garden Search - Powered by PodTech.net

Alemany Farm: San Francisco Urban Farming

Ryanne Hodson — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:35:09 +0000

Alemany Farm is a 4 acre, fully functioning urban farm nestled between a major highway intersection, a newly gentrified neighborhood on a hill and a housing project- the perfect place to grow some food! We got a tour (and some amazing fruit) from Antonio Roman-Alcalá, Volunteer Coordinator and soon to be videoblogger/documentarian extraordinaire. The work being done at Alemany Farm proves the point that urban farming and local food production is totally possible and necessary for the health and well being of a city and it’s inhabitants. Local farming and gardening are great motivators for people to get acquainted, eat more healthily and become more connected with where their food comes from and what it actually is (olives grow on trees? broccoli is a flower?). If you live in the SF Bay area, you can visit or volunteer at Alemany Farm on the weekends- check out AlemanyFarm.org.

Food Not Lawns: No Lawn Left Behind

Ryanne Hodson — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:11:31 +0000

Ever since we started living in a place were every square inch is growing something useful (to people and other creatures), our eyes are opened to the possibility of transforming lawns and other unused green space to grow food. Why water a lawn full of grass when you could water and grow salad greens, root veggies, herbs, squash, tomatoes, peppers, the list goes on and on. In this video we used some scrap wood to build a raised garden bed over a 7′x7′ patch of driveway gravel. Not only do we pluck the greens for dinner, it looks a lot nicer than the dumping ground of found materials that it once was. If every neighborhood had even a few lawns turned into gardens, we could start hyper-localizing our food supplies and getting to know our neighbors- because, after all, you’re going to want to trade gardening tips!

GRUB: Bryant Terry’s Organic Soul Party

Ryanne Hodson — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:52:10 +0000

Bryant Terry, co-author of the book GRUB: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen, and Jason Harvey, founder of Oakland Food Connection, teamed up recently to have a totally organic soul food brunch. Hanging out with food justice foodies as of late, we’ve been hearing a similar idea that to encourage folks to think about where their food comes from and who controls it, they have to have a taste of ‘real food’. Real food meaning local, sustainable, fresh, no pesticides, delicious, colorful, home grown and cheap. Yes, this food can be affordable, especially if we’re not paying extra for it to get shipped thousands of miles and for the medical bills we will incur because of the processes and chemicals that will eventually make us sick and over weight. Thanks Bryant and Jason for inviting us over!

Tags: Bryant Terry, Jason Harvey, Oakland Food Connection, sustainable

Freshtopia.net - Dinner And A New-Media Circus

Oscar Grimm — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 00:06:06 +0000

Welcome to the first video installment of our new “Dinner And A…” series. In this episode, we get a visit from Ryanne Hodson of RyanIsHungry, Jay Dedman of Momentshowing, and Eddie Codel of Geek Entertainment TV.

As this was our first attempt at capturing a dinner event in episodic format, I’m sure we missed a few details. That’s ok, the company was great and the food was spot on. Ryanne and Jay brought some fresh mixed greens from their backyard garden, along with a mystery squash that they had grown from seed. Eddie brought along an organic chardonnay that suited his Gary Vaynerchuk alter-ego just fine. Ryanne and Jay’s squash was destined to become a spiced squash soup, featuring the surprising combination of cinnamon and dill. And even I was surprised by the liveliness of their fresh greens. I’m still always struck by the difference between produce served minutes or hours after picking, rather than days or weeks.

The evening was filled with roving topics, like any good dinner party should be, though eventually we settled on cross-promotion and surviving in a new medium. Making a go of it in the world of online content is still a tremendous challenge; the industry at this point is still a sea of turbulent waters. Add to this the issues of unaffordable health care and fading social security, and the outlook could appear grim for long-term survival in the video blogging world. Young professionals in today’s work force, especially the increasing ranks of freelance professionals, are in for a potentially bumpy road. There are some real advantages to the transient work life that has evolved in modern America, such as greater flexibility to pursue interests and less likelihood of chronic boredom. However these perks in many lie on top of a shakey foundation. Dismal health coverage was unanimous among us, and at the current rate social security will be a thing of the past well before we’re likely to need it. Talk about a domestic threat – the office of homeland security needs to sic itself on reinstituting usury laws, reducing insurance premiums, and fighting labor loss and infrastructure deterioration in order for us to have a truly safe and stable country. There was a palpable patriotism to much of the evening’s discussion; despite the likelihood of choppy waters ahead, everyone present seemed interested and determined to make a positive change in their corner of the world.

In the end, we’re blessed enough to be doing what we have a passion for, making content, entertaining, trying to affect change. None of us are likely to switch jobs any time soon.

On the subject of passion, this Friday night the Freshtopia.net team, along with Ryanne and Jay, and Doctor Popular will be presenting at Eddie Codel’s Video Salon Redux . If you’re in San Francisco Friday night, consider stopping by and saying hello.

Happy Dinning,

Tags: Ryanne Hodson, Jay Dedman, Momentshowing, Eddie Codel, Eddie Codel’s Video Salon Redux, dinner party, Geek Entertainment TV, momentshowing, ryanishungry

Neelum Sharma: Food Not Lawns in Los Angeles

Ryanne Hodson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 22:18:35 +0000

Neelam Sharma is the Programs Director for CSU, Community Services Unlimited, an organization empowering South Central Los Angeles residents to eat and grow healthy food. The “Food Not Lawns” attitude towards neighborhoods, I must admit, is infectious. After hanging out with urban and suburban farmers in the last year, we see people watering grass and we gasp. What a waste! CSU encourages and empowers folks to start thinking this way by teaching backyard gardening and reclaiming un-used urban space for food production. Check out their other projects in our previous video Community Services Unlimited: Rocking LA with Food and Beauty.

Tags: Neelam Sharma, CSU, food production

Community Services Unlimited: Rocking LA with Food and Beauty

Ryanne Hodson — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 22:50:39 +0000

We first met the Community Services Unlimited folks at the Just Us For Food Justice Bioneers day. They told us we should come check out their work in community gardening in South Central LA. How could we not? These folks are on the front lines of urban gardening in an LA neighborhood most famous for violence. The work they have done, transforming empty lots and street abutting school yards into luscious, cornucopias of food and beauty is awe inspiring. They hold weekly workshops at each garden site to get folks involved and to taste goodies from the garden as well as local farmers’ wares. In an area of town where the only food resources are liquor stores and fast food joints, CSU is a welcome addition empowering residents to grow their own and take action for food justice.

Tags: Community Services Unlimited, Just Us For Food, Justice Bioneers, South Central LA, food justice

Vermicompost: Our Worm Bin Rocks!

Ryanne Hodson — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 23:42:43 +0000

As you might remember, we made a new worm bin after our original bin failed. This new one is doing great! The drainage holes in the bottom have helped keep it moist but not too wet, the shallow shape allows the worms to get to everything faster and the blending of food scraps allows the worms to eat right away. Today we harvest all the rich vermicompost (soil) and sprinkle it into one of our garden beds. Potted plants also LOVE this stuff. I’ve brought back to life more than one of our failing ferns with a scoop of nutrient rich vermicompost. Why buy chemically fertilizer when you can use worm poop?

Tags: vermicompost, worm compost, worm bin, apartment composting, compost, garden, ryanishungry

Adelphi University Helps Faculty and Students Foster Collaboration Securely

Michael Johnson — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:42:24 +0000

In this podcast, we hear from Verizon Business customer, Jack Chen, Chief Information Officer for the Office of the Provost for Adelphi University in Garden City, New York. Mr. Chen discusses how collaboration is at the heart of the university and how the university leverages technology to foster collaboration with staff, faculty, students and visiting professors, to name a few. He also highlights how partnering with Verizon Business to provide advanced security services helps him meet his business and IT requirements – all so that he can sleep better at night.

Tags: Verizon Business, Jack Chen, Adelphi University, Verizon, security, IT

Photowalking tour of Stanford University

Robert Scoble — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:58:10 +0000

This is a real treat. Stanford University’s Ian Hsu setup a tour for a fairly large group of photographers. We met Patience Young, who gave us a tour of the Rodin Statue Garden, Bernard Barryte who told us a story about the Burghers of Calais, and Gabe Hoffman and the rest of the hybrid systems lab crew who showed us their quadrotor helicopters. Add in Thomas Hawk and tons of other cool photographers who joined us for the tour and you’ll not just get a great tour of Stanford University from a unique perspective but you’ll learn some photography tips from Thomas as well.

Special thanks go to our photowalkers who contributed their photos to this video:

Thomas Hawk
Robert Scoble
Chris Collins
Jeremy Franklin
Josh Thompson
Jeff Henderson
Jigar Champaneria
David Newman
Min Liu
Matt Roe
Dennis Goedegebuure
“Jadient” on Flickr

If I left anyone out, please accept my sincerest apology.

Tags: Stanford University, Ian Hsu, Patience Young, Rodin Statue Garden, Bernard Barryte, Burghers of Calais, Gabe Hoffman, quadrotor, Thomas Hawk, photographers, photography, photowalkers, Chris Collins, Jeremy Franklin, Josh Thompson, Jeff Henderson, Jigar Champaneria, David Newman, Min Liu, Matt Roe, Dennis Goedegebuure, Jadient, Flickr

Earthways Festival

editor — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 01:13:24 +0000

On this Episode Lo-Fi Saint Louis gets green with a visit to the Earthways Festival. The Earthways Festival is a showcase of green technology and practice held once a year at the Earthways Center in St. Louis. The Earthways Center was etablished by the Missouri Botanical Garden to promote sustanability through environmental education and improving the Built environment.

Tags: Earthways, Earthways Festival

Jackson Sillars: GoodGrub.org

Ryanne Hodson — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 01:03:24 +0000

GRuB is an Olympia, Washington based organization created to connect youth with where their food comes from. GRuB runs a small farm and a local garden bed project to get folks growing food in their own backyards.

Tags: GRuB

Stone Soup: We Know Where Our Food Comes From

Ryanne Hodson — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 18:19:56 +0000

A Word of Warning: This is a graphic video. If you do not eat meat and think killing animals to do so is bad, you should not watch this video.

We live at The San Mateo Eco-Village, where we know our neighbors, garden together and learn how to live more sustainably. Part of living sustainably is eating local foods. Harvesting food from the garden and raising hens for eggs is about as local as you can get. When our neighbors Amy and Malaki arrived at the Eco-Village, they noticed a lack of eggs coming from the hens. Both have an agricultural background from years of working on a farm in Kenya. What do they do in Kenya when a bird gets too old to lay? They eat it. The whole damn thing! So we, as a community, decided to do just that. Most of us had never experienced living with chickens, let alone killing them for dinner. Growing up in the United States allows us to be vastly ignorant of where our food comes from - meat and vegetables alike. We thought this would be a good education for us city kids.

The interesting part to me was the difference in methods between Brian, co-founder of The Eco-Village and Bay Area Native, and Malaki who grew up on a farm in Kenya. Also I thought it would be way more physically dramatic - you’ve heard the saying “running around like a chicken with its head cut-off.” Well, it’s true. Even after the chicken has died, the body still moves around and spasms. I think that freaked me out the most because it seems like the chicken is suffering, but it’s long been unconscious. Though it was not the most pleasant feeling to watch an animal die at human hands, I do know that these birds had a peaceful life full of good food and loving owners. That’s saying a heck of a lot more than all the meat that is factory farmed and trucked to our grocery stores.

Green City Gallery: Showing Off Urban Green

Ryanne Hodson — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:26:23 +0000

The Green City Gallery is an eco-demonstration site/art gallery/community meeting and event space in downtown Berkeley, Calif. A collaboration between Bay Localize, an Oakland-based non-profit focused on post petroleum community empowerment, and Dig Cooperative, an eco-design crew helping to re-invent urban environments to be more sustainable. The Green City Gallery was established to showcase to the public, as well as local politicians and business folk, that green does not have to be hippy-fringe but practical, clean and smart. Some of our favorite demonstrations are the roof top garden (keeps buildings naturally insulated, provides green space and food to occupants), the constructed wetland/greywater filtration (filters all your household water naturally through gravel and plants right back out to your garden) and last but not least, the composting toilet and urinal (fertilize your plants every time you go!). Thanks to Ingrid from Bay Localize for touring us around! If you’re in Berkeley, head over to the space, it’s at 1950 Shattuck Ave., in downtown Berkeley.

Tags: eco-design

Freshtopia.net - Great Tomato Caper III

Oscar Grimm — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 23:45:29 +0000

Great Tomato Caper Update:

Oh man. All I wanted was to make home-grown, organic, sun-dried tomatoes…. I just didn’t know what I was in for. This tomato caper business is making us all a little crazy here at Freshtopia HQ. Growing your own tomatoes simply isn’t for the faint of heart. We’ve had casualties, wild successes, replacements, funerals and a rather, um, overdeveloped zucchini plant. Here’s Barb and me trying our best to talk about our gardening adventure without devolving into complete idiocy.

Bonus garden tip! If you eat yogurt, or know someone who does, we’ve also got a great use for those empty cups. Reuse rocks!

Tags: Great Tomato Caper, organic, tomatoes, Freshtopia, zucchini, gardening, Reuse

Freshtopia.net - Get Tough or Die Farms

Oscar Grimm — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 22:51:50 +0000

We spent the weekend at the Get Tough or Die Farm (a.k.a. Tanja’s mother’s house). When neighborhood cats and children aren’t disappearing in the “Tomato Triangle,” they’re dodging the assault of the trained attack rabbits, and let’s not even mention the sunflowers. It was a most relaxing weekend, filled with fantastical danger, intrigue, permaculture, Melissa’s artwork, and the most gorgeous home-grown produce we’ve enjoyed in recent memory. We started each morning with a trip to the garden where we picked fresh vegetables and fruit for breakfast, which we then ate on the garden patio. Saturday’s breakfast conversation turned to the luxury of garden-grown produce, and just how striking the taste difference can be between that and even [merely] local organic foods. There really is something powerful in produce less than 24 hours off the vine. Alas, not everyone can be so lucky, so if you don’t have a garden or access to one, you might consider joining a CSA, or better, make friends with someone who does have a garden. (Read: ‘Will videograph for food”)

Melissa and Patrick were kind enough to share some of their resources with us:

Seeds of Change is a great source for certified organic seeds, as well as information on backyard gardening.

For the strawberry lover, check out Strawberries and More. The Gardeners Network provides a nice overview of organic alternatives to conventional garden treatments.

Big Thanks to Melissa, Patrick, Leo, the Princess and Mr. Poopers, for their hospitality and tomatoes!

Tags: permaculture, Seeds of Change, organic, gardening

Freshtopia.net - Dr. Carmel Jones & Co.

Oscar Grimm — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 19:08:18 +0000

Believe us when we say that no chickens were hurt in the making of this episode. Our friends Raven, Baxter and Adesina have made the leap from avid backyard gardeners, to avid backyard chicken enthusiasts! Though their motivation for getting into the chicken-caper was pretty solidly egg-based, the love they have for their new feathered friends is readily apparent.

Wondering why normal city-folk would go to the trouble to raise their own egg-laying hens? If you have a strong stomach you could just google factory farms chickens for a wealth of links. This makes it abundantly clear why our friends really want to know how the chickens they get eggs from are being treated. Diet is a complex and personal issue, we’re not saying that eating eggs is right or wrong, but it is definitely something that shouldn’t be done without awareness… or salsa and lots of fresh vegatables.

Tags: chicken

Virgin Ginger Mojitos

Oscar Grimm — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 10:30:48 +0000

Entertaining this spring? Afternoon garden party perhaps? Today, Tanja puts together a light, refreshing cocktail that is sure to soothe both body and mind; Virgin Ginger Mojitos. They’re quick and easy to make, and contain a host of compounds that will do your body good. Make a pitcher the next time friends arrive, and take the afternoon easy.

Virgin Ginger Mojitos:
Handfull mint leaves, about 1/4 cup
Juice of 1 lime
1 Tbspn grated ginger
1 Tbspn agave syrup
Top with sparkling water

Juice your lime into your glass, peel and grate ginger adding to your glass. Add mint leaves and muddle well. Add agave syrup, ice, sparkling water to top, and mix gently but thoroughly. Enjoy!

For another fun drink idea try out the Freshtopian Fixtini, and get a glimpse at what the show looked like in the early days.

Tags: cocktail, Ginger Mojitos, Fixtini

Developer community gardening and getting through the firewall

Michael Cote — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:01:19 +0000

At Sapphire 2007, Coté and Thomas Otter talk about gardening developer communities, pulling customer feedback into the community, getting more use from internal blogs and wikis, how Cluetrain thought applies to developing software, and making content creation easy for developers.

Tags: Sapphire, Thomas Otter, developer, blogs, wikis, Cluetrain

Freshtopia.net - The Great Tomato Caper, Part II

Oscar Grimm — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 06:01:28 +0000

Welcome to our second installment of the Great Tomato Caper. This summer-long series will follow the saga of Tanja’s vision for the perfect, home-grown, heirloom variety, home-made, sun-dried tomatoes. In this episode, we’ll take a look at how our seven tomato starts are progressing, talk a bit about natural pest control, and discuss the merits of mulch for the home vegetable garden.

Where can I get compost for my vegetable garden?
- Some cities have municiple compost programs, contact your local government
- In the SF Bay Area, contact the ecologycenter.org for municiple compost
- Local farms or horse stables, including police stables - usually free
- Buy at garden stores, farmer’s markets
- Start your own compost bin

Where can I get mulch for my vegetable garden?
- Local tree pruning companies - again, often free
- Buy at garden stores
- Neighborhood gathering - ask your neighbors for lawn and tree trimmings.
- Consider putting together a block program, rent a chipper for a day if appropriate

For more information on mulching, visit Stopwaste.org

Tags: Great Tomato Caper, Tanja, pest control, mulch, vegetable garden, compost, ecologycenter.org, Stopwaste.org

Freshtopia.net - House Warming, The Day After

Oscar Grimm — Wed, 30 May 2007 22:26:11 +0000

BOT house, the morning after…

Barb, Oscar and Tanja are tired after a big weekend of partying. All the dip has been eaten, but there’s still flax crackers and nice raw veggies left! What’s a fresh chef to do? Make more of the most popular dip, of course! Even though she’s tired, her production manager is grumpy, and her beloved ear-muffs have turned on her, Tanja still shows you how to make delicious Creamy Garden Dill Dip.

You can thank her later, she’s taking a nap.

Big thanks to Seano for bringing his beautiful green dot, the moms (Doris, Melissa and Rosie) for all of their help, all the beautiful attendees, and everyone who made the party such a joyful success!

Creamy Garden Dill Dip:
1 1/2C raw cashews, soaked
1/2C fresh dill
1/4+C olive oil
2T fresh oregano
1T white miso
1t fennel pollen or crushed fennel seeds
1 clove garlic
Sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Filtered water as needed

Soak the cashews at least 2 hours, until soft. Peel the garlic clove, clean and de-stem the herbs, reserving some for garnish. Add everything to blender or food-processor and blend until smooth and creamy, adding filtered water as needed to achieve desired consistency. Garnish with remaining herbs.

Great as a dip, sandwich spread, soup topping, or add more liquid for a wonderful dressing! Enjoy with friends and loved ones.

Tags: Barb, Oscar, Tanja, Dill Dip

Freshtopia.net - Bees! (Part II)

Oscar Grimm — Wed, 23 May 2007 21:43:41 +0000

We’ve had bees on the brain! Freshtopia.net dove into the sad tale of Colony Collapse Disorder, or “CCD,” and its grim implications, to emerge on the other side with some words of wisdom on how to show our busy little sisters some love, and a sweet recipe to cheer us all up!

For more information on bees and CCD check out:

Resources page from San Francisco Beekeepers’ Association

Overview of the science, from ScienceDaily

Wikipedia, for a definition of CCD.

Are bees on organic farms faring a bit better?

Five ways to help bees.

Hugg also has many articles on the subject.

And now,

Honey Cream Pie:

Serves about 8

Crust: 2C raw pecans 5 large dates, soaked 1T honey 1T vanilla extract Large pinch each: -Cinnamon -Cardamom -Nutmeg -Sea Salt

Remove date pits, and add all ingredients (except the pits!) to food processor. Pulse until a doughy, but not homogenous texture is achieved, adding a small amount of the dates’ soak water if necessary. Press into pie pan and chill.

Filling: 1 1/2 C cherimoya flesh (about 2 small or 1 large fruit) 1 1/2 C young coconut meat (about 2-4 coconuts) 3 T honey 1 1/2 T vanilla extract Dash of sea salt Shredded coconut and honey for garnish

Peel and de-seed your cherimoya, and add all ingredients to your blender or food processor. Blend well until you have a smooth creamy consistency. Pour filling into waiting crust and chill to firm. Top with shredded coconut and additional honey before serving.

Tags: Freshtopia.net, Colony Collapse Disorder, ScienceDaily

Freshtopia.net - Bees! (Part I)

Oscar Grimm — Sat, 19 May 2007 22:50:05 +0000

Despite dire warnings that they may be disappearing, bees just seem like they’re everywhere lately, from the news to our neighbor’s chimney. Freshtopia went on a field trip to learn more about the secret lives of these busy little critters.

Peter Sinton of the San Francisco Beekeepers’ Association was kind enough to give us the inside story.

Keeping bees is a great way to keep your garden beautiful and healthy, as well as keep some honey on the table (if you’re OK with that). It’s an interesting hobby with a long history, and it’s easier than you might think! For all the information you need to get started, check out Sinton and the beekeepers’ association.

Tags: bees, Freshtopia, Peter Sinton, San Francisco Beekeepers’ Association, garden, honey

Freshtopia.net - Vegan Ice Cream!

Oscar Grimm — Fri, 11 May 2007 16:47:14 +0000

Tired of chasing the Good Humor truck? Gotta get that ice cream monkey off your back? Here’s an ice cream with all the things we love: creaminess, beautiful flavors, and sweet surrender, without the things that don’t necessarily love us back, like dairy and white sugar!
(more…)

Tags: ice cream

Freshtopia.net - The Great Tomato Caper

Oscar Grimm — Mon, 07 May 2007 20:57:51 +0000

We’re going green in a fresh way this episode! Tanja has a longstanding obsession with sun-dried heirloom tomatoes, and she’s finally taking action! Barb Finnin, Freshtopia.net’s resident Master Composter and garden guru shows us how to plant tomatoes, and dishes the dirt on soil health. Welcome to the first installment of The Great Tomato Caper!

Feel free to drop us a line if you have questions about this episode, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Send questions to info@freshtopia.net with the title “The Great Tomato Caper.” We may not be experts, but we shovel well…

Tags: Tanja, heirloom tomatoes, Barb Finnin, Composter, The Great Tomato Caper

Electrojet’s Little Engine that Could

Rio Pesino — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:45:39 +0000

A former Ford Motor Co. engineer has created a small engine fuel-injection system that he claims increases fuel efficiency, reduces emissions and improves overall engine performance. 27-year-old Kyle Schwultz quit his job at Ford to start up his company, Electrojet. His product was on display at the Cleantech Venture Forum in New York. PodTech’s Rio Pesino reports.

The Cleantech Forum is right around the corner, February 19-22, in San Francisco. The San Francisco Cleantech Forum brings together more than 600 top investors, companies and thought-leaders for two days of unparalleled networking and cutting edge exchange. Register here.

Transcript:

Host: Rio Pesino - PodTech
Guest: Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet

Rio Pesino - PodTech
This is Rio Pesino for PodTech.net. I’m here at The Cleantech Forum, here in New York. I’m standing with Kyle Schwultz, who is the CEO and Founder of Electrojet. Welcome to the Podcast.

Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet
Thank you.

Rio Pesino - PodTech
Kyle, tell us why you’re here?

Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet
I’m here to promote my company Electrojet, which does small engine fuel-injection technologies. This is obviously a clean network of venture capital and our products reduce emissions as well as increase performance of small engine products that you might find in motorcycles, ATVs, even modern garden equipment.

Rio Pesino - PodTech
What’s your existing customer base?

Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet
Well, currently we are in R&D, so we do not have any current customers, but we’re hoping to — we’re speaking to many and we’re hoping to secure development contracts over the next year.

Rio Pesino - PodTech
This is obviously a competitive field.

Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet
Well, I think we’re trying to be somewhat modest in our company goals. We just like to — first of all, it’s a fun business to be in, it is exciting. I came from the auto industry which is a little bit depressed right now. So, it’s fun to do product development in exciting field such as recreation. Obviously we’re looking for funding. We’ve been through the Angel Networks within the state of Michigan, but we find that the amount of money they’d like to invest was a little bit lower than what we’re asking for.

So, we’re hoping to find individuals in this arena who obviously have the funding for what we’re asking for, but more specifically Clean is aligned very closely with our products. We’re really looking forward to growing our company, getting our products accepted into the marketplace and hopefully moving from there.

Rio Pesino - PodTech
What are some of the challenges that you’re facing right now?

Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet
Mostly capital. So, we have an exceptional team in Michigan. As you may know, Michigan’s pretty much the home of automotive technologies, and what we’re doing at Electrojet is porting those technologies into the small engine market. So, we’ve got a great poll of employees, but most of them are part time.

So, we’re looking to take on money to take the next step, get our team on board full time and really aggressively penetrate the market. So, we came here because we’re excited about the opportunities. I’ve seen a lot of very interesting technologies here and I just hope there’s a few companies that think that our value proposition’s greater than the others.

Rio Pesino - PodTech
Well Kyle, I appreciate the time, thanks for the Podcast and good luck with everything.

Kyle Schwultz - Electrojet
Thank you very much.

Rio Pesino - PodTech
Alright.

Tags: Ford Motor Co., Kyle Schwultz, Electrojet, Cleantech Venture Forum, The Cleantech Forum