Team Project Meeting Roundup 2009-03

Great Meeting!

Thanks to Steve Kassel for the use of his office!

We covered the following:

• Business Plan
• Board of Directors and Advisory Council Candidates (please continue to submit names)
• Vendor/Partners and future bid process (please continue to give us names of potential vendors)
• Press Update (Southern Sierran article submitted keep your eyes out!
• Website Update (new grid-vids in production -stand by!)

GREEN ARTS & EVENTS
18th Street Arts Center - Santa Monica, CA
Till Dec 11
Diana Meyer's "Without a car in the world - 100 car-less Angelinos tell stories of living in LA.
http://www.18thstreet.org/currentexhibitions.html#EchoPark


VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
CPA, Attorney, Web Designer and any other professional to help get SCV OFF THE GRID!!!
Contact Steve Kassel at 661-259-3704 or email s@kassel.us


NEXT MEETING
December 1st 7pm
@ the office of Steve Kassel RSVP
please to Steve directly 661-259-3704 or email s@kassel.us


Team, keep up the great work!
- The SCV OTG Team

SCV Off The Grid - Project Update

Hello Team!
The summer was filled with great progress with SCV Off The Grid group!
Here is the update and see you at the next event!

MEETING PLACE REMINDER
Our meeting place has changed to the Office of Steve Kassell, so make sure you RSVP for the address.

Next Meeting OCT 27 @ 7pm
RSVP to Steve Kassel s@kassel.us or call (661) 259 - 3704


BUSINESS PLAN
We are almost done with our Business Plan to ensure we can continue to bring you high quality information and achieve the level of savings for bulk purchases for each homeowner and the community. A big thank you to the SBDC for all of their continued support.

HOMEOWNER EDUCATION PLAN & SURVEYS
We are fleshing out content for educational presentations and surveys for homeowners. We need your input so if you interested in helping out, call Steve Kassel directly at (661) 259 - 3704.

VENDOR MEETINGS PACKAGES
We are continuing to meet with vendors and working to develop package offerings. Do you have a vendor you would like us to meet? Call Steve Kassel directly at (661) 259 - 3704.

WEBSITE & VIDEOS! http://www.scvoffthegrid.com/
We are continuing to work on updating the website. Share your feedback!
Call Leah Pollack 661-309-3195.

YOU TUBE CHANNEL
Welcome to Grid Vids! Video Interviews with Residents of the Santa Clarita Valley on what they are doing to make their valley more Energy Efficient. Want to share your story? Call Leah Pollack 661-309-3195.









NEXT STEPS
Get involved! Share your interest! call Steve Kassel at (661) 259 - 3704


Thank you all for your continued support!
-Team SCV Off the Grid!

Stevenson Ranch Town Council Meeting - Round-up

On July 1, 2009 The SCV Off the Grid Team was grateful to be given the opportunity to address the distinguished West Ranch Town Council http://westranchtowncouncil.com/

Our presentation went well. Thank you to all of you for your input on the powerpoint, as it is truly concise in format. But what was the BEST part of this presentation was the COMMENTS, the INPUT, the ENTHUSIASM of the meeting's participants.

The council serves as a communication portal to the homeowners and the community. They have agreed to put our meeting times on their website calendar and requested us to submit our progress and keep them posted as we accomplish our goal of retro-fit implementations of energy-conscious projects as Solar, Wind and drought resistant planting and conservation education within existing neighborhoods here in the Santa Clarita Valley.

For those who have not attended a Town Council Meeting, I highly encourage your participation. The TPC venue http://www.tpcvalencia.com/ is always a treat, with gracious staff and terrific views of the area. The agenda of the meeting has reports provided by all aspects of the community, Parks, Safety, etc. and really make this a worthy trip for any resident of the area.

Helpful Links to connect you to this neighborhood:
http://westranchtowncouncil.com/
http://www.tpcvalencia.com/

Project Update

Hello Team!
Thank you so much for your emails. Many great advancements with the team. Below you will find the Aggregate Team Meeting Notes; 2nd Quarter 2009, let us know if we left anything out.

Thank you to the Saturn of Santa Clarita http://www.santaclaritasaturn.com/ for the use of their Conference Room!

WELCOME!
We want to welcome all the new folks who have tuned into our group endeavors. We appreciate your continued participation in making Santa Clarita Valley the best GREEN city through this great grass-roots effort.

JUL 1 - NEXT HOA PRESO
We are working dilligently on our presentation to the Stevenson Ranch Town Council for JUL 1.Let us know if you would like to attend with us. Call Steve Kassell to RSVP.

ENTITY STRUCTURE:
We are still researching the best way to ensure our overall goals are met with the correct structure. Let us know if you are interested in helping with this effort..

INFO BROCHURE:
Mock-Ups of the graphic design of an 'homeowner interest brochure'. This will include some sample pricing for the tiered-offerings we are working on, as well as some sample financing options we are aggregating for the initial rollout.
Current Volunteers: Arlyne Szerman, Leah Pollack, How about you? Let us know if you would like to help!

We can utilize existing distribution mechanisms to get this in the hands of homeowners and get the initial project underway!

WEBSITE:
A straw-website is in the works. To start, we will have an intro page, meeting notes, video snippets, resource directory. The Team thanks Leah Pollack for her generous donation of hosting the site http://www.scvoffthegrid.com/ We need a developer to help with the meaty-stuff! Do you want to help out with this site creation? Let us know!

VIDEO SNIPPETS:
In an effort to empower SCV folks with what is already going on, we are on the scene with local homeowners who want to share their SCV-GREEN with the world!
JUNE: Mark Figeroa and Drew Neumann
Do you want to be on the video-snippets? Let us know!

GREEN EDUCATION:
At each meeting we continue to knowledgeshare on all parts of the SCV-GREEN experience. Here are the highlights:

> Mark Figeroa of http://www.greenconvergence.com/ shared on the newest solar tiles and roofing considerations and the permit process with the City as well as the County.
> Drew Neumann of http://www.droomusic.com/ shared his travels to the pacific northwest and discussed his SCV-GREEN experience with retro-fitting his home including back-up battery technology.
> Leah Pollack http://www.eliteprosre.com/ shared the growing concern of Sacramento initiatives to tie energy audits and other energy efficiency retro-fits point-of-sale (point-of-sale means retrofits or other items must be completed prior to the completion of the sale of the home or building).
> Josh Newland of http://www.goodnewsplumbing.com/ shared about the newest GREEN-tech in the plumbing world.
> Bill Lambert of Sylmar High School http://www.sylmarhs.org/shared his accomplishment for his school curriculum for future energy auditors, installers, planners, etc. Way to go Bill!
REGIONAL EVENTS

• JUL 13 SOLAR TOURS
  Thank you to Lynne Palmbeck for recommending the team check into the following events:
  
  >SEAL BEACH SOLAR TOUR>June. 13, 9 AM TO 4 PM ON THE BOEING LOT, WALK FROM STARBUCKS OR SUBWAY, LOTS OF FREE PARKING>>Those interested in solar electric can come to the Boeing parking lot at Westminster and Seal Beach Blvd. for information about residential and commercial solar power. There will be a self-contained solar system on view, and plug-in all-electric cars.> >Visitors can participate in a docent-led Tour of local solar homes, examining actual solar systems and talking to the solar homeowner about their system and how solar actually works in practice. Sign up for the Tour by 11 AM on the Boeing lot. > >The Tour, partiall self-guided, will spend a few minutes at each of six homes and one business in Seal Beach, where a docent will explain the size and hardware used in the system, and the Solar Homeowner will be available to answer questions about cost, power production, any issues or benefits, etc.> >The event, and literature, is entirely without charge.> >For more information, http://sealbeach.org/ or call 562-430-2495> >------------------------------------------------> >TORRANCE ENERGY FAIR AT MADRONA MARSH>June. 13, 10 AM TO 3 PM AT MADRONA MARSH, 3201 PLAZA DEL AMO, TORRANCE> >The city of Torrance has taken over the sponsorship of the Energy Fair that had been run by the Environmental Priorities Network for the last three years. You are all invited to attend the Torrance Environmental Fair on Saturday, June 13th, from 10 AM to 3 PM, at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center, 3201 Plaza Del Amo, in Torrance. The street will be closed off to accommodate the large number of booths and displays that are being planned. > >Information on green home improvements, solar installations, hybrid cars, electric vehicles, scooters, and bicycles will be available.> >You will find out about water conservation, how to plant drought-resistant landscaping, and how to get rebates on energy-saving appliances. Attending this fair will enable you to reduce energy consumption, save money, gain personal convenience, and reduce the dangers of global warming. > >Visitors will be invited to take the "Torrance Green Pledge" to encourage them to "go green" in order to help the survival of people and animals everywhere on our planet. Children's activities are also being planned. For more information, check out the new EPN website: >http://www.environmentalprioritiesnetwork.org/>or contact Lillian Light at>lklight@verizon.net 310-545-1384 or call 310-6180-5929

***

Team, once again thank you for all your good works on the 'SCV Off the Grid' Project. We look forward to your continued input.

In The Press!!!

In the Press Today!!!! - Go Team! http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/11224/

WANTED
We are STILL - - - IN SEARCH OF an enthusiastic Local Santa Clarita Valley volunteer web designer. If you are interested, please call Steve Kassel 661-259-3704.We will incorporate Video, Filled-Out Letters to the HOAs for easy printing and submission for Homeowners who want to have their area participate, Share your story Section, Video Streaming our meetings, On-line Survey, Resource List, Team member directory, and much, much more!

HOA VISITS
Want us to come visit with your HOA? Please call Leah Pollack 661-309-3195 to get on the schedule to get the ball rolling.

ALL
Keep the feedback coming! We truly appreciate your continued support.

1st HOA meeting - Stevenson Ranch - 2009-03-17

This post was contributed by Steven Kassel. To learn more about Steven, please visit www.kassel.us

**
Tonight, March 17, 2009 was SCV's 1st presentation to a HOA. Though I am not sure what the response was, Leah Pollack's Powerpoint presentation held the attention of the board members of the Stevenson Ranch Homeowner's Assn and the 12 or so homeowners in attendance. She did an excellent job! We hope to have a HOA board member meet with us as an official liaison and develop project of 100-500 homes.
**
This post was contributed by Steven Kassel. To learn more about Steven, please visit www.kassel.us


Steven, thanks for the update!

All, Please keep your eyes to The Signal for our Article... (we will post the actual article link once we see it), but for now... to check into The Signal, please visit www.the-signal.com


As always, we will keep you posted right here as progress develops. Keep the feedback coming!

Team Project Meeting Roundup 2009-03

Ah, the momentum! Thank you for your valuable input during our meeting on March 10th. The enthusiastic talent displayed by those in attendance and the information shared is truly appreciated.

And thank you to the Saturn of Santa Clarita for their hospitality. To Visit Santa Clarita Saturn: Click Here


GROUP ENTITY DISCUSSION
We discussed group entity infrastructure. We will continue to evaluate the need and project fit to best benefit the team goals. We discussed the importance of 'arms-length' participation to have as much of Santa Clarita Valley's participation across communities, businesses, educational resources, etc. In addition, we submitted our request have this project as part of the College of the Canyons Incubator. We will keep the team posted as progress develops.
To learn more about the incubator: Click Here


MISSION DISCUSSION
We reviewed our overall mission and discussed the inital steps: Get Point Person/Project Manager from HOA/Mgmt; Get Homeowner Input (questionnaire, online survey); Discussed the Need; Discussed Tiered Retrofit Offering Packages; Have Local Santa Clarita Valley Resources Bid Projects (Yes, we still need to define Local Santa Clarita Valley); Ensure pre- and post energy audit measurement to have the data and track it over time.

HOA PRESENTATION
We reviewed the presentation and based on the groups valuable feedback. We have since modified the preso to a more pictorial format. And we went from 10 mins + to a current 2.5 minutes. [Also, thank you to our impromptu-focus group on Friday, as we put up the final touches:-) ]
The DVD: As our overall time to present may be a maximum of 5 minutes, as recommended by the group, we are working on a script to produce a 'Movie-Style' pitch to replace the ppt and make this project 'trailer' portable and uploadable to YouTube as well as our website. We will spec locations to show existing Santa Clarita Valley Areas and ask if any Local Santa Clarita Valley Companies want to sketch out some drafts of possible of future implementations. If you want YOUR LOCATION showcased - Please Call Leah 661-309-3195

WEBSITE: http://www.scvoffthegrid.com/
We are IN SEARCH OF an enthusiastic Local Santa Clarita Valley volunteer web person. If you are interested, please call Steve Kassel 661-259-3704.
We are in the process of sketching out our utopia site flow. We will evaluate all input received to date as this is YOUR PROJECT SITE: Video, Filled-Out Letters to the HOAs for easy printing and submission for Homeowners who want to have their area participate, Share your story Section, Video Streaming our meetings, On-line Survey, Resource List, Team member directory, and much, much more!


SCV EARTH DAY: Saturday, April 18, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Central Park.
This event is another method by which we will get the word out! We will have a sign-up sheet for those who would like to express and interest to learn more about SCVoffthegrid.

Plan A: We are following-up on our request for co-op space with a local company.

Plan B: If you are business with a booth at SCV EARTH DAY and you are interested in having SCV Off The Grid at your booth- Please Call Leah 661-309-3195

Plan C: We will discuss other means by which to get the word out Perhaps, canvasing the event with clipboard in hand, OR if ANYONE WANTS TO DONATE' business cards on recycled paper' our info-design is available - Please Call Leah 661-309-3195

To learn more about SCV Earth Day: Click Here

NEXT MEETING
Tuesday April 21
Location: Saturn of Santa Clarita! To Visit Santa Clarita Saturn: Click Here


Stay Tuned and continue to share your feedback!

Team Project Meeting 2009-03

Team,

To continue our momentum, we have scheduled up our MARCH meeting! We appreciate your continued support and participation in this valuable project.

SCV OFF THE GRID PROJECT MEETING
Day*: Tuesday
Date: March 10th
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30pm
Where:
Saturn of Santa Clarita Meeting Room 2nd Floor 23645 Creekside Blvd, Valencia, CA 91355

RSVP:
Call into Leah Pollack 661-309-3195

Preliminary Agenda (to include, but not be limited to)
1. Welcome
2. Last Meeting Review
3. HOA Presentation Review (1st up Stevenson Ranch!)
4. Future Meeting Day/Location Discussion (*to accommodate more schedules)
5. Next Steps
6. Q&A Throughout
**
Team, see you then!

Team Project Meeting Round-up 2009-02

Great meeting! We reviewed the project interest and began to brainstorm ideas on adding value to the meeting and the community.

Welcome John and Russ Rogers to the group!

We discussed:

• Net Metering Concept> Incentives Programs > Solar Farm Project in Palmdale
• Insights in to consideration for utility company involvement and spoke to Steve's comments on small-co-ops for smaller utility companies to sell back energy.
  
• Discussed the elimination of the permit fee for Solar Installations.
  
• Rebate Programs PGE, SCE in the are good rebates!
  
• We shared the feedback from the LA and San Diego GO-GREEN Expos and all the great vendors and technology.
  
• We reviewed the draft of the HOA presentation and will continue to flesh out interesting graphics and stats that will really empower HOAs and homeowners on the value of this project. Thank you Steve Kassel shared the great pics of the Stevenson Ranch Neighborhood
  
• We will be requesting a tour of and HOAs.
  
• We discussed having speakers and possibly a panel event.
  
• We are driving toward the HOA meeting with Stevenson Ranch in March and will revisit the preso at the next meeting.
  

Stay Tuned and continue to share your feedback!

Team Project Meeting - 2009-02

Team,

Great work this month and lots to share during our upcoming meeting...:


SCV OFF THE GRID PROJECT MEETING
Date February 10th
Time 7:00 pm
Where Saturn of Santa Clarita Meeting Room 2nd Floor (Free)
Getting This Project to the Next Step: (Priceless!)

RSVP: Call into Leah Pollack 661-309-3195



Preliminary Agenda (to include, but not be limited to)
Welcome
Last Meeting Review
Events Attended Review
Tech Update
HOA Mtg Prep/Dress Rehearsal (1st up Stevenson Ranch!)
Next Steps
Q&A Throughout


Team, see you then!

EVENT POSTING: Go Green Expo - LA Convention Center

There will be a "Go Green Expo" at the Los Angeles Convention Center this weekend!!!

January 23, 24 and 25.
Hours of operation are: Fri 10a - 5p, Sat 10a - 6p Sun 10a - 5p
Please visit the website - www.gogreenexpo.com

Anyone able to make it?

Team, please keep the information flowing in and we will post to share. Once again thank you for all your good works on the 'SCV Off the Grid' Project. We look forward to your continued input and participation.

Knowledgeshare and Resource List* Follow-up

Team, We continue to gain momentum in this project. As a follow-up here is the current Knowledgeshare and Resource List(*SEE NOTE) as of this posting. We will append as we move forward.

***
Contributor: Drew Neumann
To learn more about Drew please visit http://www.droomusic.com



Knowledgeshare and Resource List*
SOLAR

Solar Suppliers
A very comprehensive list is here: Solar Supplies List

Another good list, but without links to manufacturers:
Another Solar Suppliers List

Comment: Of these, the leaders in the US include BP, Sharp Solar (nice panels that come in shapes to conform to rooflines), Mitsubishi, Siemens, First Solar, Kyocera, and GE.

Inverter Manufacturers: List of Inverter Manufacturers

Comment: The Inverter is the part that converts the DC from your panels to useable AC. Look through the list for Grid Tied inverters. Installers usually suggest a particular preferred brand in their installations.

Click Here to Learn: How It Works


Installers Best in Breed-SCV*
Main Page: Solar by Zips

Here are the Quick Links to some SCV Zip Codes:
91351, 91387, 91355, 91321

Comment: I found this excellent website that lists who installed what and where in the SCV. Advanced Solar appears to be one of the more popular choices here.
You can go to the home page and type in other zip codes as well. It isn't perfect (some of their grid tied provider listings are wrong) but it is very helpful.
If you click on the company names it links to a fairly complete list for that installer--prices, location, panels used, and inverters used.


Windpower
One industry leader: Bergey Windpower

Comment: Though in its infancy for home installation, there are companies developing products for smaller installations. Wind Turbines would be working quite well today!

Thanks!
We are grateful for Drew's good works on this list!

Contributor: Drew Neumann
To learn more about Drew please visit http://www.droomusic.com
***

Team, keep the feedback coming! We truly appreciate all of your good works in making this an exciting and possible project for the Santa Clarita Valley.

*DISCLAIMER NOTE
ALWAYS read the fine print: Information provided and Links to external sites are provided for reference only. We is defined as all of us who participate in the project or who might join the project now and forever. We do not warrant the accuracy of information provide in this or any other posting or the information found on these linked sites. Please consult internal references when questions arise. In addition, it may be that someone on or related to this project may have worked with some of these resources. However, none of the people on the listing above work for us, and we have no control over their practices. Therefore, neither we nor any of our associates (personal, professional, social, related or unrelated), are responsible for their recommendations, actions or non-actions. Be sure to check them out to the extent you feel necessary.

Team Meeting Round-up

(2009-01-06) The "SCV off the Grid" team kicked off 2009 with a productive meeting filled with community spirit as well as practical and tactical next steps.

PRESO
Over the next few weeks we will be working on our 'Talking Points' Presentation to share with the communities throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. We will publish our presentation for your viewing pleasure as well as have the calendar of our 'Roadshow' available for you to find a calendar match and come out and meet members of the group.

KNOWLEDGE SHARE AND RESOURCE LIST
We are working on aggregating helpful information as well as a "Best-in-Breed" vendor list of local and near local vendors that you can contact to evaluate your own Environmental Friendly Project. So stay tuned!

ECO-EVENTS CALENDAR
We will also post local, regional, state Eco-Info Events, trade shows, and the like.

• Do you use links to be 'in-the-know' when it comes to Eco-Events? Share them with us
  
• Do you know about an Eco-event in the area?

Email us Today! Ensure to include:

• Your name
• Eco-event name
• Dates
• Times
• Vendor/booth contact (if known)
• Comments: why you like the event, what you are going there for, and/or what you recommend people do or see.

NEXT MEETING <TBD>
We will post our next meeting time when the venue is confirmed. We are looking for a community room that can seat 8-15 people.

Team, we truly appreciate your continued support of this project and the Sustainability of the Santa Clarita Valley. We will keep you posted as progress develops.