Local Business finds value in rot

Brent & Becky's Bulb Shoppe has been a Gloucester, VA, landmark for years. Their daffodils grace our road sides every spring, and many more of them find a home in our garden dirt or kitchen vases. Those very daffodils stand to benefit because of a program that takes advantage of a fall tradition....carving pumpkins.

They call it the Jack-O-Rotten Recycling Program. Here's how it works: Bring in your old, rotten and saggy pumpkin to Brent & Becky's Bulb Shoppe on 7900 Daffodil Lane, Gloucester County, VA. They will add the pumpkin to their compost pile while sending you home with free Paperwhites (Paperwhite narcissus are one of the easiest bulbs to force for cut flowers or ornamental displays in the home from December to March. They are a form of daffodil that can be forced without a chilling period.) This program runs Tuesday, Nov 1st -Saturday, Nov 8th.

Check out their website: http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/

I love this program because it's smart,insightful, and a model for other small businesses. Brent & Becky's Bulb Shoppe needs compost to produce the healthiest bulbs possible. People create an enormous amount of recyclable waste carving pumpkins. They incentivize people to drop off their jack-o-lanterns by offering free flowers in return. They may lose capital giving away flowers, but it's probably cheaper than buying fertilizer, so their bottom line experiences a net gain. It's a win win for everyone.

Lastly, you can take it a step further by cross connecting the commonalities between business, environment, recycling, and personal responsibility. In this way a pumpkin recycling program creates a lasting impact on our collective consciousness. Every little bit helps...

Solar Energy in NC? What is VA waiting for???

The article below discusses NC's plan for a solar power plant. What spurred this development? Legislation passed that mandates a percentage of power company reserves come from renewable energy sources. I'd like to see this legislation move north, and at the very least, allow for tax incentives to VA home owners that build or upgrade towards renewable energy technologies. Idea's backed by tax incentives stand a much greater chance of success. People want to do the right thing....so let's make it easy for them to find practical financial reinforcement in ideas that drive both long term energy independence and environmental stewardship.

Western North Carolina To Get First Large-Scale Solar Farm
File image.by Staff WritersAsheville NC (SPX) Oct 28, 2008Three Carolinas companies have partnered to bring the first large-scale solar energy project to Western North Carolina. Progress Energy Carolinas has signed an agreement with FLS Energy to purchase the output from a 1-megawatt (MW) solar power plant on the site of a now-closed landfill in Haywood County owned by Evergreen Packaging.
FLS Energy, based in Black Mountain, will build, own and operate the solar photovoltaic (PV) array and sell the energy produced to the utility for distribution to customers.
"Progress Energy is moving forward aggressively in pursuing renewable energy as part of a balanced strategy for meeting the region's growing energy needs reliably, affordably and in an environmentally responsible fashion," said Robert Sipes, vice president for Progress Energy Carolinas' western N.C. region.
"This is the third megawatt-sized solar project we have signed this year. It combines an important emerging technology with an outstanding location, and we're pleased to be part of it. We're pursuing technology, partnerships and other agreements to expand the use of renewable energy in North Carolina. Innovative projects such as this one will be critical in meeting our state's objectives for renewable energy in the future."
The FLS Energy solar farm will include 3,288 PV panels installed on about seven acres at the closed landfill. Evergreen Packaging, located near Canton, will lease the land to FLS Energy for 20 years, the term of the power-purchase agreement. This PV array is expected to start producing electricity in the spring of 2009.
FLS Energy President Michael Shore said, "Solar energy is a critical component in our energy future. FLS Energy is extremely proud to be at the forefront of commercial solar development in our region. Expanding solar energy will improve our nation's energy security and reduce global warming pollution."
"Energy costs and environmental concerns are critical to every business," said Derric Brown, the director of Health and Environmental Safety for Evergreen Packaging. "We are happy to make this site available for a project that is good for Western North Carolina now and in the future. It is an excellent re-use of a closed landfill site."
A PV array is a collection of solar cells, each consisting of thin layers of semiconducting material (silicon) that generate electricity when exposed to sunlight. This 1-MW array is expected to produce more than 1.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity over the course of a year.
An average home in Progress Energy Carolinas' service area uses about 14,200 kWh in a year. In addition to its investment in solar power generation, Progress Energy will be testing battery storage technology so that solar power generated when the sun is shining can be stored and used at other times when customers need it.
FLS Energy proposed the latest solar PV project in response to Progress Energy Carolinas' request for renewable energy proposals, which is part of the company's plan to meet the requirements of Senate Bill 3, North Carolina's clean energy law signed into law by Governor Easley in August of 2007.
The law established a renewable and energy-efficiency portfolio standard, which requires utilities to provide a portion of their energy sales using renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. For Progress Energy Carolinas, that portion grows from 3 percent of total energy sales in 2012 to 12.5 percent in 2021. For solar-generated energy, the requirement begins in 2010.

Weather impacting Coffee in Colombia

Hello Java Junkies.

The news on the wire isn't really good for Colombian Coffee. Take a look at the report below:

Outlook Grim for Colombia's Antioquia Main Coffee Harvest - Growers Outlook Grim for Colombia's Antioquia Main Coffee Harvest - Growers (CoffeeNetwork) Antioquia, an important coffee producing region in Colombia has started harvest of what's locally know as the main or principal crop, and the outlook looks grim for production, according to top sector representatives. According to Iván Arango Arcila, a director of the local coffee committee of the National Federation of Coffee Growers says that the harvest will sharply reduced if not altogether "poor". The crop will be picked from October to January. According to Mr. Arango Arcila, data gathered from growers point to a harvest of 1.5 million 60-kilo bags, which would be sharply down from the 2.5 million bags expected initially. Some regions, in particular in higher altitudes, show declines between 40-50%, he told daily El Colombiano. The estimates come amid traders' talk that Colombia's differentials remain very high for this time of year and coffee slows unusually sparse, which has raised concerns about the overall supply this time of year. Juan Francisco Suárez Moreno, producer and also a Committee representative, agrees that some areas in the region may see a decline of up 50%, mainly affected by a severe rainy season, which soaked plantings. In addition, receiving stations at cooperatives have seen little coffee flowing, plus many producers in areas around Andes, Ciudad Bolivar and Salgar have said they had no big need for labor as they have in recent years. "It's probable that the harvest will fall a bit, but I don't know what will be the size of the drop," said Luis Fernando Botero Franco, executive director at the local Federation Committee, according to the report. He said that the rains have wreaked havoc across the region and that the renovation program led by the Federation is also having an effect on the overall production as many new plants are not in production yet. The Federation is renovating 10,000 hectares per year in the area, as part of an overall effort to take the national output to 17 million bags over the next few years, which would be up from 12.6 million bags in 2007-08. The Antioquia region has about 129,000 hectares planted with coffee, harvested by 88,000 families. Annually, the committee invests 15 billion pesos in community projects. As reported, the Federation said this week that it expects the 2008-09 crop around 12 million bags, down almost 5% on year from 12.6 million bags, in part hurt by excessive rains and also by the renovation program. In MY 2007-08 (Oct-Sep) Colombia exported 11,522,000 bags, up 3% on year from 11,177,000 bags shipped a year earlier. Production in the first nine months of 2008 summed 8,501,000 bags, down 1% versus 8,593,000 bags harvested a year earlier. The 12-month production from Oct. 2007 to Sep. 2008 stood now at 12,515,000 bags, up almost 3% from 12,153,000 bags a year ago. Colombia is the world's largest producer and exporter of Washed-Arabica coffee. Edited by Marvin G. Perez Tuesday, October 28 2008, 09:38

What does this mean?
Well it's too early to tell, but coffee is a commodity. If the supply is low, prices generally trend upwards.

Will this impact coffee markets around the globe?
Generally speaking I'd say no. However, because Colombia is the worlds largest producer of Arabica Coffee, I would expect some lateral price inflation in the gourmet (Arabica) market.

Is weather the only thing that impacts coffee prices?
Interestingly enough the answer is no. Anything that impacts the availability of beans to the market impacts pricing. For instance, Ethiopian coffee's are pricing very high right now. The weather isn't a factor, but rather, farmers are growing high yield narcotics that return more for the effort. The supply of Ethiopian beans on the market is decreasing, causing prices to rise.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for high cupping coffees from other regions of the world. There are farms that meet my fair trade and environmental requirements experiencing exceptional growing seasons....I'll let you know when my new lots comes in.

Pour another cup....

Jo

Updates on the non-profit and coffee

Hello. I wanted to post the latest and greatest details about E3 Trust. Well, Dave and I had to change the name. It appears that you can not use TRUST in your Virginia based company name unless you are an actual trust or financial institution. We have therefore officially changed the name of the non-profit to E3 Collaborative. The E's stand for Environment, Education, and Energy. That's all I can really say about the company right now. We are currently crossing our T's and dotting our I's. I'll post more info when appropriate.

With regards to Coffee.....We are officially providing coffee for Twister Ice Cream and Coffee Shop at Gloucester Point and Tuscany's Coffee House in Yorktown. Tuscany's will be opened before November 1. Once I get a confirmed date I'll pass along the news.

Lastly, I've received many emails requesting information about purchasing our coffee. Thank you for the interest! Our online store will be operational soon, but until then you can send me an email order and I'll ship out your beans. If you're located in Eastern VA, look for our coffee at your local Independent Grocery Store or farmers market.

Here's to coming home from a weekend away, sleeping in your own bed, reading to your little one, and drinking fresh roasted coffee.....Cheers