When Asani Development was looking to create the concept for a new residential development on Bainbridge Island several y
ears ago — in the midst of a slow real estate market — the development team knew they would have to come up with something unique. As they were exploring ideas for sustainable living including energy efficiency, Washington state adopted a new program to incentivize use of solar energy.
“Solar incentives were adopted (by the state) so it made economic sense. We decided it would be a very interesting challenge,” said Marja Preston, president of Asani and the lead of the team that developed what is known as the Grow Community.
The goal was to make the entire neighborhood a net-zero energy community and follow the principles of the One Planet Living program.
There were multiple challenges but one in particular was a question of economics. “For solar, there was only one manufacturer in the state and it was expensive,” said Kelly Samson, one of the original Asani developers of Grow. read more »
When Crystie and Keith Keiser began making hard cider at their organic farm, Finnriver, they and their partner, Eric Jorgenson, were at the forefront of a new movement. Now the cidery in Chimacum (between Port Ludlow and Port Townsend) is open seven days a week for visitors who want to stop by for a tasting. 
There’s no doubt in the mind of the business community that when Harrison Medical Center moves its Bremerton hospital to Silverdale, it will create a positive ripple effect on other businesses. But how much impact remains speculation. 
When Igvar “Iggy” Daga and Sean Matteson needed money last fall to grow their business, Iggy’s Foods, they knew a bank couldn’t help them. As word of mouth about Iggy’s fermented foods made the products more popular, the Bainbridge Island startup had been growing — but not enough to become bankable. 
