Green News

(Reported by Ken Deffenbacher) 

Green Initiatives In Omaha--Green Neighborhood Council’s March Community Roundtable Facilitator: Kristi Wamstad-Evans, Omaha’s Sustainability Coordinator When:  Thursday, March 8th – 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.  Where:  Neighborhood Center, 115 S. 49th Avenue    All GNC community events are free and open to the public.    Ms. Wamstad-Evans was hired as the City's first Sustainability Coordinator in September, 2009. Over the past 2-1/2 years, she has worked to establish ECO-Omaha, the Office of Sustainable Development in City Hall, has been responsible for managing over $14 million in energy efficiency projects and programs, and has established many new tools to help facilitate and catalyze sustainability in the City of Omaha.    Ms. Wamstad-Evans will report on progress made since 2009 and discuss ECO-Omaha's plans for 2012, including building a community-wide web-based tool  for collecting information about local efforts to promote and implement  sustainability. She is very interested in learning what community groups and individuals are doing to help make our neighborhoods and our city more sustainable.    The Mayor's Neighborhood Grants provide local organizations with grants of up to  $5000 to pursue and implement creative green solutions in their own neighborhoods. Applications for the 2012 funding cycle are due March 26th.   Kristi will be discussing the types of green projects that were funded over the  last two years and provide details on how neighborhood associations and other  organizations can apply for a 2012 grant.    Tom McCauley, administrator for the Mayor's Neighborhood Grants will also be available to answer questions about the 2012 application process.   

Workshop: The Nuts and Bolts of Solar Energy & Organizing a Solar Buying Co-Op--When:  Saturday, March 10th from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.  Where: First Unitarian Church (3114 Harney St.)    This will be the second in a series of workshops co-sponsored by the Green Neighborhood Council (GNC) and the Nebraska Solar Energy Society (NSES) to provide information about solar energy and, for those who are interested, to work with one another and with local experts to organize a solar buying co-op.  Except for visits to solar homes and businesses, all Omaha Solar Buying Co-Op meetings will be held the second Saturday of each month from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. in the Common Room of First Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney Street. If you attended the first meeting on February 9th, please bring your packet of information and the other handouts with you, or click here to access and print the information, www.greenomahacoalition.org. These workshops are free and open to everyone interested in learning about solar energy and the opportunity to help organize a community-led solar buying co-op.