October Meeting

Join us on Thursday, October 13 at 6:30 PM for OC Renewables next monthly meeting. Our Speaker will be James Campbell, Manager, Orange County Land Development & Renewable Energy Initiatives. His topic will be:

Green is the New Orange
Renewable Energy Initiatives underway by the County of Orange

James Campbell is responsible for several land entitlement and development projects, as well as the creation and implementation of renewable energy initiatives for the County of Orange. This includes the development and implementation of the County's AB811 program, which will allow residential and commercial property owners to finance solar and energy efficiency improvements through their property tax assessments (PACE).  The County has selected a team headed by PFM to serve as the program administrator.  James and his team are also responsible for the development and implementation of a comprehensive energy master plan to serve the County of Orange.  The County has selected Navigant Consulting to assist with the plan and its initiatives.  Additionally, James and his team negotiated a 4MW solar power purchase agreement with PsomasFMG to provide power to County facilities at a reduced rate over the next 20 years.  Additional duties include the development of the County's 200 acres at the former Marine Corp Air Station El Toro in Irvine, CA, as well as, the entitlement and development of a 4,000 unit master planned community on the 1,658 acre "Greenspot" property.  Both of these developments include potential renewable energy projects.  James has been with the County since 1994, working previously for 3 members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors before joining the County in his current capacity.

Upcoming Renewable Events for October

COMMUNITY IMPACT SUMMIT FREE SCREENING

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011, 6-9pm
Los Angeles Community College District Small Business Dream Center
811 Wilshire Blvd., 1st Floor - Los Angeles, CA 90017

You are cordially invited to a Community Impact Summit to launch So Right So Smart - Los Angeles, a program to promote the business case for sustainable business throughout Los Angeles.  At this special event hosted by the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) at the Small Business Dream Center, the green business community will come together to celebrate the life of Ray Anderson, screen the award-winning documentary So Right So Smart, and convene business and sustainability leaders to advance the So Right So Smart - Los Angeles program.

This event is FREE, but those attending are required to RSVP. Click here for more information or to register: http://sorightsosmartla.eventbrite.com/ 

IRVINE RANCH WATER DISTRICT SITE TOUR AND PRESENTATION
Friday, October 21, 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Irvine Ranch Water District - San Joaquin Marsh Campus
Next to the Duck Club in Irvine, CA

IRWD is an innovative urban water supplier, answering its water supply challenge with a comprehensive Recycled Water Program, addressing polluted urban runoff with Natural Treatment Systems, and managing its carbon footprint through a Green House Gas Reduction Plan.

Registration required; space is limited. Click here to register.

LOS ANGELES GREEN FESTIVAL

Saturday, Oct. 29, 10am-7 pm, and Sunday, Oct. 30, 11am-6pm.
LA Convention Center – South Hall G
1201 South Figueroa Street - Los Angeles, CA 90015

The nation’s premier green living event comes to Los Angeles . This year, Green Festival, a nonprofit event,  celebrates a ten year milestone. This is a great place to increase your holiday sales!  Reserve your spot at the Los Angeles Green Festival and get a 15% discount on your booth. To get this special offer call 828-333-9436 or exhibit@greenfestivals.org. 

Click here for more information: www.greenfestivals.org 

OC Renewables Election and Positions

At the last meeting, Lori Greene announced that we would hold elections for a new Board of Trustees. Each position, responsibilities, and questions about the election are as follows:

Offices for Election

OC Renewables has the following positions available with the following responsibilities:

PRESIDENT
Make sure non-profit status is maintained in good standing
Serve as signatory on bank account
Liaise with ASES
Facilitate Board meetings
Oversee the “big picture” goals of OC Renewables - make sure the Board is hitting its milestones
Make sure that the organization adheres to the bylaws
Stay current on important policies in the field (e.g. state regulations)
Devise an annual operating budget and fundraising plan in conjunction with the Treasure and Development Director
Review membership guidelines
Make sure OCR is in full corporate compliance with federal, state, regional & city rules and regulations
Assist with annual government reporting & filing

VICE PRESIDENT – EVENTS
Maintain a database of potential speakers and activities for Chapter Meetings - solicit suggestions from other Board and OCR members
Manage Chapter meetings - we suggest a 2-month lead on speakers/activities
Provide the Social Media & Publicity Director have event information in a timely fashion so they can spread the word. Several publications need 3-4 weeks’ notice.
Coordinate any additional OCR events
Oversee Chapter Meeting venue

VICE PRESIDENT – MEMBERSHIP / DEVELOPMENT
Find incentives for businesses & individuals to join as local chapter members
Oversee fundraising campaign - whether this is an event, a membership drive
Help forge strategic alliances with other organizations & businesses (in consultation with President & other Board members)
Work with President and Board to come up with a fundraising plan
Oversee implementation of fundraising plan
Work with Events Director to plan fundraising events
Assume the duties of the President if the President is unavailable and if the office becomes unoccupied

SECRETARY
Organize regular Board meetings in consultation with President
Create agenda for Board meetings in collaboration with other Board members;
Maintain & distribute Board of Directors meeting Minutes
Keep corporate paperwork organized and up to date
Serve as signatory on bank account
Make sure OCR is in full corporate compliance with federal, state, regional & city rules and regulations
Assist with annual government reporting & filing

TREASURER
Provide monthly treasury reports at board meetings
Serve as signatory on bank account
Assist in procuring any necessary items
Make sure vendors get paid, maintain checkbook / accounting
Assist with annual government reporting & filing

SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLICITY DIRECTOR
Write content for weekly e-newsletter
Update & maintain website with announcements of upcoming OCR activities, as well as follow-ups on previous meetings (summaries, photos, etc). May get the help from other OCR Board members in implementing these.
Moderate social media outlets - Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
Write press releases for the group
Place notices of monthly meetings & special events to community bulletins, local publications, etc
Look for and facilitate media placement
Keep log of press clippings
Make sure someone takes photos of events and other activities

Election Process

If you are interested in any of the above positions, contact Lori Greene to place your name on the ballot.
You must be a member of OC Renewables in order to run for office. If you are not a member, please become one today.

If you are a member of OC Renewables by Thursday, October 27, you will be eligible to vote in this election.

All Members of OC Renewables will receive a ballot by Friday, October 14, 2011. Voting is open until Thursday, November 10 at 11:59 AM Pacific.
Votes will be collected and tabulated on November 10th and announced at the OC Renewables meeting that evening.

Upcoming Renewable Events Around Orange County

Upcoming events of note...

Thursday, September 22, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
AEE SoCal Annual Conferernce "Energy Risk: Keeping the Power On"
Association of Electrical Engineers (AEE) - So Cal Chapter
SoCalGas Energy Resource Center
9240 Firestone Boulevard, Downey, CA 90241

Monday, September 26, 6:30 PM
American Vacuum Society, Inc. Presents “Fuels from Sunlight”
dinner & presentation with CalTech professor Nathan Lewis
Il Fornaio Restaurant, Sorrento Room
24 West Union Street, Pasadena, CA 91103
Registration deadline is September 16th!
For more details, visit: www.sccavs.org 

Wednesday and Thursday, September 28-29
South Coast AQMD Air Quality Technology Symposium
SCAQMD Auditorium
21865 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765
Attendance and exhibit space are free of charge.

September Meeting Wrap-Up

Thanks to Dr. Jack Brouwer, the Associate Director of the National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) located at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) for his excellent presentation and questions about fuel cells on Thursday the 8th! The main highlight was Dr. Brouwer and the NFCRC's work a the world's first renewable, high temperature, fuel cell hydrogen, coproduct demonstration at the Orange County Sanitary District in Fountain Valley. In a nutshell, sludge and waste goes into a storage tank. The fuel cell generator takes the methane and uses chemical catalysts to split hydrogen atoms off of methane. The hydrogen is siphoned off to form 300 kilowatts of electricity and the remainder becomes the fuel coming out of the nozzle in the picture above for fuel cell-powered automobiles.

There is incredible innovation taking place right here in Orange County, and we are very thankful to have the quality of speaker like Dr. Brouwer join us and explain it's potential and uses. Thank you, Dr. Brouwer!

Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, October 13th. Speaker to be determined... but they have big shoes to fill.

Create A Sustainable Future With a Green Career

Cal State Fullerton University Extended Education wants to provide you with the skills to implement green practices in your career or business.  Advancements are being made every day to make our world a greener place – and they can provide this specialized training through professional development courses conveniently offered in the evenings or on weekends. Most courses begin in September.
 
Five sustainability programs are being offered for Fall…
Applied Sustainability is designed to give participants an applied understanding of the concepts, practical knowledge and skills necessary for the adoption of sustainability practices. It’s a great place to start if you’re new to green.
If you already work in a construction or IT related field, your best fit might be to enroll in courses that focus on the sustainability aspects of your industry, choosing from: Green Building, Commercial Building Energy Audit, and Green Data Center Management. Cloud Computing and Emerging Technologies is also a part of our sustainability offerings – courses will be offered at a future date.
 
 
Questions? See the contact at the bottom of each program description page (links above).
Register ONLINE today:  www.fullerton.edu/greencareers or call 657.278.2611.
 
University Extended Education
Cal State Fullerton
2600 Nutwood Ave., Suite 100
Fullerton, CA 92831