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	Enter your email to receive bi-monthly email promotions from downtown businesses.   News     Pacific Power seeks customers willing to support Blue Sky Since the city joined Pacific Power back in August to promote growth of participation in the Blue Sky program for renewable energy, the local utility has seen 29 people convert over. The city has set a goal of boosting support for renewables programs from 11.74% now to 15%. That will take another 192 to opt for one of the Blue Sky options. Sheila Holden, Pacific Power's regional community manager, says small business customers (that's us) can support Blue Sky in three ways: Buy Bue Sky blocks worth 100 kilowatt hours of renewable energy each for $1.95. (For every kilowatt-hour of wind energy purchased, you can offset two pounds of carbon dioxide emissions). This is like half-a-latte real-good pricing. Choose Blue Sky Usage, which ups your billing rate by $0.0078 per kwh (less than a penny). That would boost your bill by $7.80 a month if you use 1,000 kwh. And that would eliminate as much C02 as driving 25,000 miles. Choose Blue Sky Habitat, which is like Blue Sky Usage, but adds a $2.50 charge to support efforts of The Nature Conservancy to support salmon habitat. There's another pricing option, for big purchasers, called Blue Sky QS. With Blue Sky QS, you get a "Quantity Savings" for buying at least 101 blocks of Blue Sky per month. The cost starts at $1.94 per 100 kwh and is based on a sliding scale. The more you buy, the less the per unit (block) cost. Pacific Power also shares mentions significant business partners in press announcements, thank you ads and in promotional materials. Here's a link that will provide you more info: http://www.pacificpower.net/Article/Article44433.html The Blue Sky Challenge runs through Oct. 21. Workshop teaches business about solar energy The Small Business Development Center at Columbia Gorge Community College is presenting a workshop on how Columbia Gorge businesses can use solar energy at their business. The workshop will be held at the new Hood River Indian Creek Campus, 1730 College Way, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 18 and will cover such topics as: Basic Solar Installations Tax Incentives (both state and federal) to help with the purchase of solar products Bank Financing Product Demonstrations by local solar companies Presentations will be made by Energy Trust of Oregon, Solar Oregon, Seraphim Energy and Solar City. There is a $29 registration fee that includes the workshop and lunch. You can register for the conference by calling Columbia Gorge Community College at 541-506-6011 in The Dalles and 541-308-8211 in Hood River.   For More Information contact: Darrell Roberts at 541-506-6045. Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance to meet in Hood River Oct. 16-17 If you’re interested in learning more about the tour and travel business in Oregon, listen up: The Oregon Tour & Travel Alliance will meet Oct. 16-17 at the Hood River Hotel, right downtown. Jill Ingalls, who manages things for the OTTA, tells us the OTTA wants local retailers and service providers to attend. She says the most interesting part of the event will be Friday, Oct. 17. The general meeting and luncheon runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and includes a program on "Increasing Packaged Travel in the Shoulder Seasons" -- a topic of high interest in Hood River and environs. A panel of travel professional will share advice on how to boost packaged travel during those soft months. Think of the gas and lodging costs you'll save by not having to drive to the event in some distant city. Admission to the event for non-members is $32, and includes lunch. To reserve space, contact Jill Ingalls at jill@oregonpackagedtravel.com Employer Council presents program on writing employee policies Need a little help writing up your employee manuals? Then check out the workshop sponsored by the Columbia Gorge Employer Council from 7:30 a.m. to noon Oct. 21 at the Best Western Hood River Inn. "Employer Policy Writing Guidelines" is presented by Jennifer Germundson, who works with the state Bureau of Labor and Industries. Cost for the seminar is $60 per person, or $50 per person for groups of two or more. Call Anita Iken at 541-296-5435 ext. 231 for details, or to register. Full Sail celebrates "21" every Thursday For most of us, that 21st birthday is a pretty big deal, so we all can relate to what the folks at Full Sail Brewing are feeling on the occasion of the local brewer's 21st birthday. To celebrate, Full Sail has released "21", a killer doppelbock. The brewery debuted "21" on Sept. 25, but any day is a good day to celebrate. Full Sail also is hosting Brewmaster Dinners on Thursday nights, featuring a four-course menu.  Each course has a special beer pairing. The dinner costs $25 per person, and that includes beer. And if you happen to be in Portland on Wednesday, Oct. 1, drop in to Full Sail's Riverplace Brewery at 5 p.m. for another tapping of a keg of "21"; Get more details at www.fullsailbrewing.com/ Happy Birthday, brew buddies. High School musical production seeks sponsors If you've been living anywhere but under a rock, you know what great productions Mark Steighner gets out of the students at Hood River Valley High School. They're gearing up for a production of the musical, "The Ballad of the Pirate Queens," opening in November, and are seeking business sponsors to help offset costs of production. Sponsorship levels include "presenting" at $500, "major" at $250, quarter-page ad sponsors at $125, one-eighth page sponsors at $75, "bold name" sponsors at $50, and "name" sponsors at $25. Sponsors will appear in the 3,000 copies of the program. Questions? Call Paige Rouse at 541-386-5616. Or mail checks to HRVHS Music Dept., att: Mark Steighner, HRVHS, 1220 Indian Creek Road, Hood River, OR 97031.