Assessment of a Public Partnership (4)
Installment Four of Five: The UMN Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships: Determining the impacts of a public partnering
Contributed by Kathryn Draeger, Statewide Director of the UMN Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and Melissa Pawlisch, Statewide Coordinator for the UMN Partnerships’ Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs)
As mentioned in the Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships evaluation the Partnerships are heavily involved in the Clean Energy Resource Teams project. The Partnerships actually staff 5 of the 6 regional teams with two statewide CERT coordinators and additional contributions from each of the five regional directors. In this installment we describe what the Clean Energy Resource Teams are and how these citizen-based teams relate to the University of Minnesota.
CERTs
Energy is a hot topic in the media right now. It seems to come up every time we hear about gas prices, global warming, the war in Iraq and even farming reports. So what’s the U got to do with energy? Well actually, quite a bit. The University does some tremendous research about alternative energy resources and the economic and environmental impacts of our energy choices. For instance, most of you probably know about the West Central Research and Outreach Center’s 1.65 MW wind turbine and associated research projects. You may also have heard about IREE – the University’s Initiative on Renewable Energy and Environment, Dr. Lanny Schmidt’s work on cellulosic ethanol, Dr. David Tilman’s research about the impact of plant diversity on biomass production, or Dr. Steven Taff’s model that assesses the impact of various policies designed to address climate change.
The University is also a critical partner in a community-driven energy project that you may not have heard about; it’s called the Clean Energy Resource Teams – or CERTs. The purpose of CERTs is to engage communities in determining their energy future by giving citizens a voice in energy planning and by matching community stakeholders with the necessary technical resources to identify and carry out the best bet community-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects within their region. The program is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Minnesota Department of Commerce, Minnesota Project, Rural Minnesota Energy Board, Minnesota Resource Conservation and Development Councils, and citizens and stakeholders in six rural regions around the state.
It’s a different way to approach energy issues for a University, but as a program of the U’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships mimics their approach to linking community-identified needs with technical resources. It’s also a different approach within the not-for-profit renewable energy community. It’s not an advocacy organization. Instead of advocacy, the CERTs allow citizens to directly impact their energy future from the grassroots using education, consensus building, and a regional planning process focused on project development. The ready availability of technical resources, through the regional teams, including local installers, educators and utilities, Department of Commerce, University, and non-profits, allows citizens to access the resources and expertise needed to advance clean energy in Minnesota.
CERTs was awarded the Minnesota Environmental Initiative’s Partnership of the Year Award for 2006 in no small measure because it has sought to bring together such a broad and diverse a group of citizens to discuss energy issues, connect these people to resources and networks, and implement renewable energy projects in rural communities. The CERTs approach is one of pragmatism and cooperation. It’s a model for how tangible environmental benefits can be achieved by reaching across traditional interest groups and taking a true, community-based approach. This is made possible, in no small way, because of CERTs affiliation with the University – an entity that’s generally seen as an honest and neutral broker (as mentioned in the Partnerships evaluation).
There are big changes coming down the pipe with regard to energy – due to myriad factors – and land grant universities naturally play a role in helping society “gear up” for change, but not just around technical change. We also need to work with and in communities to ensure that we’re addressing the certain economic, social and environmental alterations that will accompany these changes. CERTs are attempting to do just that.