Cody Smith, Policy Associate at the Center for Rural Affairs, works on midwest policies that help amplify the positive effects of clean energy. There are many opportunity to combine clean, renewable energy infrastructure with beneficial habitat for native species. Whether planting pollinator habitat under solar panels, creating migratory bird corridors along transmission lines, or improving habitat around wind turbines, there are lots of exciting ways to link clean energy and
By Joel Zook, Energy Planner These truly are unprecedented times. With the partial shutdown of our economy that is now slowly crawling back, it’s hard to know what the “new normal” will look like. We do know however, that there are good opportunities to invest in our local economy through energy efficiency and renewable energy. Those investments will help create a more robust and resilient economy. Money that we can
Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist, Winneshiek Energy District December 31, 2019 Shippable Solar kits for faraway lands? Snacks from the byproduct of beer-making? Carbon accounting apps? Yes, these all exist and were showcased at the GreenBIZ VERGE19 conference, in addition to dozens of industry experts from around the country. My colleague Joel Zook and I had the privilege to attend VERGE19 in Oakland, CA October 22-24 with support from the Solutions
The Winneshiek Energy District recognizes and applauds the process the city is going through to craft a comprehensive sustainability plan. We have been contributing to the energy portion of this plan and believe that this tool will help propel the community of Decorah toward a more sustainable future. We encourage all Decorah residents to take a look and submit their thoughts and suggestions through the Decorah Sustainability Plan Feedback Form.
Can changing who delivers your electricity to you solve a slew of problems? SCOTTY HENDRICKS (A Decorah native!) 26 November 2019 Repost from Bigthink.com Cities and movements across the country are considering running their own electric utilities. These operations, known as municipal utilities, are already widespread and have a respectable track record. Representatives of the campaigns to implement municipal control see this as a path to a green, democratic
We are grateful to all of the member-donors who supported this year’s clean local energy work with a tax-deductible donation. These individuals and businesses provide essential matching funds for the grants that support roughly half of our work. Membership dollars help WED pursue important projects that are unlikely to be covered by grant funding. With inclusiveness as one of our core values, locally raised membership dollars to allow for WED staff
By: Briana Burke, Green Iowa AmeriCorps NE Iowa’s Energy-Efficiency Triad In 2017 an estimated 66.7% to 86% of energy production in the United States was wasted (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 2017). In a time when we are facing a climate crisis, we are not only the single largest per-capita producers of greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change, but well over half of our emissions end up in the atmosphere
In Iowa, grassroots energy districts aim to spur local clean energy conversations In Iowa, grassroots energy districts aim to spur local clean energy conversations Karen Uhlenhuth, Energy News Network The concept is modeled on soil and water conservation districts that spread across the country in the 1930s. A decade ago, Craig Mosher was one of a half-dozen people trying to rethink energy in their small hometown of Decorah in northeast
Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist Together with community partners and support from our members, we took some notable steps toward our shared goal of local, clean, efficient energy in Winneshiek County. Here are nine accomplishments from our ninth(!) year: Helped homeowners, businesses and farms invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in renewables and energy efficiency measures through our energy planning services Hosted Winneshiek Solar Fair connecting the public to local solar
The growing energy cost burden impacts everyone from low-income households to small businesses to institutions and communities as a whole. This reality has been central to the Decorah Area Group’s intervention in the ongoing Alliant Energy rate increase docket at the Iowa Utilities Board. Luther College Professor of Economics Steve Holland wrote important testimony about these impacts, and we encourage you to read his piece. You can find all the