Project proposal - "Solar City"

Ok, so here goes (I've never blogged before so signing in was a challenge). Below is a project idea I bounced off a couple of folks just to sanity test it. With some really good input and polishing, here's what we pulled together and hope it is one that will be worth batting around further at the brainstorming session. At any rate, thanks for considering it.

I. “Solar City” Project

II. Mission: To reduce overall community energy consumption through installation of renewable energy projects and education on best practices in this area.

III. Class Project Concept: Through an initial pilot project, we will analyze the energy use of a Park City non-profit organization (beneficiary) to establish a baseline of consumption during a typical year. This step will highlight initial cost savings opportunities through energy management techniques to lower this baseline (and thus, operating costs). With the baseline set, we will scale a proposed photovoltaic system, a solar thermal system, or both; the goal being to offset a substantial portion, if not all, of the beneficiary’s grid sourced electricity, natural gas or both, thereby providing an ongoing cost savings to the beneficiary.

Through implementation of this project, we will log the physical, financial and regulatory steps so as to create a “how to” booklet for other members of the community to use in considering their own such systems, as well as for related educational purposes. This effectively creates a template that is easily followed and removes most, if not all, roadblocks to community members taking action. In some instances, we may be helping the regulating authorities in the city and the county in revising or even establishing rules on these. We will also investigate and potentially test the federal rules that overrule HOA restrictions on rooftop systems like these to further streamline the process and open up the market for these systems.

We seek to develop a bulk purchase mechanism to reduce both material and installation costs of such systems in an effort to reduce the overall unit cost for business and homeowners. This requires coordinating the purchase of such systems by multiple area businesses, residences, and organizations, as well as providing to vendors and installers multiple customers at once with a goal of at least 10 consumers.

Reduction of potential costs will include providing information on, and utilization of, city, state, and federal tax benefits, as well as private business programs and rebates, to minimize the cost to the beneficiary and accelerate the payback period on these installations.

Lastly, we will work with the city, county, state and the private sector to support efforts in regulatory, sales tax, public relations, property tax, and possibly grant opportunities to streamline the process and reduce the implementation costs.

This project is scalable both in breadth and depth so depending on constraints, we can limit our efforts to a single installation, energy audit template and “how-to” booklet. If met with enthusiasm, the program can expand to increase the number of beneficiaries and work for additional support from our town, county, state and others.

IV. Benefits:
• Long term economic support of a local non-profit organization
• General educational outreach on energy efficiency and conservation
• Clarify rules, restrictions on installation of solar systems
• Create materials (deliverables) to support residents and businesses in decreasing energy consumption (works for owners and tenants) and providing a “how to” for installation of solar systems
• Maximize benefit of city, county, state, federal and other grants, rebates and incentives to reduce costs
• Leverage collective buying power with vendors and installers
• Tie local businesses to local non profits more closely
• Generate local and regional publicity about the pilot project to increase interest in and acceptance of these systems
• Significantly reduce our community’s energy consumption (energy mostly from coal fired power plants) thereby saving our air, our snow, our water and thus our quality of life and property values
• Further educate the community with regard to the following benefits: global warming, limits of the Earth’s resources and the conservation thereof, health and air quality, property values.

V. Talents / Skills Needed to Implement: As the largest leadership class to date, Leadership XIV has the size, breadth and depth of talent, experience and knowledge to take on a project of this magnitude, and maximize its benefits in our community. We see the need for
• negotiating skills
• financial analysis
• accounting expertise
• legal support
• project management
• public relations and outreach
• writing skills
• fundraising skills
• networking and sales
• event planning
• grant writing
• construction trade skills
• knowledge of and contacts in city and county government (and beyond if we are successful in these first few).

VI. (Other?)

VII. Potential beneficiaries of pilot project:
a. Swaner Nature Preserve
b. National Ability Center
c. Olympic Park
d. People’s Health Clinic
e. Recycle Utah
f. Egyptian Theatre Company
g. Mountainlands Community Housing Trust
h. Furburbia or Summit County Friends of Animals
i. KPCW
j. Kimball Arts Center
Note. Potential beneficiaries either need to be paying their own power bill, own their own building or have a long-term lease with a landlord willing to pass on the energy savings through the lease.

Regards,

Alex

What if we combine cultural connectedness with environmentalism in the form of community dinners on Main Street. 

Literally ON Main Street:  Tables would line Main Street---on Sundays following the Silly Market. There would be a charge/sponsorship for each table of 8, with guidelines. 

The theme would be to share traditional cuisines of residents in a green manner. 

A new take on "mind your--green--manners."

The green part would be that each table provide reusable dinnerware/drinkware for themselves. We could have Mexican, Filipino, Swedish, Russian, Czech, Hawaiian, Chinese, etc., etc. 

Musicians could be encouraged to share their talents during the event. 

Awards could be given to groups who have the "greenest" tables. 

It could be a Global Green Promotion, demonstrating what goes into a family meal. We could educate people about grocery store/farmer's market shopping habits---products we choose and how we carry groceries home, to the dinnerware at the table, then to waste disposal.

This would involve everyone---tourists, 2nd homeowners, Latinos, all cultures, all ages. It would incorporate green awareness, and EDUCATE all of us about each other and how to be gentle with our environment. 

Piggybacking with the immensely successful Park Silly Market would be another tourism draw for Old Town and demonstrate our community commitment to diversity and environmentalism.  

Maybe there would be an entrance fee, waived by a stamp from taking public transportation. 

We'd be bringing our dining rooms to Main Street. There would be a limit to the number of tables, so restaurants would be on board. Draw people to witness the spectacle and spend money in Main Street eateries. 

Tables and chairs would be provided, and each party would supply tablecloths, place settings, foods with a theme, and ambience. We'd need to have a permit for BYO beverages.

Outreach would get participation from different sectors of our community. 

I know I would love to participate--go to the Silly Market with friends and family and bring a fabulous spread for afterwards. Educate, entertain, and mange, mange mange : )

We would promote the Flavors of Park City. We could sell reusable grocery bags with that logo, and have Recycle Utah present with a composting demo/sale. 

We could also sell resusable Flavors of Park City water bottles and provide large water dispensers at each event. Small fee for people with their own containers, and no fee for people with the Flavors bottles. And ZERO cups available for distribution.

We would knock out bags, water bottles, Latino outreach, 2nd homeowner outreach, transportation awareness, walkability, waste disposal, green awareness---all in one fell swoop!!!

It would be a brand new idea that would incorporate projects that are already being worked on by many other organizations in town.  Hmmmm....or yummmmmmmm....

Annette's

I also love the reusable bag idea, maybe we could get some made up and either sell or give them away! Maybe we could sell them at the Silly Market! I do think our project should be something that we can start and finish in a couple of months, but it should be something that will last for years to come. With that in mind, my two ideas of a dog park and TAG project wouldn’t fit into that very well, as they would be long term projects or take just too long to facilitate. Maybe as we all look at that list, there are others that also seem a bit unreachable for the short time period that we have.



Not that I am obsessed with dog poo to be bringing it up again, but every time I clean up after my dogs, I wonder just how long that smelly little time capsule is going to sit in a landfill. Maybe a more earth friendly or biodegradable dog poo bag is in order? Maybe they already are and I don’t know?



I look forward to the 24th, see you all then……..

Annette