NCET

Sustainable development, all the rage less than a year ago, has survived the economic downturn.

There just isn’t much in the way of development or construction — sustainable or otherwise — undertaken in northern Nevada these days.

But as projects are sketched out these days for construction once the economy rebounds, owners are telling architects and engineers to incorporate as much green design as possible into buildings.

“People still are talking about it — in some cases as if it’s a given now,” says Reno architect Ric Licata, who heads the American Institute of Architects in Nevada. “It’s now part of the equation.” During 2008, at least 90 percent of the requests received by Q&D Construction in Sparks asked about the company’s experience with sustainable development and commitment to the process, says Q&D spokeswoman Sheila Hlubucek. Read full story:

Technorati Tags: John Seelmeyer, Northern Nevada Business Weekly, Reno, Ric Licata, American Institute of Architects in Nevada, Q&D Construction, Sheila Hlubucek, green technology, Marc Markwell, Dermody Properties, Leadership in Energy and Environmental, Kimberly Phipps-Nichol, Blue Water Studio, Pete Blakely, BJG Architecture + Engineering, Nevada Chapter of the Associated General Contractors, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, NCET

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What kinds of trends will we see on the technology front in 2009? Las Vegas Review-Journal “Online Guy” Al Gibes makes his predictions on everything from mobile communication devices to social media & networking and more. Read full story:

Technorati Tags: Smartphones, Facebook, MySpace, Twittering, Al Gibes, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, NCET

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How to Start a Small Business in Nevada
Thursday, January 8th at 7:30 am to 9:00 am
Washoe County Complex, 1001 E. 9th St., Bldg. C, Central Conference Room #110
Reno, NV
Cost: No cost to Sparks Chamber members

Economic downturns provide new opportunities to become self employed entrepreneurs.  Whether owning your own business is a result of a dream, or an economic nightmare, smart planning is essential in what steps you take to succeed.  Not everyone is cut out to own and operate their own business – find out what it takes, and how you can access countless resources to gain an edge on the competition.

Join presenter Rod Jorgensen, Director of Business Counseling at the Nevada Small Business Development Center as he takes you through many of the necessary steps to launch and grow a successful business in Nevada.

More information here

Some in the aviation industry say they could one day be flying the biggest jets across the planet without contributing to climate change — using biofuels.

They also say that it will be easier to convert planes to biofuels than land transport, because there are fewer planes than cars, trucks and buses, and there is a far less complex infrastructure to deal with, comprising only a few hundred airport fueling stations across the globe.

On Tuesday, Air New Zealand joined a clutch of other commercial airlines in testing out alternative fuels.

During a two-hour flight to and from Auckland International Airport, the Air New Zealand crew sought to test how the fuel, made from jatropha plants and blended 50:50 with Jet A1 fuel in the tank of one of four Rolls-Royce engines on a 747-400, stood up to use at high altitudes and in other demanding conditions.

Air New Zealand and the other companies participating the project were to “review all the results as part of our drive to have jatropha certified as an aviation fuel,” said Air New Zealand Chief Pilot Captain David Morgan, who was part of the test flight.

Using jatropha-based fuel still emits carbon dioxide, but the gas is typically recycled in the growing of the feedstock, so there is ostensibly no additional CO₂ added to the atmosphere.

Read entire story here

There you sit, waiting for some economists with their fancy-boy Ph.D.s to tell you when you can leave the foxhole you’ve burrowed into while you ride out the recession. It doesn’t have to be that way. We’re here to help you cobble together your very own index of economic measures. We asked economists, policy analysts, employment specialists and researchers for their favorite gauges of economic health. Just follow the numbers the experts use, and you’ll get a solid grip on when we can expect a recovery. Casual observers say you can’t beat jobs data as an economic barometer. When employers pick up on hiring and lay off on the layoffs, it signals the economy could be turning a corner. Read full story:

Technorati Tags: JENNIFER ROBISON,LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL,Joel Naroff,Naroff Economic Advisors,Keith Schwer,the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas,Jeremy Aguero,Applied Analysis,Larry Murphy,SalesTraq,John Challenger,Challenger,Gray & Christmas

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