Southport's SMART Enterprise Proposal

Economic development is on the minds of us all, as our nation all the way down to our cities, look for economic recovery. Revitalizing the city of Southport is becoming a common mantra for those who love our maritime city, here on the coast of North Carolina. The Southport Maritime Museum has never seen such terrific support, as it holds the hope of improving our local economy. How about not only celebrating our past maritime economy, but creating a sustainable maritime future?

The City of Southport has closed its wastewater treatment plant (WTP), located at 901 W. West Street. A proposal is before the Board of Aldermen, which is called Southport’s SMART (Sustainable Mariculture And Renewable Technologies) Enterprise. The proposal is to retool the WTP toward mariculture and renewable energy, as a green business incubator and research park. The relatively hidden plant can be transformed by utilizing the tanks and pumps for aquaculture. Local fish, such as flounder or black sea bass, could be cultured to restock our natural waters or for local, organic dining. Algae, which naturally clean the water, can also be cultured. Algae biomass can be used for bioproduct research, which may include biofuels, bioplastic, animal feed, nutraceuticals, etc.

What makes this site so unique, other than the infrastructure which can be retooled, and saltwater access, and mariculture potential that can actually put the water back into the waterway cleaner than it receives it? It already has a beautiful wind turbine conducting research onsite and is located in a natural wind corridor. Alganomics already has a stimulus fund grant to install solar panels to their photobioreactors, which can be located onsite. Alganomics is also currently working on a Biofuels Center of NC grant, researching algae for biofuels. It is a perfect storm of economic potential in clean technologies!

What’s in it for the City of Southport?
• Maintains ownership of valuable property for future generations
• No financial obligations for the City
• Local job creation and workforce development
• Local food and energy production, decentralization of resources
• Economic development in a growing clean tech sector
• Environmental stewardship
• Reuse/recycle infrastructure and equipment onsite
• Promotion of Southport’s maritime heritage in the seafood industry
• High interest topic for tourism
• Educational opportunity for K-12 and internships with regional colleges & universities
• Model for public-private collaborations
• Potential for significant revenue source through long-term lease agreement and renewable energy tax credit return
• Grant opportunities for site improvements
• High profile, positive promotion for the City and State

The North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM) is asking member cities and towns to participate in their Green Challenge or to strive for higher certification in the program. The NCLM Green Challenge recognizes the commitment of cities and towns to preserve natural resources and the many innovative and exciting projects underway to save energy, resources and money. This win-win SMART Enterprise could garner an advanced certification for the City of Southport! For more information, please visit http://www.nclm.org/programs-services/Pages/Green-Challenge.aspx .

The current request is for the Southport Board of Aldermen to allow a portion of the property to be utilized for the period of one year, while they review a long-term waterfront development plan. A longer term commitment by the City would create more opportunity for successes to be developed. Alganomics, LLC is a local entrepreneurial, sustainable business founded by Dr. Kimberly Jones, with her husband Scott Jones, as the Project Manager. Two items make this proposal a bit time sensitive. There is potential to submit a NC Green Business Fund grant proposal for the Enterprise, but the due date is March 30th. Alganomics must also begin its ARRA (stimulus fund) grant immediately. As Alganomics is outgrowing its current location at the Oak Island Biological Treatment and Reuse Water Facility, it would like to begin the solar panel installation and not create the need to move it immediately. For more information on Alganomics, please visit http://algaeresource.com/ .

Can you imagine local art students painting the concrete tanks with a maritime mural, high school and community college students participating in internships, ecotourism flourishing, state and national recognitions, job creation, educational workshops and so much more, all in one project? Please help support this project to the City of Southport Board of Aldermen, by contacting them or coming to the next meeting on March 10th (http://www.cityofsouthport.com/cityofficials.htm).

Alganomics Graduates from UNC's 2010 BASE Program

Alganomics graduates from the 2010 Business Accelerator for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (BASE) Program at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.
BASE connects entrepreneurs to a range of sustainability resources—from expertise to capital—to accelerate their growth and impact. Business were chosen via a competitive process, which took place in the fall of 2009. Throughout the year of 2010, the administration of Alganomics traveled to Chapel Hill for mentorship and sustainable business resources through workshops and presentations. In February of 2011, Alganonomics was presented with a certificate of completion for the BASE Program.

BASE is one of the first business incubators designed specifically to support businesses that address the triple-bottom-line of financial profitability, social equity and environmental sustainability. The Center for Sustainable Enterprise (CSE) at UNC Kenan-Flagler created the interdisciplinary UNC program in 2008. Its goal is to develop businesses that provide environmental and social solutions that model green business practices. It aims to strengthen communities across the state by growing innovative, scalable green ventures and building the knowledge, talent and skill of North Carolinians. BASE works to ensure the firms’ long-term success by providing expertise and resources during the crucial start-up phase. It assists a wide network of entrepreneurs by providing access to business coaching, workshops and training, and a network of entrepreneurs, investors and small-business experts. The Aspen Institute’s survey, “Beyond Grey Pinstripes” ranks UNC Kenan-Flagler one of the top business schools in the world for education in this arena. To find out more about BASE visit http://www.kenan-flagler.unc.edu/cse/BASE/index.cfm .

Governor Perdue and Biotechnology

Governor Beverly Perdue visits UNC-Wilmington's Center for Marine Science, in a rare visit to the southeast region. Alganomics' Dr. Kim Jones was one of a handful of small business leaders invited to attend. Dr. Jones had the opportunity to personally thank the Governor for her NC Green Business Fund grant program. Governor Perdue expressed the need to keep pushing for new jobs, while competing on the world stage in biotechnology. She toured the Center for Marine Science and heard first-hand of the entrepreneurial business support provided by the University. For more, please visit http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=13583277

Opportunities & Collaborations

It has been a while between posts and Alganomics has been very busy! We attended the advanced Biofuels Leadership Conference, "The First Billion Gallons" held in Washington, DC at the end of April. Immediately following that conference, we were one of a handful of businesses requested to the Embassy of the Philippines for meetings on the Philippine Biofuels Trade Mission, which is co-sponsored by the USDA. Hosted by the honorable Ambassador Willy C. Gaa, it was both a cultural and business bridge-building experience. Alganomics had the opportunity to meet with the CEO's from each of the biofuels businesses located in the Philippines. It is our sincere hope to find ways to collaborate.

A collaboration, which began in June with a presentation to the newly formed Caldwell Green Commission in Lenoir, is gaining traction, as funding is sought for a Bioenergy Park. At the end of October, we were happy to host their representatives on tours of our facilities in Brunswick County and facilities in Bladen County, which are part of another collaborative research endeavor. Caldwell County has an incredible opportunity to make lemonade out of lemons, by utilizing closed factories and brown field areas for the production of feedstocks for biofuels and incorporating renewable energy. Congratulations to the Caldwell Green Commission for moving into their new office, hosted by GOOGLE. Mark your calendars for the Caldwell Green Commission's Grand Opening at Lenoir, NC on November 23, 2010 from 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM.

Speaking of opportunities and collaborations, Alganomics has presented a project called the "Sustainable Mariculture And Renewable Technologies (SMART) Enterprise" to the City of Southport. Information was provided to the Board of Aldermen for their October meeting (Oct. 14, 2010). A request was made for a presentation at the November meeting. The next post will have more on the exciting opportunities offered by Southport's SMART Enterprise.

Oak Island Environmental Spring Festival

1st CRAWL SPRING FESTIVAL

The 1st Crawl (Environmental) Spring Festival will be held on Saturday, April 24th from 10am-2pm at Middleton Park. Alganomics, LLC will participate in this event, with its mobile laboratory trailer onsite. This is an appreciation event for the Oak Island Community with an emphasis on environmental education. The festival will appeal to all ages and will include informational booths, give-away items, speakers, demonstrations, entertainment, childrens activities, food and will kickoff with a Team Turtle Triathlon (paddle, bike, run/walk). Team Turtle Triathlon will begin at 8am. For more information call: 910-278-5518 COME OUT AND HAVE A BLAST!

Green Enterprise Resource Summit

On Monday, April 19th, U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre will host a “Green Enterprise Resource Summit.” Alganomics will be represented by Dr. Kim Jones. The Summit is open to all and will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cape Fear Community College’s North Campus, 4500 Blue Clay Road, Castle Hayne. Directions can be found at: http://cfcc.edu/campusmap/northcampus.html. Jobs are the most important issue facing our area, and this event will highlight federal and state resources that can assist green business and green job creation and will encompass a thorough discussion of what resources are available through state and federal government to grow green jobs. We will be welcoming representatives from multiple federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Rural Development, the N.C. Department of Commerce, the N.C. Green Business Fund, the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, and more. Attendees will learn what resources these and other agencies have to offer and how they can access those resources. The second half of the summit will provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions of the agency representatives and to offer suggestions on how Congress and government, in general, can best assist their efforts to grow green sector jobs in southeastern North Carolina. Hope to see you there!

Presenting at National Algae Association

Alganomics will be represented via a presentation by Dr. Kim Jones at the National Algae Association's Mid-South Chapter Workshop on Friday, March 26, 2010. The workshop, titled "Algae: Mining Wastewater for Nutrients, Feed and Fuel," will be held in Huntsville, Alabama. The workshop description is as follows:
"With US freshwater supplies slowly dwindling and algae culture quickly becoming the centerpiece of bioenergy/bioremediation research, we must carefully examine our water and nutrient sources for an efficient, sustainable algal industry. This workshop explores how to minimize algae's freshwater and nutrient footprints by recycling anthropogenic wastewater streams including agricultural, municipal, and industrial while at the same time producing a host of valuable algal end products. In addition, we will learn of algae's tremendous potential as a cost-effective bioremediation tool for wastewater streams, effecting a more stable and healthy ecosystem."
Dr. Jones' presentation is titled, "Phycoremediation: Balancing the Chemical Budgets," with the following description:
Phycoremediation, or the use of microalgae for the removal of nutrients, organics and/or heavy metals from wastewaters, is gaining research intensity, as a result of biofuels/bioproducts and environmental mandates. Designing integrated chemical recycling systems will impact "algae to biofuels" through its environmental remediation, productivity and economics.
Please see the National Algae Assn. website for registration details, http://www.nationalalgaeassociation.com/.