News

I’m Michelle Vigen, our CERTs Campaigns and Metrics Coordinator, and I’m seeking Minnesota communities interested in developing and implementing a community behavior change initiative around energy efficiency and conservation.

The University of Minnesota has a fantastic program called the Power Police, which is a partnership between the student group Energy Efficiency Student Alliance and Energy Management at the U. The big idea is for students to help U of M office workers save power—especially the “phantom” or “vampire” power that electronic devices draw even when they’re turned off.

The City of Falcon Heights is small but boasts two very large entities, The Minnesota State Fair and the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota (which would be more accurately named the Falcon Heights Campus). Falcon Heights is also “big” when it comes to thinking sustainably.

CERTs is partnering again this year with the Recycling Association of Minnesota to help Minnesotans recycle their old holiday lights instead of throwing them away as part of Recycle Your Holidays™. Recycle Your Holidays™ is a one-of-a-kind statewide holiday light recycling program in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Project, with support from the Minnesota Division of Energy Resources, has developed an energy auditor training program available to rural and/or energy efficiency stakeholders interested in providing energy audits to Minnesota farms and rural businesses. This unique job skills training opportunity is the first of its kind in Minnesota and one of only a small number nationally.

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On September 1st, 2011 Metro CERT held a reception for its 2010-2011 seed grant recipients. The eight projects that were funded in the region are now completed, and the event was a chance for recipients to celebrate and share stories about the projects. Attendees included seed grant recipients, steering committee, review committee and CERTs staff members.

Since 2006, the Minnesota Energy Challenge has helped over 27,000 people statewide learn about energy saving actions they can do in their own homes, and at the same time save gobs of money on their utility bills. We’re big fans of the work they have done, and they in turn have special tracking set up for each of our Regional CERTs.

Minnesota is home to several small wind turbine manufacturers, including Jacobs, Ventera, and Talk Inc. (remanufactured turbines). We recently reached out to these companies and heard back from Adam Suelflow, President of Talk Inc. in Sauk Centre, MN.

Breezy Point, MN: On Tuesday, August 30th, the Central Clean Energy Resource Team paired up with their partners leading the HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative in Central Minnesota to host a session on how to implement the Minnesota GreenStep Cities best practices.

Grand Rapids, MN: Folks from northern Minnesota joined CERTs for an inspiring event about how the biomass industry will play a key role in Minnesota’s energy future and its future economic development. The event took place at the Minnesota Historical Society Forest History Center in Grand Rapids on Monday, August 15th, 2011.

Thirty Minnesota cities are now participating in the GreenStep Cities program, and the League of Minnesota Cities recently recognized 26 of these cities at their annual conference in Rochester, MN (four more have signed up since). Launched in June 2010, GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, recognition and assistance program that helps cities achieve their sustainability goals.

Braving temperatures approaching 100 degrees, iron workers bolted the Mahtomedi Area Green Initiative’s Zephyr Wind Turbine to the top of its 120-foot tower near the Mahtomedi High School playing fields yesterday afternoon, where it now perches, ready to transform those famous lake breezes into electricity and renewable energy educational experiences for their schools and their community.

June 21, 2011, Dassel, MN – Over the past few years, the use of solar power for commercial and residential applications has seen substantial growth in Minnesota. The interest was evident as over 40 people gathered to hear from industry experts and entrepreneurs at an event highlighting solar opportunities in Minnesota.

The East Side Neighborhood Development Company (ESNDC) is a non-profit community development corporation that works in community and human development. ESNDC has been working on Saint Paul’s East Side for 30 years, providing leadership and direction to effective community participation in the area’s development.