What’s next after the Ohio Treasury Green Listening?
October 6, 2009
Last Tuesday night, the Ohio Treasury Green Listening Tour at Wilmington College featured some great conversation, so we want to provide a brief recap for those who were not able to make it, and talk a little about our next steps.
First, we’d like to thank everyone who came out (and wore green) in support of green initiatives in Clinton County. It was a great sight from the panel up front, and we felt that it really demonstrated that in Clinton County, we are serious and committed about green development issues.
As for the discussion, the main focus was on the Ohio Treasury’s new ECO-Link program which partners with participating banks to reduce the cost of financing for homeowners investing in energy related improvements. ECO-Link is one of a growing number of state and federal programs working to stimulate energy investment by addressing the issue of financing. While it may not seem like these types of programs can have a huge impact, developing financing mechanism that allow homeowners to pay back investments with the energy savings realized by the investment can really make investing attractive for homeowners.
But there are a lot of moving parts to get green investment going beyond financing, which is what the conversation settled on. Two of our most important local challenges are: (1) a lack of certified weatherization contractors and energy auditors in Clinton County & (2) unquantified local demand for energy improvements.
In the coming months, ECC will be working to confront these issues head on. But we’ll need your help.
First, we’d like to begin working to help get interested contractors Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified. BPI is national standard for weatherization certification, and is recognized by the state of Ohio for its weatherization related programs. To get things moving, we’d like to have a meeting for all contractors or individuals interested in learning about energy related contracting jobs, and what certifications are required. We have tentatively planned the meeting for Thurs. Nov. 12th, so please help us spread the word to your friends and neighbors who might be interested. We will be providing more details as the event approaches.
Second, we have prepared a Home Energy Improvement Survey to help us collect data on the local demand for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements. Capturing this data is an essential step in getting the ball rolling on green business and job creation in Clinton County. Please take five minutes to complete this survey HERE and forward it to your friends.
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. .
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed