Energy Adviser: Trailer takes sustainability on the road

In the Planet Clark trailer, you can rap your knuckles on countertops made of paper, inspect a heat-recovery ventilator and ask questions about green building standards.

You have several opportunities in the next few months to explore the 20-foot trailer, which is bursting with information about environmental sustainability.

It will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 23 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 24 at the Recycled Arts Festival in Esther Short Park, on Eighth Street between Columbia and Esther streets in downtown Vancouver.

It will be open July 4 at the Felida Fourth of July Children's Parade and Celebration in Felida Park off Northwest 36th Avenue and 122nd Street.

And from Aug. 3-12, it will be stationed at the Clark County Fair, 17402 N.E. Delfel Road.

The trailer is operated by Planet Clark, a partnership among three departments within Clark County government to educate people about such topics as building permits, stormwater rules and energy efficiency. Clark Public Utilities was among 20 sponsors that helped create the trailer, which first hit the road in April 2011. Since then, about 5,400 people have toured it.

Planet Clark staff members came up with the idea for the trailer full of exhibits after spending a year sitting in booths at home shows.

"We were handing out pens and brochures and being very boring," said Mike Selig, the county's energy-efficiency services coordinator. "So we bought the trailer. We felt it would be really effective to get into the community and have hands-on activities."

The county bought the trailer for $10,000, and sponsors contributed an estimated $25,000 in labor and materials, Selig said.

Selig is excited about several recent additions to the trailer. One new display is the Daikin Altherma, a domestic heating and hot water system that delivers between 3 and 5 kilowatt hours of usable heat for every 1 kilowatt it uses. Another new addition is the LifeBreath Heat Recovery Ventilating system, which pumps fresh air into the home and stale air out, all while retaining 80 percent of the heat from the indoor air.

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Energy Adviser: Trailer takes sustainability on the road