Sunday, September 19, 2010

Greenstone Inn Press Hit: Sustainable Business Oregon

Greenstone Inn, Oregon Coast

Shortly before Memorial Day, Brendan Carmody took the wraps off his new ultra-green hotel in Newport, the Greenstone Inn.

Since then, he's gotten a good read on all of the energy-saving measures he took during the hotel's $2.25 million construction. The average monthly electricity bill for the 20-unit oceanfront hotel? $54.
"There are days when we produce more energy than we use," Carmody said.

The Greenstone Inn started its life as the Viking Inn's cottages — literally. Some of the wood salvaged from the cottages' demolition was used to construct the new building.

When it opened in May, the Greenstone was the culmination of a seven-year quest by Carmody to build an inn that would coincide with his belief system.

"I'm not a scientist," Carmody said. "I can't tell you if global warming is real. But even if it isn't, getting off foreign oil is a goal we should all be working toward."

It took Carmody several years to find an architect to work with and a bank to finance the project (he went through three of each). In the meantime, he was researching the latest in green building materials and energy efficiency systems.

The result is a metal roof optimized to get the best performance from the photovoltaic array by Solar Ki of Corvallis, a wastewater heat reclamation system by Renewability Energy Inc. of Canada, a tankless hot water system, and a smart key docking station in every room that shuts off the power when the guest is away.

Carmody said the wiring is in place to install electric vehicle charging stations in the parking area and install a wind turbine or two on the bluff below the building to take advantage of the coast's windy nature without obscuring guest views.

Read the full story on Sustainable Business Oregon here.


Green Lodging News called the Greenstone "one of Oregon's greenest inn's."

Friday, September 3, 2010

Hillsdale Food Front Press Hit: On Food and Drink.com

Hillsdale Food Front Celebrates 2nd Birthday, September 10-12
August 24, 2010

(Portland, OR) August 23, 2010: Hillsdale Food Front celebrates its second birthday the weekend of
September 10-12, with appearances by local food artisans, music, prizes, and a big discount day on September 10.

All customers get 10% off on Friday, September 10 to kick-off the birthday weekend. On Saturday, September, 11, we will hold our first Local Food Race. Two lucky contestants will get three minutes to go through the store and pick out as many local items as they can. The
winner will receive a $100 Food Front gift card. All day Saturday there will be raffles and other contests featuring prizes from Hillsdale businesses.

Local food-artisans such as Riverwave Foods, Peace, Love and Tacos, Coconut Bliss, Holy Kakow, and Florio Scones will be at the store sampling their deliciously unique creations all weekend.

Local musicians such as Jon Koonce & One More Mile and Sorta Bison Quartet will be performing on the patio Saturday and Sunday, the 11th and 12th from 12-4.

And on Sunday, September 12th, there will be a free BBQ (with chicken wings and drumettes and Food Front’s own house-made sausage) from11:30-2:30pm and a birthday cake at 1 pm.

Food Front Cooperative Grocery is a leader in the Portland local food movement with two stores: 6344 SW Capitol Highway in Hillsdale and 2375 NW Thurman. Food Front carries a large selection of farm-direct produce, as well as a wide range of locally-made, organic, and natural products.

Highlights of Hillsdale Food Front 2nd Birthday:
September 10: 10% Discount Day for all customers
September 11: Local Food Race and other contests
September 12: Free BBQ (11:30-2:30pm) and birthday cake (1pm)


Read the full story here