Alviston Blog

There is a new building in the planning stages for the Buchanan High campus in Clovis, California. It is being designed by SIM Architects of Fresno and will feature numerous green elements including: insulated concrete form walls-otherwise known as ICFs, radiant floor heating, photovoltaic arrays a.k.a. a lot of solar panels, wind turbines, and much more. The project actually consists of two buildings connected by an elevated platform. It will have classrooms as well as two large shops where students will be able to build and work on everything from fuel cells, to bio-diesel making algae. The building itself will be a learning tool.

Alviston will be following this project closely, with no doubt the rest of the country as well, as Clovis Unified leads the way in building sustainable schools. Stay tuned.

Mark Alvis

I just got back from Palmdale where the Bella Sol crew set a new company record by lifting one thousand, nine hundred and twenty (1,920) 300-watt Sunpower solar panels onto the roof at Wal-Mart in just under nine hours.  I realize that not many people have spent much time doing such things, but believe me, it was an incredible day.

This morning, the Bella Sol crew began the assembly process which will take a little over a week to complete and the tie-in to the grid will take another couple weeks. We will have some great video coming up soon on Green News to show you just how massive this project is.

The folks at Wal-Mart were great to work with and I think they are really thinking energy efficiency there. I don’t know if all their stores are like this, but during the day, the store is almost entirely lit by natural light from skylights. Things really are changing, and changing fast. There is a huge amount of solar power going up in California right now. It’s going to be amazing to see just how much has gone up this year alone. 

I also drove through Tehachapi Pass on my way down and saw all the wind machines cranking out power. What a gorgeous site.

More later.

Mark Alvis

It is truly amazing the variety of systems coming online that will make homes more efficient. I had the opportunity last week to go out and see one of them. It’s called spray foam polyurethane and it’s sprayed on the underneath side of the roof to totally seal and insulate the attic.

My good friend Chuck Preimsburg is having it installed in his new home, which is being built using insulated concrete forms (ICFs).  So the entire shell of the house will have a thick coat of rigid foam insulation, the best there is.  We helped him install the ICFs on his house but Chuck gets all the credit for this incredible project.  I think you can see it from I-5 if you look east towards Firebaugh.

In addition to all the foam, Chuck is considering a photovoltaic system on the roof, or possibly a special type of wind turbine to generate his electricity. As efficient as his home is going to be, it won’t take much.

I’m headed down to Palmdale today to help install another huge PV array with Bella Sol Systems. This one is for a Wal-Mart and I think you’ll be able to see it as you drive by on the freeway. We’ll be up there with our yellow Bella Sol hard hats. Write me and let me know if you see us!

Mark Alvis

Pay close attention to those who suggest the “green bubble” will burst at some point. Certainly the current green snake oil sales techniques that we see and hear may slither away in a green slim.  You know the ones we mean, the companies currently declaring themselves “green” after years of just being in business.  What changed?  You need to look deeply into any “green” declaration and see what it means, just don’t accept the new “green” label at face value.  

Still the idea that “green” concepts will some day fade away is not likely. First and foremost, they’ve been around for years, like hundreds of years. They just had another name for it way back when, it was called “practical.” Only when convenience and efficiency started to rule our lives did we start wondering what could be done to stop runaway expenses.

High prices at the pump and the light switch provided an awakening for the “green” movement or “green” ideas, if you will.  Even those who cringe at the thought of an outspoken “green” tree embracer have a sense of conservation now.  ”Green” is no longer just for those who seem environmental.  That’s right, give that branch a hug, it won’t bite. 

“Green” is conservative by design and many see that now.  So the “green bubble” which is the darling of media may indeed float away some day but don’t expect the ideas to disappear.  Unless of course you think the sun will stop shining.  And solar is just one option out there.  ”Green” is constantly being updated and improved, faster than ever these days.  

The creators of Alviston.com have been “green” for nearly two decades. They were shouting “green” ideas from the mountain tops for years and years, just now are people really beginning to listen.  If that seems like a shameless plug for our city, it is, but we have been “green” for so long that it would be a shame if people thought we jumped on the “green” bubble-wagon.

Lawrence Verde-Alviston City Manager