Climate & Environment
Clean Energy Projects
Working to accelerate an equitable transformation to a clean energy economy, Groundwork teams assist local governments, utilities, and developers in clearing the way for local renewable energy infrastructure.
SolaRISE
SolaRISE was launched to help schools and nonprofits fundraise to purchase solar and other renewable energy systems for both instruction and energy supply. Learn more about SolaRISE here.
100% Communities
We support local governments with policy and technical advice as they transition to a clean energy economy. Learn more about our 100% Clean Energy Communities work here.
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Clean Energy Project News
Momentum builds for a regional energy plan
The 88,000 people in Grand Traverse County spend $306 million a year on energy. Of those millions, 70 percent leaves the community-a huge tax and a drain on the people and the economy of the region. But what if we dedicated ourselves to making sure more of that money stays in the region? What if we embarked on a deliberate plan to cut back on those energy costs, capture the energy that’s being wasted, and invest in new energy sources locally? Those were the questions asked last week at a workshop in Traverse City.
Plugged In: Opportunity Knocks in Snyder’s Energy Message
Reading the text of Governor Rick Snyder’s Special Message on Energy and the Environment, which is a bit more detailed than the remarks he delivered last Wednesday, it’s clear he’s serious about energy efficiency and, to some extent, renewables like wind and solar power. But he was also less detailed than some hoped.
Plugged In: No Time to Wait on Renewables
The ruckus over renewables isn’t over: Proposal 3’s advocates sound even more determined to boost renewables goals beyond their current “10 percent by 2015” target and make Michigan a jobs-rich, global, renewables manufacturing leader. And on Wednesday, Gov. Rick Snyder used his Special Message on Energy and the Environment to say he’s ready to start a conversation next year about resetting the goal for renewables.