Clean Energy Resource Teams

On August 19th the Southeast Clean Energy Resource Team toured two green landmarks in the Twin Cities: The Green Institute’s Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center Building in Minneapolis and District Energy in St. Paul. Let me take a few moments to share with you what we learned!

Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center

 
From 1:30-2:30pm our group toured The Green Institute’s Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center. The Phillips Eco-Enterprise Center (PEEC) is The Green Institute’s flagship and a national model of comprehensive sustainable design. The building was a pilot for and helped inform the creation of the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (USGBC’s LEED), which has in the last ten years risen within the green building movement as the preeminent national green building standard.

In April 2008, the Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) received over 90 submissions for this year’s Request for Proposals to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This represents nearly a twofold increase in the amount of proposals submitted for spring of 2008, and attests to the tremendous wealth of clean energy projects happening in communities across the state.

Each of the six greater Minnesota steering committees (NE, NW, Central, WC, SW, SE) reviewed the proposals submitted in their region, and through a rigorous process selected 37 projects that highlight a variety of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. CERTs staff wish to commend our steering committee members for all the hard work and many hours of volunteer time they put into this effort.

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference. View all conference presentations here.

Presenter: Pat Huelman, University of Minnesota Cold Climate Housing Program

Pat tells us how—if we can sharpen our pencil of building science, and better engineer—we can get better building performance while spending less money.

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference

R.T. Rybak highlights Minneapolis and Minnesota steps toward green development, and gets us all fired up, Ellen Anderson discusses legislative intiatives and the merging of economic and social justice issues with energy issues, and Van Jones talks about building a green economy for all.

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference. View all conference presentations here.

Facilitator: Dane Smith, Growth & Justice, former Star Tribune writer
Panelists: Ellen Anderson, Senator, State of Minnesota | Edward A. Garvey, MN Office of Energy Security, Department of Commerce | Barb Thoman, Transit for Livable Communities

The panel will review the recommendations of the Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group, provide updates on policy actions responding to those recommendations, and discuss their implementation. There will be plenty of time for discussion!

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference. View all conference presentations here.

Presenters: Russ Adams, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability | John Bailey, Greater Minnesota Housing Fund | Michael Haynes, Green Broker & Environmental Justice Advocates of Minnesota | Lynn Hinkle, Retired UAW leader, Ford Plant Green Redevelopment | Karen Monahan, Sierra Club & EJAM

How can Minnesota Communities continue to grow and develop while maintaining a low carbon footprint?

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference. View all conference presentations here.

Facilitator: William Weber, UMN Center for Sustainable Building Research
Panelists: Kim Bretheim, LHB | William Freitag, Wilcon Construction | Rick Goodemann, Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership | Matthew Hendricks, Aeon | Rick Klun, Center City Housing Corporation

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference. View all conference presentations here.

Presenters: Rick Carter and David Williams, LHB, Inc.

Dan Thiede live-blogs this session at the Minnesota Green Communities third annual statewide GREEN BY DESIGN Conference. View all conference presentations here.

Presenters: Brad Kruse, Weis Builders (Contractor) | Gretchen Camp, BKV Group (Architect) | Heather Gay, Kandiyohi Development Partners (Consultant) | Joel Salzer, Lutheran Social Service of MN (Owner)

 
For the Twin Cities Bike Walk Week, the Phillips Eco-Enerprise Center hosted a breakfast on their green rooftop, delighting even the vegans with a spread of tofu scramble, caramel rolls, breakfast burritos, pancakes, fruit, Peace Coffee, and juices.

This was the best attended bike/walk event in Minneapolis! A total of 120 people came to share breakfast and chat on the roof—116 bikers and 4 walkers. They came from as close as a half mile and as far as 26 miles! Many who were just on their way to work were brought in by a sidewalk chalk sign on the Midtown Greenway!

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak even made the party and stayed for about a half hour, chatting with local students and others enjoying breakfast on the roof before biking down the street to South High School.