GREEN BUSINESS

Wegner Enterprises, Inc. was established in 1980 and began as the creation of harvesting, yet another of the lands natural resources – Quartz Crystal.  After buying 200 acres in 1979, and while building a home on the old homestead, Richard discovered a deposit gleaming gemstones.

Intent was set from the beginning to extend personal green living practices into all aspects of the business. The Native American Indian traditional balance between give and take in interacting with our planet and nature has always been one of the utmost priorities at Wegner’s.  It is always a matter of routine that the business includes the three Rs’ (reuse, recycle, and reclaim). A few are covered below:

CONSERVATION

We foster the science and art of managing our natural resources for sustainability by protecting land and water resources. We work in harmony with several governmental agencies toward mutual goals. We have reclaimed 7 mine sites after mining and have also designed water settlement ponds to prevent sediment run off from reaching surrounding streams.

The photo above shows a reclaimed mine site. The light green at the top center of the photo is young replanted trees used to stabilize the mine tailings. The middle section of the photo shows a tree plantation/farm, which helps to retain soil moisture and converts CO2 to oxygen. In the forefront of the photo is a pond: very low due to drought. The pond catches any run off of sediment from the mine and traps it before reaching the stream below.

The photo below shows one of our established ponds, which maintains a healthy aquaculture. All soil uphill has been stabilized. Therefore, sediment erosion kept at a minimum.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Americas Great Outdoors
http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/ 
Americas Great Outdoors provides beneficial information concerning conservation and volunteer opportunities. AGO takes as its premise that lasting conservation solutions should rise from the American people – that the protection of our natural heritage is a non-partisan objective shared by all Americans. One can also compare and contrast how well each of the 50 states are doing in terms of conservation on this unique site.

Bionomic Fuel
http://www.bionomicfuel.com/top-10-energy-conservation-ideas/ 
This website is beneficial in offering conservation ideas, definitions, information, and also links to other eco-friendly websites.

WIND POWER

In 2009, Wegner acquired and installed two Skystream 3.7 wind turbines from Southwest Windpower Corporation. Each of the turbines generates up to 2.5 kilowatts of electricity per hour, and begins at wind speeds of 8 miles per hour.  They reach an optimum output at 20mph wind speed.  We built the 70 foot towers.  They are designed to fold down to the ground for servicing.  We also installed all electrical wiring to each of the two meters.

Wegner has a “Net Metering Agreement” with the electric company that allows the business to sell the excess electricity back to them at retail value. This agreement allows for the kilowatt-hours produced by Wegner and supplied to the grid to be offset against the kilowatt-hours supplied to Wegner in a given month (net kilowatt-hours). If Wegner sends more kilowatt-hours to the grid than is used in a month, the kilowatt-hours charge is zero for that month. The kilowatt-hours generated by Wegner in excess of the kilowatt-hours used are accumulated and credited to Wegner in subsequent billing periods during the calendar year  through December or until the accumulated balance has been depleted. Any accumulated net excess generation credit balance will expire at the end of each calendar year.

The purchase price was offset by Federal tax incentive credits. The amount is determined based on kilowatt-hours produced. This particular credit helps to make this an affordable endeavor and payback is estimated at 15 years.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

National Atlas
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_energy.html 
National Atlas addresses 5 different types of energy in the United States. 

HydropowerWind PowerSolar PowerGeothermal PowerBiomass Power

The website provides many detailed forms of maps for these five energy sources with various links to specific information concerning each of them.

Southwest Windpower

www.skystreamenergy.com

This sites provides information on where and how to buy wind and hybrid systems. The site also outlines the company’s products and provides an assessment for serious consumers who want to see if wind power would work for them or in the area they live or work.

Entergy Net Metering Agreement (also see your local electric company)

www.entergy-arkansas.com/your_home/net_metering.aspx

Net Metering is a means of crediting these customers for energy they supply to the grid while billing them for energy they consume from the grid.

Internal Revenue Service (Energy Tax Credits)
www.irs.gov 
This site allows users to search for national energy tax credits as well as search for additional credits depending on the state one resides.

GREEN LIVING

The log construction used in the building of the Wegner house was inexpensive and provides excellent natural insulation value.  There is approximately 10” average thickness in walls.  Also local rock collected is used in the foundation.

Many other green ideas were introduce into its construction. Among them, passive solar heating and light is provided by the large greenhouse. In the picture above, the greenhouse is located to the right side of the front entrance to the Wegner house. The structure itself is facing to the South with wind barriers and small windows on the North side. Cool produce storage is free in the basement.  Notice the old hand dug well at the far left of the home.  It is 50 foot deep and has sweet pure water.

Heating is provided to the entire house by way of a wood burning stove that is fueled by naturally downed trees in the winter and shade cloth on the greenhouse helps in cooling for the summer.  An air source heat pump was recently installed, which is a device that transfers thermal energy from outdoor temperature into Wegners’ house for heating purposes. Most of the energy for heating comes from the external environment, and only a fraction comes from electricity.  The heat pump and air conditioning is zoned so only the space in the home currently used is temperature controlled, saving energy.  There are energy tax credits available for this as well.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Internal Revenue Service (Energy Tax Credits)
www.irs.gov 
This site allows users to search for national energy tax credits as well as search for additional credits depending on the state one resides.

Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/ 
Web site identifies the key environmental and energy issues at hand, and suggests solutions that will add value to your home, reduce energy use and energy costs, fight climate change, and help protect your health.