As most things in 2020, the Metro Clean Energy Resource Team (CERT) at the Great Plains Institute made our 13th Annual Resource and Networking Event virtual, minus the networking part. We rescheduled the event from April 30 to October 1, hoping we would be able to meet in person by the fall. Of course, that was not in the cards. We shifted the topic of the event from electrification to rebuilding efforts in Minneapolis following the killing of George Floyd while in police custody on May 23.
The Metro CERT event centered on the story of a business caught in the middle of shockwaves of destruction following Floyd’s killing —after months of challenges due to COVID-19—and a broader look at the role of clean energy in rebuilding and supporting businesses along Lake Street and beyond.
We also highlighted two Metro CERT-funded seed grants with a focus on the Black community in North Minneapolis.
The event was a reminder of the interconnectedness of issues people are facing—racial injustice, the pandemic, economic insecurity, climate change—as we work to build thriving communities with clean energy. We hope people will learn from the speakers and find ways to come together.
Visit the CERTs website for a full event summary and to watch highlighted video conversations with Shanelle Montana at Du Nord Craft Spirits; Matt Kazinka of the Lake Street Council; and Metro CERT seed grantees. You can also learn about the special services, incentives, and rebates for business and homeowners in the damaged areas from Xcel Energy, CenterPoint Energy, and Energy Smart.
GPI directs the metro region of the Clean Energy Resource Teams, a partnership of four organizations working to connect individuals and their communities to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. The metro team serves the 11-county Twin Cities area by empowering communities to adopt energy conservation, energy efficiency, and renewable energy technologies and practices for homes, businesses, and local institutions.
