NCAT celebrates anniversary with fair today

By The Standard Staff - 08/24/2006

A pile of computers, monitors and other equipment waits for pick-up Thursday at Montana Tech. They are part of the first-ever computer recycling event in Butte, sponsored by Staples, the National Center for Appropriate Technology and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. Photo courtesy of NCAT

A free sustainability festival is Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. at the National Center for Appropriate Technology, 3040 Continental Drive.

Former and current staff from NCAT will be on hand to conduct workshops and to answer questions.

Tours of the facility will be offered and local food and entertainment will be available throughout the day.

The schedule follows: Farming/Gardening and BioEnergy Location: Second floor north conference room Session moderator: Lee Rinehart, Tammy Hinman and Al Kurki Noon to 12:45 p.m. — Efficient Irrigating: From Your Farm to Your Front Lawn, Vicki Lynne, NCAT program specialist 1 to 1:45 p.m. — Composting: Reduce Waste and Build a Garden!, Tammy Hinman, NCAT program specialist (outside demonstration near greenhouse) 2 to 2:45 p.m. — Organic Gardening, Steve Diver, NCAT program specialist 3 to 3:45 p.m. — Worms Can Eat Your Garbage, Jeff Schahczenski, NCAT program specialist 4 to 4:45 p.m. — Grow Montana: Meeting More of Our State’s Food Needs, Nancy Matheson, NCAT program specialist 5 to 5:45 p.m. — Fuels for Schools — Biomass Energy for Commercial and Institutional Applications, Dan Stevenson, CTA architects 6 to 6:45 p.m. — Ethanol in Montana, Patsy Reimche, Ethanol Producers and Consumers 7 to 7:45 p.m. — Bioenergy vs. Coal: What’s Best for Montana?, Cliff Bradley, Montana Microbial Products Solar Energy/Green Building/Transportation Location: Second floor south conference room Session moderators: Dave Ryan, Dale Horton and Jeff Birkby Noon to 12:45 p.m. — Small Residential Wind Power, Christopher Borton, Sage Mountain Center director 1 to 1:45 p.m. — Cutting Energy Bills in Your Home, Dale Horton, NCAT Sustainable Energy Program Manager 2 to 2:45 p.m. — Solar Electric Systems for Homes and Businesses, Henry Dykema, Sundance Solar 3 to 3:45 p.m. — Solar Water Heating for Montana, Dave Ryan, NCAT energy engineer 4 to 4:45 p.m. — Building Green in Montana, Steve Loken, Loken Builders 5 to 5:45 p.m. — Green Transit Systems: The Missoula Model, Bob Giordano, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation 6 to 6:45 p.m. — Affordable Green Housing Developments in Billings and Missoula, Betsy Hands, Homeword 7 to 7:45 p.m. — Energy Efficiency in the United Kingdom, Bob Cherryman, head of Energy Savings Trust, Wales (retired) Learn about wine A one-hour wine tasting presentation will be held in NCAT's first floor conference room from 5 to 6 p.m., and again from 7 to 8 p.m. NCAT’s own California wine expert (and board member) George Ortiz will lead the tasting sessions. Each wine tasting session is limited to 20 people, and a $5 fee will be charged to cover wine costs. Attendees must be over 21 to participate.