Valley’s bountiful produce gleaned for community food banks

Reducing food waste by increasing the amount of fresh local produce available in food banks and soup kitchens is the mission of Community Harvest, an offshoot of Wenatchee’s nonprofit Community Farm Connection.

Throughout 2013, Community Harvest and Wenatchee Valley College are offering free monthly workshops to kick-start gardening efforts, particularly for those who’ve never tried gardening before. They’ve covered container gardening, beneficial insectsand raised beds. Upcoming workshops focus on shopping farmers’ markets on a budget, pinpointing pest and nutrient problems, saving seeds, canning and more; a complete list is here.

Community Harvest is a gleaning program, said Hannah Hostetter, its coordinator. Hostetter commands armies of volunteers – and she can always use more – who glean produce from farms and orchards that donate their extras to the cause. The Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council steps in to help distribute the fresh fruits, vegetables and greens.

Even backyard farmers can help by designating one row in their gardens for food banks, Hostetter said.  

In 2012, Community Harvest collected more than 8,000 pounds of produce that was redistributed. Already this year, about 2,500 pounds of produce has been gleaned and given.

Hannah Hostetter

Hostetter came to Wenatchee through the national AmeriCorps program and Rotary First Harvest.  Originally from Bozeman, she served as a crew leader for the Montana Conservation Corps. She majored in environmental studies and English literature at Seattle University, and has worked with Seattle Tilth and other volunteer programs.

Those interested in attending the workshops should call Hostetter to RSVP at (509) 509-387-5372 or email gleaning@communityfarmconnection.org. Also call or email  to get involved in volunteering , donating produce or designating a row from your own garden for local food banks. You can find Community Harvest on Facebook.

Community Farm Connection has four other programs:

• The Farmhouse Table produce market at 10 N. Mission St., offering eggs, meats, cheeses, milk, grains and produce.
• Community Supported Agriculture. Customers pre-order boxes of fresh produce supplied by several farms that are delivered to customers’ doorsteps.
• A farm-to-chef program.
• Educational workshops for growers and the public.

Customers praising free duct sealing service

Contractors working for Chelan County PUD to inspect and seal ductwork in manufactured homes are winning friends and influencing people.

Ken and Warrene Graves

Take Ken and Warrene Graves, for example. The Graveses, who are retired, were in Arizona this past winter when they noticed the electric bills for their Wenatchee residence were much higher than usual. The Graves were sure they couldn’t be using that much electricity in their manufactured home. After all, they weren’t even there.

But they weren’t completely certain that something was amiss until they returned in the spring. During the hot spell in early May, the couple turned on their air conditioning and got nothing but a little warm air.

The Graveses' manufactured home: All ducts now are sealed, solving the couple's heating and cooling problems.

Ken contacted Mark Wiser, senior conservation adviser at Chelan PUD, who asked contractor e-Star Northwest to take a look. Wiser suspected problems in the ducts, and he was right.

The contractor was in Chelan at the time, but agreed to stop by around 4 p.m., Ken said. The two young men on the e-Star crew worked until 7:30 p.m., performing diagnostic pressure tests, sealing leaky seams with water-soluble mastic, and replacing worn and missing sections of duct. When they were done, Ken turned both the air conditioning and heat on to test it and “it worked beautifully,” he said.

Added Warrene, “They were very efficient and hard-working. They did a good job.”

The Graveses have been in their homes for 17 years but had never had the ducts inspected. “I’m sure glad we did because it was a mess,” Ken said.

“They were nice, professional young men. I called (their boss) and told him they deserve a pat on the back because they did such a good job.”

Other customers have contacted the PUD to share similar stories about how duct sealing adds to the comfort of their homes and saves on electric bills. And here’s the real kicker: It’s free.

Inspection and sealing is available to all PUD customers with manufactured homes. At no charge. To make an appointment with e-Star call (509) 860-5045.

Chelan County PUD is offering rebates of up to $500 on the purchase of heat pump water heaters. Sounds great, right? But we’re also hearing the question, “What’s a heat pump water heater?”

A heat pump water heater is a new technology designed to reduce home water heating costs. Rather than heating water directly like a traditional electric storage water heater, the heat pump saves energy by moving heat from one place to another.

Heat pump water heaters work like a refrigerator, but in reverse – while a refrigerator removes heat from inside the unit and exhausts to the air around it, a heat pump water heater uses fans and an evaporator coil to pull heat from the surrounding air and transfers it to water in the storage tank.

Heat pump water heaters are sometimes referred to as hybrids because they rely on two systems – a heat pump and an electric element. The heat pump saves energy by doing most of the work most of the time. The electric heating elements are used only when needed.

Heat pump water heaters reduce water-heating energy consumption by 50 percent compared to a standard electric water heater. But they carry some disadvantages, too, and consumers should be aware of these before buying.

The fans and evaporator make noise, so heat pump water heaters are best installed away from the main living space. They require extra air space around them; at least 1,000 cubic feet.  They cool the spaces they are in, so keep that in mind when choosing where or whether to install one. The cool exhaust air can be ducted to the room or outdoors.

Another drawback is their expense, starting at around $1,000. However, manufacturer rebates, store promotions and Chelan PUD’s rebates can combine to make the units very affordable.

Heat pump water heaters are available at Sav-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot and Sears (or online through these stores’ websites). A complete list of heat pump water heaters suited to our Northwest climate is available here. You can find a qualified local contractor here.

Learn more about heat pump water heaters and apply for a Chelan PUD rebate.

Do you have a heat pump water heater? If so, how do you like it?

Thirty-eight solar panels are planted next to the vegetable garden of Gro Buer and Bruce Williams, new SNAP producers in Leavenworth.

Solar and wind power program relies on customer support

Here’s an easy way to contribute to the “greening” of our valley: Sign up to support Sustainable Natural Alternative Power (SNAP).

Customers who support SNAP agree to pay a little extra each month on their utility bills. These funds go into a pool that are divided once a year among schools, nonprofit agencies and private producers of solar, wind and small-hydro power in Chelan County.

Eight solar producers joined SNAP in the past year, helping push the program to a production record of 175,142 kilowatt hours of energy. The eight new producers, all with fixed solar systems, added 26 kW of capacity. They are:

• Vic Rasmussen, 1521 Medina Pl., Wenatchee
• Gail Mueller, 2986 Lakeshore Dr., Manson
• Gro Buer and Bruce Williams, 8050 E. Leavenworth Road, Leavenworth
• Greg and Mary Steeber, 12512 Wilson St., Leavenworth
• John Smith, 5108 Old Blewett Pass Road, Peshastin
• Harrison Mekeel, 654 Loop Ave., Manson
• Travis Fox, 6555 Pioneer Ave., Cashmere
• Chuck Fowler, 10420 North Road, Leavenworth

Three applications are pending for SNAP installations in Leavenworth, Manson and Wenatchee.

In addition to SNAP payments, producers are taking advantage of generous state-sponsored incentives. Producers using solar modules and inverters manufactured in Washington are eligible for the highest payouts available through the state’s renewable incentive program. Taking advantage of the state incentives, in addition to SNAP, brings a faster return on investment.

The state payments come from the state’s utility tax fund; SNAP payments come from PUD customers interested in renewable energy. Customers contributed $24,674 this past year for payments of 14 cents per kilowatt hour to SNAP producers.

Meet the producers and get program details for 2013 in the SNAP Annual Report.

Have you heard about the new Tango Card? Using a Tango Card good at 17 major retailers is one option for customers receiving appliance rebates from Chelan County PUD.

The PUD is offering rebates for energy-efficiency upgrades on several products for your home:

• LED downlight retrofit kits, $25
• Electric storage water heaters, $25-$125
• Clothes washers, $30-$75
• Refrigerators and freezers, $50
• Line voltage zoned thermostats, $115
• Heat pump water heaters, $300-$500

If you choose the new Tango Card, you can redeem it immediately for your choice of gift cards at 17 premier retailers such as Amazon, Starbucks and Home Depot. Or you can donate your rebate to your choice of eight charities such as Habitat for Humanity. You can also elect to get a good old-fashioned check, with a quick turn-around of 7 to 10 business days.

All ENERGY STAR refrigerators, freezers and clothes washers are eligible for rebates. Amounts vary because they’re based on the energy-efficiency of the model selected.

Find complete information on the program here.