This week's Isthmus includes my You Are Here column about Habitat ReStore's sixth annual Earth Day celebration, scheduled for noon-4 p.m. Saturday, April 21 at 208 Cottage Grove Rd.
There wasn't room on the page to list all of the exhibitors scheduled to participate in this year's event. The Daily Page, however, affords space to identify more exhibitors, introduce you to what they do and provide links to their Web sites:
- Artisan Exteriors is a masonry contractor specializing in new and restoration stucco work.
- The Biodiversity Project, based in Madison, promotes public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and cultivates public commitment to protect biodiversity.
- The Blue Heron Natural Builders Guild employs traditional and contemporary building methods and non-toxic local materials such as clay, straw, wood and stone to design and construct energy-efficient homes, additions and remodeling projects.
- Citizens Energy Cooperative of Wisconsin promotes conversions from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy sources, facilitating the installation of residential solar thermal collection systems for its members and developing dependable large-scale networked installations on behalf of its members.
- The City of Madison will be represented with information on its recycling programs, which encompass the items you place in the city's green bins for bi-weekly collection, but also computers and electronics, ink jets, cell phones, fluorescent lamps, athletic shoes and cooking oil, as well as home composting initiatives and the Madison Stuff Exchange.
- Community Car is a membership-driven car-sharing fleet of 11 vehicles (two Honda Civic sedans, including one hybrid; five Toyota Prius hybrids; a Ford Ranger pickup; an eight-passenger Toyota minivan; a Toyota Yaris hatchback; and a Mini Cooper) sited at locations around Madison. Members reserve the vehicles as needed, reducing and in some cases eliminating their reliance on cars or trucks of their own at savings to both their own bottom line and the environment.
- The Design Coalition provides socially conscious and ecologically responsible architectural services for clients such as Arboretum Cohousing, Fields Neighborhood Eco-Village, Old Spring Tavern and Pine Street Neighborhood.
- Earth & Water Works LLC specializes in reducing stormwater runoffs through the design and construction of rain gardens, shoreline buffers, prairie restorations and green roofs for residential, commercial and public-sector clients.
- Eco-Friendly Flooring is a Madison wholesale supplier and installation contractor for recycled and sustainable flooring products such as bamboo, cork, reclaimed and sustainable woods, stone and recycled metal and glass tiles.
- Focus On Energy consults with eligible state residents and businesses on installation of renewable energy projects and improve energy efficiency and reliability.
- Full Spectrum Solar designs and installs grid-connected photovoltaic and solar thermal systems for residential and commercial customers, including such clients as Yahara River View Apartments, the Williamson Street Grocery Cooperative and local housing cooperatives.
- Green Built Home reviews and certifies new home construction and remodeling projects that meet criteria for sustainable building and energy efficiency standards, in cooperation with the Madison Area Builders Association and other partners.
- Green Jeans, located in Fitchburg, supplies natural-fiber cotton batting insulation derived from recycled denim jeans.
- Habitat ReStore recovers used, surplus and donated building materials and fixtures from construction and deconstruction projects and other sources, selling them to contractors and the public for reuse in new construction. In its first six years, Madison's ReStore has diverted 3,750 tons of material from Dane County landfills and generated enough revenue for Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to pay for that agency's construction of 16 affordable homes.
- The Madison Environmental Group's Environmental Action Teams (EnAct) initiative provides tools and expertise to help people, neighborhoods and communities adopt sustainable, economical and environmentally conscious practices such as waste reduction, energy and resource conservation and water-quality protection.
- Madison Gas & Electric will be on hand to tout its initiatives addressing global climate change, such as its expanding green pricing program, which affords customers the option of paying a premium to designate wind and solar sources be used to meet part of their energy needs.
- The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District will offer information (pdf) regarding its Mercury Pollutant Minimization Program.
- Olbrich Gardens, in addition to its spectacular outdoor and indoor botanical displays and popular public events, offers a broad array of resources for gardeners and other residents interested in sustainable practices. Its rigorous ongoing schedule of classes and workshops includes a Sustainability Lecture Series on topics such as rain barrels, rain gardens and green grid roofs.
- PrairieFire BioFuels Cooperative provides its members with a reliable biodiesel source and technical support for converting diesel vehicles to run on pure vegetable oil, as well as a public source for unblended biodiesel.
- Shake Rag Alley, the Mineral Point arts center, will have information on its log cabin renovation and restoration workshops.
- Sustain Dane will have a display focusing on its rain barrel program and its forthcoming Rain Barrel Assembly and Installation Days.
- Sustainable Times is a free Middleton-based 12,000-circulation monthly newspaper published as a forum and resource for sustainable, healthy communities and businesses.
- Wisconsin Partners for SustainAbility promotes the Wisconsin and Dane County buy-local initiatives; sustainable communities, economies and environments; and green business networking.
- Wisconsin Power Control, headquartered in Marshall, sells and installs solar photovoltaic systems, wind turbines and other sustainable energy technology.
