Energy efficiency retrofits

[From Philanthropy News Digest] The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has announced $2.7 million in grants through a national competition designed to support replicable approaches for increasing the number and depth of energy efficiency retrofits in existing buildings.

Nine organizations were awarded grants ranging from $135,269 to $350,000 to address barriers that prevent building owners, property mangers, leaders, and investors from undertaking and financing retrofits in residential and commercial buildings, including the "split incentive" problem in which tenants rather than landlords benefit from energy-efficiency improvements financed by property owners as well as a lack of capital for upfront costs. To address these and other barriers, recipients will work to develop and test a range of financing models, marketing strategies, and tools for assessing energy use and retrofit options.

Buildings account for roughly 40 percent of the nation's energy use and represent the single largest source of carbon dioxide emissions. Despite the potential for significant energy savings and financial benefits, numerous barriers impede energy efficiency retrofits in both the residential and commercial real estate sectors.

In addition, DDCF recently awarded grants of $600,000 and $550,000 to the Natural Resources Defense Council and New Buildings Institute, respectively, to address barriers to energy-efficiency retrofits in the commercial real estate sector through its Environment program. The recent grants bring the total amount awarded by DDCF in 2010 for improving energy efficiency in buildings to $3.8 million.

For a complete list of Environment Program grants made by the foundation, visit the DDCF Web site.

“Hundreds of Nonprofits Respond to National Competition Soliciting Scalable Ideas for Propelling Energy Efficiency Retrofits of Buildings Across U.S.” Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Press Release 10/25/10.

October 28 Webinar: Green Jobs Training - Funding, Implementing, and Collaborating

Oct 25, 2010

The U.S. Department of Labor's Women's Bureau has held a series of webinars designed for the workforce community, designed to offer information and an exchange of ideas to better connect women with green jobs and green jobs training. This area of workforce development is an important part of preparing our nation to be competitive in the new economy. The teleconferences have been geared towards workforce professionals, career advisors, and educators, although interested women are welcome to participate as well.

The seventh and final teleconference in this series, "Green Jobs Training: Funding, Implementing, and Collaborating" will take place on October 28, 2010, from 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. EDT.

During this concluding teleconference, the speakers will present strategies for partnering and leveraging resources to build capacity and support for green jobs training programs, as well as tips on designing and delivering an effective program. In addition, there will be a review of federal funds invested in promoting green economy growth and green jobs.

Speakers include:

• Sara Manzano-Díaz, Women's Bureau, Director
  
• Tiffany Bluemle, Vermont Works for Women, Executive Director
  
• Teresa Kittridge, Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace, Executive Director
  
• Representative of U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration
  

Participation is limited, so please register early! Please visit the Women's Bureau website for more information or register here.

SEED Center Update

The American Association of Community Colleges has passed along this update for the workforce community on the Sustainability Education & Economic Development (SEED) initiative and resource center.

The clean energy and green economy present an unprecedented opportunity to boost American prosperity. Billions of dollars stand to be captured by using energy more wisely, drawing on energy sources that never run out, and developing our world more sustainably. Public and private investment, innovative technologies, government action, and consumer behavior are all driving this new economy. As green jobs continue to grow quickly, community colleges will play a critical role in preparing an educated workforce with the skill sets to fuel and meet industry and public demand.

While a number of community colleges have developed innovative green job training programs, many schools need additional support to extend these opportunities to the nearly 12 million community college students nationwide. The SEED Center is designed to provide the information and national coordination needed for advancing program development and implementation.

The SEED Center offers access to resources such as promising practices and curriculum materials in subject areas including renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, general sustainability, and more.

In the SEED Community, educators exchange information and ideas using a wiki and topical discussion boards. With a simple login, any community college faculty or staff member may use this feature.

As a start, the SEED Center is focusing largely on four key green economy sectors: solar, wind, green building, and energy efficiency. In time, the site plans to build out other areas that are known to be crucial to job growth, such as sustainable agriculture, geothermal, smart grid technology, water and wastewater, and alternative fuels.

Women in Green Jobs Teleconference

DOL's Women's Bureau will host a teleconference focusing on developing green jobs training programs at 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 28, the final in a series of seven teleconferences designed to provide workforce professionals, educators, career advisors and others with ideas on how to better connect women with green jobs. Speakers from the Women's Bureau, Vermont Works for Women, Minnesota Renewable Energy Marketplace and the department's Employment and Training Administration will present strategies on leveraging resources for green jobs training, as well as tips on designing an effective program. In addition, there will be a review of federal funds invested in promoting green economy growth and green jobs.

Learn More About the Teleconference