BEF QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2004

BEF Launches New Renewable Energy Initiative

In early 2004, BEF launched a new initiative to help increase the visibility and public awareness of small-scale renewable power systems through collaboration with utilities and public entities.

“The new program evolved organically out of our existing partnerships with utilities,” observed Rob Harmon, BEF's Vice President of Renewable Energy Programs. “BEF has been involved in numerous small-scale renewable projects over the years, and our partners have a keen interest in promoting these projects. It occurred to us that BEF could provide that service.”

To that end, BEF began working with several partners to move the initiative forward. Partners include: Puget Sound Energy, Clark Public Utilities, Idaho Power, the Energy Trust of Oregon, Portland General Electric, and Green Mountain Energy.

BEF works with its partners to develop a set of partner-specific screening criteria, evaluate proposed projects and recommend specific projects for funding. Once the projects are selected, BEF manages the installations using highly trained, certified installers. BEF also coordinates media efforts on many of the projects, and handles all financial arrangements.

We anticipate installation of more than 20 new solar and wind power projects from this effort over the next 12 months.

BEF's Watershed Programs Make a Difference

In 2004, BEF continued its long-standing commitment to restore river and stream ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest. At the Kootenai River of northern Idaho, for example, BEF provided funding for the fourth straight year to support a comprehensive, decade-long effort to improve stream habitat and recover depressed populations of salmon and trout. In the last two years, BEF’s support for this project has helped the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho and local landowners fence livestock out of fragile streamside areas, establish solar stock-watering sites away from river banks, plant and maintain hundreds of native trees, and stabilize eroding stream banks with native vegetation and bioengineering techniques.

“The exciting thing is that we are already seeing positive results” said Todd Reeve, BEF’s Watershed Director. “The stream is beginning to heal itself, and the early indications suggest that we are on the right track to restoring habitat for the kokanee salmon and cutthroat trout that once inhabited this area in great numbers.” With its 10-year commitment to support comprehensive and science-based watershed restoration in the Kootenai and other Pacific Northwest watersheds, BEF remains confident that its investments of time and money will translate into measurably healthier rivers and streams in the years to come.

Featured Green Tag Customer: White Wave

BEF is growing! As of January 2004, our new employees are:

Tom Starrs, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Tom has over twenty years of experience in renewable energy and green power. Prior to joining BEF, Tom was Executive Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors of RWE Schott Solar Inc., the world's sixth largest manufacturer of solar power cells and modules. Before that he spent seven years running his own renewable energy consulting firm, which focused on the design and implementation of policies to support solar and wind energy development. Tom serves on the Board of Directors of the American Solar Energy Society (which he Chairs) and the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies. He has a Ph.D. from U.C. Berkeley's Energy and Resources Group, and a law degree from U.C. Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law. He is 42 years old, and lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife, two children, a dog, and a grouchy old cat.

Bev Colisch, Accounting Manager
During Bev’s 15-year accounting career, she has been in public accounting, auditing small non-profit organizations and in the for-profit sector, working for companies such as United Grocers and KinderCare Learning Centers. She is a CPA and earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy Analysis & Planning from the University of California at Davis. Bev is married and has two children, a dog, three cats, two rats and one hybrid-electric vehicle.

Joanna Thompson, Marketing Coordinator
Originally from Boston, Joanna began her career in marketing at a high-tech company in California. She moved to Oregon in 2001, where she worked in the low-income housing sector and volunteered for the American Marketing Association. Joanna received a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Spanish from Santa Clara University. She and her husband bought a house close to the MAX line, where they live with their two year-old cat.

Lisa Riehl, Administrative Assistant
Lisa has had a mixture of for-profit and non-profit jobs since graduating from Santa Clara University in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a minor in Environmental Studies. As a native Portlander and self-designated recycling educator, she is thrilled to be working with people who are just as passionate about the environment as she is.

Visit our Contact Us page for the complete list of the BEF team.