Upcoming Events
4CORE will have a booth at all upcoming Fairs and Events
August
5-8: Archuleta County Fair
11-15: La Plata County Fair
13-15: Dolores County Fair
21: Verde Fest in Mancos
September
1: The Net Zero Home, Brown Bag Lunch in Durango
TBD: Tour of an ENERGY STAR Home under construction
October
2: Annual Energy Tour
6: Historical Energy Efficient Remodeling: A Case Study, Brown Bag Lunch in Durango
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Energy News you Can Use is published monthly
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Greetings!
Monsoon season has arrived, but its time to start thinking about the winter already! Is your home insulated and ready for the cold season?
4CORE will be at all the county fairs and lots of other upcoming events, including the Durango Parade of Homes, the Annual Energy Tour, and Verde Fest in Mancos. Stop
by our booth to talk energy and get your free TRULY ZERO WASTE
re-fillable pen, made of scrap metal and wood shavings, or ceramic mug
and spoon.
In the meantime, read on for what's hot right now...
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Energy Tour Coming this Fall
Sponsors are needed
By Vanessa Von der Heyde, Intern
 11th Annual Energy Tour In
Support of World's Largest Grassroots Solar Event
Energy
Tour to showcase wind, solar, and geothermal homes and buildings
The 11th annual La
Plata County Energy Tour is taking place
on October 2nd, 2010 in conjunction with solar tours in over 3000
communities across the U.S. The Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency
(4CORE) is coordinating the tour locally, which is supported and sponsored by
the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) National Solar Tour. The tour will consist of homes and buildings
powered by solar, wind, and geothermal energy. Homeowners and installers will
be available at each of the sites to answer questions and discuss experiences
using renewable energy and lowering utility bills. The event is designed to introduce
solar and other renewable energy technologies that homes are using to 1) drastically
reduce monthly energy bills, 2) reduce harmful carbon emissions, and 3) enjoy
rich tax credits and cash incentives as they improve their property values. Tour maps are $5 and include
options for bicycles and cars (those using cars are encouraged to carpool).
Maps are available for purchase on Saturday, September 25th and
October 2nd at the Durango Farmer's Market in the parking lot of 259
West 9th Street. Energy tour homes and buildings will be open between 9 AM and
2 PM on October 2nd for touring. The guided bike tour will
begin at the Durango Farmer's Market in the parking lot at 9:30 AM sharp (tour
maps and helmets are required). The bike tour will include homes and buildings
within the City of Durango and end at Carver's Brewing Company. We are still looking for companies/individuals who are willing to sponsor this event, either in cash or in kind. If you are interested please contact Vanessa at 259.1916 or email her at vanessa@fourcore.org. Visit www.fourcore.org/energytour.html,
e-mail info@fourcore.org, or call 259.1916 for more information on the energy tour. We hope to see you on the
tour! |
Meet our new Board Members:Bob Da wes
Bob
Dawes currently practices disability law at Dawes and Harriss, P.C. in Durango,
CO. Bob has been with this firm since
1991, but has practiced law in Durango since 1975. Bob received his B.A. from
Syracuse University in 1968, and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law
School in 1971. He is admitted to
practice law in the states of Colorado, Minnesota, Arizona, the Federal
Districts of Colorado and Arizona, and the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Bob strongly supports 4CORE's missions and
goals, and is looking forward to contributing the knowledge he has gained from
his previous experiences with non-profit board development.
 Brad Boyles -- Treasurer
Brad is
a Small Business Development Officer for First Southwest Bank, as well as the
Co-Founder of Smi.sh. Brad grew up in
Alamosa, CO, but received a Bachelor's in Accounting and Finance from the
University of Phoenix in 2007. In 2009
he then went on to earn a Masters in Real Estate Development from Arizona State
University.Brad was attracted to 4CORE because of the way that the goals of the
organization support his own personal principles regarding energy efficiency
initiatives. Because of Brad's strong
background in business finance, cash flow management and business development
he hopes to help 4CORE increase outreach to the business community and to
improve their financial strength.
 Bobbe Jones
Bobbe has been working for Empire Electric Association for
eleven years, and is currently employed as the Assistant Member Services
Manager, a position largely dedicated to public relations. She is editor and writer for Empire's member
newsletter in the Colorado Country Life Magazine and writes a monthly column in
the Cortez Journal called Powerful Solutions. Bobbe has been living in
Southwest Colorado for over 30 years, and she and her husband own a small farm
close to Cortez where they raise and market pumpkins, sheep and
vegetables. Bobbe is also an artist,
with a focus on dog portraits. Bobbe's interest
in 4CORE stems from its goal of motivating the community to voluntarily change
behavior by offering the means and incentives to make a difference. Bobbe hopes to use her talents for community
education and outreach to help 4CORE promote energy efficiency and renewable
energy programs.
 Werner Heiber
Werner is a founder and board chair of the Sustainability
Alliance of SW Colorado (SASCO). In
addition to his work with SASCO, Werner is also a Colorado Master Gardener and
team leader at Shared Harvest Garden, as well as a founding member of Essential
Housing Associates. Werner has a B.S.
degree in Organic Chemistry from Adelphi University and two certificate degrees
from the University of Utah, one in Urban and Regional Planning and the other
in Mediation, Conflict Resolution and Facilitation. Werner's interests lie is sustainable living
and energy efficient homes and he has extensive experience with the construction
of such homes. With his past
experiences, Werner hopes to help 4CORE live up to its mission and vision and
meet its goals.
For the complete list of our board Members please click on the following link 4CORE Board of Directors
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Weatherization and 4CORE
Successful weatherization of 103 homes
By Gregg Dubit, Project Manager
4CORE,
working with Housing Solutions of the Southwest, The Southwest Conservation
Corps and many other local subcontractors in the southwestern 5 counties
(Archuleta, La Plata, San Juan, Montezuma, and Dolores) has successfully
weatherized 103 homes. Starting July 1st,
2010 we began our second fiscal year with weatherization and our new goal is
180 homes by June 30th, 2011. LPEA and EEA continue to assist the
program by supplying energy conservation kits and CFL's to qualifying clients.
Energy savings, improvement of the housing stock for efficiency,
safety and durability, job creation, and satisfied home owners and renters
remain our priorities. Our team of Building Scientists, HVAC and Building
Technicians are all proud of what we do and are very thankful to have
gratifying work. The addition of insulation to walls, attics, and cross spaces
is responsible for our most cost effective savings. Appliance upgrades such as refrigerator, and
furnace replacement also factor in BIG when it comes to energy savings.
For the
clients who participated, we thank you. For those on our wait-list, we are coming. For those interested in improving the
efficiency and safety of their homes please contact us at 4CORE. If you do not qualify for Weatherization we
can help you identify many other available programs such as Recharge
Colorado.
We really feel as though we
are helping the world one home at a time.
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LPEA, EEA, and SMPA Commercial Lighting Rebate
Businesses enjoying
incentive to change out old fluorescent lighting
To further its goal to help customers save energy and
dollars, La Plata Electric Association (LPEA), Empire Electric Association (EEA), and San Miguel Power Association (SMPA), in coordination with
Tri-State Generation and Transmission's Energy Efficiency Credits
program, are offering rebates up to $20,000 per project to commercial
customers to "change out the lights" in their retail, manufacturing or
office facilities.
Local businesses in the LPEA, EEA, and SMPA service territories are now
incentivized to replace their T-12 (tube type) fluorescent light
fixtures with the smaller diameter T-8 or T-5 bulbs. The smaller bulbs,
which operate with an electronic ballast as opposed to the magnetic
ballast of the older T-12, are 27 to 35 percent more energy efficient.
Further, beginning in 2012, the T-12 bulbs will no longer be available.
San Miguel Power also offers their own rebates
for commercial lighting. SMPA gives $35 per LED tube replacing a florescent tube
and $100 per fixture to replace a metal-halide fixture with either a CFL or LED
light. SMPA piloted an LED streetlight project in Ouray in the summer of 2009.
The Town of Ouray is very pleased with the savings they have realized. SMPA also
budgeted money in 2010 to help another community with a similar project. More
details can be found on their website, www.smpa.com.
For additional information for La Plata County, contact LPEA at 970.382.7770 or
email rpierotti@lpea.coop.
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GEO Energy Grants
 The GEO anticipates releasing the following grants in August of 2010.
Anaerobic Digestion Grant - Late August Funding for the purchase of equipment and the completion of
feasibility studies, permitting processes, technology reviews and
economic analysis for anaerobic digestion (AD) projects. Eligible
applicants include agricultural entities, local governments and
businesses wishing to co-locate with an AD project and wastewater
treatment districts. Recharge Colorado Outreach Innovation Grant- Late August
The Recharge Colorado Outreach Innovation grant is a part of the
GEO's grassroots outreach strategy. The grant provides funding to
non-profits, local governments, students, and utilities that wish to
promote Recharge Colorado programs with innovative local outreach
strategies. This round will include funding for outreach to energy
managers, K-12 teachers and classrooms, homeowners, home renters, energy
efficiency and renewable energy service providers, and small
businesses. |
Resource & Energy 
Action Plan UpdateREAP has a new logo! Watch for this symbol around the five county region to find out the latest progress. |
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Meet the New Intern
 Vanessa Von der Heyde was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and moved to the
States in 2005 to attend the University of Alabama on a swimming
scholarship. After graduating from University with a Bachelor's in
Marketing, she decided to experience living in different parts of the
States and promptly moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to work
and give tours at a dog sledding kennel for the Winter Season. There
she met a Durango Native, which opened up the door to live and work in
Durango for a couple of months. Vanessa appreciates natural beauty and the outdoors, and loves
animals. She wants to dedicate her life to preserving the natural
environment, and educate people in becoming more environmentally
conscious.
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As always, if you have any feedback or questions about how to become more energy efficient, please contact us.
Regards,
4CORE Staff
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