ICE Boston 2008 Commencement Photo’s

Found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/namiknows/BostonAndWorcesterCommencement08?authkey=XiG7oBiGEPs#

ICE Boston 2008 Commencement Photo’s

Found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/namiknows/BostonAndWorcesterCommencement08?authkey=XiG7oBiGEPs#

Business Cards?

In the past, Quill has printed our business cards, but recently I’ve decided I would like to use a local, small business for this, if possible.  I’m posting this in the hopes that someone can offer me some suggestions for reputable, local printers.  Small, family owned businesses are a plus.

Boston SBLP Energy Audit Guide

Introduction

This guide helps you understand energy audits.
It includes:

• Contact information
• Utility incentives
• A checklist

Contact Information
National Grid and NSTAR offer a variety of energy efficiency programs for their electricity and natural gas customers. They employ Rise Engineering as one of their implementation vendors for their Small Business Customers.
In this capacity Rise Engineering provides energy audits to identify potential energy saving opportunities for:
o Commercial Office Space
o Industrial and Manufacturing
o Warehouses, Production and Processing facilities
o Restaurants, Small Offices, Retail, Auto Body Shops, Banks, etc

If your energy bills are in your business’s name, you can call to make an appointment.

• Electricity and/or natural gas account number
• Name, email, telephone number,and address for the energy audit

NOTE: For bills that are in the landlord or building owner’s name, authorization is required by the owner prior to conducting an energy survey.
To schedule a free electrical survey for your business, please call Todd Cowger of Rise Engineering, 401-784-3700 x122. To schedule a free gas energy audit, call 800-843-3636 or e-mail save@us.ngrid.com.
For more information about NStar and National Grid small business solutions/programs go to:
http://www. nationalgridus. com/Masselectric/business/energyeff/3_small. asp and
http://www. nstar. com/business/energy_efficiency/electric_programs/small_business_solutions. asp

Electric Program Incentives from NStar
A variety of energy-saving services are available through NSTAR’s Small Business Solutions program. In many cases, replacing existing equipment with high-efficiency equipment will result in significant energy savings.
Potential opportunities may include:

• High Efficiency Lighting
• Lighting Controls (Occupancy Sensors)
• Programmable Thermostats
• HVAC Tune-Ups
• Motors & Variable Speed Drives if deemed appropriate and
  meet special criteria, such as long run hours, etc
• LED Exit Signs and Cooler Lights (When Applicable)
• Soda and Snack Machine Controls
• Other Site-Specific Custom Measures Opportunities with Pre-
   Approval from NSTAR

To help offset the initial costs of these energy saving upgrades, NSTAR may contribute up to 70% of the total cost for installing the equipment in your facility. Depending on the project, you may also qualify for interest-free financing from NSTAR for your share of the cost. The energy savings realized are significant, with many projects paying for themselves in one year or less.

In addition to the High Efficiency Heating Equipment listed above, National Grid also offers prescriptive rebates on programmable thermostats, boiler reset controls, steam traps, high-efficiency windows, insulation, and commercial kitchen equipment, and custom rebates on other gas-saving measures.
A complete listing of National Grid’s Energy Efficiency Programs and forms can be found at:
at www. thinksmartthinkgreen. com.
NSTAR’s website: www. NSTAR. com provides a wealth of information and tools for saving energy.

SIFE Article Featured in Fortune Magazine

As previously mentioned, 8 students from Boston College involved in a global initiative called SIFE, or Students in Free Enterprise, are helping First Call research viable alternative fueling options.  SIFE is a revolutionary organization founded around the principle of bringing together entrepreneurship and community service. I came across a great article about the program in Fortune Magazine.  It is reprinted here: http://www.sife.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/FortuneReprint.pdf

Resources Regarding Alternative Fuel Options

The following are a few resources I have accumulated thus far in my search for alternative fuel options.  I figured I’d compile them and post in the hopes that someone else may find them useful.

 

Andy Reitz

Greenvans, LLC

15 Channel Center St Suit 416

Boston, Ma 02210

andy@rentgreenvans.com

 

Andrew Reitz is the owner and founder of Greenvans, a company that rents out vans to bands traveling on tour.  All of his vehicles run on veggie oil.

 

Andrew and I both agreed, “finding a conversion kit and modifying a truck is the easy part, finding a consistent supply to make the conversion worthwhile is a challenge, and competition for oil is getting much more fierce.” 

 

Now that more and more people are hopping on the veggie oil bandwagon, it’s getting harder, and harder to get oil.  Andrew said, “I have a steady supply of oil and a filtering system for my fleet, however I’m running into the same problem in Boston and across the country.  The growth of my business is currently limited by oil supply.”

 

 

Craig Reece

craigreece@plantdrive.com
http://www.plantdrive.com

Craig Reece sells conversion kits and his website is a wealth of information.

 

 

Frank Quarato

President / CEO

www.csem.com

fquarato@csem.com

724-478-2736 (w)

724-801-0805 (c)

Frank Quarato is building a hydrogen generator in his truck.

 

 

Anyone interested in implementing a system to monitor the fuel efficiency of a fleet should check out:  www.Navtrak.com

 

The following are some helpful websites:

·        www.svolink.com

·        www.greengreasecar.com

·        www.Altwheels.org

 

 

One very important bit of advice given to me by a colleague over at The Staples Corporation, “Nancy should also understand that she not only needs the conversion equipment for the truck itself, but also “cooking” equipment to cook the discarded oil down to separate the glycerin out of it through a filtration process.  She will also need an environmentally acceptable way to dispose of the separated residue.”

Now that’s the tricky part…