Monthly Meetings - 4th Thursday from 5:30pm - 7:00pm

This month, the Holston Valeey Geen Building Coalition is happy to feature speaker Dr. Richard Hudson for it's February meeting.

 

Dr. Hudson is a professor of business and engineering at Southwest Virginia Community College.  He and his wife, Karen, own Clinch River Farms, a living educational land that features solar panels grid tied to their home, commodes flushed with rainwater and a 1963 Mercedes converted to run on waste vegetable oil and many other great sustainable components.

 

Here is a summary from Dr. Hudson on what he will be discussing...

 

Green energy is a popular topic today because people are interested in becoming more independent. Making yourself more independent, whether by growing your own food or installing a solar water heater, helps you deal with creating a better world.

This presentation is about our future. It is not just talk; it is an opinion of person who lives each day trying to change the world. Your invitation has given me an opportunity to share some of my ideas with you. Thank you for inviting me.

We will start the presentation with some examples of successful renewable energy projects that my wife and I have integrated around our house and farm. We are the owners of Clinch River Farms, in Tazewell County, VA. This farm is the first grid-tied solar system in Tazewell County producing 17 ½ KWH per day on a good sunny day. Sixteen, 190 watt solar panels on the barn connect to an inverter that feeds the grid-tied system to our eco-smart house. The calculated return on investment is approximately 10 years. Three additional 45 watt solar panels use battery storage to operate fence gates from a remote control, provide lighting in the barn, and operate high voltage electric fences. Rain water is recycled through a cistern which provides water for farm animals, washing clothes, gardening, washing cars, and water in the barn. Gravity-fed rain barrels provide water in remote areas for our animals. “There’s nothing like watching your electric meter turn backward on a sunny day”, says Richard.

Since your organization is composed of contractors, home builders and home owners, the second section will give an outline of what you can do to improve home construction today to be more conducive to accommodating renewable energy now and in the future. I will outline specific construction items, like wiring for a new electric car, and facing the house south. Many very inexpensive things can be done during construction to save many dollars in the future. I will outline the top things a builder can do NOW during construction to add value for the customer.

Finally, Karen and I would like to answer questions from the audience about anything I have discussed or that we may share with the group. HVGBC, being a Green organization, allows your organization a wide and diverse spectrum of sustainability. Maybe we can share our story and address issues that will be helpful to your members.

Green is also about your attitude. So many of us spend our lives in high stress careers; forgetting the joy that comes from the simpler things in life. We’ve traded independence for an income. Diverting some of the budget towards renewable energy like purchasing hot water solar panels or rain water collection is very cost effective. This can reduce your stress and energy inflation proof your family. It can also bring incredible peace to your life. There is no way to describe the satisfaction that comes from creating your own energy. It doesn’t cost you a penny after the initial payback. Green employs existing technologies that are available now and many of the benefits are far better today than a stock market investment.