The Cook County Residential Energy Program (REEP) belongs to you!Local Climate Change Action - After passing a Climate Inheritance Resolution in February of 2017, the City of Grand Marais recently hired a Climate Action Coordinator. His name is Shane Steele and he will be coordinating City and County efforts to create a Climate Action Plan. To learn more, read the Existing Climate Conditions Report, created by the Great Plains Institute, 2017.2018 Builder & Contractor Workshop - Saturday, February 10Twenty-three local builders & contractors attended this annual workshop. We'd like to thank the instructor Andy Schreder and the workshop sponsors: Cook County EDA, Arrowhead Electric Cooperative, InFaith Community Foundation, Sawtooth Lumber, Buck's Hardware, Cook County Home Center and the Cook County Chamber.
Available to all homes and businesses in Cook County, REEP can save you money on your energy bill, help you conserve resources and reduce your carbon footprint. Please email [email protected] to schedule an audit, or request information. Or visit the REEP Program page: http://www.cookcountylocalenergy.org/groups/energy-efficiency/reep
Fall Home Energy Tour, September 30, 2017 
It was a beautiful day and we had a great turn out. Thank you to Brian Bennett of Outback Solar Electric, who presented the group with a Solar Primer before we headed out on the tour. Participants were able to experience five different solar photovoltaic (pv) or solar heating systems and talk with the home owners about their personal experiences living with and installing renewable energy systems for their homes or businesses.The Local Energy Project would also like to thank the Cook County Community Fund, InFaith Community Foundation, Solbakken on Superior for providing van transportation and also to Voyageur Brewing Company who donated beverages to all of the tour participants and home volunteers.
The Nordic Nature Group helps pass Climate Inheritance Resolution!
The Nordic Nature Group successfully introduced their youth climate report card to the Grand Marais City Council in conjunction with iMatter Youth Movement on February 22nd. There were 50 people in attendance at the meeting to support the youth naturalists for taking the lead on climate change.
Their overall grade on how the city is currently combating climate change: D+!
After presenting the report card, the team introduced three important actions the city could take to get that grade up:
1. Create a climate action plan that would reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions to levels that would protect our children and grandchildren in
the community from the effects of climate destruction.
2. Begin creating this climate action plan within three months and complete it as soon as possible.
3. Find a way to include the youth voice in decision making for things that have to do with climate change and the environment.
The council unanimously moved to pass a Climate Inheritance Resolution that represents a commitment to creating a climate action plan in the next year and working to improve the city's current grade.
Find out more about iMatter and the Nordic Nature Group visit http://www.imatteryouth.org/grandmarais-mn/
In other Local Energy News ~
CCLEP has a number of tools designed to help answer common questions about adding solar capability to your
home or business. New this year is a Solar Pay Back Calculator that can help determine what system size and
installation proposal will be the best for you. To learn more visit our Solar Program page ~
http://www.cookcountylocalenergy.org/groups/solar
Solar Installation Survey If you own a solar PV system in Cook County, please fill out the CCLEP Solar Survey.This will help us identify the growing number of renewable energy users in Cook County.Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is now available in Cook County. PACE is a low-interest loan program designed specifically for businesses and non-profits.
Our Mission
The Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP) is a nonprofit organization working for energy efficiency, renewable energy development and other climate change solutions in Cook County, Minnesota.
CCLEP Action Plan
- Engender community conversation about energy issues through public meetings, radio shows, newspaper articles, on-line postings, and a dedicated website.
- Build and strengthen a network of interested parties to improve communication about, and increase coordination of, local energy projects.
- Investigate feasibility of various energy efficiency and renewable energy production options specific to Cook County.
- Gather, organize, and make available, information about energy issues.
- Develop and maintain a website to make energy information easy to access and useful to our community.
- Engage with local units of government to enact policies that enhance local energy efficiency and renewable energy development.
- Encourage the establishment of a local energy industry by assisting local businesses and non-profits with their energy projects.
- Develop, maintain and implement a county wide Energy Plan.
We pursue this goal in order to achieve the following community benefits:
- Retain energy dollars in our local economy.
- Create jobs.
- Improve quality of life through more comfortable, less-costly, energy efficient housing.
- Buffer our community from unstable energy supply and pricing.
- Reduce harmful climatic and environmental effects of fossil fuel use.
- Reduce dependence on foreign oil.
- Increase local self-reliance.
- Transfer wealth and power into the hands of local citizens and their local utilities.
