Austin Daily Herald | Officials host 'GreenStep Cities' workshop

Community leaders from Austin, Albert Lea, Owatonna and Lyle met to learn about the new Green Steps Cities initiative yesterday.

Austin Daily Herald | Officials host 'GreenStep Cities' workshop

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USDA Rural Development to hold information sessions on

Farmers and rural small business owners interested in purchasing and installing renewable energy systems or making energy efficiency improvements are invited to attend one of three meetings, each with:

Morning session 9:30 – 11:30 AM for farmers

Afternoon session 1 – 3 PM for small business owners

Meeting Dates and Locations:

March 2, St. Charles City Hall
March 3, Waseca Co. Courthouse Annex
March 4, Cannon Falls City Hall

The REAP Program has grants, loan guarantees, and grant/loan combinations available to purchase and install renewable energy systems and to make energy efficiency improvements on farms and small businesses. Examples of eligibl eporjects include grain dryers, geo-thermal heating, wind turbines, solar energy, upgraded refrigeration, and other efficeiency upgrades.

REAP Program details can be found at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/mn/rbs.htm
Rural Development specialist Naomi Lenz will lead each session. Contact Naomi for more information at (507)437-8247 ext. 154 or naomi.lenz@mn.usda.gov

MN GreenStep Cities Workshop in Austin

On February 24, 2010, The Izaak Walton League (Minnesota Division and Austin chapter) and Austin Coalition for Environmental Sustainability are hosting a MN GreenStep Cities Workshop, an action plan for cities, counties and their citizens to reduce greenhouse gases.

Meeting Location:
Austin City Hall
500 4th Avenue NE, Austin, MN 55912
Agenda:
3:00-4:30 pm — City/County Staff public, volunteer stewards, etc.
5:30 — 6:00 pm — dinner for evening session
6:00-7:30 pm — Elected Officials, public, volunteer stewards, etc.
Topics/Speakers:
MN GreenStep Cities Program:
Philipp Muessig, Sustainable Communities Coordinator
for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Current regional green initiatives:
Michelle Schroeder, Izaak Walton League — Minnesota
Division

Follow-up plan:
Susan Waughtal, SE CERT Outreach Coordinator

Austin Utilities (evening only):
Dave Thompson - will provide literature on new and
improved programs and speak on changes in Austin
Utilities services and programs

Northfield Co Awarded $7.7 Million for Solar Glass Production

Cardinal Solar Technologies was awarded a $7.7 million tax credit under President Obama’s stimulus plan to re-tool its Northfield, Minn., facility, according to a Jan. 7 release. The credit is available upon progression from residential window and door coating operations to production of thin film coatings for use in the manufacturing of solar modules.
Read story in Glass Magazine.

Five people to watch in 2010

Five people to watch in 2010The Post Bulletin highlights five enviromental newsmakers in the Rochester area.

Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant RFP Extended

The Minnesota Department of Commerce Office of Energy Security (OES) is amending its Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) competitive grant program to accept new and modified proposals until 4:00 p.m., Central Standard Time (CST) March 3, 2010.

The amended RFP is available for download from the OES website at the following location: www.energy.mn.gov. New proposals are requested because proposals received by the original proposal deadline are not sufficient to utilize all funds available. Additional information is being requested from ALL project proposals because many proposals did not contain adequate information for OES staff to verify the energy savings estimates.

The major changes in the OES-12142009-EECBG01-Amendment 2 RFP include:

1. Maximum aggregate simple payback period has been increased from 10 to 15 years;
2. A separate proposal category for window replacement (See Section V); and
3. Additional attachments required for applicants to document their energy savings estimates.

This RFP is open to ALL eligible applicants. New applicants must submit a complete proposal. Applicants who have previously submitted a project proposal do NOT need to submit a new proposal unless they choose to modify the scope of work previously submitted. Applicants who previously submitted a project proposal are required to complete and submit the applicable cost and savings information worksheet(s) provided in Attachments 2 through 6.

There are NO new information requirements for indirect energy saving program proposals. Applicants who previously submitted a program proposal need not supply additional information to have their proposal evaluated, but may choose to do so if desired. However, all additional information submitted will be subject to the page limit requirements stated in the RFP.
An applicant who has submitted only a program proposal may also submit an additional new project proposal.
Important Note: Because additional proposals are being accepted, OES will NOT issue the RFP for the Facility Cost-share program until after the EECBG proposals are evaluated.

If you have questions or need more information about this RFP, please contact Natalie Buys at energy.contracts@state.mn.us

February Green Business Workshop Cancelled

The workshop "Using Green Straetgies to Increase your Bottom Line" set for February 17th has been cancelled, but will probably be re-scheduled later this spring. If you would like to receive an email invitation, send a request to the SE CERTS coordinator with "Green Business Workshop" in the subject line.

Using Green Strategies to Increase Your Bottom Line

What?
A fun and informative Green Business workshop sponsored by SE CERTS & the Southern MN Initiative Foundation (plus, a delicious local food lunch!)
Who:
For small businesses and other organizations who want to increase their profits through energy efficiency, waste reduction and other sustainable practices
When: Wednesday, February 17th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, Lanesboro, MN
How much: $15, including lunch

View the Invitation, topics and speakers online: http://enews.smifoundation.org/bsp/Green_Strategies_Invite_2010.htm

Register online here: https://ssl.charityweb.net/smifoundation/event/register.htm?id=SMIF-0005-2010-GreenStrategiesLanesboro

Hope to see you there!

New Rebates Announced - Solar Now Affordable For Everyone

From SE CERTS Chair Anne Morse
This message was sent to all Winona County residents who attended the 2009 Solar Energy for Homeowners Workshop, Winona County EDA committee members, Sustain Winona members and other interested parties.

Great news! Federal stimulus dollars are now available to Minnesota residents for solar PV systems via the $2/watt state rebate. The Mn Office of Energy Security is managing the fund, which is about $3.5 million, so they’ll be able to support quite a few projects. For anyone desiring a solar system, the time is now, as installs have never been so affordable. As one rather jealous contractor from Rochester commented recently, if you’re in Xcel’s territory and can take advantage of it’s aggressive $2.25/watt rebate, solar PV is a virtual no-brainer! Please spread the word, and help make Winona County a leader in the number of solar installations.

Below are a couple of cost analyses to demonstrate how the rebates and credits work for Xcel residential customers. The costs detailed below, while reasonable estimates, are only a guide. Costs include installation, but do not account for complex installations. Retrofits are more costly than new construction, of course.

These solar systems have an expected lifetime of 30 years (panels typically have a 25year warranty), so with an expected $700 worth of electricity generated each year, paybacks are under five years, and in years 6 – 30, your system is a revenue generator.

5KW Solar PV system
Original Cost ($7/watt x 5000 watts) $35,000
Less 30% fed tax credit - 10,500
Less state credit of $2/watt - 10,000
Less Xcel rebate of $2.25/watt - 11,250
Net Cost of 5 KW PV System $ 3,250

Solar hot water system
Original Cost of 2 4x8 ft panels $9,500
(64 sq ft @$150/SqFt)
Less 30% fed tax credit - 2,850
Less state rebate of $25 sq/ft - 1,600
Net Cost of Solar Hot Water System $5,050

For State Rebate:
Rebates up to $10,000 per home are now available to Minnesota homeowners who install qualifying solar electric and solar hot water systems. Rebate reservations are available on a first-come, first-served basis for solar systems that are installed at an applicant's primary residence by a licensed contractor that meets program participation criteria. For more details, go to www.energy.mn.gov and you’ll find the Residential Solar Rebates link in the left column, under “What’s New” Printable Content

Manual on Tax Questions - http://seia.org/galleries/pdf/SEIATaxManual_v3-0_FAQ.pdf

Best Website for current Information on rebates & credits - www.dsire.org

Area Dealers who can get you started with a site analyses, designs, quotes, installation and service:

IPS Solar
Curt Shellum, Rochester,507.990.1382 curt.shellum@ips-solar.com

Winona Renewable Energy LLC
Tim Gulden, Winona, 507.312.0190 timothy.gulden@yahoo.com

Good luck, and let me know if you need help, or more information. Here’s hoping everyone who wants to can install some solar in 2010.

Anne Morse
Sustainability Coordinator
Winona County Environmental Services
225 West 2nd Street
Winona, MN 55987
Office 507.457.6468

Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon awards $200,000 in grants to 23 schools across the state for student-led energy projects

February 4th, Statewide Minnesota – The Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon (MnSCC) Project has announced the award of over $200,000 in 19 grants to 23 public high schools, colleges and universities across Minnesota. Projects range from making energy improvements such as energy efficient lighting and motion sensors; installing renewable energy projects including solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems; increasing recycling and composting; reducing paper use and food waste; supporting community greenhouse production of local foods; and increasing sustainable transportation options by encouraging walking, biking, carpooling and bus riding to school.

“The hard work the teams have put into implementing their carbon reduction strategies at their schools has been amazing. Across Minnesota—rural and urban, college and high school—we are seeing young people take on leadership roles in reducing energy usage and implementing clean energy projects. It is unfortunate we only have limited funds, because we saw so many creative projects submitted and could only afford to fund a small percentage,” said Patrick Santelli, Schools Cutting Carbon Project Coordinator. Patrick is working closely with the participating schools to help them plan and implement projects at their schools. Sponsors and mentors from across the state are also welcome to provide support and guidance to teams.

Funding for these 19 grants and for the MnSCC Project is provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR). The Trust Fund is a permanent fund constitutionally established by the citizens of Minnesota to assist in the protection, conservation, preservation, and enhancement of the state’s air, water, land, fish, wildlife, and other natural resources.

One hundred public high schools, colleges and universities are joined together in the Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon program to reduce their carbon emissions and save on energy costs. Student teams, led by a faculty coach and supported by school administrators and building operators, are exploring no-cost and low-cost behavior changes as well as larger projects to increase energy efficiency and create clean energy on campus. To view the schools participating across the state and find out how you can get involved, please visit www.SchoolsCuttingCarbon.org.

See below for a list of the 19 funded projects and 23 schools, with descriptions for each.

Grant Recipients and Project Descriptions

In SE MInnesota:
Walking Softer: Lightening John Marshall High School’s Carbon Footprint – John Marshall High School, Rochester: Students will promote awareness of alternative energy sources and the efficient consumption of fossil fuels to their peers and the community. The school will install a new pool cover and expects to recover the installation costs within six months. They will continue to realize energy and cost savings for the remaining 4.5 years of the pool cover’s expected lifetime.

Winona Senior High School Farm to School, Bike to School, and Water to School – Winona Senior High School: This project intends to increase the number of students and staff biking to school. The student team will lead the construction of a bike shelter equipped with a security system, and promote these improvements and the benefits of biking to school to students and staff. In addition, the school team will support the use of reusable water bottles by making them available and creating an educational campaign to increase student awareness about the benefits of replacing their disposable bottles with reusable bottles. The student team would also like to incorporate more local foods as options for its lunch program.

A Million Miles per Gallon: Transitioning to a Bicycle-Based Community – Winona State University: This project promotes a viable alternative to automobiles by purchasing 20 industrial cruiser bicycles and helmets to expand Winona State University (WSU)’s student-led bike rental program. The project also provides for student staffing for the recently launched WSU Bike Station, as well as installation of bicycle racks on school shuttles to enable mixed bike/public transportation options. WSU’s goal is that this program will achieve a more sustainable, bicycle-based community throughout the City of Winona.

Throughout Minnesota:
Gobblers Go Green – Aitkin High School: An energy audit by Environmental Resources Management (ERM) from the Schools Cutting Carbon program indicated that Aitkin High School’s carbon footprint was “above average.” Using suggestions from the ERM audit report, the school’s Green Team created a list of energy-saving projects that will save energy and reduce the school’s carbon footprint. Building upgrades that provide visible and teachable energy-savings include replacing existing exit lights with LED signs, replacing mercury vapor lights in the gym with more efficient lighting, installing motion detectors, and installing vending misers on school vending machines.

Beavers Cut More than Trees – Bemidji State University: Three campus facilities at Bemidji State University will install more efficient lighting technology to reduce energy use, operating costs, and safety concerns associated with these buildings. Deputy Hall, the BSU Gymnasium, and Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex are locations with high visibility because several thousand students, faculty, staff, community members, and visitors pass through these buildings each year. The project team will use various outreach methods to make the benefits of these lighting retrofits even more visible.

We Only Have One Earth: Reducing Our Carbon Footprint and Emissions – Crosby-Ironton High School: Crosby-Ironton High School is an Energy Star school that will implement a multi-faced project driven by students using behavior change and technological advances to continue reducing carbon emissions. One focus involves eliminating the “phantom load” from electronic devices by installing power strips and working with students and staff to shut down appliances and electric devices during the night. (Phantom load refers to the fact that many devices continue to use electricity even when turned off if they remain plugged into an outlet.) Another focus is an analysis of the building structure to identify areas of energy inefficiency by using energy-audit equipment such as an infrared camera, and identifying areas needing proper insulation, sealing, and other energy efficiency actions on an annual basis. Students will participate in these building inspections annually and present their recommendations to the school district.

LED Retrofit of Exterior Lighting – Dakota County Technical College: Current standard High-Intensity Discharge (HID) exterior parking lot fixtures will be replaced with LED lamps to improve and lower energy consumption, carbon emissions, and maintenance costs. Existing light poles will be used, with only the head and arm of the fixture needing replacement. A significant portion of this work will be integrated into the technical program curriculum and performed by students in this program. The project will provide valuable insight for future lighting decisions on campus and in the community, ongoing classroom learning, and the opportunity for a student-led team to share their experience with students and community members.

Triple Purpose Solar Training and Demonstration Project – Eden Valley-Watkins High School: Assisted by volunteer construction workers, as well as labor and materials donated by local businesses, high school students will build a solar project that will be used in the Eden Valley-Watkins science, math, and computer curriculum. Several photovoltaic modules will be mounted on a sun-tracker on the southeast corner of the school building, with an additional module incorporated into a solar training and demonstration unit. The team will also build an informative display in the main entrance lobby. In addition, the project will involve the community through student-assisted community education courses.

Northeast Higher Education District Sustainability Collaborative - Hibbing, Itasca, Mesabi Range, Rainy River, and Vermilion Community Colleges: These five community colleges comprise the Northeast Higher Education District (NHED). Student sustainability teams at each NHED campus will focus on one of five areas relevant to the carbon footprint of higher-education institutions: student housing (Rainy River), commuting (Hibbing), food service (Itasca), solid waste (Mesabi Range), and lighting (Vermilion). Each sub-project includes a strong educational component to promote carbon emissions reductions throughout the NHED campuses and communities of greater Northeastern Minnesota. Upon completion of the project, each campus will share their challenges and triumphs with the other campuses.

Mix, Match, Recycle – Higher Ground Academy, St. Paul: High school students will organize a recycling program at the school for paper, plastic, glass and aluminum. They will lead the project by locating recycling bins throughout the school, educating students, teachers, and staff in how to separate recyclable products in the classroom and cafeteria, collecting and sorting recyclables, and measuring and reporting results. The project will emphasize teaching students, staff and the community about the importance of recycling and the impact of recycling on reducing the school’s carbon footprint. Elementary and high school students will also go on field trips to recycling centers. The project hopes to foster a shared understanding of the benefits of recycling among the campus and community at large.

Reducing Electricity Use in Our School and Community – Ortonville School District: Ortonville’s Local Environmental Focus Team (LEFT) identified ways to reduce electricity usage after reviewing recommendations in the school’s ERM energy audit report. The team will replace T12 bulbs with more efficient T8 bulbs in all classrooms that use those bulbs, install energy misers, and replace less efficient lighting in other classrooms. Electricity monitors will eliminate phantom electricity use, and the team will program laboratory computers so that they can be more easily shut down. Through in-kind donations of radio time and newspaper space, the school will educate the community about reducing energy use and the impact these actions have on the school’s carbon footprint.

The Green Take-Over – Proctor High School, Proctor: Reducing electricity consumption and waste are the primary focus areas for reducing the carbon footprint of Proctor High School. To increase the energy efficiency of the building, eight motion sensors and two light harvesters will be installed in the secondary school building to assure that lights are on only when necessary; students will read energy meters before and after the implementation of this system to determine energy savings. Also, the school will replace fifteen of its CRT computer monitors with energy efficient LCD monitors. To decrease food waste, Proctor will implement a composting campaign. Purchasing additional reusable dishes and utensils for the cafeteria will also help the school realize its goal of recycling at least 50% of its waste by reducing waste in those areas.

Cooling Our Heels – Rosemount High School: Rosemount High School’s energy audit report by ERM indicated that Rosemount High has a larger than average carbon footprint. This project is intended to reduce energy use by over 10%, as well as reducing the amount of paper used at the school by a similar percentage. Students will use light meters and infrared thermometers to identify areas needing energy efficiency improvements such as caulking, insulation and weather-stripping. Motion activated sensors, power strips, and energy misers will be used for energy management. Sixteen LCD computer monitors will replace half of the existing CRT monitors. Paper reduction training for teachers and monitoring software will reduce the amount of printing by teachers and students. The student team will also organize and promote a walk/bike/carpool/bus day.

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint through Alternate Energy – St. Michael-Albertville High School: Through a shop class design-and-build project, students will help construct a passive solar air heating system in the school’s greenhouse and a small solar thermal hot water heating system to demonstrate the power of solar thermal. Both projects will be integrated into the school curriculum. In addition, students will evaluate the effectiveness of these projects through an electronic monitoring system that will be used to train students in all grades through web-based system integration or video monitoring.

Southwest Community Education Green Team Solar Lighting Project – Southwest High School, Minneapolis: Nearly forty percent of the school’s greenhouse gas emissions are from electricity usage. The Southwest Community Education Green Team (“SWCEd”) will educate the student body, community, and elementary students about alternative energy sources, with an emphasis on the beneficial applications of solar energy. The team will demonstrate how solar energy can reduce carbon emissions by building a solar lighting module and solar heating module. The team will use these materials in elementary school and community workshops to illustrate how solar energy can be effectively produced and used to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and reduce our carbon footprint.

EcoCity Works! Cuts Carbon – The City, Inc., Minneapolis: The EcoCity Works! student environmental club conducted an energy audit to determine improvement options for the school and recommended that The City, Inc. replace the school’s washing machine and milk cooler, which are not energy efficient due to their age and condition, with Energy Star qualified appliances to realize energy savings. The EcoCity Works! team will promote the project and the resulting energy savings through its website, Face Book account, newsletter, and at a planned special event to educate the school and community about the benefits of saving energy.

UMD Cutting Carbon: Conservation, Education and Investigation – University of Minnesota – Duluth: University of Minnesota – Duluth (UMD) students and staff will lead an energy conservation outreach campaign targeted at behavioral changes to reduce electricity use on campus. Campaigns include: Dorm Energy Wars, a UMD-Energy Saver pledge (with a web-based tracking component), departmental energy mini-audits, and a ‘Green Your Office’ presentation series providing energy-saving incentives (i.e. power strips, and possibly wool socks or sweatshirts funded by UMD). The project will also offer the UMD community a way to pledge to save energy and track promised energy savings through a web-based database and modification of an existing energy conservation program pledge.

Students Using Natural Energy (SUN-E): Solar Thermal Installation and Education Project – University of Minnesota – Morris: A new solar-thermal heating system is being installed on the Recreation Fitness Center (RFC) community pool and will serve as a demonstration site for the project. The Students Using Natural Energy (SUN-E) team at the University of Minnesota – Morris (UMM) will use grant funding to support the RFC solar-thermal project by recruiting student volunteers to support the technical and educational outreach objectives of the project and to educate the campus, other colleges, and local communities about solar-thermal energy. Funds will also be used to purchase two of the solar thermal panels. The benefits of a solar-thermal heating system for the pool are reductions in natural gas consumption and resulting greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) shares the RFC with Stevens County residents and the Morris Area Education System (MAES).

Willmar Community Greenhouse Expansion – Willmar Public School: The Willmar Community Greenhouse was created in fall 2007 as a student project by the Youth Energy Summit (YES) student team at Willmar Public School. A unique hybrid heating system fueled primarily by passive solar heating, hot water solar collectors, and a biomass burner heats the greenhouse. This project involves expansion of the current operation by building more planting beds, improving delivery of produce, and increasing vermiculture. Expanding the number of planting beds includes building a new frame for insulation and will increase production, heat retention, and thermal mass. The expansion of planting beds will also help the project move closer to becoming self sustaining by generating more revenue. The vermiculture increase will produce more heat, which will help maintain more consistent growing conditions and produce a high quality soil supplement.

About the program: Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon is a joint program of the Clean Energy Resource Teams, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and Minnesota Office of Energy Security. Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.

Contact:
Patrick Santelli, Project Coordinator, Minnesota Schools Cutting Carbon
612-625-3759 or SchoolsCuttingCarbon@CleanEnergyResourceTeams.org