The award-winning 'Barn' at Barn Beach Reserve in Leavenworth includes green features such as solar-heated water that radiates through the floor for winter heating.

If you haven’t been to Leavenworth lately, here’s a really good reason to go: Visit Barn Beach Reserve. 

The reserve spans eight acres overlooking and adjacent to the Wenatchee River.  A group of conservation-minded citizens established the reserve in 2002 to help protect the river ecosystem and, according to the Barn Beach website, “to promote the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Greater Wenatchee Valley through educational programming and stewardship bridging environment, arts and cultural history.” 

Executive Director Jeff Parsons has been with Barn Beach since its inception in 2002.

This they do through exhibits, programs and community events along the river at the focal point of the reserve,  the 107-year-old River Haus, home to the Upper Valley Museum and Icicle Arts as well as Barn Beach Reserve. Jim White, senior energy services engineer for Chelan PUD, conducted an audit at the historic former home last month to recommend ways to save energy. 

That’s not necessary at “The Barn,” the  new, green-built education and environmental center constructed on the foundation of a 1960s-era home on the property. The facility features 

The century-old River Haus is home to Barn Beach Nature Center, Icicle Arts and the Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth.

countertops made from recycled paper, low-VOC pressboard cabinets, recycled corrugated metal, and acoustic “cloud” ceiling panels made of remnants from a Hanes underwear factory. Solar energy is collected in two systems, one to heat the building and another to provide electricity. A simple, passive convection ventilation system operates in mild weather. In summer heat, cool air from a basement is circulated to the main floor of the 4,000-square foot building. 

The American Institute of Architects named “The Barn” one of the top 10 green building projects in the Northwest in 2009. 

If Barn Beach Executive Director Jeff Parsons isn’t there to show you around, interpretive signs can guide visitors through the building and its green attributes. 

The reserve is adjacent to the city park and Blackbird Island, a popular stop on Audubon’s Great Washington Birding Trail. Check out upcoming events at the reserve here.

Idle reduction program saves fuel, cuts emissions

New technology is helping the PUD reduce idling time and cut emissions from its diesel trucks. The technology, which is still being tested, allows the engines to be turned off while enabling PUD crews to run electric power equipment from the trucks and keep vehicle systems operating with enhanced battery power.

Initial tests on a sampling of trucks show engine idling time  reduced by about a third and engine life extended by an estimated three years. Watch the video (below) to learn more.

Learn how Feb. 20 with WSU Master Gardeners

Discover how to grow, produce and preserve your own fruits and vegetables with the Washington State University Master Gardeners of Chelan County Saturday, Feb. 20, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Chelan County PUD auditorium, 327 N. Wenatchee Ave. 

Garden for Food is a series of free programs covering composting, organic gardening, container gardening, irrigation, seed selection, and preserving your harvest. The Feb. 20 kickoff will include speakers from S & W Irrigation, and gardener Ken Lacy will discuss seed.  Participants can join discussions on soils, composting and soil nutrients; common problems and solutions in the vegetable garden; and when and what to plant. 

There are many reasons to grow your own:  For health, for the environment, to save money, for self-sufficiency or just for fun.   Whatever your reason, Garden for Food can help you be successful.

Dates and times for follow-up sessions will be provided at the kickoff.

For more information, contact Master Gardener Coordinator Jennifer Marquis
a jgmarquis@wsu.edu.

Ryan Tuss is the Green Team supervisor at The Gorge Amphitheatre near George in Grant County.

How do you set up a program to keep the cans, bottles and cardboard used by 25,000 concert-goers from ending up in the trash? According to Ryan Tuss, as quickly as possible.

Tuss is the Green Team supervisor and recycling coordinator at The Gorge Amphitheatre near George in Grant County. When he was hired to the seasonal position in 2008, he was asked to develop a green program – the sooner the better.

His primary focus then and now is keeping recyclables out of the trash and into 180-plus receptacles placed strategically near garbage cans around the 215-acre complex. Plastic, aluminum and cardboard gathered up this way are then sorted, thrown into larger bins, compacted and carted away to the Waste Management recycling center in Woodinville.

Tuss estimates 45 cubic yards, or 12 football fields covered with recyclables, are produced at each event.

The Gorge recycles over 50 percent of the waste produced by its patrons.

Tuss, 29, is an artist and teacher who took the coordinator’s job to supplement his income. He was singled out from a group of potential employees at a job orientation. “I had done it (recycled) at home and was a green head (translation: sustainable living enthusiast) in college so I did know something about it,” he said.

What he didn’t know he’s learned through research and experience. Concert-goers at Sasquatch, the three-day festival held over Memorial Day weekend, filled all the recycle bins on the second day. “We underestimated the resources needed” for the crowd, he said. Tuss said he’s learned to be better prepared by asking more questions of venue managers and the environmental coordinators who work for the bands that draw the huge crowds.

There’s an obvious perk to Tuss’ position: good music from top-name bands in a breathtaking setting overlooking the Columbia River. The downside: On concert days he works shifts as long as 14 hours.

One part of Tuss’ job is to make sure each band’s green requirements are met. Phish, for example, which appeared at the Gorge Aug. 7 and 8, included a four-page environmental rider in its contract requesting organic foods from local farms, reusable china plates and biodegradable coffee cups. Drinking water had to come from a local spring water vendor. The band asked for room for its buses and trucks to receive biodiesel deliveries. And six large recycling containers for glass, plastic, aluminum, paper and cardboard were to be set up backstage.

Other requirements: replace traditional light bulbs with compact fluorescents, institute a no-idling policy for venue vehicles, and use eco-friendly cleaning and restroom products.

Most bands have environmental guidelines and some even bring their own green coordinators, Tuss said. “I actually got to sit through most of the Coldplay concert (July 11),” Tuss said, because the band brought  its own environmental managers.

The Dave Matthews Band, which will be at the Gorge over the Labor Day weekend, has long been a proponent of recycling, Tuss said. Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson kicked the green movement into high gear at the Gorge last year, he said.

Tuss and his motivated crew of six, who are students from Moses Lake and Quincy high schools and Central Washington University, do their best to meet bands’ demands. And they’ve instituted some green initiatives of their own. For example, hybrid vehicles are given a parking preference closer to the entrance gates. Tuss helped create a Green Zone within the complex for experts to set up demonstrations on green topics such as plug-in hybrid electric cars and sustainable foods. One of his crew members has drawn eco-action figures on plywood cutouts that encourage recycling. Visitors put their faces in a round hole where the figure’s face should be, then have their photos taken. The exhibit is used to draw people into the Green Zone.

“There’s so much more that I’d like to do with this program but it’s part-time, there just isn’t enough time,” Tuss said.

What he’s helped achieve is significant, though: The Gorge recycles over 50 percent of the waste produced by its patrons.

Tuss is an active artist and member of the Two Rivers Gallery in Wenatchee, where he lives. With the concert season soon coming to an end, he is looking forward to his new job as the art teacher at Liberty Bell Junior/Senior High School in Winthrop.

Related links:
Official Gorge Web site

Pyrethrum daisy

Learn the principles of organic landscapes at a seminar Thursday, July 16 at the WSU Tree Fruit Research Center in Wenatchee and the Chelan County Compost Facility at the Dryden Transfer Station.

Organic landscapes rely on ecological principles and natural processes and do not automatically mean pesticide- or chemical-free. Organic means pesticides must be derived from natural sources rather than synthetically manufactured. A wide range of chemical sprays and powders technically are organic.

Organic landscapes use a holistic approach that involves soil management and integrated pest management. The goal is to increase beneficial organisms in the landscape and to turn waste materials into valuable composts and fertilizers.

The seminar will begin at 9 a.m. in the conference room at the Tree Fruit Research Center, 1100 N. Western Ave.  After a break for lunch, participants will carpool to the Dryden Transfer Station’s compost facility.

The seminar is presented by Paula Dinius, urban horticulturist, WSU Chelan County Extension; Julie Sauve, pesticide specialist with Wilbur-Ellis; and Brenda Harn, Chelan County Solid Waste coordinator. The seminar is sponsored by Chelan County PUD.

Pre-registration is required. The fee is $10. Call the extension office to register, 667-6540, or download a brochure and registration form.