Green – North Bay Business Journal - North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties

At last, a lunch box that is green

February 6th, 2012

SAN RAFAEL – Along with the flourishing food scene in the North Bay comes a sustainable way to tote and munch it.
ECOlunchboxes – plastic-free stainless containers and cotton bags to carry them in – are a surprise bestseller in Whole Foods, Container Stores and retail outlets across the U.S. and abroad.
Business news: Week of Jan. 16, 2012

January 16th, 2012

Cosmetics Assemblymember Jared Huffman will present his December Sustainable North Bay Award to Renaissance House of Beauty for its environmentally responsible products and business practices. In 2009, Renaissance became the first “green” certified hair and beauty salon in Marin County. For Renaissance, being green means being environmentally conscious about the products they use and retail, [...]
Auto body chain installs $2 million in solar on three shops

December 12th, 2011

Santa Rosa-based G&C AutoBody is spending $2.09 million installing photovoltaic power arrays on three of its seven locations to write off the whole project cost in one year under a special 2011 tax incentive for capital investments.
Vineyard pond project taps law to ‘dedicate’ water to fish

November 28th, 2011

HOPLAND — Conversions of former pear orchards in Mendocino County to grapevines is nothing new and construction of sizable off-stream ponds to collect winter stream runoff for spring vine frost protection is gaining momentum with new state and local rules, but one major North Coast winegrape grower’s project to do both adds a new element, dedicating a majority of historical water rights back to the stream.
Business news: Week of Nov. 21, 2011

November 21st, 2011

Brief news about north San Francisco Bay area companies: RPM Mortgage opens San Rafael branch; Speedpro Imaging-Marin starts vinyl banner recycling; Marin General Hospital Foundation raises $340,000 for Spine & Brain Institute; Calix customer Vermont Telephone Company deplys optical network terminals; Russian River Valley wineries form tasting room network Taste Route 116
More than wine from these vines

November 7th, 2011

SANTA ROSA — Barbara Banke, chairwoman of Jackson Family Wines, and Chalk Hill Winery co-founder Peggy Furth are launching WholeVine, intended to eventually become a charitable business developing products from as many of the parts of vine as possible with quality as premium as the winegrapes.
Sample some wines, charge the car

October 24th, 2011

SANTA ROSA – The Inman Family Winery is the first Sonoma County winery to install a privately-owned, publicly available, solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging station.
Calpine plans $700 million Geysers expansion

October 10th, 2011

SONOMA COUNTY – Calpine Corporation, the nation’s largest renewable geothermal power producer, plans to build two new power plants adjacent to its existing Geysers steam field in Sonoma and Lake Counties designed to generate a total of 98 megawatts of additional clean energy, pending regulatory approvals.
Large RP solar array activated

October 4th, 2011

ROHNERT PARK — Sonoma Mountain Village’s additional 1.158-megawatt solar system was dedicated Friday.
Santa Rosa-based Ygrene leads $650 million green-retrofit effort

September 23rd, 2011

SANTA ROSA — Five years ago, co-founders of Santa Rosa-based Ygrene Energy Fund were trying to drum up local support for an innovative large-scale financing program to encourage real estate owners to embark upon energy-saving retrofit and renewable-power projects. And today Ygrene is leading a nationwide commercial property retrofit endeavor backed by a billionaire, a large investment bank, a high-tech manufacturer and two reinsurers and targeting $650 million in initial Sacramento- and Miami-area projects.
Custom builder expands shop for prefab, furniture

September 19th, 2011

SANTA ROSA — Sebastopol-based custom homebuilder Fairweather & Associates has set up a new 12,000-square-foot shop in Santa Rosa to help speed construction through prefabrication, allow greater use of reclaimed materials and launch a new furniture-making division.
Zap Jonway obtains new rounds of financing in China

September 19th, 2011

SANTA ROSA — Zap Jonway last week announced two new rounds of credit financing from China Merchants Bank totaling $37.33 million for expansion plans in China as recent Securities & Exchange Commission filings indicate a shakeup in its U.S. presence.
Benicia scores green auto operation

September 19th, 2011

BENICIA – City and county officials got a tour last week of Benicia’s first foray into green technology. Startup zero-emission car developer Coda Automotives of Santa Monica has inked a deal with long-time Benicia automotive processing company Amports Inc. to do the final assembly on its flagship zero-emission cars. Coda CEO Phil Murtaugh led a [...]
Marin Employment Connection lands $399,000 grant

September 13th, 2011

SAN RAFAEL — Marin Employment Connection, a public-private partnership powered by the Workforce Investment Board of Marin County, received a $399,000 grant to provide vocational training and certifications in the green economy for 100 unemployed or underemployed workers.
Venture-backed LumiGrow moves to Novato

September 12th, 2011

NOVATO — Backed by its first round of venture funding, LumiGrow Inc. relocated from San Francisco’s Treasure Island to Novato to further develop its line of specially tuned LED grow lights for food science research and commercial greenhouses.
Frost-pond bill passes; regulators float frost-water rule

September 12th, 2011

The Legislature passed a bill by two North Coast state legislators that would streamline permitting of small irrigation ponds that could be tapped for frost prevention, rather than streams deemed habitat for protected fish. Meanwhile, state water regulators released the latest revision to a Russian River basin frost-water regulation more than three years in the making.
First third-party commercial PACE funding approved

September 8th, 2011

ROHNERT PARK — Codding Enterprises, developer of Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park, said it received county of Sonoma approval for $1.6 million in funding for a second 1-megawatt solar electric array at the development, the first project funded under a new public-private model for clean-energy enhancements to commercial properties.
44-mile Napa Valley Vine Trail gets $2.5 million federal grant

September 5th, 2011

NAPA — The Napa Valley Vine Trail, a 44-mile mixed use pedestrian and bicycle path currently under construction throughout Napa and Solano counties, received $2.5 million in federal funds last week from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Enphase Energy powers toward $100 million IPO

September 5th, 2011

PETALUMA — Solar power technology startup Enphase Energy is preparing for what would be the North Bay’s largest initial public offering in years that could raise $100 million.
Frost-pond bill bound for governor

August 31st, 2011

The Legislature today passed a bill by two North Coast state legislators that would streamline permitting of small irrigation ponds that could be tapped for frost prevention, rather than streams deemed habitat for protected fish.