Our Climate, Our Responsibility, Our Opportunity

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

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Winneshiek Energy District and Oneota Film Festival announce film screening November 2

Local organizations partner to host “member plus 1” film screening The Winneshiek Energy District (WED) and the Oneota Film Festival (OFF) will host a screening of the new documentary film Happening: A Clean Energy Revolution, directed by James Redford and featuring Mark Ruffalo, on Friday, November 2 at The Lingonberry, downtown Decorah. The doors will open at 6:30pm. The film will begin at 7:00pm and will be followed by a

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Free Workshop on Home Maintenance and Weatherization

October 9, 2018                                                             FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Scott Timm Iowa State University Extension and Outreach 515-291-2560 stimm@iastate.edu A workshop on home maintenance and weatherization techniques will be presented in the Upper Explorerland conference room, 325 Washington Street, at 6:30pm, October 18th. This workshop is meant to assist homeowners and renters learn more about building science, how to properly maintain their homes, and teach techniques for sealing up their properties to reduce

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New Green Iowa AmeriCorps: Welcome!

New Green Iowa AmeriCorps: Welcome!

For the ninth year in a row, we are hosting a Green Iowa AmeriCorps team that helps us make progress toward our vision of having 100% Local, Renewable, Efficient Energy by 2050 through boots-on-the-ground work. We are excited to welcome a new team of Green Iowa AmeriCorps members. . Katherine, Briana, Maddy, and Gracie will serve from September 16, 2018 to August 16, 2019. They’ll do important work including: Providing home energy

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Four ways to Keep your Energy Local

Four ways to Keep your Energy Local

1. Use the resources you have – be that wind, solar, or biomass – to fuel your life. Some examples: biking to work, electric cars charged by rooftop solar, high-efficiency wood stoves for heating, rooftop solar… 2. Support energy efficiency in your home and community – It’s a cheaper, easier, and cleaner to produce a small amount of local energy than a large amount. Your energy district can help in

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August Breakfast: Iowa Schools Go Green with AmeriCorps

August Breakfast: Iowa Schools Go Green with AmeriCorps

The Winneshiek Energy District welcomes Carmen Finken from the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy and Environmental Education to the monthly Energy Breakfast program on August 21st. Finken oversees Sustainable Schools AmeriCorps, a new program that serves as a resource and catalyst to help Iowa school districts save energy, save money and engage students in building a more sustainable future. The program will start at 7:30 AM at T-Bock’s

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Breakfast Attendees explore Agreport and Soil Health

Breakfast Attendees explore Agreport and Soil Health

The Winneshiek Energy District unveiled a new web tool for twenty attendees at Tuesday’s July Energy Breakfast in T-Bocks Underground. While slices quiche got smaller and smaller, attendees saw large pie charts as web developer Brad Crawford showed the aptitude of the new Ag Energy Report tool. Ag Energy Report is an online calculator that shows the estimated total agricultural energy inputs across Iowa and by county. Crawford used data

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E-Bikes: The New Bike on the Block

E-Bikes: The New Bike on the Block

Kristin Eggen, Communications Specialist This month, I caught up with Josie and Travis from Decorah Bicycles (DB) to hear about their E-Bikes, a new form of bicycle transportation that could be an innovative tool for those looking to decrease the carbon footprint of their around-town transportation. KE: Hi Josie, I’ve recently noticed a sign advertising E-bikes at Decorah Bicycles. I’m just going to ask straight out: what is an E-bike?

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A Solar Story

A Solar Story

Dale Goodman, Decorah Resident In the summer of 2014, I was outside building a retaining wall while Decorah Electric was installing a solar array across the street on the roof of First Lutheran Church.  I paused and watched frequently.  My wife, Susan, and I had been advocates for clean energy for a long time, but we had never been in a position to invest in it ourselves.  Now we could.

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Electric Vehicle Fest(EV)al to be Held at Fairgrounds

Electric Vehicle Fest(EV)al to be Held at Fairgrounds

DECORAH – The Winneshiek Energy District, KAR Auto Group, Decorah Bank and Trust, and 100.5 KDEC have joined forces to bring northeast Iowa’s premier electric vehicle festival to the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds on June 2 from 11 AM to 3 PM. Fest(EV)al will offer relevant workshops, informative displays, refreshments, and an attractive lineup of electric vehicles to view for anyone interested in or curious about electric vehicles. The Danan Lansing

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