Wind Energy is Fabulous...and so is Second Wind: Another Intern’s Tale

As I have yet to be the profiled employee in the Triton Newsletter, I suppose I will have to introduce myself to Second Wind’s online followers via the blog…

My name is Melissa, and I have been working as the Sales & Marketing intern at Second Wind since May. In September, I will enter my final year at BU as I pursue a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Advertising. (It’s a mouthful, I know!) In my free time, I love running, watching the Red Sox, going to the movies, and reading. Today marks the last day of my internship, and I would like to share some of the wonderful things I have been able to experience at Second Wind this summer.

When I started at Second Wind in May, the team was knee-deep in preparations for the 2008 AWEA show in Houston, TX. It was amazing to see how much needs to be done to orchestrate a successful trade show appearance (and made me have new admiration for event planners!) While the team was running around Texas, I began to collaborate with our designer, Naomi, to create Second Wind’s new website. It’s been an ongoing project, which is (hopefully!) near completion. I look forward to the day the beautiful new site goes “live” for the world to see!

Working with Second Wind has been invaluable experience for me—one that I know will be useful when I decide what I “want to do when I grow up”, as Susan would say. All I know for now is that when I “grow up”, I hope to be lucky enough to work with a group of people as fabulous as the Second Wind team.

After working for a few companies which are considerably less wonderful than Second Wind, I can truly appreciate the fun, but hardworking, culture which exists here. All I can say is that I hope my signature phrases (via Matt), dance moves (via Allison), sassy attitude (via Julie), and love for turkey sandwiches (via Corvo) remain even after I leave 366 Summer Street!

All the best,
Melissa

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead

Sustainability? We're all about that!

Sustainability at Second Wind is more of a work in progress than an accomplishment. Some things we’ve done from the start, more from frugality than some green ethic. Sure, we get extra credit for being in windpower, but most of us extend those values from our work product to our daily activities.

Number one, our facilities have always been in existing buildings. Despite lots of PR about LEED certified this and that, it’s always more sustainable not to build. The average age of the buildings we’ve occupied over the years is about a hundred years old, starting with the fabled spare bedroom in Walter’s house (constructed 1850).

Number two, Second Wind is located in a densely populated area. Somerville is four square miles and has 77,000 residents. We are part of the Boston transit system, and buses and subway are right nearby. No one gets in their cars to get lunch at Second Wind – there are far too many choices within an easy walk in and around Davis Square. Less than half the employees drive to work every day – we have walkers, bikers, T-riders, with the mix depending on the weather. The MBTA offers a T-pass program where employees can get their monthly T-pass with pre-tax dollars, sort of like a transit 401K, and we have quite a few who participate. Our urban location means that even our deliveries are more efficient – the UPS truck’s stops are about 100 yards apart, rather than a long way down some scenic country road. Another fun benefit of being in the Boston metro area is Zipcar. It’s a car sharing service that Second Wind belongs to – employees can use a car for an hour or a day.

I believe our most significant contribution takes no daily effort at all – it’s just being where we are. However, we do have some active efforts as well. All cardboard is recycled, and we also recycle mixed paper. I can tell by looking at the dumpsters that cardboard is about half our total waste – so that’s significant. Those initiatives are courtesy of our landlord and have been in place since we moved to Summer Street. Thanks to the City of Somerville’s comprehensive curbside recycling program, we also recycle cans, bottles, and any plastic with a number on it. Compliance with this is mixed – some people won’t take the extra step, and others are overly enthusiastic and put used paper coffee cups in there.

Speaking of paper coffee cups, those come from outside, not from Second Wind. We have always had an eclectic collection of cups, plates and silverware to eliminate disposable use. There’s a homey cloth dishtowel in the kitchen (changed weekly, thank you very much). Those paper towels we do use are part recycled, as is our TP (from Staples). We're using their recycled content papers for everything, and different stuff for letterhead and marketing collateral.

Our biggest inefficiency is the HVAC system. As we’ve grown, there was no thought put into integrating the systems. Although we are stingy with the thermostat, the balance is not great. We’re looking into that now through our NStar energy audit. We did upgrade our fluorescent lights a few years ago to the more efficient type, and are almost completely switched to the LCD monitors rather than the piggish CRTs. We also applied for the program to get some of our energy from windpower (from the Horizon Maple Ridge project, I believe).

We’ve been participating in Go Green Davis, the Davis Square green business roundtable, to exchange ideas with other companies in the area. As I said, our sustainability is a work in progress rather than an accomplishment.

I don't know much about art...

but this is clearly a masterpiece!

Triton against a field of wind turbines, by Joshua, aged 7 3/4. Here's Joshua visiting Second Wind central:

Customer Hall of Shame

We love our customers, we really do! At Second Wind, working with our customers is generally one of the benefits of the job. But sometimes...our affection is sorely tried. Recently we received a Nomad 2 data logger back for repair and it was infested with a agitated colony of ants, ant parts, and extra gross maggoty pupae! The ants came in through the openings for cables at the bottom part of the Nomad 2 enclosure. We actually offer these neat cable grips (part #380) that would prevent the problem, but whatever - please don't send us bugs! We have bugs of our own, thank you, and don't need any more.

Green Porn...

and, no, we're not talking about the new Isabella Rosellini movie. This week in the Boston Globe in the business section there was a feature-ette on personal renewable energy devices. It touted something called a "HYmini" which captures wind energy while you walk, run, or bike. This, of course, is a completely silly product and has little or nothing to do with "going green". I was hoping Walter Sass would write this blog entry, but he was so disgusted that all he could scrawl was "This is green porn. I'm sorry, if you can't figure out that it's incredibly more efficient to hook a generator up to the drivetrain of a bicycle than is to put a little windmill on your handlebars, you shouldn't be writing little energy pieces for the Globe." Remember, kids, this energy isn't free - you have to pedal that much harder. As far as I know, the first law of thermodynamics is still in effect, although, as Walter said, "with this Supreme Court, you never know".

The discussion inevitably continued to the idea of harnessing the energy of children to provide energy for the home. There are many anecdotes about parents who only allowed the TV to operate when powered by energetically pedalling children. Go green, Mom and Dad!

"Why not First Wind?"

Working for a company named for an idiomatic expression has its challenges. On many occasions, while representing Second Wind at an event with international attendees, I have been asked in halting English, "So why not First Wind?" The best was a man from the Phillipines, who thought over the "second wind" concept and told me that "We have a saying in my country that when the typhoon returns a second time, it is stronger".

So it was with bemusement that I greeted the press releases from our Boston-area neighbor, the former UPC Wind, that they were renaming themselves First Wind. Now Boston has become like one of those towns with a First Bank and a Second Bank, or a First Church and a Second Church (I don't even understand how a company could be named "Fifth Third Bank". Why not First Bank?).

When I heard the news, I pictured an aisle in a trade show with us lined up in a row: First Wind, Second Wind, and possibly Third Planet Windpower. Instead, the juxtaposition happened much sooner than I expected. Walter was invited to give a talk for a group of Chinese wind companies this week. This is a return visit from when the Governor and dignitaries visited China in December to discuss reciprocal trade in renewables. When I got the agenda for the meeting, sure enough the CEO of First Wind, Paul Gaynor, and Walter are speaking in the same session, First Wind followed by Second Wind! I hope Paul Gaynor enjoys the irony, because I know Walter will.

Second Wind has become a different kind of company...

A truck owning company! After nearly 28 years with no form of vehicle at all, we are now a company that owns two trucks.

Truck #1 resides in Somerville, and is a silver Toyota Tundra. That one was purchased by the Consumer Reports aficianados here at Second Wind world HQ. It has 4WD and a huge engine and is ready to haul Tritons anywhere on the East Coast. Our Triton service team here reports that the new truck is much more comfortable on long trips than the truck we were renting.

The first order of businesss was of course to remove the tailgate. It was surprisingly easy to remove and even replace.

Truck #2 resides in Texas, and is a white Ford F250. Truck #2 was specified by Ruben, our Western operative. It's got diesel, for (marginally) better gas mileage, and tons of power for handling challenging wind sites. Truck #2 made its first official road trip to Kansas last week, and its itinerary is already filling up for the month.

Now that we have a truck at our disposal, I keep thinking of truckly activities, like piling the whole company into the bed and heading for the beach.