By Craig Robert Brown
Green Alliance Staff
BARRINGTON - To support her brother Travis' battle with Leukemia, Ultra Geothermal owner, Melissa Aho, and the Green Alliance are bringing together local businesses to put on a yard sale for his benefit. The yard sale will take place on July 26 at 358 Route 4 in Barrington, N.H. (just off the the Lee traffic circle) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Any yard sale appropriate donations - clothing, sports equipment, DVDs, books, etc. - or baked goods are greatly appreciated and can be dropped off at Ultra Geothermal. The event is being co-sponsored by Green Alliance Business Partner, Get It Going.
Travis was diagnosed with Leukemia in December 2013 and has since struggled with the physical and financial burden of the disease. In order to help alleviate some of his financial stress, Melissa organized a large-scale community yard sale. Melissa came up with the idea to use her business and its connection with the Green Alliance to help promote and support the yard sale.
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A dedicated advocate for the environment, Travis Aho graduated as an Environmental Studies major and currently works in Florida as a law enforcement officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect the Ocala National Forest.
Ultra Geothermal was one of the first twenty Business Partners to join the Green Alliance, an organization that connects environmentally conscious consumers with local sustainable businesses. The Green Alliance was inspired by Travis’s story and his sister’s efforts to support his battle, and was excited to help out in any way they could.
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“I was very excited when Melissa reached out to the Green Alliance for our support," said Green Alliance founder and Director, Sarah Brown. "Our job is to promote our Business Partners to the community, which makes our involvement in the yard sale the perfect way to maximize donations and attendance. I’m glad we can use our resources and connections to support such a good cause.”
In addition to promoting the fundraising event the Green Alliance has brought together its 114 additional business partners to donate items to the yard sale in hopes to strengthen the outcome of the event. Local environmentally-friendly business partners including the Portsmouth Brewery, Prelude and Get it Going are looking forward to this recycling opportunity that benefits a great cause. With the support of all these local businesses the Green Alliance hopes this yard sale will be full of donations to benefit Travis’s cause. Some proceeds will also support the Green Alliance Non-Profit Fund in efforts to keep our communities green.
Before becoming Ultra Geothermal in 2007, Ultra Heating and Cooling was just a conventional HVAC company that also happened to install geothermal systems. With over a decade of installations, Ultra, now a geothermal-exclusive company, has installed more than 750 systems in New Hampshire including one of UNH's dorm buildings with 48 rooms.
“As a company, we feel customers come to you and want to pay for the best service and quality possible,” said Melissa. “We felt the only way to achieve that was to focus solely on geothermal, in short because everything else – and especially oil – was becoming so volatile and unpredictable.”
In conjunction with its highly efficient systems, Ultra also utilizes small-scale operations that render it a truly green business. The company uses small, fleet, fuel-efficient trucks, has conducted numerous energy audits – one of which resulted in the installation of high-efficiency spray foam insulation in the attic and basement – and even began stock piling machine parts and pieces in its two-bay garage in order to cut down on the number of deliveries made by suppliers. If a project site is far enough away, Ultra will pay for its installers to stay in a hotel, rather than have to drive back and forth multiple times.
The list of charities, organizations and causes that Ultra advocates and supports is as long as it is varied and dedicated. Every year Melissa participates and donates money to the St. Charles Children’s Home Road Race, which helps benefit the home for children. She also sits on the Barrington Chamber of Commerce, for which Melissa has held fundraisers to help benefit the organization’s office space, and has also joined the Dover Chamber. Additionally, she has also helped put on the annual Barrington Chamber Golf Tournament, and sponsored a UNH student project which resulted in the design of a system to desalinate water through the use of solar panels. She is also an active sponsor of the UNH Energy Club, the March of Dimes, and a Barrington Bike Race for a local food pantry.
Everyone is encouraged to donate including local businesses and individual members of the community to the Travis Aho Leukemia Fund and the Green Alliance Non-Profit fund. The event will include a bake sale for people to enjoy while shopping, with all proceeds going to the New Hampshire Food Bank. Any yard sale appropriate donations or baked goods are appreciated and can be dropped off at Ultra Geothermal’s storefront. The Aho’s are expecting this to be their biggest fundraising event and really appreciate everyone’s support. Ultra Geothermal extends their thanks to Green Alliance Business Partner Get it Going, for helping to organize and sponsor the event.
To have your donations picked up, please call Melissa at 603.380.6126.
See Travis Aho's story or donate by visiting www.livingonaprayer.org
Learn more about Ultra Geothermal at www.ultrageothermal.com
For more on Get It Going, visit www.getitgoingusa.com
Find out more about the Green Alliance at www.greenalliance.biz
