Mariah Power Blog

While most of the world was enjoying a respite during the week leading up to the new year, our team was hard at work installing 20 Windspire wind turbines at the LEED Platinum certified headquarters of Adobe Systems in San Jose, California.

Windspres Power Adobe Systems

Adobe, a dedicated champion of sustainability, chose the Windspire turbines for their thin profile, beautiful design and silent operation. The turbines are installed on the sixth floor roof of a garage that sits between two larger buildings.  The two larger buildings create a wind tunnel effect, providing ample wind resources for the turbines.

Once the installation is fully completed, the energy generated from the Windspires will provide power to electric car charging stations in the garage and to the famous San Jose Semaphore.

For anyone watching “Meet the Press” on Sunday morning, you saw an economic round table featuring Alan Greenspan, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Mitt Romney, and Jim Cramer discuss the timetable for the United States’ economic resurgence.  When discussing what types of new jobs would be created in the new economy, Gov. Granholm held up a front page story in the “Detroit Free Press” featuring the Windspire wind turbine factory in Manistee, Michigan.

Did you miss the show? Here is a link to the segment, the Windspire is highlighted about 8 mins in:

Gov Granholm Touts Windspire Wind Turbines on Meet the Press

The Windspire wind turbines are manufactured in a factory formerly dedicated to the automotive industry.  Now former autoworkers are building wind turbines instead of automation equipment for car factories.

This week the great minds of the sustainable building community will converge in Phoenix, Arizona for the 2009 Green Build Expo hosted by the US Green Building Council.  These are the folks who determine LEED certification standards and are pushing the world’s biggest energy hogs- buildings- to be more efficient.  As a renewable energy company, we realize that our wind turbines are a lot more effective when the buildings they provide power to are as efficient as possible.  It doesn’t make much sense to generate clean energy from the wind or sun only to see it wasted by inefficient design.

Come see a Windspire at the 2009 Green Build Expo

We will have a fully operational Windspire wind turbine in booth #1365.  Due to ceiling restrictions we aren’t able to put the full 30 foot tall turbine up, so we will be showcasing our extreme wind version which stands at 23 feet tall. If you are at the show, please stop by our booth.  Need a ticket? We have extra expo-only passes available for Wednesday and Thursday.  Please email marketing@mariahpower.com with your request.

We are hoping to attract a lot of attention from the architects, builders and designers at the show. The innovative design of the rotor allows the Windspire to be easily designed into new and retrofitted buildings.  And unlike most green building materials, the Windspires can be proudly on display for all visitors and residents to see the owner’s commitment to sustainability and the environment.

Amy Berry will be microblogging live from the show on twitter. You can follow her at www.twitter.com/wind2power

It was a beautiful October day on Friday, the perfect day to plant trees with the Nature Conservancy of Nevada and the Audubon Society. A group of Mariah Power employees volunteered their time to plant 25 Cottonwood Trees on the River Fork Ranch just outside of Genoa, Nevada.  The trees will aid in the Conservancy’s efforts to rehab a large piece of land that bridges the east and west forks of the Carson River.  The full project will include restoration of wetlands, a bike/hiking trail along the Carson River and a new visitors center.  The Conservancy plans to use wind power from Windspire wind turbines to help off-set energy needs in the new building.

Wind power is a great way to help reduce our impact on the environment, but as a company we realize there are a lot of ways to have an impact.  Through acts of energy conservation and nature conservation we can make sure we have a vital future for the next generations.

The day was all made possible with a grant from Toyota.  Oh what a feeling!

Cottonwood staking

new cottonwood trees

Genoa Cottonwood

the planting team

On October 23rd, The Nature Conservancy, Mariah Power, and the Audubon Society are teaming up to plant cottonwood trees at the Conservancy’s River Fork Ranch outside of Genoa.  The volunteer day, sponsored in part by Toyota’s Together Green program, is open to anyone in the community who would like to join in along with volunteers from Mariah Power.

“We are excited to spend a day planting trees with the Conservancy,” said Mariah Power CEO Mike Hess, “It is important for those of us that live and work here to take the time to take care of our natural resources.”  The trees planted during this effort will become a nursery, which will provide cottonwood trees for planting at other sites in the future, as well as providing seeds that can travel downstream to help spread cottonwoods to other places on the Carson River.

“Volunteering is an important way to get people out into nature,” says Duane Petite, Carson River Project Director for The Nature Conservancy.  “Giving people the opportunity to both learn about the work we’re doing and participate in it themselves will strengthen the connection our community has to the Carson River.”  After the event, volunteers and their families are invited to attend an appreciation barbeque where they can learn more about the work the Conservancy does.

The Conservancy acquired the roughly 800-acre River Fork Ranch in 2000; it is one of five locations along the river where the group is working to restore the Carson River and improve habitat.  Located where the east and west forks of the Carson River come together, River Fork Ranch provides critical wetland and wet meadow habitat for wildlife, particularly nesting habitat for migratory song birds.  “River Fork Ranch is located in the Carson Valley Important Bird Area,” explains Robin Powell, Nevada Director of Bird Conservation for the Audubon Society.  “It is a top priority for volunteer work like this that improves habitat for the nesting birds.”  In addition, River Fork Ranch is a working cattle ranch, dedicated to demonstrating sustainable agriculture practices that are compatible with habitat restoration and protection.

“We are excited to have Mariah Power and the Audubon Society joining us in this event,” says Petite.  “It is a great example of how we accomplish our conservation work through strong partnerships with businesses, other non-profit organizations, landowners and others in the community to make sure the work we do benefits both people and nature.”

Space at this event is limited and volunteers are asked to RSVP.  To RSVP or for more information, contact Anne Thomas at athomas@tnc.org or 790-4436.