GreenLife Eco Festival 2012 Workshop Leaders
Coming SOON!!!
2011 Presentation Speakers
GREEN LIVING & BUSINESS
 Marie L Brown from Eco-Chic Design will be presenting “Improve your home’s indoor air quality” Marie Brown is an interior designer who is passionate about creating beautiful, eco-friendly and healthy interiors that will soothe your mind, body and soul. LEED AP, accredited by the U.S. Green Building Council, with demonstrated knowledge of green building and design principles. Marie started her design company Eco-Chic Design in 2007 and has been spreading the green gospel ever since. In addition to creating gorgeously green and healthy interiors, Marie creates one-of-a-kind eco-friendly accessories using vintage or upcycled materials. Her company Eco-Chic Design has been a certified Sacramento Area Sustainable Business since November of 2007. Time: Saturday at 11:30 AM
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 Shawn Tuttle from Project Simplify will be presenting “Reaching Within to make a Difference” Shawn Tuttle is Super CEO of Project Simplify, a company that helps people be their best and get stuff done. Drawing on her experiences as an Organizer, Simplify Coach, Yoga practitioner, and sauerkraut maker she’s author of “How to Kick Ass without Kicking Your Own Ass”, writes a column for the Nevada City Advocate, publishes The Simplifier bi-weekly newsletter, leads workshops, and works with clients one-on-one. Shawn’s work is guided by her passion for connecting the light of inspiration to the practicalities of daily living. The result is a way of life captured by the name of her program: The Natural Professional. Time: Sunday at 11:30 AM
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 Storyteller Jayatu will be presenting ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ in the Green Living area and other story classics during the event. For more than twenty years Jayátu has brought vibrant tales of nature and the human spirit to hundreds of audiences of all ages in schools, nature centers, conservation organizations, civic groups and local, state and national parks throughout America and abroad. He’s trained national park rangers and teachers and his stories and articles have appeared in magazines, books and on radio and television. Time: Saturday at 1:45 PM
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 Jesse Locks and Elisa Parker from See Jane Do will be presenting ”How to Start a Grassroots Revolution from Your Laptop”. See Jane Do, a multi-media program covering the stories of everyday women doing extraordinary things for the planet will provide tips and tools to ignite your passion into action while helping to bring communities together and cultivating social change. Time: Sunday at 9:30 AM
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 Tom Larsen from GreenSmart will be presenting “Eco-progress – How Everyone Makes a Difference” We read about the big ideas and the big projects. Tom will personalize the efforts of being green and explain why that might just be the most important thing we can do. Tom’s many years experiences within the green industry and market set the foundation for the philosophy of GreenSmart that the cumulative effect of small efforts can have a significant effect on the planet. Having spent 20 years in consumer products, Tom is a deep believer that it is not the one big thing, it is the thousands, in fact millions of little things, that make a difference. TIME: SATURDAY 10:45AM
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 Robert X Trent from Sierra Commons will be presenting “Rural Job Creation: Transforming aspiring entrepreneurs into inspired business owners.” Robert Trent has been an entrepreneur and business consultant for over 15 years. From Silicon Valley to the Sierra Foothills, he has founded and ran high-tech and marketing companies focusing on areas such as wireless networking, multimedia, product branding, and social networking. In 2009, Robert founded Sierra Commons in Nevada City, CA and is focused on strengthening the local economy through job creation and business retention. Time: Saturday 10:00AM and Sunday 4:00PM |
 Matt Berry from Sierra Living Skills will be presenting “Laundry to Landscape” Home-scale Greywater Demonstration. Learn about the approach, one of the simplest and most cost-effective greywater systems that diverts your washing machine water into the garden. We’ll also cover the new California code that legalizes home scale greywater systems for laundry, bath, and sinks. Matt offers a unique approach to ecological education, blending his interests and expertise in field biology and botany, primitive skills, and Permaculture. Matt has been practicing and teaching primitive living skills and nature awareness for over a decade, and holds a BS in Forestry and Wildlife. Time: Sunday 2:30PM |
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 Renee Wade from Garden with Nature will be presenting “Co-creative and Energy Gardening: Harmonize with Your Yard” Science is now uncovering the relationship between consciousness, energy, and matter. Find out how you are hardwired to use this information in your garden. Renee Wade’s interest in co-creative gardening began in 1979 when she first read about the garden at Findhorn. After completing a BA degree in Ecological Agriculture, she spent 5 years training at the Berkeley Psychic Institute while studying the Pelelandra workbooks and the Michael Roads Talking with Nature series. Further studies in permaculture, plant spirit medicine, quantum physics, and other subjects have led her to an ever deeper understanding of the human/nature potential. She now teaches workshops, is a co-creative gardening consultant and coach, a certified permaculture design consultant, and is a student of Matrix Energetics. Time: Saturday at 3:15 PM
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 Tom Wade will be presenting “Western Land Management Using Ruminant Animals” where you can learn how goats, sheep, and cows can be used to enhance soil fertility, increase water retention, and reduce fire fuel loads. Tom will also be presenting “Permaculture: Becoming a Keystone Species” Can we as humans become a benefit to the ecosystems we inhabit?Permaculture teaches us how to start down that path. Tom received his Permaculture Design Certificate through the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center in 1997. After several months applying permaculture in tropical Africa, he relocated to Western Nevada County in 1998. Here he has worked on developing a homestead site while making extensive use of dryland farming techniques and exploring the cutting edge of animal integration into homescale, regenerative design. He maintains a residential landscaping business and is in the start-up phase for Cud Works, a mowing/grazing business using sheep and goats. Time: Saturday at 11:30AM ‘Western Land Management & 4PM ‘Permaculture..’
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Patrick Rodysill from Garden Fare will be presenting “The Challenges of Organic Gardening, and Being a Good Land Steward” Holistic and responsible land management and organic gardening simplified. Patrick Rodysill, owner of Garden Fare, an edible landscaping company, counsels landowners about their small, or large, property in a holistic and conscientious manner. In 2010, he designed the Edible Garden for the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show. He is currently developing his own urban farm in Grass Valley. Time: Saturday at 10:45 AM
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 Alicia Funk will be presenting “Living Wild: Gardening, Cooking and Healing with Native Plants of the Sierra Nevada” www.flickerpress.com The Wild Summer Gourmet Discover recipes for delicious, wild edibles and the tastiest wild fruits. Alicia Goldberg Funk first learned plant-based medicine in 1990 from an indigenous grandmother in Ecuador’s rainforest. She received her MBA in entrepreneurship and has 20 years of expertise in the field of natural living and wellness. Funk introduced the “Wellness Spa” into Whole Foods Markets, served as the director of The Crossings Wellness Center and is the editor of six books, including The Botanical Safety Handbook, Herbal Medicine-The Expanded Commission E Monographs and The ABC Clinical Guide to Herbs. Her passion is creating everyday wellness for individuals and the planet. She lives off-the-grid with her husband and their three children. Time: Sunday at 1:00 PM
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 Mark Hall from Creative Coops will be presenting “Successful Backyard Chicken Coop Design” Mark Hall will describe materials and techniques to use in your chicken coop design for defense against predators and maintain a happy small flock of backyard chickens. Hall is the owner of Creative Coops, a local fabrication company which designs and builds safe and healthy living environments for poultry. Time: Sunday at 9:30 AM 
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 Angie Tomey From the Flower Project will be presenting “The True Costs of Cut Flower Production The movement towards organic and local has begun to transform the vegetable industry however, cut flowers are still largely being grown in Ecuador and Columbia with minimal restrictions on chemical use and few labor laws. Learn about the true costs of cut flower production and what you can do to make a difference. Time: Saturday at 1:45 PM
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 Gianni Stefanini from Apollo Olive Oil will be presenting “How to Produce High Quality Olive Oil” The methods and outcomes of producing high quality olive oil vary greatly from the olive oil found on supermarket shelves.
Time: Saturday at 2:30 PM
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| Dan Wheat from A to Z Supply will be presenting “Beekeeping” Dan Wheat Sr. will go over how and why he became a hobby beekeeper and what he has learned from the bees. Time: Sunday at 2:30 PM
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April Reese from A to Z Supply will be presenting “Canning and Preserving” April will be going over what you can preserve with the local food from farmers in our area and how to plan your garden around canning! Time: Sunday at 3:15 PM
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| Lyn Muth from A to Z Supply will be presenting “Mason Bees” Lyn will be going over Mason bees or Orchard Bees and how they can help you pollinate your gardens. This is for gardeners who don’t want a honey bee hive but would like to have pollinators in their garden. Time: Sunday at 4:00 PM
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GREEN BUILDING, ENERGY,
& TRANSPORTATION
 Fred Klammt from WinSol will be presenting “Tapping into Renewable Lo-Cost Energy (To reduce your utility bill)” and “Energy Commons – Creating an energy independent community” Fred is a renewable energy engineer with over 30 years experience in designing and managing energy and facility operational systems. Fred currently teaches at CSUS and in Austria on Sustainable business + green building. Over the past 30 years, Mr. Klammt has worked on Corp. Real Estate + Facility Mgmt. projects for over 40 Fortune 100 companies like Cisco, HP, City of San Jose, SCE, USC, Gensler, Paramount Studios, etc. A hands-on project manager with over 30 years project mgmt, training + auditing experience.Fred has designed + owner built three passive solar homes, his current one being totally off the grid and self-sufficient. Time: Sunday at 10:45 AM
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 Ray Darby from Sustainable Energy Group Inc. will be presenting “Your Best Energy Saving Investment Options” With so many options to choose from how is a building owner to know how they compare? With over 32 years of in-depth experience with solar energy and energy efficiency, Ray Darby will answer that question for you in this presentation! Ray Darby, a licensed mechanical engineer specializing in solar and energy efficiency since 1977, has worked extensively with the California Energy Commission, California Utilities and the US Department of Energy over the years. His company, Sustainable Energy Group, is a licensed general contracting firm and is also licensed to provide electrical and plumbing contracting services. Their mission is to help building owners identify and implement their most cost-effective energy options and to educate the community on sustainable energy. Time: Sunday at 11:30 AM
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 Bryan McAlister from SCO Planning and Engineering, Inc. will be presenting “Low Impact Development Design” Approach Stormwater is increasingly being managed through the strategies and principles of Low Impact Development, which is defined as an ecosystem-based approach to designing a built environment that remains a functioning part of an ecosystem rather than existing apart from it. LID is a design strategy that utilizes decentralized, small-scale source control structural and/or non-structural stormwater practices to meet certain technical requirements of federal, state, and local government stormwater management regulations, as well as natural resource protection and restoration goals. Time: Saturday at 3:15 PM
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 Martin Webb from Plan It Solar will be presenting “Solar: 10 Years Past the Crossover Point” Due to 3 specific political decisions made in CA, we have the best solar payback in America. This talk will highlight how in CA we are 10 years beyond the crossover point where solar is cheaper than utility power. Martin founded Plan It Solar, Inc. with humble beginnings in a prototypical garage home office and one employee in late 2001, and has now grown into a 12-employee operation, Based on statistics for the new statewide solar rebate program begun in January 2007, in a thirteen-county region from Shasta County in the north down to Amador County in the south, Plan It Solar, Inc. is ranked as the number two solar company by total number of installations. Time: Saturday at 4:00 PM
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| Frans Velthuijsen from Quality & Quantity Construction Services, Inc. will be presenting “Net-Zero Energy Homes” Net-Zero Energy homes in the context of sustainable living and “Fire Resistant Retrofitting” How homes catch on fire due to a wildfire and what you can do to minimize the risk. Time: Sunday at 10:45 AM
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Ralph Jaggi from The Alternative Energy Guy will be presenting ”How to Maximum the Time before you go dark on an Off Grid” that focuses on battery selection, maintenance for Off Grid Systems. Time: Saturday at 10:45 AM
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| Valmore (Chip) Gauthier from VA Gauthier Construction will be presenting “BuildBlock Insulating Concrete Forms” which focuses on the benefits of using insulating concrete forms. Time: Saturday at 1:45 PM
Mike Leslie, president of Tekton Inc. will be presenting “Smart Grid – The HAN” (Home Area Network). Time: Saturday 11:30 & Sunday at 1:45 PM
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Scott Terrell from the Truckee Donner Public Utility District D will be presenting “Community Benefits from Gov Conservation Programs” with a focus on Truckee’s Energy & Water Conservation Efforts/Results and a summary of Truckee Donner PUD’s energy and water conservation programs/efforts and the community benefits/financial benefit. TIME: SATURDAY 10:00AM
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Alternative
HEALTH & WELLNESS
 Jacob Griscom from Everyday Ayurveda will be presenting “How to Use Health and Disease for Enlightenment” In his presentation you will learn how to use your health goals and challenges to become enlightened through the Integral Ayurveda platform. Jacob Griscom is a Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist and Ayurveda Business Coach. He has authored three books: Grow Your Ayurvedic Business, Dietary Supplements for Enlightenment, and 101 Great Things To Do For Your Health, and his articles on health and sustainability have been published internationally. He has started and helped grow seven for profit and non-profit organizations in the fields of health, education, and sustainability, and is the co-founder and current chair of Sacramento Sustainability Forum, an award-winning and congressionally-honored organization focused on bringing together business, government, non-profits, citizens, and students to discuss and advance sustainability issues for the Sacramento region. His current company, Everyday Ayurveda, supports Ayurvedic practitioners to build successful and transformative businesses for themselves, their clients, and their communities. Time: Sunday at 3:15 PM
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 Loren Swift from Peaceful Pines Learning and Retreat Center will be presenting ” Social Sustainability: What is a Green Human?” Social Sustainability is the how-to of moving from staunch individualism, the sense of being separate from the rest of life, to connection and inclusion, the sense of belonging in and to the world. We begin to recognize ourselves as co-creators of our experience, our relationships and our world with it’s ensuing rights and responsibilities. Loren is a licensed Psychotherapist, Trainer and Coach, Presenter at the Praxis Peace Institute International Peace Conference, has worked doing mediation training and conflict Resolution facilitation, and has taught classes which in include: Parenting for Peace; Radical Peacemaking: Healing Relationships; NVC Foundations I and II; Embodying the Spirituality of NVC and Living Peace. Loren has authored articles in publications like the “The Practical Application of Nonviolent Communication to Living Peace,” , and “Discovering A Science of Peace: The How-to of Making Changes of Heart and Mind,” for thePraxis Peace Institute Newsletter and “Intervention in the Alcoholic Family” Arizona Counseling Journal, 1990. Time: Sunday at 11:30 AM
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 Robyn Martin from OLALA FARMS will be presenting “Understand Personal Responsibility for Health Issues For Yourself & Family” Using natural and easily obtainable materials from your garden and health food store, let’s look at some new old ways to strengthen the immune system. Deficiency disorders are often responsible for a weakened immune response. Robyn Martin, Nevada County resident for over 36 years, is passionate about the natural world. As an artist, poet, & naturalist ever observing natural history in the phenomenal world she is both student & practitioner of homeopathy, cross cultural herbal medicine, with flower essences & the Art of self healing. Art for Robyn is all about communication, sharing with others both content and feelings. She & her husband, Arlo Acton, built Olala Farms where they raised their family on the San Juan Ridge organic gardening, farming & wildcrafting. On KVMR’s Garden Forum Robyn fields questions, & networks with the listeners for answers to the what & how of organic gardening, farming & healthful living. Time: Saturday 2:30PM
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 Dr. Don Williams, DC will be presenting “The secret of Health and the Law of Attraction” Dr. Williams is a Chiropractor and B.E.S.T Practitioner Dr. Don Williams, DC is a licensed Chiropractor and has been serving Grass Valley and Western Nevada County since 1990. Dr. Don began practicing chiropractic medicine in 1982 specializing in applied kinesiology. He utilizes state of the art diagnostic equipment and non-invasive tests to evaluate the function of a patient’s nervous system. He then gently removes the interference using the Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique (B.E.S.T.) system. Dr. Don brings over 30 years of spiritual practice and deep study of spiritual psychology to his chiropractic work. Combined with a deep knowledge of healing nutrition and lifestyle, he offers a truly holistic approach to healing. TIME: SATURDAY 10:45AM – SUNDAY 10:45AM
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 Shan Kendall from the Weston A. Price Foundation will be presenting “To Ferment or Not Ferment“. Fermented foods are an important part of our diet. We can ferment dairy, vegetables, sausages and beverages. Shan earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and just loves to talk about “bugs” and how they help keep us healthy. She is the local chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation and helps people find local nutrient dense foods and teaches classes at In the Kitchen in preparing those foods. She has, in fact been a member of The Local Foods Coalition since its inception and is an active member and volunteer of Living Lands Agrarian Network. Shan keeps a family cow, a small goat herd and a flock of chickens. Time: Saturday at 10:00AM
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 Shea Smith from HAALo (Health Alternatives for All Locals) will be presenting “Creating a Sustainable Local Herbal Economy” An overview of the purpose of HAALo and our support of local herbalists, growers, and alternative/complementary practitioners. Time: Saturday at 1:oo PM
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 Diane Longacre from Frontier Angel Soap will be presenting a live soap making demonstration.Time: Saturday at 1:45 PM |
 Jennifer Foote will be guiding “Yoga – Breathing for Sustainability” focusing on the breathing practices and poses of yoga to balance our body, mind, and spirit, unifying them using techniques that are sustainable and fulfilling. Jennifer found her passion for yoga at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she received her training and certification to be a professional yoga teacher and ayurvedic practitioner. Jennifer’s teachers include Dr. Vasant Lad, Chitra Giauque, and Dr. Sarita Shrestha. While exploring and learning more about the science of ayurveda in India she studied yoga at Kaivalyadhama Yoga Hospital and Research Center, a nationally recognized naturopathic yoga facility in Lonavle, Maharasthra, India. She began providing yoga therapy at Dhanvantari Ayurveda Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, a year later. She has been teaching in the states since 2007 and has provided yoga class services to local companies and the Nevada Union Joint Unified High School District. She also offers personalized ayurvedic healthcare management tools in her private practice. Time: Saturday 4:00PM |
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