Welcome to a DTE mini-series on the economy. This isn’t going to be too high-concept, since we’re armchair economists at best, but we firmly believe that a way out of this downturn is in the possibility of clean-energy and green-collar jobs. The following posts will seek to highlight examples of innovative thinking and what we can learn from other cities as it pertains to Spokane in terms of sustainable practices and a potential economic revival.
Let’s start with our neighbors to the east: Missoula.
Members of the Greenhouse Gas and Energy Conservation Team are trying to help the city launch a clean energy project that calls for selling “renewable energy certificates,” which would help subsidize construction costs in the community. “It's really low risk. There's no investment involved. There's minimal expense. And there's a potential for some revenues to be generated,” said Brian Kerns, a member of the Conservation Team, in the Missoulian.
Proponents are modeling the project after a similar venture in Ashland, Oregon that worked. There, one dollar of every carbon offset sale goes into a fund for green energy projects in Ashland. One carbon offset equals 1,000 kilowatt hours or some 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide. In turn, the city recently constructed a solar package (panels, kiosks, educational materials, activities) for a school, with a total value of some $28,000.
Kerns says Missoula doesn't have the budget and currently the market is not predicted to be receptive. But with a group of volunteers running the program off the ground, some savvy marketing--- demonstrating to businesses the long-term advantages of signing on---and raising clean energy awareness to customers via power companies, this project could be implemented.
The Missoula City Council Conservation Committee heard the proposal and Chairwoman Marilyn Marler presented the idea to the mayor's administrative leadership team. “It seems like it's slowly gaining some momentum,” Marler said.
There’s no reason to not attempt a parallel effort in Spokane. There’s already such a fantastic network of non-profits here---Futurewise, the Lands Council, Northwest Climate Change Center first come to mind---to discuss the possibility of renewable energy certificates for the community. Hypothetically, the volunteers to coordinate such a program would be something along the lines of another City Of Spokane Sustainability Task Force. The city and Avista Corp. already offer energy incentives, how many are aware of this remains dubious, but a credit proposal could add revenue while proceeds come back to greening Spokane.
Check out the Missoula green business plan here, courtesy of Missoula Red Tape.
The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.
Welcome to a DTE mini-series on the economy. This isn’t going to be too high-concept, since we’re armchair economists at best, but we firmly believe that a way out of this downturn is in the possibility of clean-energy and green-collar jobs. The following posts will seek to highlight examples of innovative thinking and what we can learn from other cities as it pertains to Spokane in terms of sustainable practices and a potential economic revival.
Let’s start with our neighbors to the east: Missoula.
Members of the Greenhouse Gas and Energy Conservation Team are trying to help the city launch a clean energy project that calls for selling “renewable energy certificates,” which would help subsidize construction costs in the community. “It's really low risk. There's no investment involved. There's minimal expense. And there's a potential for some revenues to be generated,” said Brian Kerns, a member of the Conservation Team, in the Missoulian.
Proponents are modeling the project after a similar venture in Ashland, Oregon that worked. There, one dollar of every carbon offset sale goes into a fund for green energy projects in Ashland. One carbon offset equals 1,000 kilowatt hours or some 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide. In turn, the city recently constructed a solar package (panels, kiosks, educational materials, activities) for a school, with a total value of some $28,000.
Kerns says Missoula doesn't have the budget and currently the market is not predicted to be receptive. But with a group of volunteers running the program off the ground, some savvy marketing--- demonstrating to businesses the long-term advantages of signing on---and raising clean energy awareness to customers via power companies, this project could be implemented.
The Missoula City Council Conservation Committee heard the proposal and Chairwoman Marilyn Marler presented the idea to the mayor's administrative leadership team. “It seems like it's slowly gaining some momentum,” Marler said.
There’s no reason to not attempt a parallel effort in Spokane. There’s already such a fantastic network of non-profits here---Futurewise, the Lands Council, Northwest Climate Change Center first come to mind---to discuss the possibility of renewable energy certificates for the community. Hypothetically, the volunteers to coordinate such a program would be something along the lines of another City Of Spokane Sustainability Task Force. The city and Avista Corp. already offer energy incentives, how many are aware of this remains dubious, but a credit proposal could add revenue while proceeds come back to greening Spokane.
Check out the Missoula green business plan here, courtesy of Missoula Red Tape.
