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Energy Innovation Corridor e-Newsletter
Minnesota's clean energy and transportation showcase  

 

 

April 2014

  
Welcome to the April issue of the Energy Innovation Corridor e-Newsletter. Thanks for your continued interest in how we're partnering to develop a cleaner energy and transportation future for Minnesota. Questions or comments? Send us an email.
In This Issue
Energy and transportation celebrated for Earth Day
Historic Union Depot Earns LEED® Gold Certification
Insight into small business energy resources participation
SAVE ENERGY & MONEY
Minneapolis Convention Center achieves eco-focused certification

Earth Day event celebrates clean energy and transportation

It was the perfect time to celebrate accomplishments that would make Mother Earth proud. Metro Transit hosted an Earth Day event at its new METRO Green Line Operations and Maintenance Facility in St. Paul within the Energy Innovation Corridor. Metro Transit showcased the facility, which utilized Xcel Energy's free Energy Design Assistance program to incorporate multiple sustainable and energy efficiency measures. The facility and the entire rail system was powered for the entire day with 100 percent Windsource�. Attendees learned about the accomplishments by the 20+ Energy Innovation Corridor partners. One noteworthy result of their efforts include carbon emissions avoided that are equivalent to taking 236,500 cars of the road each year. Another EIC partner, the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, welcomed some 100 employees to Lowertown. Learn more. 

Historic Union Depot Earns LEED� Gold Certification

Owned by Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority (RCRRA), historic Union Depot earned LEED� Gold certification for the recently completed restoration. EIC partners District Energy and Xcel Energy provided technical support to Union Depot teams as they restored the building to its peak 20th century elegance while incorporating 21st century green building best practices. The RCRRA's Board of Commissioners prioritized sustainability for Union Depot's renovation, restoration and construction. Initially, Union Depot teams sought LEED Silver status but took extra steps to attain LEED Gold certification. Learn more about Union Depot's LEED Gold certification. Check out the showcase

Insight into small business energy resources participation

A number of programs are available and have been designed to help small businesses reduce their energy and resource consumption, yet some smaller businesses in the Twin Cities and along University Ave. in St. Paul don't take advantage of the programs offered. A local project in partnership with the Met Council, the Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority, Ramsey County, the city of St. Paul, HUD, and the Neighborhood Development Center sought to find out why participation in these programs is low among small minority and immigrant owned food service businesses. The research for this project provided valuable information that may help energy and resource providers understand the needs of these businesses based on their current state of operations linked to energy, recycling and waste.  Project recommendations will help service providers develop more effective methods of improving participation rates. Learn more.

 

SAVE ENERGY & MONEY 

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CenterPoint Energy can help you drive down transportation costs. Businesses across Minnesota are discovering that natural gas vehicles (NGVs) are an economical and eco-friendly option for their fleet vehicles. Natural gas' affordability, abundance and smaller carbon footprint have commercial businesses exploring how natural gas can offer clean transportation solutions. Purchasing new isn't the only option. Existing light-or heavy-duty gasoline or diesel vehicles can also be converted to natural gas using certified installers. Learn more.

 

Xcel Energy offers bonus rebates, low- and no-cost solutions. Recommissioning focuses on identifying opportunities that tune-up the existing equipment in your building, so no major purchases are necessary. Many of the low- or no-cost opportunities identified in a recommissioning study can greatly reduce your overall energy costs. The program offers study funding, implementation rebates and bonus rebates to reduce your long-term energy costs. Learn more.

Thanks for your continued interest and support of the Energy Innovation Corridor - Minnesota's showcase area - making energy-efficiency, renewable energy, smart technologies and transportation a reality.
 
Sincerely,
 
The Energy Innovation Corridor Communications Team
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Minneapolis Convention Center achieves 

eco-focused certification 

 

  The Minneapolis Convention Center, the largest convention center in the Upper Midwest, has achieved Level One certification to the ASTM Standard for the Evaluation and Selection of Venues for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences. The new international sustainability venue standard provides event planners and suppliers with specifications for producing events in a more sustainable manner. The ASTM Venue Standard details the requirements for venue selection -- the practice of researching, evaluating and choosing the facility for an event. It specifies specific performance criteria for staff management, communications, waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement and community partners.
    

 

 

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About

Energy Innovation Corridor  

Located within one of the most unique urban communities in the country, the Energy Innovation Corridor was formed to create a sustainable energy and transportation showcase. The first-of-its-kind, this clean energy and transportation model extends along the 11-mile Central Corridor light rail transit project route, from downtown Saint Paul to Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, along Washington and University avenues, via the Minnesota State Capitol and entire University of Minnesota-Minneapolis campus.  

 

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