Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist From disconnected ducts to alien cats, attend this month’s energy breakfast to hear stories from a year in the “boots” of northeast Iowa’s energy-saving superstars: The Green Iowa AmeriCorps team. The 2018-19 team has made an impressive impact in our community through home energy assessments, environmental education, and outreach: 11 months, 4 full-time members, two summer members, 120 homes, and over 112 tons of carbon saved. The
2406, 2019
In Review: The 2nd Annual Electric Vehicle Fest
Briana Burke, Green Iowa AmeriCorps Logistics Coordinator Earlier this June, the Winneshiek Energy District and 150 community members gathered at the Winneshiek County fairgrounds for the 2nd annual Electric Vehicle Fest(EV)val. With the sun shining, and a nice breeze, it was a perfect early summer day to peruse the fairgrounds while learning about electric vehicles(EV). Local EV drivers brought their rides including Teslas, Nissan Leafs, Chevy Volts, and more, to
Kristin Eggen, Communications & Outreach Coordinator The Winneshiek Energy District and local partners announce the second annual Electric Vehicle Fest(EV)al will be back at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds’ Danan Lansing Building on Saturday, June 8th from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. This free event will feature an electric vehicle with various plug-in models from area dealerships, a community electric vehicle car show (sign up to participate), workshops, a history of
Joel Zook, Energy Planner The Energy District, in partnership with the Decorah Public Library, is hosting a Carbon Footprint Workshop on April 30th at 6 pm at the Decorah Public Library. We’ll talk about how to measure your household carbon footprint and discuss ways you can reduce it through energy efficiency and renewable energy investments. We’ll also highlight our local carbon offset program, Oneota Tags, which supports the work of
Katherine, Gracie, and Briana of our Green Iowa AmeriCorps team recently returned from two weeks studying sustainability on the big island of Hawaii through the Green Iowa AmeriCorps Leadership in Sustainability program. The group working in the taro field, planting and cleaning taro with Kulia from Pōhāhā I Ka Lani in Waipi’o Valley. Katherine, Elena, Rachel and Gracie oiling the canoe, Mauloa, to help provide protection from the sun
Iowa House Republicans have introduced a long-awaited bill to kill net metering as we know it in Iowa. The bill was apparently drafted by MidAmerican Energy and will likely be supported by Alliant Energy, as both have aggressively attempted to overturn net metering in the past. Read the details below, and ask your Iowa Representative and Senator for a clear statement in opposition to HSB 185. Attend their weekend listening
You are invited to Eric Holthaus, Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Cedar Rapids, to learn about Cedar Rapids’ sustainability initiatives. Holthaus will be the featured speaker at Energy Breakfast, Tuesday, January 15th at 7:30 AM at T-Bock’s Underground. He will cover topics including the development of the city’s Municipal Sustainability Plan, becoming a STAR Certified Community, and projects in waste reduction, solar, biking, and green yards. Since joining the
You probably know someone like my Great Aunt. My great aunt lives in a very small house in a very small town in northeast Iowa on a small fixed income. She has her share of health concerns, and is still as sweet as can be. She tends to her home the very best she can. When I told her that her income would probably qualify her for a Green Iowa
Joel Zook, Energy Planner In the clean energy line-up, Solar is the MVP. We get it. Solar is shiny and new, it slashes your electric bill, you’re creating your very own clean energy – what could be better? But if you dig down to why people install solar there are often two main reasons: it makes sense financially, and it’s going to help reduce their impact. I’m here to introduce
Andy Johnson, Director The recent Global Warming of 1.5°C report, released by the prestigious Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on October 8, was a wake-up call to some. To many others, it was one more installment in 30+ years of science documenting the dangers of human-induced climate change, and the opportunity we still have (maybe) to protect a liveable world for our kids and grandkids. We’ll summarize key take-away’s from