On Friday, October 25, ten students from the Decorah Middle School’s Climate Change Action Group (CCAG) did a presentation to a small group at the Winneshiek Energy District office. The topic? Their vision for a new elementary school. Their purpose? To encourage attending adults to vote in favor of a new, energy efficient, renewable energy powered building that is designed for the students – and climate – of the future.
Assistance to farms and small businesses to apply for 50% renewable energy and energy efficiency grants offered through Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Energy Coaching program Press release by Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Clean Energy Districts of Iowa (CEDI), a nonprofit consortium of Energy Districts based in 13 counties in Iowa, is offering free energy coaching to assist farms and small businesses in applying for USDA grant funding for
Have you been feeling down about your carbon footprint? Maybe you’ve already made an effort to reduce your carbon footprint through energy efficiency, worked to electrify your home and transportation or added renewables? Or maybe you’re a renter who doesn’t have a choice in the matter? For those looking to “close the gap” between their net-zero goals and reality, consider purchasing Oneota Tag Carbon Offsets, the first entirely local carbon offset
Kristin Eggen, Executive Director July 2024 The Winneshiek Energy District spent July 9-13 talking to residents at the Winneshiek County Fair. We ate nachos, handed out lightbulbs, and shared information about heat pumps. Our question for passerbyers was “Will you put a dot on my map?” The large poster paper with a thick yellow axis and circular stickers wasn’t really a “map,” or at least not the kind that can
By Jim Martin-Schramm, Policy Analyst, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa On October 12, 2023, the Department of Energy announced that the City of Decorah, in partnership with the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa, has been awarded $1.1 million in funding from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Competitive Program. The EECBG Program is designed to assist states, local governments, and Tribes in implementing strategies to reduce energy use,
Decorah Businesses Encouraged to Utilize Energy Efficiency Programs By Jim Martin-Schramm, Clean Energy Districts of Iowa Policy Analyst According to a study completed in 2020, the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Decorah comes from the Commercial sector (28.4%). Electricity use makes up 61% of these emissions and natural gas represents the remaining 39% of emissions. The Decorah Sustainability Commission encourages local businesses to help reduce
Heidi Eger, Communications Last Saturday, we had a wonderful time hosting the Electrify! Fair in the big community building a the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds. We split the building with Winneshiek County Conservation who hosted a kid-focused Earth Day Festival. Nearly 500 people attended the events. On our side of the building, we hosted 8 contractors and 4 electric vehicles. We had both solar and HVAC contractors in attendance to talk
Luke Frederick, GIA Audit Coordinator On April 15, the Winneshiek Energy District was joined by a collection of eager volunteers to plant tree saplings. Every year, the Winneshiek Energy District, in collaboration with Kevin and Leslie Sand, hosts a tree planting event for residents in the Decorah area. By signing up, a resident can qualify for several species of free trees and the team will plant the trees for them.
by Paul Cutting, Energy Planner Winneshiek Energy District is excited to partner with six Winneshiek County organizations and the Community Foundation of Northeast Iowa to bring public-facing electric vehicle charging to downtown Calmar, Northeast Iowa Community College’s Calmar campus, Winneshiek Medical Center, the new Sunflower Child Development and Discovery Center, downtown Decorah at the Chamber of Commerce, and Seed Savers Exchange. The roughly $45,000 project is being funded, in part,
by Andy Johnson, Executive Director The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released its AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023. It is represents the best science in the world, and it is sobering. Good coverage including enlightening graphics can be found at The Conversation, World Resources Institute, CNBC, and elsewhere. There’s no sugar-coating the conclusions: “Widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and biosphere have occurred. Human-caused climate change is already affecting