SolFest's place in the sun - At least 5,000 expected to come [Aug. 24-25 Hopland]

source: Laramie Trevio SF Chronicle 2002.8.17

Motorists broiling under the relentless southern Mendocino County sun this time of year can pull off Highway 101 and chill out in a landscape that is a
testament to renewable and natural resources.

The Real Goods Solar Living Center in Hopland, with 12 acres of inviting and hospitable grounds, is marking its seventh anniversary this month with an
annual festival presenting a respite from heat, confinement and conventional world technology, and celebrating the latest in environmentally friendly
offerings.

SolFest 2002, set for Aug. 24-25 and expected to draw 5,000 to 10,000 visitors, will feature its customary lineup of workshops and speakers, plus
entertainment, healthy food and more. The keynote speaker will be Paul Hawken, founder of Smith & Hawken and author of "Natural Capitalism."

Among those planning to attend are Stephanie and Chris Tebbut, the designers of the permaculture landscape, a project aimed at having all life forms
work together, with 200 trees, organic fruits and ornamental plants.

The Tebbuts, who live in Anderson Valley, at first "had an aversion to the site," once a dumping ground for the California Department of
Transportation, situated next to a sewage treatment plant.

"The place was a fishbowl of highway noise and fumes, debris and star thistle," Stephanie notes in "A Place in the Sun," a book by John Schaeffer,
founder of the Solar Living Institute, and the center's design and construction team. The institute is the nonprofit organization based at the Real Goods
Solar Living Center.

The year-round oasis has realized its promise to "leaf out the barrenness" of the land.

To Stephanie, the legacy of their landscape design, centered on the elements of "inspiration, production and restoration," is best represented by its
canopy of trees. "They have completely changed the atmosphere of the place, " she says. She recalls how "one sorry native oak" was the solitary
resident when they embarked on their plan.

Now, eight gray poplars hem the central pool of the tree-sculpted fountain. The southwest quadrant of the courtyard is home to a grove of olive and
Russian olive, planted for fruit, scent and shade. Then there are seven Texas umbrella trees, selected for their reputation to tolerate drought and heat.

With a heavy emphasis on water features, the center's garden areas envelop visitors in a world of stillness broken only by the rustling of foliage or the
cascade from a fountain.

Standing hesitantly at the edge of an expanse of springy, dense grass, a visitor is relieved to spot a sign inviting guests to walk on the lawn. Very green
and drought tolerant, the cushionlike grass can be watered less than twice a week even in Hopland's ovenlike summer climate.

"It can be completely dried off, browned off and then green up again," Chris says of the lawn-mix blend, which includes Australian-bred clover and is
compatible with most microclimates in California.

While that proprietary formula is not available at one's neighborhood garden shop, Chris says he hopes that visitors will start to consider other
landscape possibilities that don't use chemicals.

"A lawn doesn't have to be grass," he points out, noting that he has installed lawns planted completely with yarrow.

In another visitor-friendly touch, guests are invited to pick and eat fruit grown on the premises. Figs are in season now, as well as mulberries, those
squishy bursts of explosive sweetness.

The first cooling-off stop for most visitors is in the parking lot: the Agave Cooling Tower, one of 24 attractions on the self-guided tour. Although other
vegetation pretty much obscures the agaves that cap the columns, sun- scorched travelers are probably more appreciative of the mist, which they can
frolic in or even drink to quench their thirst.

Although the Tebbuts designed the landscape, a series of managers and grounds crews have maintained the gardens and established their personal
priorities for the center's outdoor areas, a destination for many travelers who can stop to rest while children play. At the benches by the ponds, one can
share the shade with a rooster taking a stroll.

The designers collaborated with architect David Arkin and sculptor Baile Oakes to establish the Courtyard as a solar calendar reflected in the water
spiral, the living circle of trees and the daily, weekly and seasonal calendars and other garden features.

"Solar calendar zones are figurative and give a strong grid to the whole design," Chris Tebbut explains.

These days the Tebbuts continue their Boonville business, Land & Place, with projects like installing natural swimming ponds and restoring rivers. Of
the latter, Chris Tebbut says, "To me that is the ultimate because you're dealing with the forces of nature on a big scale -- we can take a landslide and
fix it."

GUIDE TO SOLFEST EVENTS

More than 50 workshops and 100 exhibitors are booked for the seventh annual SolFest, the "Solar & Good Living Festival," set for Aug. 24-25 at the
Real Goods Solar Living Center in Hopland (Mendocino County).

Events begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and conclude at 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, and are available online at
www.solarliving.org or by calling (707) 744-2017. Tickets also are available through Ticketmaster and Sonoma County Whole Foods.

Through prior arrangement, some SolFest participants will tour SunHawk, an off-the-grid home being built nearby for John Schaeffer, the president and
founder of the Real Goods Solar Living Institute, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Real Goods center.

On Aug. 24, the keynote speaker is Paul Hawken, founder of Smith & Hawken and author of "Natural Capitalism." On Aug. 25, the keynote address
will be given by S. David Freeman, chairman of the California Consumer Power and Conservation Financing Authority and energy adviser to Gov.
Gray Davis.

"Solar energy has never made more sense for our country and for people's pocketbooks," says Schaeffer.

He notes that in California, rebates that offset the cost of renewable- energy systems by up to 50 percent are available through the California Energy
Commission and through publicly owned utility districts. State residents also qualify for a 15 percent tax credit.

For a list of lenders providing loan packages, renewable-energy investments or more information on tax credits and rebates, visit
www.consumerenergycenter.org or call (800) 555-7794. Representatives of the center will be at SolFest to answer questions.

SOLAR LIVING

The Real Goods Solar Living Center, 94 miles north of San Francisco, is a demonstration site powered by the sun and wind, and a learning center for
environmentalists, design professionals, students and the public.

Admission: free to visit the grounds and center. Fee for festival (see sidebar).

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday for self-guided tours. Regularly scheduled tours are at 11 a.m. and 3
p.m. Fridays through Sundays. For special tours, call (707) 744-2017.

Information: www.solarliving.org.

Laramie Trevio is a Menlo Park writer and Master Gardener with University of California Cooperative Extension. E-mail her at
hulahands@earthlink.net.