Our Vision: 100% Locally-Owned, Efficient, Renewable Energy by 2050
Mission
The mission of Winneshiek Energy District is to lead, implement, and accelerate the locally-owned, inclusive, clean energy transition in Winneshiek County. Our key strategies together build an unstoppable flywheel of momentum, and include energy planning, market transformation, public engagement, policy advocacy, and readiness. As the founding Energy District, our mission also includes the demonstration of the energy district model viability, and the growth of an energy district network throughout Iowa and beyond.
What We Do:
Energy Auditing and Planning: We help homes, farms, businesses, and institutions save money by investing in energy efficiency and clean energy such as solar and geothermal.
Sponsoring Green Iowa AmeriCorps: Teams do basic home energy upgrades, especially for low-income households. They work in our schools to teach kids about clean energy and saving energy.
Education: We offer monthly lunch webinars, newsletters, electric car fairs, tours of efficient solar homes and more. See upcoming events.
Economic development: We promote local jobs in energy efficiency and renewable energy, keeping energy dollars local.
Policy: We advocate for clean energy policies that support our local economy and protect our environment for future generations.
Leading a Movement: We help other counties – such as Clayton, Howard, and Dubuque – create their own energy districts.
About the Winneshiek Energy District
Winneshiek Energy District (WED) incorporated in 2010 to lead, implement, and accelerate the clean energy transition in Winneshiek County, Northeast Iowa. We intended to create a replicable model based upon the following key principles:
Local leadership exists everywhere. Energy Districts create independent, “universal-local” institutions to empower those with a passion for clean energy and dedication to driving change.
Energy is complicated, and Energy Districts lead by doing. Quality technical assistance (energy planning) for energy users, paired with active market transformation, enables widespread energy efficiency and solar ownership and builds a flywheel of momentum.
When Green Meets Green, communities unite and thrive. Locally owned energy efficiency and renewables create jobs, retain wealth, and build energy prosperity (one Green), and simultaneously advance climate stewardship (another Green).
Energy Districts are geographically and socio-economically inclusive, and universal replication is fully possible with existing resources. We all do better when we all do better, and the clean energy future will happen of, by, and for the people.
