Upcoming
Events & Opportunities
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OCTOBER 5
VOIS Champion of Change
A benefit for VOIS, this event features the debut of the Sustainability Leadership Awards, which will recognize outstanding members of our community each year. Portland's three mayoral candidates, and current mayor Sam Adams, will speak. VOIS is Oregon's Chamber of Change, committed to using the power of business to accelerate change for a healthy, prosperous future. Portland, OR
OCTOBER 23-25
This 11th annual conference provides a bounty of practical information and access to experts across the full range of rural energy opportunities - from wind power, solar, geothermal, small hydro, and biofuels to biopower, food processing innovation, and efficiency technologies that cut energy costs and enhance profitability. Boise, ID (Oregon BEST serves on the conference Steering Committee.)
OCTOBER 26-28
Presented by the Portland Sustainability Institute, the EcoDistricts Summit is the premier annual conference dedicated to neighborhood-scale sustainability innovation. Portland, OR
OCTOBER 27-29
Net Impact Conference
The world's largest event for students and professionals using their business skills to create social and environmental good, this conference spotlights unexpected places people find where good works. Attendees collaborate to explore: 1) where creative problem solving and playful approaches can lead to serious solutions; 2) where sustainable innovations were championed by those you least expect, and 3) where unlikely partnerships accelerate change. Portland, OR
NOVEMBER 3
Green Day Forum
Meet the Champions:
Achieving the Triple Bottom Line
in Green Building
A day of dialogue with those who have successfully championed for a more sustainable built environment that benefits society, the environment, and the economy. Learn why economic profit and equitable access to healthier, more efficient buildings and communities are not mutually exclusive, and come away with an understanding of the models and strategies that have led to success. Gerding Theater, Portland, OR
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CONTACT US
Oregon BEST
P.O. Box 212
Portland, OR 97207
Tel. 503-725-9849
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Executive Director's Report
Best Path Forward from BEST FEST '11
Greetings!  From feedback I've received so far, Oregon BEST FEST '11 was a rousing success. Thanks to those of you who attended...you made it a success! Last year, several impressive collaborations came out of BEST FEST '10, and I look forward to seeing what comes from the connections made at this year's event.
But remember: collaborations take two (or more!) to tango, and the success of the connections sparked at BEST FEST '11 depend on people following up and taking the next steps. So please pick up the phone or send an email to someone you met at the event.
Speaking of collaborations, we're thrilled about the recent flurry of good news about funding (see story below) that's bringing millions
of dollars to a range of Oregon teams. This news includes a just-announced $2.2 million grant that is the result of a collaborative effort led by Greater Portland, Inc. It will allow us to invest $250,000 in new Oregon BEST Commercialization Grants aimed at helping industry-university teams collaboratively transform green research into new cleantech jobs.
Finally, please take a look at my column in Sustainable Business Oregon, where I discuss ways to green Oregon's innovation network. Working in collaboration, we're all helping Oregon maintain its national leadership position as a cleantech innovator!
Thank you for your ongoing support,
David Kenney, President & Executive Director
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Local Collaborations Boost Green Energy Production
 Oregon BEST researchers and companies in Corvallis, OR are developing ways to capture and store energy generated by methods ranging from wood to waves.
Oregon BEST member Catherine Mater is working on a project in Vernonia, OR that will use waste from nearby forests to heat the community's centers and schools.
Alex Yokochi, chemical engineering professor at OSU, is lending his expertise to everything from renewable energy storage and biofuels to wind and wave energy.
Trillium FiberFuels, winner of an Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant, is working to make cellulosic ethanol from residual plant material.
And Columbia Power Technologies is testing its innovative wave energy generation devices in the open ocean.
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Funding Flurry Brings Millions
Affiliations with Oregon BEST Member Faculty lead to success
 Oregon BEST faculty and industry partners have been landing some impressive funding to advance research, expand programs, and create jobs.
Oregon BEST is proud to be helping Oregon grow its innovation ecosystem through these kinds of wins... - A $35,000 matching grant from Oregon BEST helped OSU's Energy Efficiency Center win $1.5M from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to expand operations and train more industrial energy efficiency experts. Full story.
- A $2.2M grant resulting from a collaborative effort led by Greater Portland, Inc. will allow Oregon BEST to invest $250,000 in new Commercialization Grants to help industry-university teams collaborate more closely. Full story.
- Two Oregon BEST FEST '11 sponsors (SolarWorld in Hillsboro and Advanced Energy in Bend) received $7.7M from the U.S. Dept. of Energy to advance their solar energy research. Full story.
- In partnership with Oregon Institute of Technology, Green Lite Motors (recipient of an Oregon BEST Commercialization Grant) received an Oregon Transportation Research & Education Consortium (OTREC)grant to further develop its 100-mpg gas-electric vehicle, bringing total grants this year for the company to $212,000. Full story.
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OIT Prepares to Go Net Zero!
Oregon University System solar initiative largest in United States  Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber kicked off a major OUS solar project that will be the nation's largest multi-university based solar photovoltaic power program and make OIT's southern Oregon campus 100 percent powered by renewable energy.
"This project highlights Oregon's leadership in clean energy and the potential for renewable and energy efficiency to really drive our state's economy," said Kitzhaber at the groundbreaking ceremony at OIT, home to the Renewable Energy Engineering Program, the first program of its kind in the U.S.
The solar energy generated at OIT, combined with a new geothermal power plant in the works, will cover all of the campus' electricity and heat needs. Full story.
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Green Jobs for Oregon Via Qatar
Oregon Firms tapped to help with $5.5 Billion Project  Oregon took another big step as an international leader in sustainable built environment innovation when Qatar selected two Portland firms to provide sustainability expertise for the 110-building Msheireb urban development project in Doha (right), Qatar's capital city.
Interface Engineering and Green Building Services will consult on what is planned to be the largest concentrated community of LEED-certified buildings in the world. Interface Engineering is involved with the proposed Oregon Sustainability Center, a role that helped the firms win the contract. Oregon BEST's David Kenney traveled to Qatar in May, 2010, to explore collaborative relationships between Oregon and Qatar. He said the "Qatar National Vision 2030" has a strong sustainable development strategy for the country, which highly prioritizes green building, and that Oregon's industry strengths in sustainable built environment design, engineering, and construction were well known to the Qatari development community. Full Story. |
Join the Oregon BEST Team
 Oregon BEST is seeking a versatile, detail and results-oriented professional to join our team as a half-time Operations Specialist. To view the complete job description, as well as several other cleantech employment opportunities, please visit our "Opportunities & Jobs" page.
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Oregon BEST Researchers IN THE NEWS...
 ··· A research team led by Oregon State University professor of chemistry MAS SUBRAMANIAN has discovered how microwave energy can be used to create compounds that capture waste heat from engines, automobiles, and industrial plants and turn the waste heat into electricity. Full story...
··· The American Chemical Society's 2011 class of ACS Fellows includes University of Oregon chemistry professor and Oregon BEST researcher, GERALDINE "GERI" RICHMOND. Richmond, who was elected into membership of the National Academy of Sciences last May, is among 213 new ACS Fellows. Full story...
··· Oregon BEST researcher ROBERT BASS has accepted a faculty position at Portland State University. At OIT's Portland campus, Bass was the founding professor of OIT's Renewable Energy Engineering Program (read story), the first of its kind in the nation. His appointment will further enhance the opportunities for collaboration between OIT and PSU in the area of energy and power engineering.
 ··· Azuray Technologies, a solar energy company spun out by Oregon BEST researcher and Head of the Oregon State University School of Electrical & Computer Engineering TERRI FIEZ, has been named one of the GoingGreen Global 200 winners, a listing of the top emerging companies that are transforming big industry and creating viable business models for green technology. Full story...
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The Oregon Built Environment & Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) connects businesses with our growing shared-user network of university research facilities to transform renewable energy and sustainable built environment research into on-the-ground products, services, and jobs that power Oregon's green economy. Oregon BEST's founding partner universities include Oregon State University, the Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and the University of Oregon.
Oregon BEST · PO Box 212 · Portland, OR 97207-0212Tel. 503-725-9849 · On the web: oregonbest.org |
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