Join AERO in Butte for an update on Energy Program work, including discussion and input on an AERO campaign to highlight energy success stories across Montana and our upcoming Spring energy conference. We will begin the meeting with a presentation by Dale Horton of NCAT on the results of an Energy Codes Compliance Study followed by a discussion about how to increase compliance in Montana. Jim Baerg of Montana Energy+Design will give a presentation on solar greenhouses. All are welcome to this discussion of energy work in Montana.

Where: NCAT, 3040 Continental Drive, Butte MT

When: 1:00-5:00pm, Friday February 24th

Members of the AERO community will have a special opportunity to participate in a tele-town hall meeting with Senator Jon Tester and members of his staff on Wednesday, February 15th at 6:00 pm.

Here’s how it works:
At 6:00 pm, you will receive an automated call informing you that the tele-town hall is starting. At this point, you can hang up or stay on the line to participate. Callers press a number on their keypad to get in line to ask a question, a screener (a Tester staff member) will take the question down, then the caller will rejoin the meeting and wait for the Senator to call on them, at which point the line will open and they can ask their question.

Let’s get together some great questions for the Senator (and former AERO Board Treasurer)!

In the summer of 1974, a small group of Eastern Montanans sat on a porch discussing the North Central Power Study. This study by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposed 42 coal burning power plants across the Great Plains, 21 of which were destined to dot the landscape of eastern Montana. Sacrifice. That is what the study proposed for eastern Montana – that it could be sacrificed for energy development and all the impacts that came along with it. In their discussion this group of Eastern Montanans asked – was it necessary? To scar the landscape, to pollute their air and water, to sacrifice the quality of their communities? Or were there alternatives?

Indeed there were alternative solutions, and this is how AERO – the Alternative Energy Resources Organization- was formed, with a group of people deciding that sometimes there is a responsibility when saying ‘no’ to one thing to say ‘yes’ to something else. Yes to aggressive energy efficiency and conservation! Yes to dispersed wind, small hydro, solar power systems! Yes to biofuels!

For the last few years many communities have had to face similar questions in regard to the Keystone XL Pipeline, an oil pipeline transporting crude oil from Alberta to the Gulf Coast through hundreds of communities. What risks does this pose to my health and safety, the land and water, the community I love?  Is this the energy economy we want for our nation? And – is there an alternative?

A couple of weeks ago President Obama rejected TransCanada’s Keystone XL Pipeline application. However, it is clear that the President’s recent action represents only a delay at this point—not a final rejection.  This delay provides time for review of the concerns of the people and communities living on the proposed pipeline route. What do the people of Circle, Nashua, Fort Peck, or Baker Montana want? What will they sacrifice?

The President’s announcement came at the same time as an announcement from ExxonMobil stating that July’s disastrous Silvertip pipeline spill into the Yellowstone River was actually worse than they had projected – 50% more oil than their original estimate had spilled. Only 1% of that spilled oil has been recovered. In the meantime Keystone I pipeline, which currently transports crude oil from the tar sands through the Dakotas, leaked 14 times in the past eighteen months.

So with this in mind, what is the sacrifice being asked of Eastern Montanans? What is the emergency response plan for Keystone XL? Is the thickness of the pipe consistent, or is it thinner in rural areas? What is the lifespan of the pipeline considering the abrasive oil it will transport? Is it true it will be abandoned in place at the end of that lifespan? These are the questions being asked by citizens along the pipeline that need to be explored before the next TransCanada application.

The U.S. has decreased our oil consumption in the last few years. With new fuel efficiency standards, transition to flex-fuel and hybrid vehicles as well as investment in biofuel research and development this could continue. Americans can do more to conserve fuel and reduce pollution, but stopping the Keystone XL won’t accomplish either goal. Driving less and using vehicles with better fuel efficiency will do much more to protect our environment and would save Americans money, too. Producing our own fuel in our own communities will spur local growth, as well as give communities a stake in the energy economy. A system such as this encourages local decision-making that can mitigate sacrifice of land or quality of life.

In Montana there are alternatives to a centralized energy system that benefits the bottom lines of large corporations at the expense of small communities. There are projects around the state that benefit local communities and provide fuel in a sustainable way. At MSU-Northern’s Bioenergy Center in Havre researchers are creating bio-based jetfuel for the Air Force. Recently they received a grant to assist in biofuel research so companies can test their products at their facilities. The project will pair the university with local investors, as well as local farmers, to grow oilseed crops and process them into biofuel. In Chester, Earl Fisher is producing and selling biofuel made from oilseed crops grown in Montana. In Big Sandy, Bob Quinn runs his tractor on biodiesel he makes using oilseeds he grows himself. Projects such as these are working towards a sustainable future for Montana communities and are an alternative to sacrificing safety and health.

AERO believes that the best way to affect change is by empowering people in their own communities to work towards sustainable solutions. However community is one of the first things to go when energy is centralized, concentrated, and wastefully used. The further removed we are as a people from the resources we use; the less likely we are to use them wisely. As we plan the future of energy let us consider alternatives to our consumption of oil and alternatives to community sacrifice.

In Helena, I’m Sarah Lesnar for the Alternative Energy Resources Organization.  AERO has been building sustainable agriculture and energy solutions since 1974. Visit us online at aeromt.org.

This commentary aired on February 2nd, 2012 on Montana Public Radio.

AERO has partnered with the Montana Department of Agriculture on a food system mapping project titled Developing Montana’s Direct Farm Market Supply Chains: Mapping their Progress and Setting a New Course.   This project is the first step in a longer effort to chart the progress made in the development of Montana’s local and regional food value chains. We will produce an interactive database and maps that show market information relating to local food. This information includes the names, locations, and service areas of direct marketing farmers, businesses storing, processing, and distributing local foods, farmers markets, and restaurants, institutions, and grocery stores that serve local. Through a map-based format, we will identify where the existing opportunities and gaps are, and where we need to prioritize our efforts for improvements.

Why is AERO working on this?

This project is following up on the 2007 Governors Summit on Food & Agriculture in which 280 participants were charged with identifying ways to redevelop Montana’s capacity to produce food locally. They affirmed that Montana lacks sufficient infrastructure needed by our agricultural producers to grow, process and distribute the food products increasingly demanded by

Montana’s markets. In recent years many regional collaborative efforts and individual community-based efforts have focused on rebuilding this capacity, but we still lack a statewide perspective that clearly charts how we can use existing resources, or where to create new resources, that will address opportunities in developing our local food system infrastructure.

What phase of the project are we in now?

We began by collecting data…lots of data. These sources include vast databases from state agencies listing every business with a food manufacturers or food retailer’s license, which we are in the process of sorting through to code those businesses that are participating in local commerce for our maps. We have also worked with other organizations to gather lists of farmers and other businesses that are involved in the local food value chain. Right now we are focused on populating and organizing the database with relevant businesses.

Once we get our database full of only the businesses we are interested in, we will be printing maps and taking them to community meetings around the state in order to ask local people to look them over for accuracy, and to add any farms, stores, distributors, processors, or foodservices that we missed. These meetings will also be an opportunity for community members to help us analyze the maps.

Finally, we will take the feedback from these community meetings and in collaboration with other project partners, develop a new set of local and statewide priorities for increasing the connections among Montana’s direct market supply chain businesses, as well as for developing missing components.

Who else is involved?

The Montana Department of Agriculture is leading this project, and is working closely with AERO, the Grow Montana coalition, the Montana Farmers Union, Lake County Community Development, and Montana State University’s Sustainable Food & Bio-energy Program and Department of Health and Human Development.

How can you be involved?

We need you to share your knowledge about the local food businesses in your part of the state! This spring and summer we will invite you to community meetings to help add-to and analyze the first set of maps – keep your eyes out for those announcements.

But we can use your help now with our current database by sorting through the records in your area and looking for:

• Local food farms and businesses that are missing,
• Local food businesses that you know of that are listed with the wrong spelling or address or as duplicates, and
• Local food businesses that are listed in the correct data categories.

It might only take a few minutes to review the business listings in your area, and your knowledge is essential to creating accurate and comprehensive maps! Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about this volunteer opportunity, or if you would like to get started. Contact: (406) 443-7272 or email kmoore@aeromt.org.

The Ag Land Network of Montana serves as a state-wide collaborative of Montanans who care about their community’s legacy of working farms and ranches.  The Network will identify solutions to the loss of agricultural land, and develop a citizens’ guide to implementing those solutions.  Through discussions and webinars, Network participants will learn from fellow Montanans about community planning for working farm and ranchlands and how to effectively engage local decision makers in the process.  The Ag Land Network of Montana is a unique venue for divided communities to share resources and individual experiences in a way that empowers a larger and unified effort to plan more effectively for agriculture.

The first webinar is scheduled for the week of February 27th.  Details coming soon.  If you are interested in participating or want to learn more please contact Kascie Herron at Kascie.CFAC@gmail.com or 443-553-3230.

Businesses and nonprofits in Lewis & Clark, Jefferson, and Broadwater Counties can participate in the Tri-County Small Business Efficiency Program. The program funds energy and water efficiency improvements to help reduce utility costs and energy consumption through an EPA Climate Showcase Communities Grant. Most NorthWestern Energy electric customers will qualify.

The Program provides up to $1500 for improvements based on a free energy and water audit conducted through NorthWestern Energy. Participants need only contribute $100 towards the cost.

Interested organizations should contact NorthWestern Energy (800-823-5995) to schedule a free audit and get the process started. Download a PDF form for more detailed instructions.

We’ve all been aware for a long time that renewable sources of energy like the sun and wind are better for our health and our planet than fossil fuels like oil and coal.  But many have also assumed—and fossil fuel industries have certainly claimed—that renewable sources are more expensive.  Fortunately, this is NOT true, and we now have an excellent resource to prove it.

Northern Plains Resource Council joined the Civil Society Institute this month in releasing a major new report that outlines a realistic and affordable path to a cleaner and less expensive energy future. Yes, you heard that right: A clean energy future can be a more affordable energy future for Montana and the rest of the United States.

We see the economic and environmental benefits of this approach every day in the Northern Plains offices on South 27^th Street in Billings.  The combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy from solar panels has resulted in 79% lower utility bills to heat, cool, and light the building compared to current energy codes.  And the renovation of the 1940s building was achieved with a construction budget that was 20% lower than constructing a new building to current energy standards.  We KNOW it works!

While fossil fuel industries would have us believe that renewable energy costs consumers more, the claim has never been based on any kind of comprehensive study of future energy resources.  The Synapse report, recently published by the Civil Society Institute and available to the public at www.civilsocietyinstitute.org, is a first in examining the whole lay of the energy landscape.  And it persuasively makes the case for phasing out all coal-fired power by 2050 and replacing it with aggressive energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar.

 The United States always has been less than focused on market-driven principles with respect to its energy policy. All levels of government have sought, for instance, to shift financial and operational risks of coal plants from private industry to the ratepayer and taxpayer. This also goes for oil and natural gas drilling. Although renewable energy companies and energy efficiency technology have received some taxpayer and ratepayer largesse, they pale in comparison to the historic bias toward fossil fuels.

How do we get beyond this unproductive pattern? Rather than shift the risks—and very real costs—from private business to the public in order to force construction of older and dying technologies (such as coal-fired power plants), we should be looking at which energy resources offer the least design, construction, and operational risks to both the public and private investors and that also can meet electric energy demand reliably.

The report compares status quo trends—the Business as Usual Scenario—with a “Transition Scenario” that maps out a much cleaner energy future by 2050. The Transition Scenario is superior to Business As Usual in terms of cost, public health, water usage, and carbon dioxide emission reductions.  And it also creates jobs.

The greatest savings achieved in the study is in the cost of generating electricity. Significant savings are achieved by not building new coal or nuclear plants and systematically phasing out all coal and a portion of the nuclear fleet. This is done with off-the-shelf technologies and efficiency, and makes no assumptions about as-yet-unreleased innovations currently in research and development.

The Transition Scenario also harbors other benefits that would reduce cost and health risks to private investors and the public. If implemented, the Transition Scenario would reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the electric sector by 81 percent. Under the Business As Usual Scenario, they would rise 28 percent. There is also far less water use in the Transition Scenario.

Finally, the study estimates the creation of 310,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the first decade of the transition to a more sustainable energy sector. The manufacturing base would receive a much-needed near-term boost with investment in energy efficiency.

There is something for everyone in this approach. Some people will like the fact that net savings over 40 years are projected to be a whopping $83 billion. That’s great news for consumers! Others will embrace the notion that eliminating pollution from dirty coal-fired power plants by 2050 will mean roughly 55,000 fewer premature deaths over the next several decades. 

The bottom line for Montana is clear: the public interest as well as the private sector is best served by investing our limited financial resources in energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy that will never run out rather than in dirty, finite fossil fuels.  This is the cleaner—and more affordable—approach.

In Billings, this is Ed Gulick for the Alternative Energy Resources Organization and its allies, Northern Plains Resource Council and Civil Society Institute.  AERO has been building sustainable agriculture and energy solutions since 1974.  Visit AERO online at www.aeromt.org.

This commentary aired on January 5th, 2012 on Montana Public Radio.

We hope you…


•

ENJOYED,


LEARNED something from &


were INSPIRED by

•

 AERO’s 2011 Monthly Commentaries on…

Time for one?

Listen to AERO Board Member Courtney Lowery Cowgill describe CSI
- Community Supported Innovation -
using the  links below.
Her October commentary starts at about the 25:20 mark.

Listen – Broadband
Listen – Dial-up

Click here  to take yourself back through the year.

And yes, there’s still time in 2011 to …

Thanks for a great 2011!

Looking forward to seeing you in 2012.

Help us Thrive!

Monthly Giving

When you participate, your bank will transfer your gift conveniently each month from your checking account or credit card directly to AERO. The process is simple, you can spread your donation across a year, and, as a sustaining donor, we can count on your continued support.

Business Donations

Many members of the Montana business community generously support AERO’s work.  Some of those have taken it a step further, such that each time their business benefits, so does AERO.  We’re extremely grateful…

Thank you:

Freda Wilkinson at Broker at Big Sky Brokers, LLC Real Estate

“I support the vision of the Alternative Energy Resources Organization and in January of 2009, began contributing a portion of each closing to this very important effort.”

John Palm at Bozeman Green Build

“For every solar PV system that comes to BGB via AERO members as a referral, BGB will donate $500 to AERO.”

Have an idea about a way your business and AERO could support each other?  Let us know!

AERO License Plate

Show your support with an AERO specialty license plate! We receive $20 of the cost and you will be increasing AERO’s visibility.

Workplace Giving

AERO is a proud founding member of Montana Shares, a partnership of 42 Montana-based nonprofits, that supports workplace giving. Like monthly giving, workplace giving is easy and painless. Check with your employer to see if you can participate and click below to find out more.

GoodSearch/GoodShop

If you do much online searching or shopping, Good Search/Good Shop is an easy way to earn money for AERO. Just go to http://www.goodsearch.com/goodshop.aspx and tell GoodShop/GoodSearch that you’re supporting AERO (search for AERO by typing in “alternative energy resources organization”) and then select AERO. There’s no cost to you and there are many online sites that participate.

Earlier this year I was catching up over the phone with a friend I’ve known since kindergarten.  It was May – just around the time I was joining the AERO staff.

Though he and his wife had donated to AERO’s annual campaign before, he wanted to know more about the organization and why I was so excited about the opportunity to serve as the director.

Of course, I talked about the good work the organization and member community have done and continue to do with respect to distributed, renewable energy and conservation… and the visionary efforts across the state enabling, supporting, and empowering sustainable agriculture efforts and local food systems… and how critically important these issues are for Montana families and communities.

But in essence, I said, it comes down to something our longtime member, David Oien, says:

“AERO helps its members live their values in their daily lives.”

My friend liked that.

I like it, too.  I come back to David’s words on a near daily basis.  It’s the ultimate touchstone for our work – a guide, a reminder, and an inspiration.

Thank you all for your ideas and energy; for sharing your successes and failures to help others; and for your dreams of what is possible.  Such is the stuff of living our values, together.

And yes, we depend on the generous financial support of our members and friends.  It is absolutely essential.

I hope you’ll take a moment now to make a financial contribution to support AERO as we prepare to enter 2012.  Please renew, make a supplemental contribution beyond your membership, or join us for the first time.

We’re excited to work with you in the coming year.

Thank you,
Bryan von Lossberg

Warm holiday wishes from the AERO Staff
- Kevin, Bryan, Sarah, and Caroline