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If you are a native Idahoan you are
probably thinking, "Oh my heck, another left-wing, eco-commie with an
agenda". If you are from the west or east coast you are probably
thinking, "Wow, I did not realize Idaho was so progressive". In fact,
neither is true. This page is for those inclined towards thinking
globally, acting locally. If you are specifically interested in Teton
Valley Resources, jump down for an extensive
list compiled by a local expert.
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Local Resources
Mountainside Village is Building Green
Located in Victor,Idaho....
The only
traditional neighborhood design (TND or New Urbanist) community
between Boise and Colorado, and also one of the few that
comprehensively encourages and even requires passive solar design and
greenbuilding. They're building their first 5 houses to the US Green
Building Council's LEED-H scorecard for homes (first in Idaho), and
they will meet silver level performance standards. They require all
houses built here to meet minimum greenbuilding standards, probably
the base level LEED-H. It's about building better houses that are
more comfortable, cheaper to operate and longer-lasting, not some
hippy-dippy green eco-conspiracy!
Curbside Recycling
Contact Mike Stansel 709-1482
Available in Idaho Falls
Idaho Renewable Energy Incentive: Personal Tax Deduction
Idaho offers some of the best incentives in the nation for installing renewable
energy systems in your home. Qualifying systems include solar (both active and
passive systems), wind and geothermal methods for heating your home or producing
electricity. If you are or will become an Idaho resident when you build your
Idaho home, you may deduct 100% of the cost of your renewable energy system over
4 years, so long as that total amount does not exceed $20,000 or $5,000 in any
one year. You may deduct 40% or a maximum of $5,000 in the first year, when
you installed the system, and 20% each of the following three years up to a
maximum of $5,000 in any one year. Go to
www.tax.idaho.gov for more information.
Read on...
High Road Biodiesel (Eastern ID)
B99 pump, Open Tu 9-12; Th 3-6; Sat 9-12
or call 208-354-8871
105G Johnson Ave, Driggs ID 83422
The Teton Regional Land Trust
Located in Eastern Idaho, the The Teton Regional Land Trust
is a nonprofit organization working to conserve the agricultural and
natural resources of the Upper Snake River Valley, for the benefit of
today's communities and as a legacy for future generations.
Organic and Holistic Options Do Exist in Eastern Idaho!
Cosmic Apple Gardens
Cosmic Apple Gardens is a certified organic farm that specializes
in vegetables, spring mix, fresh eggs, beef and pork products. Located in Victor. 208-787-2082
DC Natural Foods Idaho Falls 522-6964
Wealth of Health Nutrition Center Idaho Falls 542-0115
Idaho Falls Community Gardens (208) 522-3244
Mary Janes Farm
Although Mary Janes Farm is
located in northern Idaho I have to include a
link because it is such an amazing Organic Everything Sort of Place
Here you will find organic, quick prep meals, desserts and drinks as
well as organic solutions and ideas for almost any topic.
Support Your Locally Owned Restaurants in Idaho Falls
They are few but they are fantastic. If they go away we are left with a plethora of mediocre
franchise establishments that are about quantity as opposed to quality.
Read Reviews of Some of the Best.
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General Resources
Suggested reading:
The Thirteen Points of Traditional Neighborhood Development
Clean House, Clean Planet by: Karen Logan
This book is for anyone looking for non-toxic, safe cleaning recipes.
It's an easy read and the recipes are simple. Make your home a safer
place while diminishing your dependence on the crude oil industry.
The Passive Solar House by: James Kachadorian
This book offers a technique for building homes that heat and cool
themselves in a wide range of different climates, using ordinary
building materials available anywhere and with methods familiar to all
building contractors and many do-it-yourselfers. A formerly patented
design for author James Kachadorian's Solar Slab heat exchanger is now
available for the use of anyone motivated by the desire to build a house
that needs a backup furnace or air conditioner rarely if ever. This is a
building book for the next century. Applicable to a diversity of
regions, climates, budgets, and styles of architecture, Kachadorian's
techniques translate the essentials of timeless solar design (siting a
home in harmony with nature, using windows as solar collectors,
achieving year-round comfort by balancing good insulation with healthy
supplies of fresh air) into practical wisdom for today's new generation
of solar builders.
The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient,
Environmental Homes
by: Daniel D Chiras
An indespensible guide to natural building and sustainable systems.
This book discusses 14 natural building techniques, helping readers
understand the pros and cons of each one. It also covers an assortment
of topics that will help you create truly sustainable shelter, including
green building materials and alternative systems to provide energy,
water, and waste treatment. The up-to-date, comprehensive resource guide
at the end of the book is worth the price of the book itself! It also
contains a listing of the author's Web site with a comprehensive list of
workshops and links to other useful sites. You'd need to read 40 books
on natural building and a roomfulful of builders to acquire the
information you find in The Natural House.
Natural House Catalog: Where to Get Everything You Need to Create and
Environmentally Home
by: David Pearson
If you are looking to design a truly healthy home. Natural House
Catalog draws on the very latest environmentally sound technology,
providing all the
information you need to create and maintain your ideal living
space. With the enormous number of materials, products, and services now
offered, this book is the ideal reference.
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Green Resources in Teton Valley
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Builders
There are a number of excellent local builders who are pretty savvy about
passive solar design and even green building to some extent. The best local
builders who are knowledgeable about green building materials and methods,
and eager to learn more, are:
- Montesano-Wilkinson Builders, 307/413-1547 is Joe Montesano's cell phone;
Joe and Steve work both sides of the Tetons and are building houses in
Mountainside Village right now
- the Dery Brothers -- Mike and Dave, 787-2903 -- really good, conscientious
builders who work hard and well and learned a lot about green building on a recent
house project in Alta, Wyoming
- Princess Construction, Dave Hensel (354-8636) and Lars Moller --
good, hard-working, knowledgeable, funny guys who build well
- Dan Powers, 354-8631, another excellent local builder with a long
track record of well-built, Craftsman-style houses that are highly
efficient and attractive
- John McIntosh of Snake River Builders, 787-9836 or (cell)307/413-1662
-- a very high quality builder who has done many fine custom houmes on both sides of the Tetons
- Pete Quinlan/Big Hole Builders, 787-0916 or 709-0916(cell) -- another
proven local builder of quality with interest in greenbuilding
- Ken Jern, 307/733-4710 or 307/690-6024(cell) - experienced local builder
with knowledge of passive solar design and construction
- Kevin Kirchner/Sustainable Builders in Victor (208/201-2591) has a
particular interest in green building.
We recommend all these guys highly. There are a few others worth considering, if none
of these are available. We are not aware of any contractor in this area who is
building with straw bales; all the local straw bale projects have been homeowner-builder ones.
Green Building Consultants/Design
Sunlight Design - Lawrence E. Thal, AIA, the area's leading solar home
architect, with expanded staff and green building expertise, 787-6873 and
307/733-9003
Nancy Taylor of Wilson, 307/733-7584, lives in a passive solar, straw bale
home and teaches seminars and does individual consulting for homeowners. She
also writes a weekly column in the Planet Jackson Hole newspaper on greenbuilding
techniques, technology and opportunities.
Green Building materials
Valley Lumber, North Hwy. 33 in Victor, 787-9663 (ask for Melissa Jentzsch) --
sustainably grown forest products and other green materials.
Farms/Good Food
Blue Flax Farm here at Mountainside Village, Megan Warren, 307/413-3203;
she sells half or full garden shares or people can do work shares.
Ted Wells' Alpenglow Farm in Victor for local and regional organic
produce and fruits, 787-2423. Ted sells his produce through Victor Valley Grocery.
Jed Restuccia's organic farm in Victor (787-2082) sells to local stores
and direct from the farm. Located just north of Mountainside Village in east Victor.
Barrels and Bins, 36 South Main Street, Driggs, 354-2307, local health food store.
Jackson Whole Foods (formerly Jackson FoodTown), in the Kmart Plaza on West
Broadway in Jackson Hole -- a locally owned grocery now combined with Choice
Meats and Jackson Hole Fish, for great organic and healthy foods
Miso Hungry, 165 North Main Street, Driggs -- a woman-owned restaurant where
Tanya, Jane, Ang, Kirstin and Constance put love in the food, 354-8015.
Lucatelli's Café, 6 North Main Street, Victor, 787-3463 - great Italian food.
Victor Valley Café, West Center Street/Hwy. 31, 787-2632, next to the Victor
Valley Grocery -- good food fast for breakfast, lunch, even dinner
Renewable and Alternative Energy System design and equipment
Creative Energies, Andy Tyson, Scott Kane and Toby Schmidt, 354-3001,
Driggs and Lander, Wyoming; www.creativeenergies.biz
- complete solar electric and solar water heating system design and installation,
wind systems, etc. Considerable experience with remote off-grid and grid-connected homes all over Wyoming.
Charlie Woodward, 787-2495, Victor -- 2 decades experience designing
and installing alternative energy systems off-grid and on-grid all over the West.
Alternative Medical Services in Teton Valley and Jackson Hole
Kevin Meehan of Teton Valley Health Center in Jackson, 307/733-8044, an
acupuncturist, osteopath, nutritional consultant, biochemist, eclectic healer.
Ruth Young, 208/351-1292 in Driggs, a very good structural integration therapist (rather like rolfing).
High Peaks Physical Therapy, Judy Baumgardner, Dan Streubel,
Marjeka Onsrud et al., Teton Valley Hospital, 354-6333, and at
Cottonwood Corner Fitness Center, 354-3128
Joanne Lucey's Body Wise Yoga Studio and massage therapist group in Driggs,
354-2871, 165 Front Street, just north of the old Train Depot west of Main Street.
Recycling
Teton Valley Community recycling, 354-2800, collection centers at
Front Street, Driggs, across from BodyWise Yoga; at Grand Teton Brewing
Company on the Old Jackson Hwy. In Victor; and glass at the County dump east of Driggs.
Local sustainable shops and resources
Mountain Knits, Ski Hill Road, Driggs, 354-4648 - the best wool for your knitting projects.
Yostmark Mt. Equipment, 12 East Little (Ski Hill Rd.) Ave., Driggs, 354-2828 - camping,
climbing and nordic ski specialists.
Peaked Sports, 70 East Little Ave., Driggs, 354-2354 -- outdoor tools, toys
and clothes for camping, hiking, skiing, biking, etc.
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