Windustry’s September 2015 Newsletter
Windustry awarded
1st Conservation Media Group Action Grant
to support Community Wind Campaign!
Windustry is thrilled to have been selected for the first Action Grant from CMG to support our new #StickWindHere campaign. This video-based outreach campaign is about increasing access to Community and Community-Shared Wind Projects. Windustry is actively collecting signatures on a petition that will be delivered to the White House Administration at the end of 2015. It is a call to action to encourage them to start a new initiative: the National Community Wind Partnership. The partnership would convene experts to address barriers to community wind and it will jumpstart new initiatives. Executive Director Lisa Daniels says, “this video has merged many ideas into a whole new campaign by demonstrating where wind energy is working today.”
Find out more:
Windustry + KidWind = Minnesota State Fair Fun!
Three Windustry interns attended KidWind’s REcharge training workshop this past July. They came away with new ideas for connecting with the public about wind energy, which they turned into new exhibits for our 10th annual Wind Energy Center at the Minnesota State Fair.
The most popular exhibit combined KidWind’s miniature turbines (aka “Fireflies”) with a custom table built by Windustry. Check out our Facebook photo album of the exhibits here.
2 New Tools for Community Wind added to our Wind Library!
Wind Energy Permit Toolkit
A new Wind Energy Permit Toolkit from our colleagues at the Northwest Wind Resource & Action Center has just been published. This toolkit includes information on how jurisdictions can standardize their zoning regulations and permitting processes to ensure safe and cost-effective wind energy development that is appropriate for their community.
County Wind Ordinances in Minnesota
We have updated a survey of the county wind ordinances in Minnesota. Our new version includes an analysis and links to ordinances for 65 counties.
News from Illinois
The 2nd Annual Illinois Renewable Energy Conference was held on July 16th, at Illinois State University in Normal. The conference welcomed 270 attendees from across the state and the country. It featured 50 speakers, including plenary speakers on topics of interest to all areas of renewable energy, plus breakout session speakers that discussed policy, technology, and case studies specifically for wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and energy efficiency.
Planning for the conference was led by Dr. David Loomis, Director of the Center for Renewable Energy. “There was a Department of Energy study that just came out looking at wind potential that could come from 2030 and out to 2050,” said Loomis. “Illinois has the potential, in their modeling, of being the number two wind state in the country, behind only Texas.” The event was coordinated in partnership with the Illinois Wind Working Group, Wind on the Wires, Illinois Biomass Working Group, Geothermal Alliance of Illinois, Illinois Solar Energy Association, and Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.
Interest in Renewable Energy Growing In Michigan
John Sarver reported in from the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Fair that was held at the Ingham County Fairgrounds in Mason, Michigan on June 26-27. There was a good crowd of over 1200 people that attended a wide array of workshops and surveyed the latest renewable energy equipment for their homes and businesses. Attendance was doubled from the previous year.
Bicycle Ride to support wind energy
Windustry’s Executive Director Lisa Daniels just completed the Northeast Climate Ride, a “Journey with Purpose.” This is a sponsored ride through some of the nation’s most beautiful roads and raises money for good work for the planet