NH Division of Economic Development
YouTube Facebook Twitter Twitter
Why New Hampshire Move Start Grow About Us

Posts Tagged ‘Richard Ober’

Greenerpalooza Award Nominees Sought

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Going grgreenerpalooza_image1een doesn’t just help save the planet, it also makes perfect business sense. That’s the message delivered by New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy in announcing plans for the 2010 Greenerpalooza Award.

The Greenerpalooza Award is given each year to a New Hampshire-based person, organization or initiative dedicated to energy efficiency. It recognizes the accomplishments of those who support and promote green efforts throughout the Granite State and who work tirelessly to ensure that New Hampshire maintains its position as a state which celebrates sustainability.

“As one of the ten greenest states in the nation, New Hampshire is home to a number of great individuals and organizations dedicated to finding solutions for the sustainability of our planet,” Duddy said. “We look forward to receiving a lot of nominations and being able to recognize the good work that’s taking place in the Granite State.”

Last year’s Greenerpalooza Award winner was Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy board member Richard Ober. Ober was recognized for his 25 years of non-profit leadership, public policy expertise and dedication to sustainable energy. As the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s Vice President of Civic Leadership and Communications, he continues to work to unite public and private partners to address the state’s most significant challenges including energy policy, affordable housing, transportation, state park management, substance abuse,and deliberative democracy.

This year’s award will be presented at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Gilford prior to the Greenerpalooza III concert featuring Sheryl Crow and Colbie Caillat on August 12. Co-sponsored by Public Service of New Hampshire and Citizens Bank in coordination with the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development and media sponsor New Hampshire Business Review, Greenerpalooza III is a celebration of New Hampshire’s energy efficiency efforts. Over 5,000 concert goers will not only get to enjoy a concert from a multi-platinum artist, they will also be able to visit a special eco village on the Meadowbrook midway where vendors will be extolling the virtues of wind and solar power as well as other alternative energy sources.

To submit a nominee for the Greenerpalooza Award, please send a 500 word essay on the merits of the candidate to Steve Boucher at sboucher@dred.state.nh.us by July 16. Tickets to the Sheryl Crow and Colbie Caillat concert, which include entry into the eco-village, are available online at www.meadowbrook.net. To learn more about the latest happenings with Greenerpalooza, visit the newly created Greenerpalooza III Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greennh.

Meadowbrook Colors the Town Green

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Much thanks to Laura Tiner of the Gilford Steamer for her excellent coverage of our Greenerpalooza event last week. Her story follows below.

Meadowbrook Colors the Town Green
by Lauren Tiner
July 22, 2009

Early Jackson Browne fan arrivals were greeted at the entrance of the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion by clusters of local businesses and utility companies setting up stands for the Greenerpalooza II Energy Efficiency event last Thursday.

Together, Meadowbrook and the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development, alongside Public Service of New Hampshire, and Ocean Bank, sponsored the evening’s festivities.

While the “green” vendors worked the entrance to the pavilion, the first ever Greenerpalooza award was given out at Meadowbrook’s Center Stage Buffet. The recipient was Richard Ober, chair of the NH Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Board, for his 30-year dedication to energy efficiency and renewable energy causes.

greenerpalooza-ii-019“We are on the road to a new energy economy in New Hampshire, with better jobs, more jobs, less fossil use and dealing with climate change. A clean environment is a healthy economy,” said Ober. “There’s not another state like New Hampshire working together. We develop programs and policies that will help New Hampshire. Private facilities like Meadowbrook show other companies the way, and that is what’s changing the direction right now.”

Although Ober said he finds it a privilege to win the first Greenerpalooza award, he noted that there are still hundreds and thousands of people working toward a green state and green world.

Steve Boucher, legislative director from the Division of Economic Development, presented the first award to Ober and spoke on his ties with Meadowbrook.

“We have a tremendous relationship with Meadowbrook. When they went green, it allowed artists to come in and use biofuel to run generators. Sustainable energy is where it’s at.”

The audience is also educated, said Boucher.

“We reached 5,000 people with last year’s event,” he said, “and we are reaching 3,000 people today.”

Meadowbrook has been known to pick artists who are interested in going green.

Chris Lockwood, marketing director of Meadowbrook, explained that last year, the facility decided to go green, conserve energy, cut waste, and find alternative methods to run concerts on.

“We have a comprehensive recycling program, where we recycle glass, paper, and aluminum,” Lockwood said. “Our biodegradable cups here are made out of corn and take five years to decompose in the earth, versus 70 to 80 years for plastic cups.”

Biodiesel is also available for an artist’s tour bus or machinery on site in order to keep the air clean.

“Artists can use our green option anytime,” Lockwood said. “It’s the artist’s preference. Some artists think it can be noisy and choose not to. Being green himself, Jackson Browne wanted to use it.”

According to Lockwood, Meadowbrook’s Greenerpalooza event also educates the concert goers who receive an e-mail on the matter prior to the concert.

“When artists are going green, we can make a bigger impact on the audience,” he said.

Meadowbrook also teamed with local radio station The River for one of their two concerts run on Solar Power with the Crosby Stills and Nash band.

“It went really well, despite the rain,” said Lockwood.

Green savvy New Hampshire stores and utility businesses on site ranged from earth-friendly department stores to Laconia’s Energy Services and Technology Program.

Solar Store representatives Jack Bingham and James H. Gamble ran a video to explain how their energy efficient, solar hot water systems worked as an alternative to fossil fuels.

“It’s actually very simple,” said Gamble, who also had water saving toilets on display.

greenerpalooza-ii-024Many department store stands, such as Real Green Goods from Concord, Mother and Child from Nashua, and 1 World Trading Co., displayed stainless steal water bottles, the seemingly new craze in environmental mindfulness, alongside other local and organic items from t-shirts to jump ropes.

Representative Jonathan Gregory from Real Green Goods, with over 700 products, explained that steel Klean Kanteen products don’t leech into water, while leeching may be possible with plastic bottles.

“There’s a lot of estrogen in some plastics,” he said. “Stainless steel doesn’t rust either, like aluminum. Glass is best, but that doesn’t work for everyone.”

greenerpalooza-ii-030Real Green Goods constantly updates their information and changes their products upon research, said Gregory who hinted the new Smart-strip product may soon become popular in conserving electricity.

Other stores, such as Sundance Solar Co. from Warner, focus on small energy system products, selling cell phone chargers, 12 watt blenders, lanterns, and more run solely by solar power.

Richard Ober Honored With Greenerpalooza Award

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

The board of directors that Richard Ober leads is pronounced “easy,” but his work on that body is anything but. For his leadership role on the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy (EESE) board as well as other associated efforts to help the Granite State become more energy efficient, Ober was recently named the winner of the inaugural “Greenerpalooza Award.”

Ober was presented with the award last week at the Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Gilford as part of Greenerpalooza II, a celebration of New Hampshire’s “green” technologies and initiatives. Sponsored by Ocean Bank and Public Service of New Hampshire, in coordination with the New Hampshire Business Resource Center, WXRV 92.5 “The River” and Meadowbrook, the evening’s festivities included a special “eco village” on the Meadowbrook midway where New Hampshire businesses and members of the general public learned how to “go greener” amidst the backdrop of a Jackson Browne/Shawn Colvin concert.

greenerpalooza-ii-021Ober was recognized for his 25 years of non-profit leadership, public policy expertise and dedication to sustainable energy. As the NH Charitable Foundation’s Vice President of Civic Leadership and Communications, he works to unite public and private partners to address the state’s most significant challenges including energy policy, affordable housing, transportation, state park management, substance abuse, and deliberative democracy.

Before coming to the Charitable Foundation in January 2008, he was Executive Director of the Monadnock Conservancy (2001–2007) and a senior staff member of the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (1985–2001). He has served as a member or chair of more than a dozen non-profit and public boards including the EESE where he diligently strives to promote and coordinate energy efficiency, demand response and sustainable energy programs in the state.

“Richard Ober’s impact on bringing energy efficiency to the forefront of public policy is nothing short of incredible,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy. “I can think of no more fitting recipient of this inaugural award that celebrates those dedicated to ensuring New Hampshire’s sustainable energy future.”

For more on energy efficiency programs and resources for New Hampshire businesses, call the New Hampshire Business Resource Center at 603-271-2341 or visit www.NHEconomy.com.

-Steve Boucher, Communications & Legislative Director