DOL to Hold Energy Conservation Code Meeting

The Department of Labor & Industry, Building Codes Bureau will be holding a meeting of interested parties and stakeholders on the subject of the adoption of the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). The purpose of this meeting will be to have a discussion on the merits of adopting the 2009 IECC, starting in late winter, early spring of 2009 with a final adoption date sometime summer of 2009, versus continue the drafting of the adoption of the 2006 IECC with expected final adoption in late spring of 2009.

The meeting date is November 6^th, at Jorgenson’s Inn & Suites, (406-442-1770) 1714 11^th Avenue, Helena in the Big Sky Room, starting at 1PM.

If you have further questions please contact:

David W. Cook, Bureau Chief

Building Codes Bureau

Department of Labor and Industry

406-841-2053

dcook@mt.gov

Get Involved with the UMFLAT Project

Help design the UM FLAT sustainable home! There will be an informational presentation about how the project has evolved and a discussion about how you can become involved in the design and retrofit of the future home for the UM FLAT organization. The event will be Wednesday Oct 27^th in UC room 207 at 4:00. For more information check out the FLAT online: www.umt.edu/umflat or email umflat@gmail.com

Richard Heinberg Lecture October 30

Prior to his appearance at the 34th Annual AERO meeting in Kalispell, Richard Heinberg (Senior Fellow of the Post Carbon Institute) will be conducting a free lecture entitled "Blackout: Coal, Climate & the Last Energy Crisis".
It will be held Thursday, October 30th at 8 pm in Room 352 of the Social Sciences Building on the UM Campus. If you are unable to attend the AERO meeting this will be a wonderful opportunity to hear this dynamic speaker.
For more information about either his lecture or the AERO Annual Meeting please visit www.aeromt.org or call 443-7272.

S.A.V.E. in Helena

The Student Advocates for Valuing the Environment Foundation works in Helena and across Montana. They are finding tangible ways to protect the environment through daily habits, awareness, and policy.

Over the last few years they have brought plastics recycling to Helena, crossed the state with Biodiesel Montana, passed important conservation legislation, and more.

If you are interested in more information please visit their website:http://www.savemobile.org or call 406.449.6008. They can also be reached at Recycle@Savemobile.org

Montana Green Campus

Governor Brian Schweitzer and the state Board of Regents have unveiled a Web site that gives those interested in "green" energy a way to learn about industry opportunities. It also allows them to find online classes to prepare for jobs in the field.

Schweitzer says the new Montana Green Campus allows a worker in rural Montana to go online and learn about green energy job opportunities in the state and to sign up for Internet classes to retrain for those jobs.

The site includes a map showing where 38 green energy projects are already under way around the state. It also has information about university research on fuel cells, hybrid energy, carbon sequestration and green construction. The site's address is http://mtgreen.mus.edu/

Northern Plains Resource Council Meeting

On November 14-15 (Fri-Sat) the Northern Plains Resource Council Meeting will hold their annual meeting. It will be held at the Crowns Plaza Hotel in Billings. The keynote speaker is Randy Udall, one of the nation's leading activists promoting energy sustainability.

For more information please visit: http://www.northernplains.org/

NorthWestern Energy Home Energy Events

Starting October 14th NorthWestern will be traveling across the state offering free weatherizing kits, demonstrations, safety presentations, instant programmable thermostat rebates, free refreshments and children's activites. Please check the schedule for when they will be in the following areas: Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, and Missoula.

For more information please visit: http://www.northwesternenergy.com/display.aspx?Page=Energy_Events_MT#Events

Tour A Green Blocks Home

Missoula, NorthWestern Energy, Mountain Water Co. and Allied Waste teamed up for the Green Blocks Project which will demonstrate home energy savings and bring free energy-saving home improvement to chosen residents.

The first Green Blocks open house is scheduled for Oct. 25 from 1-4 PM. Interested citizens are welcome to visit two locations: 1501 Cooper & 601 Woodford.

More information can be found at: http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/greenblocks.htm

Flathead Valley Climate Lecture Series

Dr. Dan Fagre, Research Ecologist for the United States Geological Survey will present a lecture entitled "Cascading Climate Change Impacts on the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem". It will be a free lecture on October 14th starting at 7 pm in the Arts & Tech Building Rm 139 on the FVCC Campus. For more information on the series please visit:

http://www.npca.org/take_action/upcoming_events/cascading-climate-change.html

Greenhouse Gas Action Plan Seminar

Writing a Greenhouse Gas Action Plan--an online seminar.
This webinar will provide tools and examples necessary to develop an effective greenhouse gas reduction plan for your campus. Includes: Quantifying and prioritizing reduction actions; developing supporting policies and programs; setting reduction targets and timetables; financing actions; tracking and reporting results

WHEN: Wednesday, October 15th

WHERE: UM's UC room 330

WHEN:11am-12:30pm

Bulls, Blues, & Brews Benefit for MEIC

Bulls, Blues, & Brews Benefit for Montana Environmental Information Center's (MEIC) renewable energy advocacy. Please visit www.meic.org for more information about their organization.
WHEN: Oct 17, 5-11pm.
WHERE: Missoula Children's Theater (200 N. Adams, Msl). C
COST: $10 ($5 students) includes local food & drink, door prizes, and music.

Green Energy InfoXchange & Live Webinar

Thursday, November 6th starting at 11 there will be a webinar discussing topics such as new lower cost wind systems, creating green energy business & city relationships, and heat from sewer pipes. The webinar is hosted by Challenge International and is being offered for $39/connection. Each connection will allow you to hear, view and interact during this presentation. To learn more please visit: http://www.challenegeinternational.com

Green Jobs Panel Discussion

On Saturday, October 25th from 7 pm -10 pm there will be a two part panel discussion on "How to Build Green Homes and Growing Green Jobs". This event will take place at the Bedford Building located at the Hamilton City Hall, 223 South 2nd Street. A donation of $3 at the door will be greatly appreciated.

Speakers include local builders and designer Lee Kierig, Ran Pigman of Pigman Builders, Ray Tipton of Big Sky Builders and Paul Wilson of Tamarack Builders. These gentlemen will share their experience with green building techniques and materials. The second half of the discussion features speakers with businesses and interests in the recycling, conservation and sustainability industries. These gentleman are Sonny LaSalle, Rick Wishcamper of Sustainable Living Center, Mark Hammond of Ravalli Services and Matt Heisel of Home Resources. They will talk about how their green oriented work creates more jobs while improving the well being of people and the planet.

For more information, please call Laura Craig, event coordinator, at 961-0004.

Peace & Justice Film Series

This film series features documentary and historical films most Thursdays. The films examine many important questions of our time from a variety of perspectives. Admission is by donation. and no one is turned away. All showings will be held in the UC Theater in the University of Montana's University Center, 3rd Floor.
There will be a lively and respectful discussion after each screening of every film. All of these movies are thought provoking, so please stay afterwards and share your thoughts with other members of the community. We encourage participants with all points of view to attend: diversity of opinion leads to richer discussions and deeper understanding.

For more information please log on to: http://www.peaceandjusticefilms.org/2008fall/index.html

Cultural & Environmental Film Festival

The annual Cultural & Environmental Film Festival will be held Monday, October 6th - Sunday, October 12th at the Roxy Theatre. For the film schedule & descriptions please log on to www.wildlifefilms.org

This year some of the films featured are:
CINE Award Winners:
Best of Festival Golden CINE - Burning the Future: Coal in America
Focus Award - Flowers of Rwanda (Monday at 7 pm)
Hands Around the World - CRASH: A Tale of Two Species (Tuesday at 7pm, HD)

Tuesday, October 7th will also feature the Historic Roxy Restoration Open House.

Importance of Local Food Lecture and Benefit in Hamilton

Friday, October 3rd Bruce Smith, Glendive MT, extension agent, will speak on "Why Local Food and What We are Doing About It." Here are some of the things he is doing about it: a producers' marketing co-op with online ordering, a local food restaurant, microbrewery, and local food store, a culinary/cooking school, a shared-use commercial kitchen starting local brands of value-added products, community gardens with high tunnels. Bruce's talk is free and open to the public.

There will also be a catered dinner and silent FOOD auction (benefit for Sustainable Living Systems). The dinner starts at 6:30 pm, at Hamilton City Hall, 223 S. 2nd St. Dinner Tickets ($30) must be purchased (or reservations made) by September 27 & will be on sale at Chapter 1 bookstore and at the Bitterroot Star, and on the SLS website/events page as well. People coming for the free talk and silent food auction may arrive at 7:30pm, the talk will be at 8pm. Call Jill for more info: 642-3601

Earth Folk Free Eco-Film Series in Missoula

Friday October 17th, 7:00pm: How to Save the World
One Man, One Cow, One Planet. How to Save the World exposes globalization and its mantra of infinite growth in a finite world for what it really is: an environmental and human disaster. But across India merginal famers are fighting back. By reviving an arcane form of agriculture, they are saving their poisoned lands. This documentary tells their story through the teachings of an elderly New Zealander. 104 minutes.

Friday November 14th, 7:00pm: Human Footprint
In a National Geographic special event The Human Footprint reveals the extraordinary impact that each of our lives has on the world around us. In a playful surprising and thought-provoking portrait of our time on earth National Geographic demonstrates in a series of remarkable visuals what makes up an average human life today and how everything we do has impact on the world around us. In this unique journey through life it shows all the people you will ever know how much waste you will produce the amount of fuel youll consume and how much youve got to pack in during your 2475526000 seconds on Earth. 90 minutes.

All films will show at the Open Way Mindfulness Center, 702 Brooks, next to Rose Memorial Park.

Harvesting Clean Energy Conference

On Sunday, January 25th through-Tuesday, January 27th Billings will hold a Harvesting Clean Energy Conference. The Harvesting Clean Energy Conference is the Northwest’s premiere gathering to advance rural economic development through clean energy production. Clean energy offers practical, profitable opportunities for our farmers, ranchers, rural utilities and towns, tribes, and regional economy.
The conference charts the future of rural clean energy in the Northwest. Discussions focus on the steps to successful project development, including financing, to cut costs on the farm and produce power or feedstocks for market. Technologies covered include wind power, biofuels, biopower, geothermal, solar, and energy efficiency.
Harvesting Clean Energy is designed for Northwest farmers and agriculture leaders, tribes, rural utilities and economic development officials, lenders, elected officials and public agencies, as well as energy developers and consultants. For more information please visit www.harvestcleanenergy.org/conference or call 253-445-4575.

Bioneer Conference in Bozeman October 16-19

This weekend conference is packed full of inspiring, educational and illuminating workshops, panel discussions, musical performances, film, food and more! View 15 of the top “innovative leaders” speaking from California. Participate in over 25 workshops over the course of the weekend including: a Biomimicry Workshop, Mushroom Cultivating, The Importance of Pollinators, Alternative/Green Building & Energy Panel Discussion, Wildcrafting Medicines in the Rockies,“City Repair” and many more. Network with individuals, businesses and non-profits from throughout the Northern Rockies in our Exhibitors Hall.
For the agenda, workshop schedule, and speaker bio's please visit www.bornnetwork.org for local information or www.bioneers.org for the national site.

Brewing Justice, Fair Trade, Coffee and Sustainable Survival

Beginning at 7 pm on Thursday, October 9th in the UM's North Underground Lecture Hall, author Daniel Jaffee from Washington State University will give a public lecture entitled "Brewing Justice, Fair Trade, Coffee and Sustainable Survival". Learn about the social, economic, and environmental implications of fair trade, based on extensive field work in indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico. Jaffee follows the members of the Michiza cooperative, whose organic coffee is sold on the international fair trade market, and compares their experiences to their conventional counterparts. Jaffee also explores the changing politics of the international fair trade movement, including challenges posed by the entry of transnational corporations and recommendations for strengthening this alternative system.