2011 Green Homes & Great Health Festival Expert Talks and Workshops

Workshop titles link to descriptions and bios.

Are You Plug-in Ready?
Want to know more about electric vehicles? This is the workshop for you! Learn about efforts underway to ready the St. Louis Region for plug-in electric vehicles as well as the Gateway Electric Vehicle Club’s education efforts.
Jeff Dale & Ron Erb, Gateway Electric Vehicle Club & Kevin Herdler, St. Louis Regional Clean Cities.

Backyard Beekeeping in St. Louis
Keeping honeybees has become a popular interest in St. Louis. This workshop will provide an introduction to bees as pollinators and honey producers. Learn how the bees are surviving and how you can help!
Jane Sueme is a board member of Eastern Missouri Beekeeping Association and owner of Isabee’s, an authorized beekeeping equipment dealership. Jane has been keeping honeybees in South St. Louis County since 2004.

DIY Help for Weatherization Health Hazards
This workshop will arm you to safely implement weatherization activities in your home! Homeowner resources include information on health and safety hazards that are directly and indirectly related to weatherization.
Henry Johnson and Todd Erdman have extensive background and knowledge in the construction industry, including workers’ health and safety, and effective weatherization practices and guidelines. Both are OSHA 500 Construction Outreach Trainers. Henry is a Certified Green Professional through the National Association of Home Builders. Todd is an Associate Safety Professional and Construction Health and Safety Technician.

Eco-Friendly Interior Design, Products & Solutions
Learn about creative and innovative products with sustainable characteristics that you can incorporate into your next home improvement or redecorating project.
Lynn Larkin is the owner and principal designer of Design Extra, located in historic Lafayette Square, which provides commercial and residential interior design.

Energy Saving Tips & Rebate Programs for Natural Gas
Natural gas is an domestic and clean-burning fuel that can heat your home, cook your food, power your car, and much more! Come and receive tips on how to use natural gas more efficiently, and learn about Laclede Gas Company’s Residential Rebate Program.
Thomas Schultz is the Manager of Utilization Engineering at the Laclede Gas Company. Richard Ockers is a Project Engineer in Utilization Engineering at Laclede Gas Company. Both Thomas and Richard have experience with energy efficiency, green building, and alternative fuel vehicles.

How to Renovate Green and Pay For It Too!
We’ll start with a brief introduction to common green renovation projects that can make a difference for all the right reasons - including financially. A discussion of incentives and financing options available for green renovation projects will follow.
Lou Brouk is the managing principal for Terra-Wise, LLC which provides consulting, project management and building services to enhance and implement green building and solar energy practices in residential and commercial building projects.

Hybrid Homes: Combining Passive & Active Solar Strategies
Explore how Passive and Active systems can be incorporated into new and existing homes and how these strategies make efficient use of our weather patterns.
Michael Goldschmidt is an Assistant Professor and State Housing and Environmental Design Specialist with the University of Missouri, with 25 years of practice and academic experience in green buildings and homes.

The International Passive House Standard
The Passive House Standard is based on the Carbon 350 concept. A building designed and built to the Standard will not contribute to Global Climate Change. The best way to a Net-Zero Energy building is to start with a Passive House building, then add a small amount of renewable energy.
Gary Steps is the founder and president of Butterfly Energy Works, a company dedicated to creating energy efficiencies that will change the way you think, work, and live. Gary has degrees in theoretical physics, applied mathematics, and business focused on project management.

Putting the Fun Between Your Legs: Bicycle Commuting in St. Louis
Discover the joy of human-powered travel! CyclingSavvy, the nation’s most thoughtful and exciting bicycle education program, has come to St. Louis. Learn strategies for safe, stress-free and integrated cycling.
Karen Karabell commutes by bicycle almost daily. She learned over many years and the hard way what CyclingSavvy teaches in a few short hours. Melissa Richert Brown, a Certified Health Education Specialist and CyclingSavvy Instructor, can be found biking around St. Louis and cooking and eating garden-fresh produce. She chronicles her adventures in sustainable living through her blog, "Her Green Life."

Rain Gardening
Learn how to make a difference in stormwater management by utilizing rain gardens in your landscape. This detailed discussion will cover rain garden concepts, design, and planting.
Cindy Gilberg is a Missouri native and horticulturist whose work includes design and consulting, teaching, and writing. Cindy’s projects include work at Shaw Nature Reserve and its Native Plant School, the Shaw Professional Landscape Series, and the Deer Creek Watershed Alliance.

The Scoop on the Coop: Raising & Caring for Backyard Chickens
Is keeping chickens the right fit for your lifestyle? Learn the facts associated with raising and caring for backyard chickens, and their beneficial relationship with your vegetable garden and compost pile! Topics will include purchasing chicks, preparing for the arrival of your chicks, sustainable shelter design, nutrition, understanding the “culture” of chickens, and much more.
Bill Ruppert owns and manages the St. Louis office of National Nursery Products, a horticultural sales, marketing and consulting company representing wholesale growers of a wide variety of ornamental and environmental landscape plants. In addition to practicing horticulture professionally and as a home gardener, Bill and his wife enjoy keeping a flock of 30+ hens at their home.

Solar Savvy Consumers
This workshop is designed for property owners contemplating the purchase and installation of solar energy thermal and electric systems. You’ll learn background information essential for solar consumers to know prior to solar-shopping.
Jeffrey Owens founded Show Me Solar in 2007 and serves as this non-profit’s board director and president. Trained as a mathematical physicist, Jeff is a 9/11 veteran and former IT professional. Since 2008 he has been involved in the installation of over 20 solar electric systems totaling more than 100,000 watts of renewable energy capacity.