Staunton Green 2020

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.

Related articles by Zemanta

• House Passes $6 Billion Cash for Caulkers Bill (dailyfinance.com)
• Insulating an Attic is Among the Best Green Investments (saving-energy.suite101.com)
• Small Contractors Await ‘Cash for Caulkers’ (businessweek.com)
• How the proposed Cash for Caulkers program works (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

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:

–

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.

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)

Our neighbors to the east are exploring an innovative way to help homeowners make energy-saving improvements to their homes and save money at the same time.

Here’s an excerpt from Charlottesville Tomorrow:

“LEAP would make loans to homeowners to help them cover the cost of energy-saving improvements. In the long-run, the program would be sustained in part by charging interest on those loans. Homeowners would pay for the loans in part by using the savings that come with lower energy bills. The grant application claims that between 915 and 1,271 jobs would be created as much as 69,685 metric tons of carbon emissions would be eliminated in the first seven years.”

Wouldn’t it be great to do something similar in Staunton? Check out the website to read more and/or listen to a podcast on the topic.

Related articles by Zemanta

• McKinsey report: U.S. energy conservation could save $1.2 trillion (dailyfinance.com)
• Just How Many Trillions of Dollars Can Energy Efficiency Save Us? (treehugger.com)

Local NBC29 reports the recent efforts by the City of Staunton to save energy and taxpayer money.

Some highlights:

• In the last 18 months, Staunton City Hall has cut energy use by 20 percent. Other city buildings have also seen double-digit drops
• Energy-use changes in the public school system alone have already saved the City nearly $70,000
• More efficient, modern air conditioning units installed in public buildings
• Encouraging new development to incorporate green practices — encourage, not legislate — (e.g. Western State Hospital)
• Investigating funds to replace school crossing signals with solar powered units and using water-based paints whenever possible

Watch the video here.

Related articles by Zemanta

• How To Keep Cool Without Going Broke This Summer [Prof. Dealzmodo] (gizmodo.com)

As non-partisan citizen action group we feel it’s important to be transparent and share our mission, goals, and objectives with you.

Please review. We invite you to join us. 

Staunton Green 2020

Mission, Goals and Objectives

June 5, 2009  

Vision

Bringing the Green economy and sustainable living to every Queen City resident. 

Mission

We assist the city of Staunton and its residents in reducing carbon emissions by 20% and increasing renewable energy sources by 20% by 2020.  

Goals

1. Work with the city to employ carbon reduction strategies that create economic opportunities and reduce taxpayer obligations (e.g. “weatherization for all campaign” that employs the unemployed; energy conservation programs).
2. Develop education efforts that provide city residents information and action steps to work in a coordinated fashion toward carbon neutrality.
3. Support individual, commercial, non-profit and city efforts that are socially responsible and lead to increased use of renewable energy and decreased use of fossil fuels.

 Initial Objective

Support the City Council in creating a Green Economy Commission that will accomplish the following:  

1. Join ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (www.icleiusa.org) to get the tools, support and strategies for reducing our carbon footprint.
2. Plan and conduct a source inventory of Staunton’s greenhouse gas emissions within six months of establishing the Commission.
3. Recommend and propose a 20% reduction in carbon emissions from 2008 levels for the year 2020 within one year of establishing the Commission.
4. Recommend and propose methods for generating local renewable energy (e.g. switch grass, water turbines, geothermal, solar, etc.).
5. Investigate the development of a Clean Energy Financing Program to make affordable, and create incentives, for homeowners and businesses to install energy efficient appliances and clean energy generators.
6. Promote Green entrepreneurship and seek ways to create sustainable Green jobs within the city as well as reduce municipal, residential and commercial energy bills.

The Commission will consist of a diverse group of residents committed to timely accomplishment of these goals and objectives.  

Secondary Objectives:

1. Create Staunton Green 2020 subcommittees that promote:

• Municipal, commercial and residential solutions
• Incentives that lead to the adoption of practices
• Funding support through grants, relief through taxpayer savings and economic benefits

The subcommittees will address the following: 
 
Education and Outreach Bruce and Gena

• Public awareness
• School involvement
• Action learning
• programs

Energy Conservation 

• Energy audits
• Rain barrels
• Green retrofit
• LEED/Earthcraft

 Waste Reduction Brian and Gena

• Recycling
• Composting
• Plastic reduction
• Improved “to go” containers
• Styrofoam reduction

Green Business Entrepreneurship Brian, Chris & Katie  

Clean Energy generation

• Geothermal
• Solar
• Water turbines
• Switch grass

Local Food & Agricultural Outreach Brian and Katie

• Farmer’s Market
• Garden programs
• Community Supported Agriculture
• Restaurants
• Grocery Stores

 
Sustainable Land Use and Redevelopment Chris & Bruce

• Alternative transportation
• Comprehensive plan and urban development
• Storm water run-off
• Reforestation
• Native grasses and flowers

 
 

1. Collaborate with governmental entities, non-governmental organizations, and businesses, such as the following, to accomplish these goals:

• Augusta Farm Co-op
• Belle Grae Growing Center
• Blue Ridge Community College
• Central Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Pedestrian Committee
• Greater Augusta Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Historic Staunton Foundation
• Lewis Creek Watershed Advisory Committee
• Mary Baldwin College
• Staunton Creative Community Fund
• Staunton Downtown Development Association
• Staunton Earth Day Planning Committee
• Valley Conservation Council

 
 
Definitions

Carbon Neutral:

The process of offsetting carbon-producing activities with those that either reduce or capture carbon, thus neutralizing the net amount of carbon released in the atmosphere¹. While the United States accounts for only 5% of the world’s population, it accounts for 20% of global energy usage and 20% of global CO2 emissions ². 

Carbon or Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

Direct greenhouse gas emissions can include tailpipe emissions of CO² from motor vehicles, methane from landfills, and hydrofluorocarbons from leaking refrigeration or air conditioning equipment. Indirect greenhouse gas emissions arise from coal and other fossil fuel-based energy generated to power residential, commercial, and industrial activities. Indirect emissions also arise from fossil fuel combustion used in the manufacture, transport, storage, disposal, and recycling of commodities and manufactured products³.  

The scientific consensus is that society must reduce the global emission of greenhouse gases by at least 80% by mid-century at the latest, in order to avert the worst impacts of global warming and to reestablish the more stable climatic conditions that have made human progress over the last 10,000 years possible⁴.  

Renewable Energy:

Energy generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat—which are naturally replenished⁵.  

Sustainability:

The World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) articulated: “[to meet] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” ⁶ 
 

1. http://www.sustainabilitydictionary.com/c/climate_neutral.php
2. http://www.usmayors.org/climateprotection/documents/Green%20Jobs%20FINAL.pdf
3. http://www.sustainabilitydictionary.com/c/carbon_footprint.php
4. http://www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org/html/faq.php
5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy
6. http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/42/ares42-187.htm

An article in this morning’s Washington Post on free home energy audits leaves me feeling a mixture of admiration and envy.

The story details another innovative public-private partnership that offers incentives for energy evaluations, the first step in an informed process to help property owners make needed changes to plug energy leaks and up their fuel efficiency.

In D.C., homeowners can get a free energy audit through the District Department of the Environment’s Home Energy Rating System program, with the $300. value audit paid for by a surcharge on D.C. Pepco bills. A little monthly contribution on everyone’s bill makes the cost less painful, adds an incentive for motivated homeowners, and fosters accessibility for lower income or credit-saddled residents who might otherwise not make energy efficiency a priority.

So, bravo for D.C., but what about Staunton? (more…)

To create new high-paying jobs while preparing our city for a world of volatile and rising energy costs, the Staunton Green 2020 coalition supports developing a “green plan” for our city.

The plan would chart a course for Staunton to: 1) save energy and 2) locally produce its own clean, renewable energy.

Building the plan would be the work of citizens, businesses, and government through a year or more of dialogue and input under a task force to be appointed by the City. For us, “green” is about prosperity and a high quality of life through the new clean economy. A brief outline of what a green plan could look like follows. (more…)