Southeast

Southeast CERT Region

Our Mission

Southeast CERT is guided by the vision of community leaders, businesses, and communities producing a rapidly increasing share of the region’s energy through locally-owned renewable energy projects. This vision can only be realized through the wise and efficient use of all energy resources.

“It would be difficult to overstate the importance of CERTS to the work I do with renewable energy & conservation in my communities. CERTS is our conduit for information on funding opportunities, as well as projects happening elsewhere from which we take inspiration and upon which we build. Simply put, CERTS is the network, and I wouldn’t want to work without it.”
Ann Morse, Sustain Winona

The Southeast region includes Le Sueur, Rice, Goodhue, Blue Earth, Waseca, Steele, Dodge, Olmsted, Wabasha, Winona, Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore, and Houston Counties.

Get Involved!

Join Us! Attend a meeting or keep up to date.
Contacts, Events, Get Involved, or Ask an Expert.

Meeting Notes

Publications

Strategic Energy Plan: Each regional team spent considerable time mapping regional energy use and identifying clean energy opportunities in its Regional Strategic Energy Plan. Read all the details on the Regional Plans page.

Other Publications:
Southeast CERTs Brochure

Project Focus

SE CERT is focusing on energy efficiency and conservation; constructing a toolkit for outreach and education; and evaluating opportunities to connect distributed generation into existing grid.

Current Projects

  • Winona Senior High School solar classroom
  • Pickwick Mill micro-hydro feasibility study
  • Southeast Minnesota Renewable Energy Fair
  • Earthen Path Organic Farm root cellar
  • Northfield School of Arts & Technology solar energy project
  • Prairie Sustainable Bioenergy Project
  • See full list for all regions >>

Visit SE CERT’s Web site to learn more, or click here to see their blog, kept up by Susan Waughtal.

Case Studies

Past projects in the Southeast Region

MN Energy Challenge Standings

 

OlmCERT

To keep up with the OlmCERT, a mini-CERT that formed to serve Olmstead County, read their online newsletters.

Presentations

Regional Presentations

Local Contact

Susan Waughtal
SE CERT Outreach Coordinator
507-252-9639
skwaughtal@aol.com

CERT Coordinators

 
Melissa Pawlisch
CERTs Co-coordinator
UMN RSDP
(612) 624-2293
pawl0048@umn.edu

Joel Haskard
CERTs Co-coordinator
UMN RSDP
(612) 625-8759
haska004@umn.edu

Steering Committee

  • Sig Anderson, CURE Board of Directors
  • Norm Craig, Fillmore County Zoning Administrator
  • Norman Erickson, Hazelnut Farmer
  • Dan Hayes, Southern MN Municipal Power Agency
  • Rich Huelskamp, Sun’s Warmth
  • Connie Ireland, Department of Employment & Economic Development
  • Erin Meier, SE Experiment in Rural Cooperation
  • Anne Morse, Winona County Environmental Services
  • Ray Schmitz, Olmsted CERT
  • Roger Wacek, Independent Contractor
  • Roger Warehime, Owatonna Public Utilities
  • Susan Waughtal, Staff SE CERT

Advisory Committee

  • Pam Bishop, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation
  • Nick Nichols, Gundersen Lutheran Health Systems
  • Katy Wortel, Blue Earth County Commissioner

Southeast CERT Operating Procedures