource

(4/14/03) Every work day, NCAT's Sustainable Communities team updates the Smart Communities Network website with breaking news in sustainable community development, funding opportunities, and coming events in the field. The Smart Communities Network website, which NCAT operates on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, is now in its ninth year of providing the public with a wide range of resources and information on the many facets of community sustainability.

Unlike other, specialized efforts, the Smart Communities Network takes a broad approach to its theme, looking at how communities can be energy smart on the grand scale by integrating land use, transportation, buildings, and business. Smart Communities Network reports on successes by towns, cities, counties, states and regions in implementing energy smart strategies that promote sustainability.

In addition to offering a source for current news and events related to community sustainability across the United States, the Smart Communities Network also furnishes more than 4,000 web pages that offer links to specific information on relevant topics such as green development, sustainable business, community energy, air and water quality, and green buildings. Approximately 15,000 visitors use the site each month to access its resources, and many people have come to rely on the site for a continual supply of inspiring and applicable information.

In addition to the website itself, the Smart Communities Network offers a monthly electronic newsletter that features highlights from the website's daily features. Subscriptions to this free service have grown steadily since the newsletter was introduced, and nearly 4,000 people now receive each edition of the newsletter.

A substantial portion of the Smart Communities Network website, including selections from each of the twelve topic areas, has been translated into Spanish. Additional Spanish-language content is added to the website on a continuing basis.

Sun4Schools Participants Sought

(4/7/03) NCAT and NorthWestern Energy are currently recruiting middle and high schools that are NorthWestern Energy electric customers in Montana to participate in the fourth year of the Sun4Schools project. Sun4Schools is a solar demonstration program that enables schools to generate a portion of their electricity from the sun and provides firsthand opportunities for students to learn about renewable energy.

The program is administered by NCAT and funded by NorthWestern Energy’s Universal Systems Benefits (USB) charge paid by the utility’s electric customers. Under Sun4Schools, NCAT installs grid-connected solar electric systems, also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems, at no cost on the rooftops of participating schools. Five schools will be selected to participate in this year’s program, joining 22 schools around the state that have already had photovoltaic systems installed in the three previous rounds of Sun4Schools.

Through the program, students can learn about the benefits of solar energy using a special curriculum that has been developed by NCAT to correspond with the Sun4Schools project. In addition, participating schools are able to monitor their system’s performance on the Internet on a weekly basis. Each system is capable of generating two kilowatts of electricity and will provide a portion of the school’s electricity needs. Any excess electricity produced by the system will be fed into the utility grid through a net metering agreement.

Solar electric systems help reduce reliance on electricity produced by fossil fuels, and prevent the resulting greenhouse gas emissions. Each of the systems that are installed through the Sun4Schools project is capable of eliminating the annual emission of more the 3,500 pounds of carbon dioxide and nearly a half-pound of nitrogen oxides.

The Sun4Schools project is open to all middle and high schools that are electric customers of NorthWestern Energy in Montana. Each of the installed solar projects has a value of $20,000. Schools chosen to participate must meet basic site requirements including a roof that is adaptable for the installation of solar panels and an unobstructed southern exposure from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Interested schools must submit a completed application to NCAT. NCAT will award this year’s five systems on a first-come, first-served basis. To request an application packet, contact Cathy Svejkovsky.

Southwest Marketing Network Holds Conference

(3/31/03) The Southwest Marketing Network, a project coordinated by NCAT that is working to expand markets for small-scale, alternative, and minority agricultural producers in the Four Corners region, is holding its first annual conference this week in Durango, Colorado. Farmers, ranchers and other community members interested in increasing regional marketing opportunities are attending the event to build skills and gain expertise. The conference is providing a valuable opportunity for participants to share, learn, and engage with others to improve local marketing, especially in isolated areas of the region that encompasses Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico. The two-day conference features a number of collaborative work sessions, training, and presentations, as well as a poster session and resource room.

Specifically, the conference offers five different tracks: Group Marketing, Growing Markets, Policy, Promoting Our Local Products, and Institutional Purchasing. The first day of the conference includes a mix of plenary sessions and presentations in the five tracks. Topics include organic standards, labelling, regional co-ops, farmers' markets, and alternative marketing techniques. On the second day of the conference, the participants convene for collaborative work sessions in the five tracks during the morning. These collaborative work sessions are designed to help participants define their priorities and desired outcomes relative to their own particular work, identify resources available to help, and develop networks to strengthen the sustainability of their work. The final afternoon of the conference is devoted to network development based on participant input. In this session, participants help identify network needs in the region, and the Southwest Marketing Network will develop and schedule training sessions during the coming year in response to those needs.

The Southwest Marketing Network is a three-year initiative supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Food and Society Initiative, with additional funding from the USDA Risk Management Agency, NCAT, and USDA's Western SARE Program. In addition to NCAT, which coordinates the project, its website, a resource database and training, other project partners are Farm to Table, the Wallace Center, and the Western Rural Development Center. A Steering Committee representing regional farm and tribal groups, university extension and national agricultural groups is also involved in guiding the network as it develops. An annual conference is planned for each year of the project.

NCAT Focuses on Agricultural Energy

(3/24/03) Throughout the past year, NCAT has been focusing on agricultural energy in a cross-cutting effort involving staff from all three program areas and work done under the auspices of a number of different projects. Recognizing that energy costs are often key to farm viability, and that energy harvest could represent a new market for farmers, NCAT has been working to improve agricultural energy efficiency and to expand on-farm renewable energy generation. Some of the technologies NCAT has been working with include solar, wind and small-scale hydro power, as well as fuels produced from animal waste or crops.

This agricultural energy initiative has several diverse benefits. In addition to saving farmers and ranchers money on energy costs, on-farm energy generation can actually offer new streams of revenue for agricultural producers, as well as helping them deal with problematic wastes and even improving the condition of riparian habitat. In addition, these new clean energy sources help prevent pollution, offer opportunities for rural economic development, and reduce foreign energy dependence.

NCAT's work with agricultural energy has taken the form of publications, exhibits and presentations, technical assistance, and demonstrations of new technology. Relevant publications produced by NCAT staff include Biodiesel: A Brief Overview, Solar Powered Livestock Watering Systems, Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Wastes, and Montana Wind Power.

Meanwhile, NCAT demonstration projects have helped Montana ranchers develop solar-powered stock watering systems for remote applications, and assisted Montana irrigators in assessing and improving the efficiency of their irrigation systems. Yet another NCAT program is providing anemometer loans that help evaluate wind power resources across the state.

During the past several months, NCAT specialists have also given presentations in a wide variety of venues about on-farm renewable energy generation. These presentations highlight NCAT's experience with demonstration projects, and highlight the benefits to landowners and rural community economies that can accrue from renewable energy development.

Through NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project, agriculture and energy specialists have also been able to assist individual farmers and ranchers across the country with a variety of energy-related sustainable agriculture inquiries, covering topics like efficient drip irrigation and solar-powered irrigation. NCAT's Agricultural Energy initiative has provided a welcome opportunity for the organization to connect its far-flung staff and projects with a common theme.

California Office Reports Progress

(3/17/03) NCAT's newest office, located in Davis, California, opened in 2001. Since then the California office has grown in both size and scope. Today the California office staff, with the help of an NCAT contractor located in California, are busy with a wide range of projects, and are involved in developing a number of new project proposals.

California staff members who are fluent in Spanish staff a special Spanish-language toll-free phone number for NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas project. Farmers and agricultural educators can contact a Spanish-speaking agriculture specialist at (800) 441-3222 from 8 am to 5 pm Pacific Time for assistance with their questions about sustainable agriculture. In addition to offering this phone service, the California staff also prepared Spanish-language content for NCAT's new National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website.

The California office is working with minority farmers --and particularly Latino Farmers-- in a number of ways. Some existing projects and several proposed projects are helping to support minority farmers' business development and connect them with new markets for their products. One new project, recently funded by the Organic Farming Research Foundation, will involve NCAT in training Latino growers in organic pest control, uses of hedgerows, and developing field-ready reference materials.

NCAT has also received funding for another new project that will train Natural Resources Conservation Service and Cooperative Extension Service staff about the commonalities between the new national organic standards and the conservation requirements outlined in NRCS-funded conservation programs. NCAT will develop materials for the training and conduct training sessions in four California locations.

Meanwhile, through its ongoing Non-Traditional Risk Management Agency Outreach project NCAT will be offering six day-long sessions of training for Latino farmers in California on Mondays between April 7 and May 12, based on curriculum developed by NCAT and its project partner. The project seeks to promote non-traditional approaches to risk management through strategies such as alternative marketing (including community-supported agriculture, institutional and organic markets), improved record keeping, and crop diversification.

NCAT Embarks on Strategic Planning Process

(3/10/03) In February NCAT began the process of updating its five-year strategic plan. While the organization operates each year under the guidance of Annual Objectives and a yearly Workplan, the strategic plan helps provide the organization with a longer-term vision. The NCAT Board of Directors has taken the initiative to start a new strategic planning process, and has hired a consultant to assist with the year-long process.

The first phase of the strategic planning effort is a data-gathering step. All Board and staff members were asked to participate in a survey to collect opinions about NCAT, its work, mission and goals. The staff survey, completed during the first half of February, enjoyed a return rate of more than 90 percent. The consultant will tabulate the results of these anonymous surveys to present to the Board of Directors at a planning retreat scheduled for April. The staff will also receive a report of the survey results.

At the April planning retreat the Board and staff representatives will spend a day and a half discussing issues raised by the survey results. Following the planning retreat, NCAT's executive director and other managers will develop a draft of a new strategic plan that will be sent out for comment to staff, revised and submitted to the Board for final review in the fall of 2003.

NCAT has recently updated its financial strategic plan, as well. The Finance committee of the Board of Directors met with NCAT's management team in October to develop a financial strategic plan that will guide NCAT for the next five years. That plan calls for a concerted effort on NCAT's part to advance a financial development plan to increase NCAT's bottom line. The plan seeks to provide future financial stability to increase organizational flexibility. The Board of Directors adopted the financial strategic plan in January 2003 and NCAT's managers have begun working to implement the initial aspects of that plan.

Speakers Spread NCAT Message of Sustainability

(3/3/03) One of the ways that NCAT achieves its mission of championing sustainable technologies is by furnishing knowledgeable expert speakers for events across the country. At many conferences and seminars NCAT also sponsors an exhibit. Whether the forum is a training session that offers continuing education for professionals, or an elementary school classroom where students are learning about concepts of sustainability for the first time, NCAT staff members are ready to offer an engaging, informative presentation.

Over just the past two months, specialists from NCAT's Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, and Sustainable Communities programs have appeared at a wide variety of events in locations from coast to coast: George Kuepper appeared recently at Maryland and Indiana conferences, giving presentations on organic farming and distributing ATTRA project resources. In addition, he and Janet Bachmann recently gave a hometown presentation to the Washington County Master Gardeners in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Janet also gave talks at several other Arkansas events and a Kansas conference on food systems. Barbara Bellows provided a presentation entitled "Water Conservation: Protecting against Drought and Water Contamination" to a group of farmers, students, and people working with farmers at the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). Al Kurki represented NCAT at the Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group annual meeting in Idaho.

During the same time period, Steve Diver single-handedly spanned the country, speaking at conferences in Arkansas, California and Florida in the space of three weeks. His appearances included two talks at EcoFarming, a major conference held in January. David Zodrow represented NCAT at the Rural Life Conference at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, distributing materials and recruiting NCAT interns. John Walden spoke about agricultural applications of renewable energy at meetings in Montana and Idaho. Preston Sullivan spoke twice on Sustainable Soil Management at the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Roundup. Mike Morris spoke on "Seven Myths about Renewable Energy in Montana" at an International Business Conference in the state. Anne Fanatico spoke about a Quality-Based Program for Pastured Poultry at the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group conference in Mobile, Alabama. Ann Wells and Ron Morrow helped conduct a Grazing for Profit workshop in Spring Hill, Tennessee. And that's just the first two months of the year!

NCAT Begins New Windpower Projects in Montana

(2/18/03) This spring NCAT will begin two new projects designed to bring more wind-generated energy to the state of Montana.

In the first project NCAT is working with the Montana Department of Environmental Quality under U.S. Department of Energy Special Energy Project funding to offer incentives for installation of small wind systems. For several years NCAT has coordinated a project funded by Universal Systems Benefit charges that offers an incentive to NorthWestern Energy customers in Montana to install small wind systems. Now this new project will extend a similar incentive to energy customers who are members of electric cooperatives across the state.

This year the project will offer a $1.25 rebate per installed watt of wind energy generating capacity, with a $10,000 cap on rebates for any single installation. NCAT expects to see from three to six small wind systems installed during the coming year under the incentive program, and hopes that these systems will add 25 kilowatts to Montana's wind energy generation capacity.

NCAT will recruit participants for the project by working with the state's electric cooperatives to make their members aware of the available incentive. Several cooperatives and some individuals have already contacted NCAT regarding potential participation in the project.

The second new wind-energy project that NCAT is undertaking this year will involve an assessment of wind resources on Montana state trust lands. NCAT will install four wind anemometers on state lands and will analyze the data they produce to measure available wind resources. The state anticipates that state-owned sites identified as having good wind energy generation potential will have their wind energy resource developed by private developers, thus providing a new source of state revenue.

These two new projects join a number of other successful NCAT wind energy endeavors, as well as other renewable energy incentive programs that NCAT administers. For more information about the incentive programs, contact Program Specialist John Walden.

Solar Water Preheater Project Involves NCAT

(2/10/03) The National Center for Appropriate Technology will work with Community Services, Inc, of Corsicana, Texas, in a two-year project that installs low-cost solar water preheaters--of a style called breadbox heaters--on 50 homes. Community Services, Inc. is a community action agency that serves ten east-Texas counties in the Dallas area. The organization will oversee the construction of the heaters and their installation on 50 single-family, low-income homes that currently use electric water heaters.

NCAT will be researching and identifying the instrumentation for monitoring the solar water preheater project, and will then process and analyze baseline data that is collected for each of the homes. NCAT will develop the monitoring program, data collection methods, and plans for data analyses that will eventually be transferred to Community Services, Inc. During the second year of the project, when the solar water heating systems are built and installed at the homes, NCAT will process data files from each site, and provide monthly reports on the systems' performance, as well as a final analysis that includes a statement of the economic benefits of using solar water preheating systems in Community Services' district.

NCAT Supports Harvesting Clean Energy Conference

(2/10/03) NCAT is one of the sponsors for the 3rd Harvesting Clean Energy Conference and Trade Show, in Boise, Idaho Feburary 10-11. The conference has been touted as the Northwest region's premiere event for agriculture and energy innovators to build partnerships to scale up clean energy production in the rural Northwest. The conference highlights opportuntities for rural revitalization through wind, solar and biomass energy. These renewable energy options can contribute to local tax bases, job creation and farm viability, in addition to providing reliable energy generation.

NCAT joins a number of other conference sponsors for this event, which has been organized by Climate Solutions, Idaho Ag Summit, and Northwest Cooperative Development Center. NCAT also contributed support to the two previous Harvesting Clean Energy Conferences.

In addition to NCAT acting as a co-sponsor for the conference, NCAT Program Specialist John Walden and NCAT Contractor Vicki Lynn are giving presentations at the event. Walden speaks about On-Farm Energy in a "Profiles in Success" panel discussion.

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Launched

(2/3/03) NCAT's Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA) project has just launched its new website, the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. In addition to providing free online access to more than one hundred of the ATTRA project's technical publications on sustainable agriculture topics, the new website offers visitors a wide variety of current information on many different aspects of sustainable agriculture.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service home page will display breaking news, funding opportunities and coming events relevant to sustainable agriculture. These sections will be updated each weekday. Featured sustainable agriculture news from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also be updated on a regular basis. The website will feature a different ATTRA publication each week, and will post a "Question of the Week," each week, as posed by an ATTRA client and answered by NCAT's agriculture specialists. Farmers, ranchers, and agricultural educators in the United States can contact ATTRA to ask specific questions on sustainable agriculture.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service plans to offer its online visitors news from national and regional media, agencies and organizations, including updates on regulations, notices of newly available resources, and examples of successful enterprises across the country. Organic production, value-added and direct marketing, integrated pest management, farm planning and educational opportunities will be some of the topics covered by the breaking news, funding opportunities and coming events sections of the site.

Meanwhile, the website will also offer visitors access to online versions of the full range of ATTRA publications. Visitors can search for titles using a comprehensive site search, or can browse for particular titles in topic groupings, or consult a master list of available titles.

NCAT is pleased to welcome this informative new website to its family of website offerings.

NCAT Helps Sponsor Consumer Expert At Legislators’ Forum

(1/27/03) NCAT’s National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project (NEAAP) recently helped sponsor the appearance of nationally-known consumer affairs expert Barbara Alexander at a forum for Montana legislators on energy deregulation. Alexander gave presentations during two panels at "Riding the Waves: Meeting Montana’s Energy Needs in Changing Markets," a one-day forum to for legislators and other interested persons held January 18 in Helena, Montana, where the legislature is now in session. Alexander’s remarks drew from the results of the five-state study she helped NCAT conduct last year, examining the impacts of deregulation on residential consumers, particularly low- and moderate-income households. The study, titled The Transition to Retail Competition in Energy Markets: How Have Residential Consumers Fared? was released by NCAT in September 2002. Alexander’s portion of the study documented that residential consumers in some deregulated states are worse off than they were before deregulation because of their exposure to short-term market- based energy rates. Based on the evidence in the study, she cautioned that legislators and regulators should develop policies that rely more on long-term stable rates and avoid short- term price volatility. At the Montana forum, Alexander appeared on the panel titled "The Retail Market: What do customers want and how can they get it?" and also participated in a roundtable discussion titled "Charting Our Course." Nearly 100 people including legislators and representatives from state government agencies, utilities and non-profit service providers attended the forum.

Full sponsors of the event were the Montana Public Service Commission and the Burton K. Wheeler Center for the Exploration of Montana Issues. Speaker presentations from the forum can be downloaded from the Montana Public Service Commission website

LIHEAP Clearinghouse Recognized by AARP; Energy NEAR Helps 9,000 in First Year

(1/21/03) AARP has recognized the LIHEAP Clearinghouse operated by NCAT as "an invaluable resource" for the low-income energy program section of its new national report titled Energy and Telephone Assistance in the States: Public Programs That Help Low-Income Households.

The 323-page report provides a general overview of the federal energy and telephone discount programs (LIHEAP and the Weatherization Assistance Program, and Lifeline and Link-up, which assist low-income households in obtaining and maintaining energy and phone service) as well as individual state profiles of these programs. The report also details each state’s seasonal, health and income-related disconnection policies. Tables from the LIHEAP Clearinghouse website are referenced numerous times throughout the document, and LIHEAP Clearinghouse staff provided assistance to AARP staff as the report was being compiled. The full report is available from the AARP Research Center's website.

NCAT has operated the LIHEAP Clearinghouse since 1988 under a contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health and Human Services project manager has twice rated NCAT's LIHEAP Clearinghouse work as exceptional in terms of work quality, cost control, timeliness of performance and client satisfaction. According to HHS, the "exceptional" rating is reserved for "rare instances of contractor performance that clearly demonstrate a level of quality/innovation/performance well beyond the contract requirements."

In addition to serving as a national clearinghouse of information on low-income energy programs, NCAT also monitors low-income programs under utility restructuring, following changes to these programs as utility markets evolve. On behalf of the Clearinghouse, NCAT publishes a quarterly newsletter, the LIHEAP Networker, available online and mailed to over 700 state, tribal, local and utility energy program providers.

Under the umbrella of the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, NCAT also operates the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project, which provides free telephone and e-mail referrals to persons across the country wanting to know where to apply for low- income energy assistance. In its first year of operation, from October 2001 through September 2002, NCAT's NEAR project staff assisted nearly 9,000 persons by providing referrals to the appropriate state and/or local LIHEAP agency as well as to any available low-income utility programs or emergency assistance resources such as fuel funds.

NCAT to Receive USB Funding for Renewable Energy Projects

(1/13/03) NorthWestern Energy has provided NCAT with a letter of intent to commit more than $800,000 in Universal Systems Benefit funds to renewable energy projects proposed by NCAT for 2003. NorthWestern Energy ratepayers in Montana fund Universal Systems Benefits through charges on their monthly utility bill. The announced funding will support both the continuation of ongoing renewable energy projects and the introduction of some new renewable energy promotional efforts. NCAT will be recruiting participants for the demonstration programs throughout NorthWestern Energy's Montana service territory.

Continuing projects include the MontanaGreenPower.com website, Sun4Schools, Residential Solar Electric Demonstration and Small-Scale Wind Demonstration. New projects that have been proposed for 2003 include a Fire Station Solar Electric Demonstration and Residential Solar Water-Heating Demonstration.

The MontanaGreenPower.com website, now in its third year, allows users to explore the latest in solar, wind and other renewable energy technologies in the state. The site features news about renewable energy; information on planning and designing solar, wind and micro-hydro systems in Montana; hands-on activities for the classroom; and news about utility restructuring. In addition to the NorthWestern Energy USB funding in 2003, half the cost of the website will be provided through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Million Solar Roofs program. This funding will allow the website to include a special section on Million Solar Roofs.

The Sun4Schools program, which has to date placed 22 photovoltaic systems on junior high and high schools throughout NorthWestern Energy's service territory, will add approximately five more installations in 2003, and supply supporting curriculum materials. Meanwhile the solar electric and small-scale wind demonstrations will offer financial incentives to homeowners in NorthWestern Energy service territory for the installation of new systems. NCAT will recruit qualified applicants and administer the incentive program.

This year's new projects will be based on the successful demonstration models. The Fire Station demonstration will install as many as six solar electric systems on fire stations within NorthWestern Energy service territory, to demonstrate the benefits of renewable energy in public buildings. Similarly, the Solar Water-Heating Demonstration will provide incentives to homeowners to offset the cost of installing solar water-heating systems. These water-heating systems are more cost-effective than solar electric systems.

NCAT Family of Websites Continues to Improve

(1/6/03) In its quest to effectively inform people about the many aspects of appropriate technology, NCAT has found websites an extremely useful tool. Using websites, NCAT can provide a wide audience with free information around the clock and around the globe. What's more, website visitors can tailor their learning experience, delving deep into technical information on subjects that interest them, or moving across subjects for a broad overview of numerous topics. NCAT administers and maintains a wide family of websites, offering information on sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, green building and sustainable communities.

NCAT has created and maintains a diverse array of websites. Websites have been developed under grants and contracts from federal and state agencies and private foundations. Some NCAT-operated websites have fairly static content, while others change on a weekly, or even daily, basis. During the past year, NCAT's family of websites has grown and improved, in a continuing effort to better serve the needs of funders, clients, and the public audience.

In 2002, NCAT launched several new websites. These included:
* the National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project website, 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,
* Green Tree: Decisions for Environmental Buildings, designed to introduce architecture and construction management students to the use of resource efficient building materials, and
* Southwest Marketing Network, a website that supports a project aimed at expanding markets for small-scale, alternative, and minority agricultural producers in the Southwest by providing an online calendar and resource directory.

Some NCAT-operated websites also underwent major updates or redesigns recently. Montana Greenpower has a completely new design, and continues to be the state's primary resource for up-to-date renewable energy information. Meanwhile, the community sustainability website that NCAT operates for the U.S. Department of Energy underwent a name change from the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development to the Smart Communities Network. Next in line for redesign is the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas website, which will add current news and events coverage to its online technical offerings in January 2003.

NCAT also operates a number of other useful websites that provide timely information in an accessible form. To see the complete list, visit NCAT Websites for a Sustainable World.

2002 News Archive

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NCAT News Archive for 2003

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.