CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES )

Name of the organisation: CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
Country of Organisation: Croatia
Status of the Organisation: Non-Governmental Organization
Fields of Action: Ideas and Ideologies
Education
Cultural Production
Media
Cities and Diversity
Brief Description of the Proposed Project:
CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES ) always seeks new ways to benefit our community, and develop the new GREEN economy.
We are now focusing on developing a FORUM for RENEWABLE ENERGY investors, banks, and social lenders to help our community connect with funding new ALTERNATIVE ENERGY initiatives.We want
to make a ALTERNATIVE ENERGY CENTER where people could learn everything about green way of living.This center should give best informations and should offer best projects in this area.
If you are interested in learning more about this forum or if you are interested in participation, please contact us.

Looking for: Partner
Sponsor
Host
Other
Please provide more details of what you are looking for:
Renewable energy is energy obtained from natural resources that can be naturally replenished or renewed within a human lifespan, that is, the resource is a sustainable source of energy. Some natural resources, such as moving water, wind and sunshine, are not at risk of depletion from their use for energy production. Biomass, however, is a renewable resource only if its rate of consumption does not exceed its rate of regeneration.
CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES(CCRES)

MAIN GOALS FOR 2011

Much like in the previous years, in 2010 we continued to work on the strengthening of our image and visibility and to cooperate with both individuals and organizations from all tree sectors - civil, business and public.

The project which undoubtedly marked our last years activity was CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES )A long-term goal of the CRECSS project was to achieve sustainable development and environmental protection by increasing the use of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

As part of their contribution to the realization of that goal , the CCRES partners provided financial support ,whit their help we manage to organize forums and training for interested renewable energy community.

In addition to that , we organized public presentations and performances at various fairs which were aimed at raising the citizens level of awareness and interest for this field, and we also organized other activities related to the education and the raising of awareness concerning renewable energy sources.

One of CCRES main goals is to create a network and entice cooperation between all parties interested in issues concerning sustainable development, especially in the field of energetics.Therefore, CCRES is always ready to cooperate with all similar and complementary organizations.

We continued our years-long work on blogs and many portals about Renewable Energy.In accordance with the new trends on the internet and with the fast development of social networks, a CCRES fan page was created on Facebook and the number of its fans keeps increasing.

In 2011 we will continue to work on education and raising of awareness concerning Renewable Energy Sources.All materials are permanently available online, on

http://solarserdar.blogspot.com/

http://solarserdar.wordpress.com/

For additional information, you can check out CCRES web page ,

blogs, Facebook fan page,or contact us via e-mail:

solarserdar@gmail.com
solarserdar@yahoo.com

phone or in person.

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
Željko Serdar
Head of association

A wide range of energy-producing technologies and equipment have been developed over time to take advantage of these natural resources. As a result, usable energy can be produced in the form of electricity, industrial heat, thermal energy for space and water conditioning, and transportation fuels.

With its large landmass and diversified geography,Croatia has an abundance of renewable resources that can be used to produce energy.

CCRES• was founded in 1988 as the non-profit European Association for Renewable Energy that conducts its work independently of political parties, institutions, commercial enterprises and interest groups,

• is dedicated to the cause of completely substituting for nuclear and fossil energy through renewable energy,

• regards solar energy supply as essential to preserve the natural resources and a prerequisite for a sustainable economy,

• acts to change conventional political priorities and common infrastructures in favor of renewable energy, from the local to the international level,

• brings together expertise from the fields of politics, economy, science, and culture to promote the entry of solar energy,

• provides the opportunity to play a part in the sociocultural movement for renewable energy by joining the association for everyone,

• considers full renewable energy supply a momentous and visionary goal – the challenge of the century to humanity.

Making a Donation to the CROATIAN CENTE of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES ).
Without generous private donations the CCRES would be unable to continue the valuable work it does in bringing objective information to an often overheated debate.
Making a donation to the charity is simple: a cheque payable to Željko Serdar can be posted to the following address:
Željko Serdar
Medarska 24
10000 Zagreb
CROATIA

CROATIAN CENTER of RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ( CCRES )

solarserdar@gmail.com
solarserdar@yahoo.com

Contacts:
solarserdar@gmail.com

SOON

•Episode One: Breaking Ground
•Episode Two: Foundation
•Episode Three: Framing & Roofing
•Episode Four: Straw Bales
•Episode Five: Doors & Windows
•Episode Six: Exterior Finishes
•Episode Seven: Interior Finishes
•Episode Eight: Floors & Closets
•Episode Nine: Lighting
•Episode Ten: Water
•Episode Eleven: Landscaping
•Episode Twelve: Interior Design
•Episode Thirteen: The FinaleWelcome to Building Green!

Join host Kevin Contreras over the next 13 episodes, as he builds his green dream home in Santa Barbara, CA. Follow along as Kevin learns about straw bale walls, recycled sheep barn flooring, blue jean insulation, solar panels and all manner of green building technologies, both ancient and modern.
The Way Things Used To Be...

"I've been building and remodeling for 20 years. Over the last several years I have been sickened by the waste of natural resources and the amount of toxic materials used in our traditional building materials." — Building Green Host Kevin Contreras

Did you know that the air inside your home can be five times more toxic than the air pollution found in most major cities? Carpets, vinyl floors, adhesives and other common construction materials can off gas, introducing harmful chemicals into the air in your home.

A Better Way to Build It

David Arkin, a respected green architect, presents his five main goals of ecological design:

1. Harmonize with the site. 2. Build as little as possible. 3. Buildings should heat and cool themselves and generate their own electricity. 4. Maximize resource efficiency. 5. Ecological design can be beautiful, and mainstream.

Bill Browning, a green building consultant, has led innovative design and development efforts for clients like the 2000 Sydney Olympics and LucasFilm. Browning puts green building in its cultural context, explaining that green building is about more than architecture and materials; it's about a different way of thinking about how we live and work. Research shows that work places with daylight and good indoor air quality make for healthier and happier employees. Retail sales are 40% higher in daylit stores, and students in daylit schools progress 20-26% faster on test scores. It’s about improving environmental performance and making better places for people.

Veteran green builder Dennis Allen explains to Kevin that today we really have no choice but to go green. "We're getting more and more clients coming to us saying, 'You know, I just don't feel right in my house.'"

Green Is Affordable

In Kevin's experience, a common misconception among homeowners is that going green is unaffordable. In truth, costs are coming down for a lot of green materials, and some are now less expensive than the standard stuff we've been using for years. "For example," says Kevin, "gravel driveways are half as expensive as concrete. They use far less embodied energy to produce. The less embodied energy used to produce a building material, the greener it is."

Green Is Beautiful

Another inaccurate assumption about building green is that you will have to give up style and comfort to live in an eco-friendly home. As Kevin learns from Ellen Strickland, the owner of the California retail store Living Green, you don't even have to compromise. Ellen's store specializes in chic, ecologically conscious products from furniture, bedding and wall coverings to interior paints and cleaning solutions. She says, "What a lot of people in the industry are trying to do is show that in fact you can find things that are just as fantastic or innovative in the design and aesthetic appeal."

Inside the Design

Kevin discusses his new home with his father, a longtime home builder. Kevin explains a number of green solutions for lighting, plumbing, greywater systems, and many green choices for appliances, such as a Kevin favorite, the solar oven. Kevin will be exploring more about all of these in future episodes.

Easy Green Step

Kevin shares an easy green step that you can do in one afternoon: Get rid of toxic chemicals. Go out to the garage, look under your kitchen sink, and anywhere else you might have household chemicals stored. Paints, pesticides, motor oils, and all other hazardous household wastes need to be completely and responsibly used, recycled, and/or kept out of landfills and water tables. Look into your community’s hazardous waste collection center, and safely dispose of your chemicals.

Green Is... Good for You

For advice on how to make health-positive choices in planning his new home, Kevin turns to healthy building expert Alyssa Alvord. Alyssa brought herself back to health from a devastating illness brought on by environmental poisoning. She and her husband, John, then started Environmental Depot, a store that makes it easier for both contractors and homeowners to buy non-toxic building materials. According to Alyssa, more and more traditional builders are starting to incorporate "small amounts of healthy building and green building techniques and products into what they're doing."

Getting Started

Kevin talks with his foreman, Michael Gordon, about the importance of planning; because in green building, it's even more important to have everything prepared ahead of time. Kevin then discusses site placement. Site placement, especially in terms of orientation to the sun, can greatly affect a home's energy efficiency.

Kevin's building site, like many urban lots, incorporates a pre-existing structure, or "tear down." The desired approach is to recycle everything, ideally by donating the whole house to anyone willing to undertake the task of moving it. When this proves impractical, the new goal becomes architectural salvage, and many parts of the building are deconstructed and recycled. When the time finally comes to break ground, Kevin uses earth-moving equipment powered by clean-burning biodiesel. According to Abe Powell of SolForce, "Biodiesel is an American-made, biodegradable, sustainable, non-toxic fuel. Biodiesel can be made from a variety of feedstocks including restaurant waste, animal fats and virgin oils like soybean oil." Compared to conventional fuels, biodiesel reduces carcinogenic air toxins by 90%.

Soil preservation during construction is also important. Green landscape architect Gordon Hopkins visits Kevin's home site to recommend techniques for preserving topsoil and native plants.