Sustainable Center off to a fast start
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Pat Butler
The Sustainability Center is located at 412 Commercial Street in downtown Nevada City. The City is leasing the building to the non-profit.
Group gets $40,000 grant and a place to grow in Nevada City
It was just an idea seven months ago.
Now, the APPLE Center for Sustainable Living has a $40,000 grant, a home for least two years in downtown Nevada City and ambitious plans.
Executive Director Mali Dyck said the center at 412 Commercial Street soon will be a community resource for anyone interested in sustainability, energy conservation and the local economy.
“The most important part of the Center is that it will become a resource for everyone,” said Dyck, who has been on the job since June 1. “We want to support people who are taking little and big steps.”
She hopes that by sometime in August the 800-square-foot building will be hosting workshops, serving as a resource center and be a model for an energy-efficient workplace.
The Sustainable Center falls under the umbrella of the non-profit Alliance for a Post-Petroleum Local Economy, or APPLE. It was first discussed in December by members of the Community Congress, which was started last summer by Reinette Senum, the founder of the non-profit PowerUp-NC and the new mayor of Nevada City.
A business plan written by Dyck was used by APPLE to help get the $40,000 grant from the Butte County Private Industry Council. The PIC also has agreed to pay an $850-month lease for the next two years to Nevada City, which owns the property that sits just outside the historical district.
Tem Tarriktar, the communications director for APPLE, says the Sustainable Center fits the mission of the organization.
“The existence of the new Center will increase APPLE’s ability to bring together residents from Nevada City and beyond who are concerned about creating a more resilient, sustainable Nevada County,” he said.”Having a physical hub to demonstrate sustainable practices and facilitate classes and other events is an important step for APPLE.”
The Sustainable Center held its first open house on Saturday, June 27, although the building is somewhat spartan at this point. Dyck said about 50 people showed up that day, including around a dozen local contractors.
Tom DeMaranville, a custom home builder from Nevada City, was among those who visited the Center to learn more about its plans. He was also trying out a $9,000 infrared imager that instantly shows the energy efficiency of a building’s walls.
“ I want to be part of this,” said DeMaranville, an APPLE board member. “I’m looking for a better way to build houses.”
Peter Kraft of Kraft Kitchens in Nevada City said he came to the open house to learn more about the center’s mission and how he could incorporate that into his business.
“I’m a supporter of sustainable living and reducing our carbon footprint in the world and everything this Center is all about,” he said.
The Center’s first challenge starts at home. The tin building is the equivalent of an energy sinkhole, according to the executive director.
“Basically, the building is performing terribly,” Dyck, 29, said. “There’s a lot of room to improve.”
An energy audit showed that all the air in the building is replaced every hour and that doesn’t count what escapes through doors and windows, she said.
“You pump heat into the building and it was just leaving,” the director said. “That was huge eye-opening experience.”
Dyck wants the building retrofitted by August or September when she hopes to have it in shape for workshops, exhibits and a resource center with books, videos and other materials. A grand opening is scheduled for August.
The Center is also looking for volunteers to help retrofit the building and work there.
For more information about APPLE or the Sustainable Center, go to apple-nc.org.
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