A new publication highlights clean energy projects in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, demonstrating the leadership role community foundations can play in advancing clean energy in the communities they serve.
A new publication highlights clean energy projects in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, demonstrating the leadership role community foundations can play in advancing clean energy in the communities they serve.
“Harnessing the Energy of Michigan Community Foundations,” a clean energy storybook, shares the stories of four communities that were awarded Community Foundations for Clean Energy grants from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. These projects were also highlighted in a recent video series led by CMF.
The projects involved the creation of new dynamic partnerships, community conversations and a range of energy efficient upgrades in the participating communities.
In Northern Michigan, the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation (GTRCF), Charlevoix County Community Foundation and Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation collaborated as a regional team in this work.
They worked with three nonprofits to highlight sustainable energy work underway in the region and increased public awareness through workshops and community meetings.
The project also helped participating cities benchmark and understand the energy usage of their city buildings and create management goals and plans. One outcome of the team’s work was helping to inform a plan for Traverse City and Petoskey to establish 100% community-wide renewable energy goals.
In the UP, the Community Foundation of Marquette County (CFMC) led a partnership that supported installation of a solar array on an older home recently purchased by a young family, and signed up another household to buy solar energy from a solar farm, efforts that others in the community could see and then consider replicating in their own homes.
CFMC also installed solar panels on their office building.
The Keweenaw Community Foundation said with such high utility rates in the UP they wanted to work with the Mott Foundation through this grant to find ways to reduce energy costs and the community’s carbon footprint.
This worked involved collaboration to build nonprofit capacity through energy efficiency. As a result, several nonprofits, including the Calumet Theater, converted to LED lighting and 97 homes in the community were winterized.
The M&M Area Community Foundation partnered with several entities to conduct energy audits in 10 of its area school districts and train teachers in raising awareness about energy efficiency with their students. Classrooms held a competition that engaged students in considering ways to be more energy efficient at home with their families.
You can learn more about the partnerships and collaboration through the clean energy storybook and dive into the specific projects in our Clean Energy video series.
Want more?
Watch our Clean Energy video series.
Read Harnessing the Energy of Michigan Community Foundations.
Have questions? Connect with Andrea Judd-Shurmur, director of Learning Services at CMF.
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