INFORMATION #2 10-20-2008INFORMATION
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ver MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor & City Council
FROM: Rebecca Haug, Environmental Administrator
DATE: October 20, 2008
SUBJECT: Energy City Highlighted in State of the Cities Report
The City of Elk River has been highlighted in the League of Minnesota Cities, 2008 State of
the Cities Report for the "Pursuit of Energy Efficiency". Lori Johnson, City Administrator
was interviewed and provided a brief history of Elk River and then highlight the initiatives
the City has taken to be more energy efficient. The highlights include the creation of the
Energy City Commission, "Project Conserve", the Elk River library's Gold LEED
certification and Elk River Municipal Utilities accomplishments along with several others.
There were a total of seven (7) cities interviewed: Anoka, Apple Valley, Elk River,
Minneapolis, Northfield, Rushford Village and Wells.
Attached to this memo is the section on Elk River. To read the entire report visit:
http://wlv~v.lmnc.org/page/1 /sustainabilit~T-resources.jsp and then click on State of the
Cities Report 2008.
Also, as Ms. Johnson reported, the LMC will be airing an episode on TPT on October 26 at
6:00 p.m. highlighting Elk River as "Energy City".
We are certainly encouraged by this recognition and will continue to pursue additional
activities to support the fact that "Elk River Is Energy City."
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About the ci#y
Elk River, the Sherburne County seat, is home to over 22,500 people. Estab-
lished as a trading post at the junction of the Elk and Mississippi rivers, the
city now covers 44 square miles.With over 500 businesses, the city had pro-
moted itself as The Light Industrial Hub of the Northwest Metro and has now
become a destination for energy- and technology-related businesses.An Elk
River landmark, Great River Energy's (GRE) Elk River Station, was home to
the nation's first rural nuclear power plant.The power plant at GRE began
burning fuel derived from refuse in the 19$Os, contributing to the designa-
tion of Elk River as "Energy City." GRE is one of the city's largest employ-
ers, with Independent School District 72$, Sherburne County,Wal-Mart,
and Guardian Angels of Elk River rounding out the top five.
Establishing the green strategy
In 1996, the Minnesota Environmental Initiative sought a community that
was willing to demonstrate leading-edge alternative energy and energy-effi-
cient technologies. Elk River was selected from a list of over 30 communi-
ties and was named "Energy City" in 1997.The basic premise behind Energy
City is that solutions to environmental problems need to make economic
sense to be truly sustainable. Energy City is a unique coalition made up
of governmental entities, industries, and environmentalists that meets on a
monthly basis to identify potential leading-edge technologies and ideas that
can have a positive impact on the environment.
The Energy City coalition is not focused on a single project but is instead an
ongoing commitment to fording solutions to em~ironmental problems that
make economic sense. In this way, Energy City has become an integral part of
the Elk River community.Today, 1$ different technologies are demonstrated at
2$ sites in the city, 25 of which are active and toured by groups from around
the world. Energy City has evolved from a geographic focus point for demon-
stration projects to an integral part of city functions. City officials say it is dif-
ficult for city staff and officials not to be involved in resource conservation and
renewable energy because of the Energy City demonstrations.
Specific projects
Multiple examples of energy-efficient technologies can be found in F1k River.
A utility-scale wind turbine, built in 2001, serves as a demonstration of
renewable sources of energy. GRE uses fuel produced from municipal solid
waste to generate power for approximately 30,000 homes. Elk River Munic-
ipal Utilities installed a landfill gas electric generating plant at the Elk River
Landfill in 2002 to use this otherwise wasted resource.This facility currently
serves 15 percent of the community's needs.
Elk River is home to the first gold LEED-certified library in the State, and
one of the few gold LEED-certified school buildings in the country. Several
municipal buildings are heated and cooled with geothermal heat pumps,
which use the earth's temperature for heating and air conditioning. A rain
garden demonstration project covering 14 acres at Elk River Ford dealership
eliminated runoff at the site.
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Highlights
of Elk River's
Green Strategy
• Refuse-derived fuel
• Wind turbine
• LEED standards
• Geothermal heat pumps
• Educational tours/
demonstrations
On$Oln$ efforts
With support of the City Council, Elk River established the Energy City
Commission in 2005 to manage Energy City activities.Through monthly
meetings, the commission provides technical assistance to municipal and
private-sector projects.The city's errvironmental and economic develop-
ment departments provide support to Energy City coalition activities and
use the coalition as a public relations tool. In turn, city staff, commission
members, and corporate partners provide equipment, expertise, volunteers,
and financial support for Energy City initiatives.The city will add an Energy
City Coordinator position in 2008 to aid in program development and to
increase transfer of demonstrated technologies to citizens and schools.
Funding for Energy City initiatives comes largely from the city of Elk
River and other partners. Not relying on grants is intentional.The programs
promoting energy-efficient and renewable energy technologies, services,
and products, as well as other green technologies, have to make economic
sense to truly be sustainable. City officials have found that relying on grant
money can change the focus of projects, diluting their original intent.
Community awareness
Much has been learned in the 11 years since the conception of Energy
City. Its strength is in technical issues but it has had less success in
promoting technologies. Going forward, the Energy City coalition will
better utilize its partners with communication expertise.A reporter at the
local paper has been involved in meetings for Energy City initiatives and
routinely publishes editorials on activities in the paper.Tours of the dem-
onstration sites and the Energy Expo increase awareness among residents.
Residents and visitors can also learn about the city's initiatives by visiting
the Energy City web site and the Environmental Learning Center.
Another partner in the Energy City coalition, Elk River Municipal Utili-
ties, distributes information on energy efficiency to its customers. Over
the last five years, the entity has provided over 8,000 compact fluorescent
light bulbs, 750 air conditioner tune-ups, and 1,500 energy star appliance
rebates. Raising public awareness is a key component of the Energy City
coalition's latest initiative.
This latest initiative will turn the entire Elk River community into a
"Green Community."The effort will start with a pilot project aimed at
decreasing the use of electricity and natural gas, reducing the use of water,
shrinking the waste stream, and cutting consumption of transportation
fuel by homeowners.The pilot group will consist of 30 families who will
receive a variety of resource conservation tips through workshops and
home audits sponsored by the Energy City coalition. Leading-edge off-
the-shelf devices and ideas will be identified to help participants achieve
a high level of success. Results will be measured and shared frequently
between participants and with the community at large on a periodic basis.
Following the one-year pilot program, goals will be fmalized and the
community will be challenged to be green as part of a five-year program.
The Energy City coalition will measure communitywide results and share
them with the public.
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