[NMSEA-news] Conferences, Classes, Solar Fiesta

[News from New Mexico Solar Energy Association]

Hi Solar Enthusiasts!

Here's the current list of events in our area and beyond. First is the 
calendar summary, then further below are more details for each event:

NOTICE: There will not be a regular NMSEA info meeting this month at REI 
due to lack of a speaker, as well as the space being used by REI. We'll 
announce the September meeting as soon as a speaker has been confirmed.

9/8 – Pubic Talk at UNM on The Ecovillage Model: New Approaches to Urban 
Regeneration

9/8-16 - Ecovillage Design Education Training

9/15-16 - Solar Fiesta – Highland High School

9/15-16 - Second Annual Kids Solar Micro Stock Car Challenge

9/29 - Hands-on Biodiesel Class

10/12-14, 20-21 - Hands-on PV Design and Installation Class

10/19-21 - Bioneers Conference

10/19-28 - The Natural Building Colloquium, Quiet Valley Ranch, 
Kerrville, TX

11/7-9 Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change Conference! Sacramento, CA


GENERAL INTEREST ITEMS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LIST


Please see the NMSEA Event Calendar for the complete list of events:

http://www.nmsea.org/Events/Event_Calendar.php. We usually only list the

most recent notices here.


Any questions? Please contact us!


New Mexico Solar Energy Association

1009 Bradbury St SE, Ste. 35

Albuquerque, NM 87106

505-246-0400, 888-886-6765

Fax: 505-246-2251

www.nmsea.org <http://www.nmsea.org> <http://www.nmsea.org> 
<http://www.nmsea.org>

info at nmsea.org <mailto:info at nmsea.org> <mailto:info at nmsea.org> 
<mailto:info at nmsea.org>


To subscribe or unsubscribe to this NMSEA-news e-mail list, please

visit: http://nmsea.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nmsea-news.

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9/8 THE ECOVILLAGE MODEL: NEW APPROACHES TO URBAN REGENERATION

A public talk

Ecovillage Design Southwest & Village Design Institute Present:
May East - CEO of CIFAL Findhorn, a United Nations Associated Training 
Centre in Scotland and Director of Gaia Education speaking on:
The Ecovillage Model: New Approaches to Urban Regeneration
September 8th 2007 at 11 am—1 pm
Auditorium at University of New Mexico (UNM) Conference Center
1634 University Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM
Suggested Donation $5

No where on earth is the need for ecological understanding greater and 
more urgent than in cities where human activity is most intense. This 
talk will present an integrated model for sustainability encouraging 
environmentally responsible design and development of our North American 
cities. We will be examining a systemic new approach for addressing 
sustainable urbanization, as promoted by the Global Ecovillage Network 
(GEN), a worldwide network of sustainable human settlements and 
initiatives.

For More Information
www.ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org
(505) 410-4011
info at ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org

___________________
9/8-16 ECOVILLAGE DESIGN EDUCATION TRAINING

Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) is a four-part introductory training 
course being offered over the course of the next year through the 
Univ.of New Mexico Continuing Education. The program is dedicated to 
creating solutions to global environmental, social, and economic issues 
through local and regional community building. Course content provides 
an overview of design considerations for establishing sustainable 
communities ("eco-villages") in both urban and rural settings in order 
to promote and prepare for a sustainable future and has already been 
presented and implemented in ten other countries including Germany, 
Brazil, and India. This year EDE is being offered for the first time in 
the United States, right here in New Mexico! EDE is a project of Gaia 
Education, a component of the Global Ecovillage Network and an official 
contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable 
Development.

For detailed course or registration information, visit:

www.ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org 
<http://www.ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org> 
<http://www.ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org>

<http://www.ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org> or e-mail

info at ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org 
<mailto:info at ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org> 
<mailto:info at ecovillagedesignsouthwest.org>.

______________________________

9/15-16 - SOLAR FIESTA

Find Brighter SOLutions at this year's Solar Fiesta…

Our new location (Highland High School) is a brighter solution with a 
larger indoor exhibit area and greater workshop capacity. Come to see 
and learn about brighter solutions to enhance your life!

Exhibits Galore!

Meet professionals in the solar and renewable industries and like-minded 
organizations face-to-face. Find qualified installers. Get answers to 
your questions, from basics to the nitty-gritty technical. See new products.

(Visit our website for a list of this year's sponsors and exhibitors:

www.nmsea.org <http://www.nmsea.org> <http://www.nmsea.org> 
<http://www.nmsea.org>)

Workshops--

Classes on renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable living 
are organized in a "track" approach. (Visit www.nmsea.org 
<http://www.nmsea.org> <http://www.nmsea.org>

<http://www.nmsea.org>, to see the developing schedule.)

Topics include:

Solar Financing

Energy Efficiency Savings

Solar Tax Credits

Net Metering

Renewable Energy Certificates

Solar Electricity

Grid-tied PV

Remote PV

Wind

Hybrid

Solar Thermal

Hot Water

Radiant Heat

Solar Cooling

Green Building

Passive Design

Alternative Materials

Water

Solar Pumping

Catchment

Greywater

Alternative Fuels

Biodiesel

Veggie Oil

Electric/Hybrids

And More!

Free Workshops--

We offer a free, hour-long workshop each morning of the Solar Fiesta at 
9:30am. If you're a newbie to solar, come get a brief introduction. Then 
decide whether to stay for the exhibits and other workshops.

Especially for Kids

Solar Scavenger Hunt

Visit exhibits to gather solar clues and win a prize!!!

Solar Cars--

Bring your own model solar car or purchase one to assemble and race.

See more details in separate listing below.

Other Solar Projects--

NMSEA encourages students to bring their science projects to the Fiesta 
to show others. Please contact the office, if you are interested.

For the Industry and Other Interested Folk, the Technical Sessions--

NMSEA began as a technical society. Numerous requests brought back that 
quality last year. We are proud to repeat the Technical Sessions.

Marlene Brown has issued a call for papers to solar techies, 
professionals and enthusiasts (see above). That and suggestions for 
topics are on our website. Papers will be reviewed by a committee of 
solar professionals.

Submission deadline: August 1.

We anticipate another first-rate, well-rounded session!

Volunteers--

For Solar Fiesta and throughout the year, we rely on and greatly 
appreciate volunteers. You are the ingredient which makes NMSEA and the 
Solar Fiesta successful!

Volunteer opportunities abound. Please contact us for tasks that would 
be helpful. No solar knowledge needed!Currently, we are looking for a 
few good people to coordinate several activities. If you are interested 
in helping to manage the Fiesta, please contact the office, 
info at nmsea.org 
<mailto:info at nmsea.org><mailto:info at nmsea.org><mailto:info at nmsea.org>, 
505-246-0400, 888-886-6765. To volunteer over the weekend, contact John 
Salinas, jsalinas at vt.edu 
<mailto:jsalinas at vt.edu><mailto:jsalinas at vt.edu><mailto:jsalinas at vt.edu>.
____________________________________

9/15-16 SECOND ANNUAL KIDS SOLAR MICRO STOCK CAR CHALLENGE

Join the “Second Annual Kids Solar Micro Stock Car Challenge” races at 
Solar Fiesta 07 Sept. 15-16 and win cash & merchandise awards in 
numerous categories. Bring your own car, order a new one from 
www.nmsea.org <http://www.nmsea.org> or buy one at the Solar Fiesta. If 
you can not afford to buy one and have a NMSEA family member or sponsor 
you can volunteer as a solar car kid and you can probably earn enough 
points to get a solar car kit. P.R. Solar Car trade in Bring your old 
solar powered car running or not to the 07 Sept. 15-16 Solar Fiesta and 
we will buy it or you can trade it in on one of the new “X-treem Series” 
solar cars. P.R. Win a toy Solar Car Come to the Kids Corner at the “07” 
Solar Fiesta Sept. 15-16, buy a raffle ticket for $2. & win a toy Solar 
Car, several will be raffled off Sat. & Sun. “Great odds!’
Sponsors Needed for the Second Annual Kids Solar Car Races We would like 
to find sponsors to buy the $20. kits down to $10.00 or so and or to 
provide prizes or prize money for the competition races. The sponsors 
will be posted on a bulletin board at the kids area and the NMSEA booth; 
they can also have their business cards or card size add placed on the 
car race tracks. The winners will be published in the Sunpaper, posted 
on MNSEA's Web sight and offered as a press release to Solar Today, 
Electric Vehicle magazines etc. Sponsors can send checks to NMSEA 1009 
Bradbury SE. Alb. NM 87106. Please note “kids solar races” on check or 
credit card.

The New Solar milli Race Car Kit:

Each kit includes two unbreakable solar cells, a pre assembled drive 
unit, (motor, gears& wheels), a printed instructed, body sheet, (a 
simple straight cut and fold to shape), and a steering axle with 
wheels.Peel back tape is included for adhering the parts.

Let The Races Begin !

Dragster Races -These will be timed races held on straight tracks with 
multiple cars competing. The cars will challenge until the top three are 
determined. Before each race an insolation reading will be taken.

Rally Race (Oval, Hill Climb, & Jump) - Two cars at a time will compete 
in a timed lapp or lapps.

Demolition Derby - This will be multiple cars placed in a round track, 
all cars will start at once & go until the last one moving wins.

There will be individual prizes for each of these races plus a Grand 
Prize for the best performance in the most competitions.

Questions or comments about the kits, races, or sponsorships, please 
contact Monte @505.422.2268 or email; solpwr at plateautel.net 
<mailto:solpwr at plateautel.net> Monte Ogdahl Thanks for the support.
_________________________________
9/29 – BIODIESEL CLASS

The next hands-on Biodiesel Class is 9/29.

James Burgess and Eric Chrisp continue their series of hands-on 
Biodiesel101classes. They will cover sourcing oil, economic and 
ecological pros and cons, preferred vehicles, how to make your own 
biodiesel processor for under $400, how to brew on a small or medium 
scale, how to test oil quality, safety issues, washing fuel, politics, 
why we drink beer when we brew and much, much more!

Why: Because it's fun to make biodiesel! Oh yeah, and because "here we 
have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often 
imported from unstable parts of the world" (G. W. Bush, January 2006).

Learn many more reasons at the workshop.

Who: James Burgess and Eric Chrisp have been declared "Biodiesel Jedi" 
by the New Mexico Solar Energy Association. They have conducted numerous 
presentations and workshops. Each has been running one or more vehicles 
on home-brewed biodiesel for over two years.

Non-Members - $110

NMSEA Members - $99.

See http://www.nmsea.org/Workshops/biodiesel_workshop.php for further 
details.
_____________________________________

10/12-14, 20-21 – HANDS-ON PV DESIGN AND INSTALLATION CLASS

Photovoltaic (PV) Design and Installation Class (Hands-On) 5-Day Class

(Fri-Sat-Sun-Sat-Sun)

Sponsored by New Mexico Solar Energy Association

Next class: October 12-14 & 20-21, 2007
Cost: $500.00 per person; NMSEA members - $450

Are you interested in learning more about solar electricity? Would you 
like to learn about siting, sizing and safely installing a PV system?

This class will be held over two weekends, October 12-14 and 20-21, 
2007. Topics to be covered include photovoltaic components, designing 
and sizing a system, siting, and the configuration of stand-alone 
(off-grid) and grid-tie (utility-connected) systems. Safety and energy 
efficiency will also be covered.

The class will start with three days in the classroom. It will include 
visiting instructors, tours of local PV systems and hands-on labs. The 
last two days will be spent installing a PV system. Students will have 
the opportunity to hear from local PV business owners, installers and 
other PV experts. Depending upon the group's interest, there may be 
evening slideshows and talks from members of the

New Mexico Solar Energy Association (NMSEA).

The instructor is Marlene Brown. Marlene is President of the New Mexico 
Solar Energy Association (NMSEA). She has been working with PV systems 
for over 15 years and has installed hundreds of systems in the U.S. and 
the developing world. Marlene has been teaching PV classes for over 10 
years. There may be other co- and guest instructors throughout the course.

http://www.nmsea.org/Workshops/pv_workshop.php contains these details.

Contact the office to register (info at top).
____________________________________

10/19-21 – BIONEERS CONFERENCE

The Bioneers Conference <http://www.bioneers.org/conference> is a 
dynamic, leading-edge forum, focused on practical and visionary 
solutions for restoring the Earth’s imperiled ecosystems and healing our 
human communities.

See http://www.bioneers.org/ for details.

NM Bioneers Conference - Early Bird Rates Through August

There's still time to register at early-bird rates for the NM Bioneers 
Conference. The fee for attending the entire 3-day conference (Oct. 
19-21) at the College of Santa Fe is only $95 for general admission - 
and only $50 for youth, educators, elders, and nonprofit staff. Register 
today because the early-bird rates end August 31.

Your early registration saves you money - and shows your support for the 
conference. To register online or to print a form, visit 
www.nmconference.org. Or call us at 505-428-1227. The website also has 
information on becoming a conference sponsor, exhibitor, presenter, or 
volunteer.

CONFERENCE-RELATED NEWS (Visit www.nmconference.org 
<http://www.nmconference.org> for More Details)

Join us on Thursday, August 30, for a special "sneak preview" screening 
of The 11th Hour, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. We are honored to have 
Kenny Ausubel at the screening to introduce the film. He served as a 
main consultant to Leonardo and is featured in the film, along with more 
than 30 other Bioneers. This event is a fundraiser for the NM Bioneers 
Conference. Tickets are only $15, including the movie and a brief 
reception for Kenny before the film. The reception is at 7 pm, and the 
movie starts at 7:30 pm at the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCS) at 
1050 Old Pecos Trail Road in Santa Fe.

The Youth Scholarship Raffle is taking shape to raise money for 
conference scholarships for up to 200 youth. The grand prize is an 
electric car. Also included are a vacation at an eco-resort in Mexico, 
an electric bike, and many other prizes. If you would like to 
participate in this important project by donating a raffle item or 
helping us sell tickets, please contact Richard Kujawski 
(richard at living-green.org <mailto:richard at living-green.org> or 
505-751-3424). The tickets to win these great give-aways are $100 each, 
and will go on sale shortly after Labor Day.

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10/19-28 -THE NATURAL BUILDING COLLOQUIUM

October will bring an opportunity to connect with natural builders and 
those committed to sustainability and community. The Natural Building 
Colloquium, Oct 19-28, 2007, will bring together many skilled, 
interesting, big-hearted people. It will be in Kerrville, a couple of 
hours from Austin or San Antonio. If the announcement below interests 
you, follow the link at the bottom for more information.
Derek Roff
Director, Builders Without Borders

In the spirit of strengthening and expanding our community of those 
interested in sustainable building, central Texas invites you to attend 
a Natural Building Colloquium, October 19-28. Colloquia are gatherings 
of people, ranging from experienced to simply curious, who come to learn 
from each other, to synergize their experience and to remind themselves 
of their larger vision.

Oct 19-28, 2007 ... come one weekend, two weekends or all ten days
Quiet Valley Ranch, Kerrville, TX

In our case, the vision is of a lifestyle and building culture that 
could repeat itself indefinitely through successive generations. With 
careful searching many of us have concluded that the use of locally 
abundant, unprocessed materials such as earth, stone, straw and native 
timber provide the structure with which to achieve this vision. Cob, 
strawbale, adobe, earthbag, leichtlehm (straw-clay), and timber frame 
are a few of the types of systems that exemplify this philosophy. 
Natural buildings become pieces of art created with soul and purpose.

Permaculture , or "permanent agriculture," helps us integrate human 
patterns into the landscape surrounding our homes. As originated by Bill

Mollison, permaculture is the practice of designing sustainable human 
habitats by

following nature's patterns, integrating ecology, landscape, organic

gardening, architecture and agroforestry.

There are other important aspects as well: delicious food that nourishes 
the body, music, laughter, creativity, families of all sorts, eager 
minds and willing hands. We seek to create homes that comfort the body 
and lift the soul. If you possess or aspire to any of the above, we 
invite you to join us this fall. We have in incredible group of 
presenters and hands-on projects.

Details on presenters, registration, costs, meals and accomodations at
<http://www.naturalbuildingtexas.org>

early registration ends Aug 15
We hope to see you in Texas this October!
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11/7-9 - BEHAVIOR, ENERGY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

Sacramento, California

The first-ever Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference ("BECC") 
is a national conference focused on understanding the behavior and 
decision-making of individuals and organizations and on using that 
knowledge to help accelerate our transition to an energy-efficient and 
low-carbon economy

The conference program and registration details will be announced soon 
on the conference Web site: http://aceee.org/conf/07becc/07beccindex.htm.

What Topics Will Be Addressed? (partial list)

Behavior and technology-design, adoption, and use

Motivating individual and collective action

Behavior and policy design and regulation

Insights from anthropology, sociology, psychology, and public health

research and interventions

Increasing program participation and effectiveness

Incorporating behavior in energy potential studies

Lessons from 30 years of program evaluations

People are different-leveraging segmentation

Behavior in organizations

Impacts of changing lifestyles on energy use

Social norms and networks

Economic models and behavior

Social marketing and other behavior change strategies

Attitudes, opinions and "public will"

Messages, messengers, and role models

Who Should Attend?

This first-ever conference on Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change will 
attract a diverse group. The meeting will be of interest to anyone 
interested in behavior, energy, and climate issues, especially 
researchers; policymakers and advisors (national, state and local); 
program developers and implementers; marketing, advertising, and 
communications professionals; corporations; consultants; evaluators; 
utilities; technology manufacturers; NGO's; faculty and students.

Other Details

The Behavior, Energy and Climate Change Conference will be held November 
7 - 9, 2007 in Sacramento, California. The conference will begin on

Wednesday evening, November 7 with Registration and a Networking 
Reception from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Two full days of sessions will be 
held on November 8 and 9.

Online registration will be available soon at

http://aceee.org/conf/07becc/07beccindex.htm.

________________________________

GENERAL INTEREST:

_____________________________________________________________
2007 GREEN POWER INDUSTRY DIRECTORY ON CD-ROM, PDF, AND HARD COPY TODAY!

Need a list of a comprehensive, industry-wide listing of manufacturers 
and dealers of renewable/clean energy products and systems? Webcom's 
Renewable/Clean Energy Database mailing list of 3,000 contacts and 2,143 
companies & locations worldwide, has what you're looking for. Updated 
daily, the list includes company, name and title of contacts, address, 
phone, fax and website or email address when available.

For further information please contact Donna Chrivia at 
donna at infowebcom.com <mailto:donna at infowebcom.com> or call 720 528 3770, 
ext. 127.

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THE ELEVENTH HOUR

The 11th Hour is premiering this Friday, August 24th!

Go support this important film in its limited early release and help 
make an impact on climate change!

Find showtimes at http://www.fandango.com/the11thhour_108034/movietimes

Global warming is not only the number one environmental challenge we 
face today, but one of the most important issues facing all of humanity 
... We all have to do our part to raise awareness about global warming 
and the problems we as a people face in promoting a sustainable 
environmental future for our planet. - Leonardo DiCaprio

The 11th Hour is a 2007 feature film documentary created, produced and 
narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio on the state of the natural environment. 
With the contributions of over fifty of the world's most prominent 
thinkers and activists, including reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, physicist 
Stephen Hawking, and Earth Policy Institute founder and president Lester 
Brown, the film documents the grave problems facing the planet's life 
systems. Global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and 
depletion of the oceans' habitats are all addressed. The film's premise 
is that the future of humanity is in jeopardy.

Note: With friendly managers you might be able to give a little speech 
inside the theatre before the previews start, in addition to passing out 
information as people leave.

Please check local listings for showtimes in your area. The movie is 
being released in a number of cities this week and next week (see list 
below).

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THE LASE NEWSLETTER

LASE Newsletter is taking the summer off, but here is a recent report

that many of you will find interesting.

"zerocarbonbritainis a radical vision of Britain’s energy future, 
outlining bold policy drivers to reduce carbon emissions to zero within 
20 years. What follows is a scenario demonstrating possible outcomes of 
these policies, using only existing and proven technologies."

Download from http://www.zerocarbonbritain.com/ (warning: 4 MB)

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