CERTs Monthly Update - August 2008

Statewide

CERTs 2009 Conference Sponsor/Exhibitor Registration Now Open: There are a number of ways for your business or organization to support the CERTs Conference. Click here to learn more!

DEED Awards Funding for Three Biomass Projects: The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has approved funding under the new Biomass Energy Program for three projects in Greater Minnesota. (Read the full press release here) DEED officials awarded grants to the following projects:

$343,000 to Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg Public Schools in west central Minnesota to install a school heating system that will burn wood chips and corn cobs;
$337,500 to Winona in southeastern Minnesota for a system that will capture and pre-treat methane gas for use in a micro-turbine generator that will produce electricity; and
$300,000 to Roseau in northwestern Minnesota to design and build a gasifer plant that will produce electricity.

New Director of Office of Energy Security: Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Bill Glahn as the new Director of the Minnesota Office of Energy Security and Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Commerce. Glahn, who succeeds Edward Garvey, will begin work on Tuesday, September 2, 2008. Read the full press release here.

Central Region

On-Farm Carbon Sequestration: Central CERT member Kent Scheer was researching carbon sequestration through forest on his property near Wadena. After registering his land on the Chicago Climate Exchange, he received his first check for forestry generated carbon credits. On September 10th, the Central CERT will host a tour at the property farm and learn what this early adapter has experienced. Click here to learn more about the event and RSVP.

Metro Region

GreenDrinks of Summer: On August 13th the third installment of the GreenDrinks summer event was entitled “Action in Communities, homes and congregations.” Diana McKeown, the Metro CERTs coordinator, spoke about CERTs and how communities can get involved. Clarence Chaplin spoke about his work in partnership with Metro CERTs and Congregations Caring for Creation to create CERTs teams in congregations. The event was also mentioned in the Metro Magazineâ€™s article “Drinks with a Conscience” and we are expecting a Star Tribune article on 9/9/08. Join us at the last GreenDrinks of the summer on September 10th from 6-7:30pm at the Birchwood Cafe. More event info here.

Will Steger Summer Institute: On August 13th, Diana McKeown and Neely Crane-Smith (Coordinator of the MN Energy Challenge) gave a presentation titled “Cooling Your Heels: First Steps for Schools” providing an overview of the ways that teachers can have an impact in their classrooms and schools. We highlighted the new resource available this Fall for schools to apply for assistance and money to reduce their carbon Footprint. Keep an eye on the CERTs website for more information. View the Powerpoint here!

Metro/SE tour of Green Institute and District Energy plant: On August 19th the Metro and SE regions of CERTs joined forces to tour the Green Institute and the St. Paul District Energy plant. The tours were informative and fun—we even got to wear hardhats and safety glasses! Learn more about the tour here.

Northeast Region

New Small-Scale Wind Turbine: A Duluth businessman has recently designed a new style of wind turbine for small scale use. An article in the Duluth Tribune explains the turbine, and interviews a farmer who has installed Elliott Baylyâ€™s wind turbine. Read the article here.

Drive Easy: “Drive Easy” is an ongoing, two year grassroots action, putting conservation and voluntary individual responsibility surrounding fossil fuels consumption as its main focus. The brain child of Fulton â€œJayâ€ Hanson in Pine County, Minnesota, Drive Easy recognizes that solutions for solving the current energy challenges must come from technological advancements and conservation, implying a pie with many pieces. They have developed a set of “dashboard reminders and vehicle educators” to repetitively remind motorist’s to set their cruise control at the speed limit and slow down and enjoy the ride. By “driving easy” many changes take place; saving money on gas, less accidents, less auto repairs, reduction in CO2 emissions, less dependence on oil(foreign and domestic), delaying peak oil and increasing the sense of empowerment and control. “Drive Easy…Conserve” is simple, free, and highly effective and can be perceived and “unpackaged” into a comprehensive, environmental, social, and economic message—all while changing lanes or waiting for a green light.
Click here to check out their website.

Also, Fulton and his small team are getting pretty overwhelmed by the responses they are getting from all over, so if you are interested in donating some of your time and skills to the Drive Easy movement, give Fulton a call at 320-384-9967 and find out how you can lend a hand!

Northwest Region

CERTs-Supported Project in the News: The Crookston Times picked up a story on the Straight Vegetable Oil research project that CERTs funded this spring. From the Article: “The Northwest Region Clean Energy Resource Team (CERT) has awarded the University of Minnesota, Crookston a $5,000 grant for their clean energy project: Straight Vegetable Oil as a Fuel Source in Agricultural Production.”

Southeast Region

Nature Energies 150MW Wind Project: An interesting article was recently written in the Rochester Post Bulletin about the 150 MW wind turbine project in Dodge County. A French wind company, Nature Energies has purchased wind leases from area landowners to put wind turbines up in the southwestern tip of the county. Over 300 turbines are expected to go up in the next five years. Read more about this project here

RE-Fest: Donâ€™t forget to attend RE-Fest in Austin on September 20th! Come visit the CERTs table at this event, and click here to learn more!

Southwest Region

Farm Fest Recap: Thanks to all the good folks with the Southwest Regional Development Commission, The Minnesota Project and the Rural Minnesota Energy Board that helped staff the CERTs display at Farm Fest this year, and a special thanks to AURI for hosting CERTs in their tent again this year. There was even a new tent at Farm Fest this year focusing on local foods and renewable energy!

West Central Region

Gaylord Biogas Digester Study in the News: The West Central Region Clean Energy Resource Team awarded the City of Gaylord a $7,550 grant for their Anaerobic Digester clean energy project. Both the Gaylord Hub and Biomass Magazine published articles about the project!

Morris Biomass Gasification Facility Update: The new Biomass Gasification Project at U of M-Morris is nearly completed! According to the project website (click to visit) they are running some test firings on August 18th and will hopefully be fully operational in October of 2008. When completed, this plant is estimated to provide 66% of all energy used at the U of M-Morris Campus! For more information, take the biomass facility virtual tour or read Biomass Development. This facility is part of the campusâ€™s goal of Energy Self-Sufficiency by 2010. Another piece of this plan is the wind turbine at the West Central Research and Outreach Center, which is expected to bring the percentage of buildings powered by wind-generated electricity to nearly 100 percent. For more information, see UMM’s renewable initiatives.

AURI Renewable Energy Roundtable: Donâ€™t forget to attend the Renewable Energy Roundtable in St. Cloud September 26th! Click here to learn more!