About Jon Biemer
Jon Biemer has more than forty years of experience working on sustainability-creating initiatives. Biemer is a mechanical engineer and holds a certificate in Process-oriented Psychology. He started Creating Sustainability as a sole-proprietor Organizational Development consulting practice in 2008.
Prior to starting his own practice, Biemer served 23 years with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) in the Energy Efficiency Group, coordinating research and managing energy efficiency programs. He was active in both the Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions (ASERTTI) and the Solar Rating and Certification Council (SRCC). While at BPA, Biemer led the Resource Supply Expansion Program (RSEP), an initiative to demonstrate and deploy energy-efficient technologies and practices into the marketplace. Over twenty organizations participated in thirteen projects. RSEP set the stage for large wind farms in the Pacific Northwest.
After leaving BPA, Mr. Biemer advised Portland, Oregon’s Green Investment Fund program, which encouraged innovation in leading-edge sustainable buildings. He also advised the Portland Water Bureau, reviewing environmentally related activities. From 2010 to 2013, Jon Biemer served as President of the Earth & Spirit Council (E&S), which bridges environmentalism and spirituality. E&S has invited more than fifty Native American elders to share their traditional teachings before they are lost to a developing world. In 2009, Mr. Biemer published his first article regarding the Environmental Handprint (the good we do).
Biemer strives to live sustainably. He and his wife, Willow, gave their home an eco-retrofit, which was featured in Portland, Oregon’s 2007 Build It Green Tour. Features include:
- Low-VOC (Volatile Organic Carbons) paint.
- Extra insulation under the roof and floor.
- LED lighting everywhere.
- Recovered house parts, including cupboards, a sink and doors.
- On-demand water heaters in lieu of energy-wasting tank water heaters.
- Energy Star dishwasher and high-efficiency furnace.
- Moveable drying racks instead of a power consuming clothes dryer.
Jon and Willow create food forests in lieu of lawns wherever they live. They raise raspberries, mulberries, plums, apples, quince, onions, jalapeno peppers, green beans, zucchini, kale, lettuce, and a variety of herbs. They eat healthy for the planet – supplementing their garden with organic food from farmers markets and eco-conscious grocers.
They work closely with the Johnson Creek Watershed Council to remove invasive plants (especially English ivy), and plant native species. Likewise, Jon and Willow participate in sustainable community functions such the Free Cycle Network, Repair Cafes and urban gleaning.
Education
BSE and MSE from Arizona State University (emphasis electrical engineering)
Additional study at California State University at Fullerton (emphasis mechanical engineering).
Visit Jon’s website for more information.
Our Environmental Handprints: Recover the Land, Reverse Global Warming, Reclaim the Future
Jon Biemer offers 175 actions readers can take to create a more sustainable global environment.
You care about the environment—the world you live in, and the world you are going to leave behind for future generations. Perhaps you already avoid wasting energy and buying more things than you need – reducing your Ecological Footprint. Yet there is a limit, given your family and circumstances. What can you do that will truly help heal our planet?
Our Environmental Handprints is the first book to fully explore your “Handprint” – how you can create sustainability in your life and in the world. Your Handprint is limited only by your imagination. The good you do can be greater than your Footprint. It is time to put more energy into your Handprint!
The smart beauty of the Handprint is that it can be self-perpetuating. Take planting a tree as an example. You put a seedling into the ground, water it, and then leave it alone. That tree will then grow itself and pull carbon dioxide from the air and create oxygen for us to breathe for as long as it lives. And, seeds from that tree create more trees.
Here, Jon Biemer draws our attention to proven strategies across the spectrum. We make a difference with the choices we make about the clothing we buy, the investments we make, and even the food we choose to eat. Handprint Thinking applies to shelter (eco-remodeling and LEED buildings), motion (electric cars and living without a car), and earth-friendly energy. He provides 175 proven Handprint suggestions that will help readers align their interests, lifestyle, and motivations toward more sustainable earth.
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