Last month, leaders from local governments, businesses, and other organizations came together at GPI’s third annual Energy Innovation Celebration to discuss energy and climate “Solutions from the Ground Up.” Continue reading »
October’s GreenStep Cities workshop focuses on waste management and reduction. The workshop began with introductions by Phillipp Muessig, GreenStep Cities, who then moved on to provide an overview of recent changes to best practice 22: Solid Waste Prevention and Reduction. Continue reading »
Q&A With UMN Energy Transition Lab’s Ellen Anderson on the Local Government Project for Energy Planning
September 26, 2017 in Communities Author: Diana McKeown
GPI’s Diana McKeown, who directs the Metro region of Minnesota’s Clean Energy Resource Teams, interviews Ellen Anderson, Executive Director of the University of Minnesota’s Energy Transition Lab, about an important new project to help communities reach and measure progress toward emission reduction goals. Continue reading »
Minnesota’s Stearns County Provides a Unique National Example of a ‘Solar-Ready’ Community
September 26, 2017 in Communities Author: Brian Ross
As solar development expands across the Midwest, and the country, local governments are facing new challenges that go along with the significant opportunities and benefits of developing their solar resources. Continue reading »
This GreenStep Cities workshop focused on how to use a committee to lead, coordinate, and engage community members on implementation of GreenStep best practices. After Introductions by Abby Finis, Kristen Rhodes discussed the new GreenStep Cities Welcome Guide, and youth involvement (1:32). Continue reading »
How a New Project Seeks to Reduce Barriers to Solar in Greater Minnesota
July 21, 2017 in Communities Authors: Sophia Krohn, Trevor Drake
Almost every time we give a community presentation on solar, somebody asks about how the costs of the technology are changing and whether it’s best to wait to “go solar.” It’s a smart question, and indeed the costs of the physical components of solar projects are being driven down by market forces (though arguably not quick enough to warrant waiting). The trouble with this question is that it misses the target in seeing what’s most important, which is not just the cost of hardware but the final cost of an installed system. Continue reading »
Kristen Peterson Joins GPI as a Sustainable Communities Program Assistant
July 20, 2017 in Communities, News & Press Author: Diana McKeown
Please join me in welcoming Kristen Peterson as the Great Plains Institute’s (GPI) new Sustainable Communities Program Assistant. Kristen will support the work of several projects, including Metro CERT, Minnesota GreenStep Cities, SolSmart, and LoGoPEP. Continue reading »
Community Takes a Transformative, Sustainable Approach to Affordable Housing
April 26, 2017 in Communities Author: Gordy Moore
On a bright morning last November, I hopped on the Blue Line light rail in Minneapolis, transferred to the 2 bus, and headed west down Franklin Ave S to its intersection with Portland Ave S, where Will Delaney, Associate Director of Hope Community, was waiting to receive me. Continue reading »
Report Documents First-Ever Collaborative Procurement of Solar Garden Subscriptions by Group of Local Governments
March 13, 2017 in Communities Author: Trevor Drake
Community solar programs are gaining increasing interest from electric utility customers across the nation. Unlike individual solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, community shared solar systems, also known as Solar Gardens, create an opportunity for multiple individuals and organizations to receive the benefit of a larger solar installation without requiring it to be located on-site. For local government entities, these benefits include supporting clean energy and its positive local economic impacts, saving on energy bills for public facilities, and hedging against the future price volatility of electricity. Continue reading »
Door Knocking for Energy and Solar Assessments a Success in the Chisago Area
January 18, 2017 in Communities Author: Diana McKeown
On December 1st, a small team of community members and folks from the Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) went out in pairs to door-knock in Chisago City and the City of Lindstrom to encourage small business owners to participate in a free energy and/or solar assessment of their business through the Chisago Clean Energy Hub. Continue reading »
