ESCANABA - Small businesses in Delta County are encouraged to become more energy efficient by participating in a free energy audit of their facilities. The offer was presented during a seminar on energy conservation at city hall Wednesday.
A total of 30 small business energy audits are being funded through a grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission (PSC), announced Kevin Cook, consultant for Michigan GREEN (Group for a Renewable Energy Efficient Nation).
More than two dozen business people and other interested persons attended the meeting sponsored by the Delta County Joint Governmental Committee. Many signed up for the Delta Green Energy Audit program.
Delta GREEN will officially kick off operations on August 6 at the Small Business Energy Conservation Symposium being held at Escanaba City Hall. The green community partnership is being funded by a Michigan Public Service Commission grant and Michigan GREEN, an Escanaba-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the implementation of energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Doug Russell, Michigan GREEN Executive Director, will also direct Delta GREEN. An exciting facet of the new program will be the opportunity for Delta County businesses to receive FREE energy audits to help them save energy and money. Project funding, if needed, will also be available through the Michigan GREEN Fund.
Michigan GREEN Awarded MPSC Grant for Delta County Green Community Partnership
The Michigan Public Service Commission announced that a $50,000 grant has been awarded to Michigan GREEN to help fund a green community partnership to encourage community-based renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. Michigan GREEN (Group for a Renewable Energy Efficient Nation), a nationally-focused nonprofit organization in Escanaba, will use the grant funds to provide FREE energy audits to small businesses in Delta County.
The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has awarded Michigan GREEN (Group for a Renewable Energy Efficient Nation) a $500,000 grant from its Low-Income Energy Efficiency Fund to organize, implement, and complete a low-income energy efficiency project.
This Michigan GREEN grant will fund the purchase and distribution of energy saving kits to low-income multifamily facilities throughout Michigan. The kits, specifically designed for apartments, will contain items such as compact fluorescent lamps, LED nightlights, energy/water saving showerheads and faucet flow moderators.
The historic renovation has begun at 1215 Ludington Street in Escanaba, which will house the home office of Michigan GREEN when completed. The 100-year old structure, to be known as the Michigan GREEN Building, has undergone façade repairs to make it weathertight, replacement of first floor windows and doors, and a new coat of paint utilizing a color scheme reflecting the historic era of the building. The façade renovation was made possible, in part, through a $10,000 grant provided by the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority.
Kathryn Russell, a Michigan GREEN board member and fifth grade teacher at Graveraet Intermediate School in Marquette, was recently named one of two inaugural recipients of the Grosvenor Teacher Fellowship, named in honor of National Geographic Society Chairman Gilbert M. Grosvenor's lifetime commitment to geography education. As part of her award, she will travel on a 10-day (Nov. 23rd - Dec. 2nd) Lindblad Expedition to the Galapagos Islands.
With a major focus on viable energy improvement projects for the State of Michigan, MSG has created the Michigan Green Fund - $45M exclusively to finance energy projects and green technology for municipal entities such as cities, counties, school districts, special districts, and all other governmental agencies statewide This special allocation will enable qualified entities within the state to finance these projects, upgrades, and improvements at aggressively low interest rates using a structure more cost effective than bonds. MSG has invested the resources necessary to obtain a solid understanding of the benefits these improvements and projects have not only from an environmentally conscious perspective, but also from the fiscally responsible perspective of all parties involved. MSG looks forward to being a leader in ushering in any new technology and processes which ultimately contribute to the preservation of our world’s natural resources and increase the quality of the world we live in.
Michigan GREEN, in partnership with G-Energy and the Northern Lights Energy Program at the M-TECSM at Bay College, recently completed work on an energy grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). The $750,000 grant from the MPSC’s Low-Income Energy Efficiency Fund (LIEEF) made possible the purchase and distribution of energy kits to low-income renters throughout rural areas of Michigan.
More than 7,150 kits (retail value $140 ea.) were distributed in 61 counties throughout Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. The kits contain compact fluorescent light bulbs, LED nightlite/flashlight, Oxygenics showerhead and Neoperl aerators. Bryan Zaplitny, founder of Michigan GREEN stated, "Based on the potential energy savings of $100/year from these conservation measures, the total savings on utility bills from these households will exceed $3.5 million over the next five years. That’s a tremendous return on investment for the MPSC’s energy grant program."
Michigan GREEN, in partnership with G-Energy and the Northern Lights Energy Program at the M-TECSM at Bay College, recently completed work on an energy grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC). The $750,000 grant from the MPSC’s Low-Income Energy Efficiency Fund (LIEEF) made possible the purchase and distribution of energy kits to low-income renters throughout rural areas of Michigan.