Workshop Speaker Bios
LAURA COMER, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Green Lodging (Business and Trade)
Bio to come
ANDREW DEVANAS, NATIONAL OCEANIC & ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
Global Warming (Consumer, Business and Trade)
Bio to come
JAMES DUNLOP, NATIONAL JOINT APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING COMMITEE
Solar Energy 101 (Consumer, Business and Trade)
Bio to come
KIM GABEL, UF/IFAS/MONROE COUNTY EXTENSION
Water- and Energy-Efficient Landscaping Workshop (Consumer and Business)
Mulch, Compost, Bugs Workshop (Consumer and Business)
Kim is the Environmental Horticulture agent for the UF/IFAS/Monroe County Extension. She has been with the Extension Service for 3 years. As the Environmental Horticulture agent, she answers horticultural questions for homeowners, commercial landscapers and nurseries, and governmental agencies. She is the Master Gardener coordinator; a group of trained horticulture volunteers who help answer homeowners horticulture questions with Florida Keys environmentally friendly landscape tips based on the University of Florida researched based information. She has a B.A. in Anthropology and a M.Sc. in International Agricultural Extension. She served two years in the U.S. Peace Corps in Central African Republic as an agroforester.
UF/IFAS/Monroe County Extension is a partnership between the HYPERLINK "http://www.co.monroe.fl.us/" Monroe County Board of County Commissioners and the HYPERLINK "http://ifas.ufl.edu/" University of Florida for 20 years. The primary mission of the Extension Service is to disseminate and encourage the application of research-generated knowledge.
The Monroe County Cooperative Extension Office is dedicated toward serving Monroe County by providing objective information to individuals, businesses, and agencies for better decision making and by creating programs and services that provide unique lifelong learning opportunities that empower people to improve their quality of life.
HYPERLINK "monroe.ifas.ufl.edu" UF/IFAS/Monroe County Extension main office is located at 1100 Simonton Street, Suite 2-260, Key West, Fl 33040, Phone (305) 292-4501 Fax: (305)292-4415.
ROBERT GLASSMAN, FLORIDA KEYS TANKLESS WATER HEATERS
Hot Water Solutions (Consumer, Business and Trade)
Bio to come
JOHN HAMMERSTROM, GREEN-HOME OWNER
Rain Barrels & Cisterns Workshop (Consumer, Business and Trade)
PV Homeowners Panel (Consumer and Trade)
Bio to come
ALISON HIGGINS, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY
Rain Barrels & Cisterns Workshop (Consumer, Business and Trade)
Alison Higgins has lived in the Keys for 7 years, specializing in environmental education and habitat restoration. Her recent masters degree in "Environment and Community" involved her in a great many green living projects for businesses, homeowners and live-aboard boaters.
Having grown up in the desert, Alison has only been a boater for 7 years, but she’s dedicated all of her free time into remodeling her 30-ft Catalina sailboat into a fully sustainable vessel – water collectors, biodiesel, composting toilet and all. Alison’s thesis work focused on helping the State of Florida’s Clean Marina program reach its environmental goals.
Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has worked with communities, businesses and people to protect nearly 117 million acres around the world. Its mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. In the Florida Keys, TNC removes invasive and exotic plants and restores native plants through its GreenSweep program held the first Saturday of each month from November through June.
Alison is the current President of Green Living & Energy Education.
The Nature Conservancy, Florida Keys Program
PO Box 420237
Summerland Key, FL 33042
(305) 745-8402, ext. 111
Email: ahiggins@tnc.org
(Headquarters)
4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100
Arlington, VA 22203-1606
Phone: (703) 841-5300
T. E. "TERRY" JANSSEN, ECOTECH WATER
Greening Residential and Commercial Buildings (Business and Trade)
Bio to come
DR. JENNIFER LANGUELL, TRIFECTA CONSTRUCTION
Concepts of Green Building (Trade Continuing Education)
Founder and President of Trifecta Construction Solutions, Dr. Jennifer Languell is a key leader in educating the development and construction industries and homebuyers about the benefits of Green Building and Sustainable Development. She specializes in the on site implementation of sustainable practices. She was named the 2006 National Association of Homebuilders Green Advocate of the Year and won the 2006 Council for Sustainable Florida Leadership Award.
She is an award-winning international author, and has been featured in numerous publications and television programs including: CNN Headline News, HGTV, CNBC’s “Bullseye”, Gulfshore Business, "40 Under 40" professionals to watch, and BusinessWeek, “How to Cure a Sick House.”
She works diligently to create healthy, efficient and sustainable projects including single-family residential construction, land development, commercial and multifamily residential construction and Green Building education/demonstration centers. Dr. Languell conducts over 100 educational trainings, seminars and workshops annually to the building and development industry.
Passionate about her work, Dr. Languell also serves as the director of the Florida Gulf Coast University WCI Green Building Demonstration and Learning Center, a program that offers Green Building education to students and to the public. It’s this passion for what she does that has allowed her to partner with some of the most respected builders and developers in Florida.
Throughout her career, Languell’s professional accomplishments have been impressive including: • Certified approximately 80 percent of the Green homes in the state of Florida using the existing Florida Green Building Coalition Green Home Certification Standard. • Over 250,000 thousand square feet of ongoing U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and FGBC Commercial projects • Over 30,000 acres of FGBC Green Developments.
Trifecta Construction
HYPERLINK "http://www.trifectaconstruction.com" http://www.trifectaconstruction.com
email: greenbuilding@trifectaconstruction.com
(239) 417-3174
DEANNA LLOYD, MIDDLE KEYS COMMUNITY LAND TRUST)
Green Certification (Consumer and Trade)
Bio to come
BILLIE MCGUIRE NOVAK, FISHERMEN’S HOSPITAL
You Are What You Eat! Are You Eating Healthy? (Consumer)
Ms. McGuire-Novak was an UF/IFAS Monroe County Extension Nutrition Agent from 1996-1998. Before moving to the Keys in 1993 she was a long time “food co-oper” in New England and routinely involved in environmental issues of sustainable resources and energy. Among other positions, she was the first Nutritionist for the Western Massachusett’s Food Bank and Food Bank (Organic) Farm. She is currently the Clinical Consultant to Fishermen’s Hospital and the Director of N.E.W. Options of Marathon Florida, a service based organization providing nutrition and wellness education programs. She has sought to balance her education and career between traditional and “alternative”teachings.
Billie holds undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Home Economics, a Master of Science degree in Nutrition from the University of Massachsetts in Amherst, is a Registered Dietitian (RD) and a Certified Diabetic Education (CDE). She is a Certified Yoga and Mindfulness Meditation Instructor. She is currently pursuing a Board Certification Program in Clinical Nutrition (CCN). This program furthers her main interest in the field of nutrition; the study of all issues of nutrition and health relative to wholesome food, organic gardening and other environmental factors impacting our daily lives. N.E.W. Options, P.O. Box 500458, Marathon, FL 33050-0458 305-743-8741.
DR. ROGER MESSENGER, FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY)
PhotoVoltaics for Professionals (Trade Continuing Education)
Bio to come
NANCY PEREZ MILLER, NPMARCHITECT, INC.
Green Certification (Consumer and Trade)
Bio to come
BILL MOORE, EV WORLD MAGAZINE
Green Transportation (Consumer and Business)
Bio to come
KAREN MOORE, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Consumer and Business)
Green Lodging (Business and Trade)
Bio to Come
ROLAND MUENCH, GREEN-HOME OWNER
PV Homeowners Panel (Consumer and Trade)
Bio to come
DR. JOHN PARKER, PROFESSOR, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Alternative Energy Resources (Consumer, Business and Trade)
Dr. Parker is the author of Landscaping: Energy Conservation in the Air conditioned House, MDCC Press. He is a professor of Environmental Science and Chemistry; Coordinator of the Environmental Studies Certificate Program and the advisement program for the Environmental Studies Department. He received a B.Sc. in Chemistry from Emory University in Atlanta and a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a founding member of Florida International University and its Chemistry and Environmental Studies Departments. He has received university awards in teaching, service and advisement. He also received the Gregory Wolfe Faculty Award from FIU's Student Government Association and a Distinguished Community Service Award from the Florida Board of Regents. He was awarded the American Forests' National Research Medal for his pioneering studies of energy conservation landscaping. Dr. Parker is on the FAU/FIU Joint Center for Environmental and Urban Problems.
Florida International University
http://www.fiu.edu/~envstud/faculty/parker.htm
University Park Campus
Department of Environmental Studies
& Department of Chemistry
11200 S.W. 8th Street, Room ECS 331
Miami, Florida 33199
Phone: (305) 348-3083
Fax: (305)348-6137
Email: parker@fiu.edu
T.J. PATTERSON, FKEC
Reduce Your Energy Bill Workshop (Consumer and Business)
T.J. Patterson is a Member Service Representative at the Florida Keys Electric Cooperative. He joined the Co-Op in 2001 as a Right of Way Crew Member. He then transferred into the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) Department, where he worked as a System Operator until obtaining his current position as a Member Service Representative in Marathon. Patterson previously worked in management for American Airlines, and as a delivery driver for United Parcel Service. He also attended Indiana University where he majored in Sociology. As a Member Service Rep, TJ answers consumer questions and arranges a variety of services including energy audits, electronic funds transfer and more.
BRUCE POPHAM, MARATHON BOAT YARD
Clean Boating, Clean Marinas (Consumer and Business)
Bio to come
MATTHEW ROSS, ECO-$MART, INC.
Alternative Building Materials Workshop (Consumer and Trade)
Mr. Ross is President of Eco-$mart, Inc., a supplier of energy and resource efficient construction materials. These materials are approved by the nonprofit Florida House Institute for Sustainable Development ( HYPERLINK http://www.I4SD.org) www.I4SD.org).
Ross was raised in Sarasota, FL, an environmentalist with a technical background. He studied engineering and computer science at Duke University, then became a Naval Officer, working in the Navy’s largest data processing command in Washington, D.C., the last two years, where he learned government purchasing.
After the Navy, Ross worked in computer systems design consulting for several years, before starting Energy Conservation Products, Inc., an energy-efficient lighting distribution company in 1993. A year later, Ross met John Lambie, founder of the Florida House Institute, and decided to transform the company into a partnership with the nonprofit. He renamed his company Eco-$mart, Inc., reflecting his philosophy of creating the greatest possible environmental benefit in his business endeavors.
The Florida House Institute for Sustainable Development and the Sarasota County Cooperative Extension Service created the Florida House Learning Center in 1994. In addition to green construction supply, Eco-$mart, Inc. offers a number of free services including design consultation, energy-efficient financing sourcing, builder staff training, educational seminars and press-coverage services. A portion of all Eco-$mart proceeds is donated to the nonprofit Florida House Institute.
Eco-$mart is involved in the design and construction of a number of environmental demonstration projects in Florida, and has inspired many builders and architects to include sustainable construction features in their projects, some of which won energy-efficiency awards. Eco-$mart, Inc. is an EPA ENERGY STAR Homes and Buildings Partner, and an active member in the Florida Green Building Coalition.
EDWARD RUSSELL JR., B.S. ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
Clean Boating, Clean Marinas (Consumer and Business)
Mr Russell currently works for the Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in the Waste Management / Air Resources program as an Environmental Specialist III for the South District, Marathon Branch office. Mr. Russell responsibilities include compliance and enforcement with regulatory requirements related to hazardous waste management, solid waste management, storage tanks, and air resources.
In addition, Mr. Russell serves as the Florida Keys Clean Marina Coordinator working with marinas and boatyard in a voluntary cooperative effort to achieve the Clean Marina or Clean Boatyard designations. Mr. Russell's efforts in conjunction with the Clean Boating Partnership help ensure a sustainable future for the environment through better water quality and help ensure the sustainability of a billion-dollar marine industry which is so vital to the Florida Keys. The Clean Boating partnership includes FDEP, marina and boatyard owners and operators, Marine Industries Association of Florida, Florida Sea Grant Program, and United States Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Dr. MARILYN SWISHER, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Center for Organic Agriculture
Organic Gardening (Consumer)
Bio to come
JANE TALLMAN, FLORIDA KEYS AQUEDUCT AUTHORITY
Cut Your Water Bill Today (Consumer, Business and Trade)
Bio to come
BERNADETTE V. UPTON, ECODECOR, ASID, LEED
Indoor Air Quality (Trade Continuing Education)
Ms. Upton, a Florida licensed interior designer, lecturer and consultant specializing in environmental interior design. She is a professional member of American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and Past President for the Florida South Chapter, as well as a founding member of the national ASID Sustainable Design Council. She is a LEED (Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design) Accredited Professional with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), a program that sets standards for the sustainable building and design industry. She is also a member of The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) and the National Environmental Health Association. Ms. Upton was selected by Lennox Industries, Inc. to design the interiors of their first annual “Lennox Home Comfort Makeover.” She has been a featured speaker for numerous conferences and seminars, as well as the host of ‘Airtime,’ a radio talk show addressing indoor air quality issues.
Her company ECODECOR provides eco-friendly design services and furnishings for the home and her committed advocacy to “green” design is to create interiors that are beautiful, breathable and earth-friendly.
Serving on the American Lung Association Southeast Florida Board for nearly a decade, she has designed numerous “Heath Houses” and co-authored “A Baby’s Breath” program for ALA, which educates expectant parents to the importance of creating a healthy nursery and home.
ECODECOR
531 U.S. Highway 1
North Palm Beach, FL 33418
(561) 845-5433
(561) 845-5588
ecodecor@bellsouth.net
BOB WILLIAMS
Founder, Sea Air Land Technologies
Bob Williams' passion for sailing and a self sufficient cruising lifestyle has led him to found the company in 1976 that became Sea Air Land Technologies. SALT has since evolved into one of the most respected companies in its field. As a captain and pilot Bob has delivered yachts, parts and service throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean. During this time he found many opportunities to integrate alternative energy technologies into land and marine based applications in Florida and abroad. Over the years Bob's seminars have become a popular fixture at trade shows and his system installation training programs have been used by boat builders in the US and China. Bob has led in the design and engineering of a several off-grid home and marine oriented systems such as PV based desalination, modular chillers, PV powered ice making and PV powered eutectic refrigeration. In 2000, Bob finished development and went into full production of the SALT Monitor (tm), a monitoring, regulating and data tracking systems used in marine and Off-grid solar and wind power systems. Over 1000 SALT Monitors have been sold world wide for off-grid homes, cruising yachts and telecom systems. Currently he is the process of completing a passively cooled, solar powered home for his family in the Florida Keys. Bob is highly motivated to develop sustainable lifestyle systems that work towards securing a healthy environment for the future.
NORMA AND ALLAN WILLIAMSON, GREEN-HOME OWNERS
Green Renovations: Make Your Conventional Home More Energy-Efficient (Consumer & Trade)
Norma and Alan’s passion for the environment began in their early twenties while backpacking through the California Sierra Mountains. Today, Alan and Norma live in a solar electric, energy efficient house, which generates more energy than is consumed. Besides generating energy for their home, the solar array also provides all the energy for their zero emissions battery powered electric vehicle, the 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV. They were recently featured in the national magazine, Solar Today, as the cover story for the November/December, 2006 edition. The title of their article was “The Near-Zero-Energy Home Makeover.”
Alan’s professional background as an engineering technician qualified him to join the solar industry in 2001. He has personally participated in the installation of more than 600 photovoltaic systems. Norma has a Master’s Degree in Education and is the coordinator of the annual Energy/Earth Day events at the high school where she teaches Spanish. She successfully wrote four BP “A+ for Energy” grants ($40,000) that helped fund energy/environmental education.
Every year Norma presents solar and electric vehicle information at Career Days for local middle schools. Alan also presents energy efficiency and electric vehicle information at community colleges and community events. Together, they open their home to the general public, during the annual American Solar Energy Society, National Solar Tour, as well as private solar tours for university students and elected officials. Their most exciting solar tour was the one filmed by PBS/NOVA and segments of it should be aired around Earth Day, 2007. Chris Paine, the film director of “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and its film personalities, actor/environmentalist, Ed Begley, Jr. and California State Senator, Alan Lowenthal, toured their home this February, 2007.
In the past, Alan was actively involved in helping to renovate Keller Hut for the Sierra Club, Angeles Chapter. He participated in the “Don’t Crush” demonstrations (in Burbank and Sacramento) to save electric vehicles from the automobile shredders. They both participated in the “Thank you Toyota” demonstration when Toyota rescinded its plan to call back and crush leased electric vehicles. Alan and Norma also participate in annual beach cleanup events (even on Norma’s birthday!) and on their weekend bike trips, they regularly pick up trash from the Coyote Creek Watershed before it reaches the Pacific Ocean.
Like many eco-activists, Alan and Norma give their “ALL” to the goal of preserving the Earth’s precious resources for future generations.