March 09 eMail Update
Mpower Profile: Marquette Elementary
Marquette Elementary School, located on the near east side of Madison, has a history of enthusiasm and support for environmental education. In the fall of 2008, a staff member from Marquette
contacted Seventh Generation Energy Systems, a local non-profit energy
firm, to discuss the possibilities for an energy awareness project for
the students.
The
goals for the project were to create the school's carbon baseline, help
the students create a list of ideas for reducing the school’s energy
consumption and carbon emissions, and to empower the students to
collectively decide which ideas to implement.
Seventh
Generation partnered with MSA, a local planning firm with experience in
sustainable community planning, to prepare the carbon baseline, and
educate students on the findings.
Key findings include:
- Marquette School’s 2008 total carbon emissions are approximately 1,011 metric tons.
- Electricity makes up the largest portion of these emissions (55.6%), followed by natural gas (36.8%).
- Based on the student survey, approximately 21.7% contribute no CO2 emissions by either walking, biking or using a scooter to travel to school.
- Of the 9 classes that brainstormed, the number one voted carbon reduction strategy was to install a solar electric or solar hot water system on the school.
- Marquette School could easily meet a goal of a 10% reduction in carbon emissions from their 2008 baseline.
View the complete profile here!
Check out a Portable Energy Meter From Madison Public Library
Understand just how much electricity your appliances and office
equipment use with a portable energy meter by borrowing a portable
energy meter, just like you would a book, to gain appliance energy
insights and help make your equipment decisions. MGE has donated many
of these popular meters to area libraries.
Find and/or reserve a meter online by searching on “Portable Energy
Meter” in your library system's online catalog. In the South Central Library System, you can also click on “Watts Up?” or “Portable Energy Meter” at the bottom of Madison Public Library’s electronic book list, connecting with LINKcat.
Solar Info Center: A Model for Sustainable Development
Date: Thursday, March 26th
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Edgewood College
Presenter: Prof. Rolf C. Buschmann, Managing Director of the Freiburg's Solar Info Center
Rolf
C. Buschmann a civil engineer, architect and project developer from
Freiburg, Germnay (a Madison Sister City) is coming to visit on March
26th & 27th to highlight some of his efforts regarding renewable
energy and sustainable planning. He will especially focus on Freiburg's
Solar Info Center - a sustainability-oriented business facility model
that he would like to bring to Madison.
The
following links provide additional background on Solar Info Center, on
Freiburg city sites, and the region around Frieburg. to read in
English,
Energy Efficiency Tax Help
US Department of Energy: Tax Breaks for Businesses
The Alliance To Save Energy: Energy-Efficiency Home and Vehicle Tax Credits
Focus On Energy: Solar, wind and geothermal federal tax credits summary
Tax Incentives Assistance Project
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