12/06/12 - City Council Newsletter

Home Browse Search

Wetlands Solarize combined a bulk purchase program with extensive education and marketing to make solar energy more accessible and affordable. A total of 325 people attended the eight Solarize workshops, with 262 households ultimately signing up to participate. By reducing the cost and complexity of solar installations, Solarize Eugene helped residents overcome the traditional barriers to going solar. Solarize Eugene also helped support the local economy. Instead of the traditional Solarize model of awarding the equipment installation contract to one company, Solarize Eugene gave preference to collaboration among installers, resulting in a coalition of five local solar companies winning the contract. As a result, the economic benefits derived from installing nearly $2 million worth of equipment flowed to multiple local businesses. In addition, most of the solar panels installed were produced by SolarWorld in Oregon. Solarize Eugene also spurred local job creation. "There is a lot of talk about the need for creation of local green jobs, but Solarize Eugene is actually creating these jobs – including at least one new position at my solar installation business," says Newt Loken of Solar Assist, a participating contractor. EWEB expects at least 35 more customers to move forward with a solar project when the 2013 solar electric incentive funds become available in January. To learn more about EWEB’s renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, call 541-685-7000 or visit www.eweb.org/energy. To learn more about solar permitting, please contact Jenna Garmon at 541-682-5541 or jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us. More than 215 Acres Benefit from Partnerships in West Eugene Wetlands November marks the close of another successful season of restoration and habitat improvement in the West Eugene Wetlands. In 2012, more than 1,400 pounds of 60 different native seed varieties were collected or grown and distributed on over 215 acres of wild land in the west Eugene area. The City has been partnering with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) for more than a decade to provide locally sourced, native seed and plants for prairie and wetland restorations in the Eugene area. Together, the partners leverage each other’s strengths to more effectively achieve restoration goals:  The City coordinates and manages the seed production program, including contracts with nurseries that provide large amounts of native seed, and supervises seasonal staff;  BLM funds seed production at a federal facility that has native plant propagation expertise and provides additional funding for seed collection and supplies;  TNC shares the costs of propagation and assists with seed City’s Coyote Prairie restoration site in the West Eugene collection and technical expertise. Restoring diverse wetland plant communities is important not only for its landscape-scale effects, such as reducing erosion and providing flood control, but also to support an abundance of wildlife, including meadowlarks, short-eared owls, long- toed salamanders, and rare butterflies. In fact, the local program has been so successful that others now hope to replicate it on a Willamette Valley-wide scale. For more information, contact Wetland Ecologist Diane Steeck at diane.m.steeck@ci.eugene.or.us or 541-682-4927. Cultural Services Offers “Survival Skills for Artists” Class Many artists spend hours learning the craft of their art, but are never taught how to navigate the business side of art. Art Survival Skills is a course geared toward visual artists who are seeking the tools to move their art into the professional art arena. The course will cover many of the practical tools and business skills that artists need to navigate the art market and expose their work to the public. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 December 6, 2012