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CELEBRATING
15 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIPS
On Thursday evening, May 15th, celebrants will gather at the Nicollet
Island Pavilion to toast outstanding environmental partnerships in Minnesota.
More than 65 projects competed for that recognition, and 15 independent
judges (each expert in the award category they reviewed) struggled to
choose the finalists and award winners. Click
here to see this year's finalists. The winners, however,
are kept secret until they are announced on May 15th at the dinner and
awards ceremony.
This event, the MEI Environmental Initiative Awards, began in April 1994
when MEI itself was but two years old. The award’s organizers timed
the event to coincide with Earth Day, to showcase examples of environmental
progress in contrast to the stories of pollution reported by the media
on that day. Minnesota Monthly magazine portrayed each winner
in a special insert the following month. The insert’s introduction
emphasized that these awards mattered because they “demonstrate
the tremendous advancement that can be made through unique and innovative
partnerships” and proclaimed, “we hope that these models of
success will provide encouragement to others.”
The first celebration was a modest luncheon held at Gaviidae in downtown
Minneapolis, and more than 40 nominees sought the recognition of its four
judges. One of the winners was U.S. Filter Recovery Services Inc., recognized
as Ecopreneur of the Year for its innovative work to recover and treat
hazardous waste. “Innovative” is an understatement –
U.S. Filter had created the first centralized treatment and recovery facility
for industrial wastewater in the nation (and probably in the world), resulting
in a 90% decrease in metals entering the sewer system and a 60% recovery
rate of those metals for beneficial reuse.
U.S. Filter also unquestionably is a model of success: since its award
it has grown steadily through a succession of owners to become a subsidiary
of Siemens Water Technologies that has facilities worldwide. In fact,
the firm’s first plant, still operating in Roseville, continues
to serve as a model for wastewater recovery facilities like the plant
being designed by Siemens in China. Greg Norgaard, now a vice-president
at Siemens, attended the awards luncheon in 1994 and recalls the award’s
impact upon U.S. Filter: “The award really helped give us a boost
from the standpoint of the local community and the regulatory folks –
we were recognized as the real deal.” That boost helped grow this
Minnesota company into a service that is now reducing pollution around
the world.
Kim Carlson of Cities Management Inc. shares Norgaard’s appreciation
of the awards’ impact. Cities was selected as Ecopreneur of the
Year at the 1995 awards. Unique to the business of property management
at that time, Cities Management brought green practices such as water
conservation, energy efficiency and non-toxic cleansers to the maintenance
of apartments, condominiums and office buildings. To this day, Cities
continues its ecopreneurial mission, and Carlson promotes the adoption
of green methods throughout the industry. The Environmental Initiative
Award was critical to that effort. According to Carlson, the award allows
the winner to say “see, somebody else thinks what we do is good
too” and can spur further innovation by the positive competition
that follows. Even within Cities Management, the award had a profound
effect. Carlson says employees were excited to see their work recognized
and confesses that she “got hooked’ on MEI – the award
inspired her to become an MEI board member in 1997 and she served for
nine years, including two years as chair.
The awards categories have changed over 15 years, and Ecopreneur is no
longer among them. However, partnership always has been an integral part
of any award category. Jeff Ledermann at the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MPCA) is responsible for the Eco Experience at the State Fair,
an award winner in 2007. Ledermann says that the Eco Experience has won
many awards, both national and international, but none with the focus
on partnership that is the hallmark of the Environmental Initiative Awards.
More than 100 government, business and nonprofit partners made the Eco
Experience possible in 2007. In fact, much of the MPCA’s work depends
upon partnerships, and says Ledermann “partnerships are not easy,
they can be very challenging – it’s nice to have an award
that recognizes that.” In 2003, the Environmental Initiative Awards
expanded to include a special Partnership of the Year award for the finalist
that best exemplifies MEI’s mission of building partnerships to
develop collaborative solutions to Minnesota’s environmental problems.
It is a high honor and is the only award that is decided by the MEI staff.
Of course, the awards themselves represent a significant partnership.
The event would not be possible without the generous support of the awards
sponsors. Jon Bloomberg and Ken Podpeskar, of Bloomberg & Podpeskar
LLP, have supported the awards since their very inception. Asked why he
so strongly supports the awards, Bloomberg replies that he is a strong
believer “that everyone of us can make a difference” and that
it is important to “reward and acknowledge those folks who are doing
good things.” Bloomberg is also proud that the awards have grown
in their 15 years from a lunch event to a festive evening celebration,
that the number of nominees has steadily increased, and that the recognition
provided by the awards is now keenly sought. The awards also document
extraordinary work done by the very dedicated: hundreds of worthy projects
throughout the last 15 years including 75 award winners. Says Bloomberg,
“that’s a significant difference that the nominees and recipients
have made – it’s great to recognize – and it paves the
ground for additional collaborations that will continue to produce results
in the future”
Which of the 15 finalists will be added to the distinguished list of award
winners? Those attending the celebration on May 15th will be among the
first to know and congratulate the winners. These good works well done
provide inspiration that is reason alone for attending the Environmental
Initiative Awards every spring.
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FROM
THE DIRECTOR
Springtime is my favorite season. I feel this way
for a lot of reasons, not the least of which involves fly fishing the
spring creeks of southeast Minnesota with my 8-year-old son. What I like
most about spring, though, is that it is a time when the world is in renewal.
Things that have become old are made new again, and life is brimming over
with fresh possibility. It seems to me that most of us cannot help but
be renewed by spring as it unfolds around us.
I have been thinking a lot about renewal recently, in part because of
the season, but also because I am participating this year in the Wilder
Foundation’s Shannon Leadership Institute. This is a renewal program
for established leaders in the community, and I recommend it highly (www.wilder.org/shannon.0.html).
A premise of the Shannon Institute is that no matter how well our job
fits us, we all need to be renewed over time if we hope to remain productive
and energized. As I have been thinking about what that means for me personally
and professionally, I have been struck by what an inherently self-renewing
organization MEI is. After more than 15 years in existence, MEI continues
to be filled with energy and enthusiasm.
In truth, I believe that no individual or organization has the power to
renew itself without help. Over time, experience naturally forms into
assumptions and convictions, and the world of creative possibility tends
to shrink. It is through interactions with other people that those assumptions
can be questioned and possibility expands again. The more different the
perspective offered by others, the more likely that perspective is to
prompt genuine renewal.
It should be no surprise, then, that a state of on-going renewal is the
norm at MEI. By design, MEI brings together people with very different
perspectives to find common ground and to forge meaningful collaboration.
This creates an environment where it is difficult to become complacent
about the new challenges of a changing world. MEI must constantly confront
those challenges in its effort to develop solutions to Minnesota’s
environmental problems.
None of this constant renewal would take place without you, our members
and partners. It is your vision that is the source of our renewal as an
organization. It is the collective power of your ideas that gives MEI
its impressive energy and infectious spirit. This is most evident at our
Environmental Initiative Awards dinner. That celebration brings together
300 environmental entrepreneurs, innovators and visionaries. No one leaves
that event without feeling a sense of personal and professional renewal.
I hope each of you will find as much inspiration in the Awards dinner
and the renewal of springtime as I do. And I look forward to hearing from
you as that inspiration leads to the next great idea for Minnesota’s
environment!
--Mike
Harley, Executive Director
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MORE
THAN SCHOOL BUSES
MEI’s Project Green Fleet has made great
progress reducing the pollution emitted from school buses, but school
buses are not the only diesel vehicles needing retrofits. Heavy-duty trucks
and other construction equipment are rarely equipped with the special
mufflers or filters retrofitting provides. Reducing the emissions from
these vehicles requires that Project Green Fleet expand its services beyond
school buses.
Huge earth-moving machines, immense cranes, and other construction equipment
may not be as numerous as school buses, but they are long-lived and so
generate a lot of emissions over time. Unfortunately, they are also expensive
to retrofit. There is less standardization between these often-specialized
machines, demanding a variety of retrofits. Engine compartments also may
be more cramped than on-road vehicles like buses, making modifications
difficult – in some cases essentially customized to the machine.
Retrofitting an earthmover consequently can cost substantially more than
a school bus, perhaps by a factor of five or more.
Aggregate Industries, a leading supplier of construction materials, has
many of these big machines. At Aggregate’s four port terminals on
the Mississippi river near the Twin Cities, earthmovers haul thousands
of tons of stone, sand, crushed limestone and other materials –
each of its wheel loaders operates between 3000 and 3500 hours annually.
In 2008, MEI in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and Aggregate will begin a retrofit of up to five of these enormous machines.
An engine rebuild is the best retrofit for one of the wheel loaders; diesel
oxidation catalysts and other devices will reduce emissions from the other
machines. Emissions from the wheel loaders may be reduced by up to 50%,
depending upon the type of pollutant and the retrofits installed. It will
be Minnesota’s first voluntary diesel emission reduction effort
applied to machinery of this kind, and will serve as a model for similar
efforts in other heavy industry sectors such as rail, mining, airport,
and forestry operations.
In fact, additional projects will soon be underway. Donaldson Company,
the manufacturer of the equipment installed on Project Green Fleet’s
school buses, will donate equipment to retrofit several of the machines
used at the I35W bridge construction site on the Mississippi river in
downtown Minneapolis. MEI will coordinate this collaboration between Donaldson,
the City of Minneapolis and Flatiron-Manson. MEI is also coordinating
another project with the city that will retrofit some of the equipment
used at the Twins stadium construction site.
Perhaps Project Green Fleet should instead be called Project Green Fleets.
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AWARD–
WINNING
MEI’s Project Green Fleet is a winner of
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2007 Clean Air
Excellence Awards. Every year, the EPA reviews nominations from throughout
the U.S. and recognizes and honors those individuals and organizations
that “have undertaken the risks of innovation, served as pioneers
in their fields, and have helped improve air quality.” Award winners
must provide a model for others to follow, and ideally also demonstrate
effective collaboration and partnerships. Project Green Fleet won in the
category Community Action, one of only two nationwide, whose award winners
must have “significantly improved the community quality of life.”
On May 28, 2008, MEI’s Bill Droessler will attend the award ceremony
in Washington D.C., together with Mike Harley and the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency’s Cathy Moeger on behalf of Project Green Fleet and
its many partners.
Within just two years of its inception, Project Green Fleet is now recognized
at the national level as a model for others to follow. Kudos to the project’s
many partners and sponsors who have made its success possible.
For more information about Project Green Fleet, visit www.projectgreenfleet.org
or contact Bill Droessler at
612-334-3388 ext. 103 or by email.
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BUSINESS
AND ENVIRONMENT SERIES: MAKING THE CASE FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT MANAGEMENT
Attend this MEI forum that provides practical information
about energy strategies for mid- to large-sized businesses. The forum
is recommended for business representatives, consultants, energy service
providers, and members of state agencies or nonprofit organizations. Attendees
will tour Great River Energy’s newly opened platinum LEED-certified
headquarters, one of Minnesota’s most energy efficient buildings
featuring state-of-the-art technologies.
Wednesday, May 28, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
Great River Energy Headquarters
12300 Elm Creek Boulevard, Maple Grove, MN
Registration: $40 MEI members; $60 non-members.
A limited number of scholarships are available.
Click here to
register on-line.
For more information, contact Ellen Gibson at 612-334-3388 ext. 101, or
by email.
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THE LOW HANGING FRUIT OF
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
MEI’s Energy Efficiency Project for Small
to Mid-Sized Businesses concluded this past March when Project Manager
Jack Hogin submitted a report summarizing MEI’s findings to the
Minnesota Department of Commerce. The project used a stakeholder process,
online survey, and interviews to gather input from both the consumers
and providers of energy in this business sector. Its conclusions are thought
provoking.
Outreach efforts by power utilities to promote energy conservation often
focus primarily on the largest firms–corporations such as Target,
3M or Medtronic in Minnesota. Investor-owned utilities are required by
law to help their consumers achieve measurable reductions in energy consumption.
A well-designed conservation improvement program (CIP) provided to a large
firm can efficiently achieve substantial energy savings and help satisfy
that mandate. However, utilities won’t accomplish their overall
conservation goals unless they also devise effective programs for small
businesses.
Small businesses represent over 99% of all business nationwide and are
responsible for half the country’s economic output–Minnesota
is no different than the rest of the nation. It follows that small businesses
represent the greatest number of consumers of energy within the business
community, which is the greatest consumer of energy in the state. Helping
these small businesses save energy is more costly than helping large firms
– there are many more accounts to service. However, helping them
become more energy efficient will have an enormous impact on overall energy
consumption in the state since they represent the bulk of the business
sector. Moreover, these are the firms that to date have least benefited
from energy conservation initiatives. Helping small businesses save energy
is the “low hanging fruit” of energy efficiency opportunities
in Minnesota.
How can small businesses be helped? Small businesses are confronted by
several barriers to increasing their energy efficiency. MEI’s report
identifies a total of 15 barriers such as limited financing or conservation
programs that don’t serve the unique needs of small businesses.
Strategies that address every barrier, even multiple barriers, are also
identified in the report – a total of 21 strategies. Limited financing
can be addressed by strategies such as energy efficiency specific mortgages
or alternative payback structures (examples are provided in the report).
Conservation programs can better serve the needs of small businesses by
providing more energy analysis audits and follow-ups after audits, including
providing the technical assistance small businesses need to actually implement
the recommendations provided by an audit.
Lastly, MEI’s report provides case studies of successful programs
that promote energy efficiency for small businesses, and offers many recommendations
for the Department of Commerce, utility companies, organizations such
as municipalities or lending institutions, and for the small businesses
themselves.
The report can be downloaded by clicking
here. For more information about the project, contact Jack
Hogin at 612-334-3388 ext. 105, or by
email.
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Construction will begin soon on a green demonstration
house to be built jointly by MEI, LHB (an architecture, engineering and
design firm) and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (Habitat). Located in
Crystal, the house will showcase proven green building methods that ultimately
may be integrated into every new Habitat home.
Although called a demonstration house, this will be an actual home that
will be occupied by a fortunate family who will benefit from its improved
indoor air quality, greater water and energy efficiency, and other features.
Its green attributes will be unquestioned–the house will be LEED
certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a national
certification system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that
uses measurable results to evaluate buildings. The LEED certification
process has been made possible by the generous support of Waste Management
Inc., a sponsor of the demonstration house.
The house’s most successful features that also contribute to its
affordability or volunteer-friendly construction methods will be considered
for all future Habitat homes. In 2009, Habitat and MEI hope to begin construction
on a multi-unit home that will apply lessons learned from the demonstration
house to a structure designed for more than one family. Groundbreaking
for the demonstration house is planned for this August.
For more information about the demonstration home, contact Jack Hogin
at 612-334-3388 ext. 105, or by
email.
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT: HOW DO WE ACHIEVE BOTH?
Join MEI for a Policy Forum on Friday, June 13, 8:00 a.m. – noon,
at the University Club’s Downtown Clubhouse (formerly the St. Paul
Athletic Club). Click here
for more information about this event.
Confirmed panelists include:
Tom Luce, Research Director, Ameregis
Brad Moore, Commissioner, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Steve Morse, Executive Director, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
Tom Stinson, Minnesota State Economist
John Wells, Environmental Quality Board
Please contact Ellen Gibson at 612-334-3388 ext. 101, or email
to receive detailed information.
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MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TO MEI
Do you want to supprot MEI's work that helps find
solutions to Minnesota's environmental problems by becoming a member or
making a contribution? Click here
to make a contribution online. For more information, contact Katy Lowery
at 612-334-3388 ext. 111 or
by email.
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