Staunton Green 2020

Great article in last Sunday’s Staunton News Leader about local homeowners adding solar installations to their roofs and saving bundles on electricity.  Click here to see it. Later this fall Staunton Green 2020 plans to hold a workshop on how to do residential solar.

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Staunton might seem far away from the Gulf of Mexico, but our dependency on oil is inextricably linked to the millions of gallons of oil gushing into the gulf. The proportions of the Deepwater Horizon environmental and human tragedy grow each day which makes looking at this immense disaster even more overwhelming. Nonetheless, consider viewing this underwater footage from ABC news on the Repower America web site to get a sense of the impact of this gusher.

Commentators locally, like Ed Scerbo, and elsewhere have smartly pointed out that calling the disaster in the gulf a “spill” is misleading. A spill suggests an accident with a finite amount that can be cleaned up. The gusher in the gulf is a result of decades of decisions (and indecisions) and our addiction to oil.

Let’s work locally to reduce our dependence. Use the comments section to identify one or two ways you are going to lessen your use of petroleum.

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The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico just got scarier. NPR reported today that the spill could be considerably worse than originally believed. See the story here. It would be easy to get bummed out by the environmental damage, angry about the economic consequences and worried about the potential increase in gas prices. Instead take action to reduce your dependence on oil. Here are some steps to consider:

1. Help SG2020 in our efforts to create clean energy and green jobs in our community. EMAIL US: StauntonGreen AT gmail.com (insert @ in place of AT, no spaces!)
2. Make better transportation choices: walk, cycle, take the train, carpool, or recycle an old car for an energy efficient model. Plus, turn off the mower, blower and other small engines. Finally, combine errands into one trip.
3. Talk to friends, neighbors and local politicians; discuss what we all can do to move the entire city to greener and lower carbon practices.
4. Shop at locally owned businesses, support Augusta County agriculture. Join a CSA this summer.
5. Attend Staunton Green 2020 events — such as End of Suburbia at the Mockingbird on Thur. May 20 @ 7pm
6. Buy less stuff and when you do make a purchase, bring your own (petro free) bag!  Rethink your purchasing priorities. And of course recycle, reduce, reuse, renovate and restore.
7. Reduce your home’s carbon footprint by 20% by 2020 and save on your monthly bills and be eligible for BIG state and federal income tax incentives.
8. Demand environmental education in local schools; talk to school board members and teachers.  Instruct children in sustainable living.
9. Let  local, state and national lawmakers know your feelings.
10. Support SG2020 by making a tax-deductible donation through the Staunton Creative Community Fund.  Make your checks payable to SCCF and place SG2020 on your memo line. Your donation is  fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. Send checks to:  SCCF, 35 S. New St. Staunton VA 24401

On Thursday May 6, the House of Representatives passed the Home Star bill dubbed “Cash for Caulkers” because homeowners could collect thousands of dollars in rebates for renovating their homes with better insulation and energy-saving windows and doors. Caulking, adding attic insulation, installing energy star appliances are great ways to cut energy costs, reduce carbon emissions and save money. But without incentives it is tough to take these kind of actions.

Ready to make changes in your home? Keep an eye out this fall for Staunton Green 2020 re-skilling workshops on all sorts of topics that will help you green your fall and save you money this winter.

The bill (H.R. 5019) now goes to the Senate for consideration.

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We’re inspired by PIMBY, a small business based in Thomas, West Virginia. Who here in Staunton will start a similar business? We think there’s a great opportunity here.

PIMBY stands for “Power in My Backyard”. The company provides services ranging from site assessments, home energy audits, and the installation of alternative energy systems such as wind and solar.

Matt, PIMBY’s owner, also keeps a blog.  A recent entry concerns a nifty gadget called TED. I want one!

TED stands for “The Energy Detective”, a device that measures energy consumption in your home. What’s cool about TED is that it connects to Google’s Power Meter – giving you real-time feedback on your usage so you can make adjusts to use less and save money, too.

Are you eligible for an energy-efficiency rebate? Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling’s office just allocated new funds to support Virginians who make energy upgrades. Details below:

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Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling announced that approximately $6.5 million is available for a second round of the Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program to make homes and businesses more energy efficient.  Energy efficiency improvements include upgrading heating and air conditioning equipment, adding insulation, replacing leaky windows, and other improvements that reduce energy consumption and utility costs.  Homeowners are eligible for rebates for 20 percent of the costs of qualifying energy conserving products and services, up to $2,000.  Commercial consumers are eligible for 20 percent of their costs, up to $4,000. Qualified home and business owners also can reserve an additional $250 for a certified energy audit.

Three appliances have been added to the program for the second round; refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers. The online application, rules, forms and additional information are available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.

Applicants can apply to reserve funding for a rebate.  Once approved, they then have up to six months to complete the work and redeem the reservation for a rebate check.    Applications for rebate reservations will be processed in the order they are received.  Once reservations deplete available funds, applications will be placed on a wait list in the order received.  Wait-listed applicants may be approved for rebate reservations if additional funds become available. (The first round of funding for efficiency rebates totaling about $10 million was sold out in less than three weeks when the program opened in late October.)

The Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program is administered by the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy, using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. More information is available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.

A separate Solar and Wind Incentive Program also has opened a $3.5 million second round of funding to help defray the costs of solar electric, solar thermal and small wind energy systems for residents, businesses, and non-profits. Information is available at www.dmme.virginia.gov.

Mark your calendars, we’ve set a date for the first biomass energy presentation. We’ve asked people to come and speak on the topic of growing switchgrass as a fuel alternative here in Staunton.

Where: Mary Baldwin College’s Francis Auditorium
When: Thursday, January 21 — 7-8:30 p.m.

There is no cost to attend but we will request an RSVP closer to the date.

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Are you eligible for an energy efficiency rebate?

The Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), Division of Energy will provide up to $15 million in rebates for energy efficiency measures and equipment to retrofit homes and commercial property, and up to $15 million in rebates for renewable energy equipment and systems for residential and commercial applications.

An online form to request a conditional reservation of funds is available here:
http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/ARRA-Public/SEPRebate.shtml

Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebates will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. A two-step process will be used to allocate the money. First, applicants will request a conditional reservation of funds. When a reservation is confirmed, funds will be set aside while the applicant is allowed up to 180 days to complete work. The second part of the rebate process requires the applicant who successfully reserved funds to provide documentation of costs and compliance with all program requirements in order to receive a rebate check.

Questions about the Virginia Energy Efficiency Rebate Program should be directed to the following email address: FAQefficient -AT- dmme.virginia.gov

Questions will be answered by DMME and posted to a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the website, here:
http://www.dmme.virginia.gov/DE/ARRA-Public/SEPRebate.shtml

Don’t forget: there is also money available to those who qualify to weatherize of your home. If you don’t qualify for either of these programs, please tell someone who may…

As cold weather approaches you might be wondering if you can afford to do some weatherization upgrades around your home or apartment.

Thankfully, the state of Virginia (through the U.S. Department of Energy) offers a range of grants to make energy-efficient improvements to those with low- to moderate-level incomes. Do you qualify?

Here are the links you’ll need to get started.

Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development – Weatherization FAQs. It details the kind of work the grants cover, such as

• Sealing air leaks with insulation, caulking, and weather-stripping;
• Installation of ventilation fans;
• Repairing drafty duct systems;
• Repairing and replacing inefficient or unsafe heating and cooling systems; and
• Installation of energy efficient lighting

Download the PDF with income requirements here.

Staunton residents will need to make arrangements through the office of Community Energy Conservation Program, 1819 Broadway, Charlottesville, VA 22902 [they also cover: Counties of Albemarle, Augusta, Fluvanna,
Greene, Highland, Louisa, Nelson and Rockingham; Cities of Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, and Waynesboro].

Contact: Linda Rayner
Phone: (434) 293-3777
E-mail: lrcecp-AT-aol.com (Add an @ symbol in place of -AT- when emailing)

Have you heard about the growing national debate over clotheslines? As it turns out, clotheslines touch on questions about individual rights, private property, class, aesthetics, the environment.

From a purely environmental standpoint reducing dryer usage (and the dirty electricity that powers it) is a big deal. Some estimates put dryer usage as high as 6% of total household energy consumed. Reducing this energy use saves money and reduces your carbon footprint.

But, some feel that laundry lines reduce property values. They associate laundry lines with poverty. That’s why there is a growing trend to reverse this stereotype.

Here’s an article I wrote recently about the clothesline debate.

How do you think Staunton should address clotheslines? Good thing? Bad thing?

Personally, I’d like to see Stauntonians embrace more clotheslines. But, perhaps they’d need to be concealed from the street so people don’t get upset. What do you think?

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