Great Plains Institute

GPI’s Program Manager of Communities Catherine Kemp recently presented at the 2024 American Planning Association Minnesota chapter conference in Bloomington, Minnesota. Catherine chatted with a panel of representatives from the Region Five Development Commission, Region Nine Development Commission, and West Central Initiative about promising approaches to climate planning in Greater Minnesota communities. With generous funding from the McKnight Foundation, GPI facilitates a peer learning network of Minnesota’s ten regional development organizations focused on supporting climate and clean energy initiatives in rural communities. ?? Learn more about GPI's work with communities: https://lnkd.in/gkEa9wWW #CleanEnergy #ClimatePlanning #PeerLearning

?? GPI congratulates Southfield, Michigan, and Dayton, Ohio, for earning the first Charging Smart designations in their states! GPI is a lead partner in Charging Smart, a technical assistance and designation program that helps local governments remove barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption. To earn the designations, the communities provided EV education opportunities for their community members, engaged with their electric utility on electrification topics, and incorporated EVs and charging infrastructure into their community’s planning documents. Learn more about these successes and accomplishments of other Michigan and Ohio communities in our blog: https://bit.ly/4dEEPMW #EVs #ElectricVehicles #Communities #Transportation

?? We're excited to discuss all things solar at this week's Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association (MnSEIA) annual Gateway to Solar conference! Headed to the conference? Catch GPI experts in these sessions: - EVP Louise Miltich, Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m., "Permitting Progress: Accelerating Large-Scale Solar Deployment - Navigating a New Regulatory Process" - Program Manager Catherine Kemp, Oct. 8 at 1:30 p.m., "North Star Initiatives: Minnesota Communities Leading the Way in Climate Action Plans" - VP Brian Ross, Oct. 8 at 2:45 p.m., "Solar-Ready Communities: Best & Bad Practices in Local Permitting Initiatives" - Senior Policy Manager Benjamin A. Stafford, Oct. 9 at 2:30 p.m., "Docket Dialogues: Relevant Regulatory Matters Influencing MN Solar Deployment" Learn more about the conference: https://bit.ly/3YcVVwE Check out our latest stories on how we're advancing #solar on our blog: https://bit.ly/4epgcVz #GatewaytoSolar

It was wonderful to have former GPI VP and current Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree provide the keynote for our Carbon Action Alliance CO2NNECT 2024 event this week. He discussed the essential role of carbon management in meeting our climate goals, the importance of community engagement, and much more! Crabtree shared with attendees that “if we are to deploy carbon management projects and infrastructure at climate scale,?we must engage meaningfully with communities, tribes, and other impacted stakeholders—and deliver high-quality projects that create economic and environmental benefits for communities where projects are built. And by meaningful, I mean engagement that not only seeks to inform, but also to provide opportunities for local community and stakeholder input that demonstrably helps shape the actual design and development of projects and their associated benefits.” Read Crabtree’s full remarks on the #FECM website: https://lnkd.in/gV2HfMrJ #CarbonManagement #NetZero #CarbonCapture

As a proud partner, GPI is excited to share the launch of Energy Ready, a new initiative funded by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) that brings together three free technical assistance and national recognition programs—SolSmart, Charging Smart, and the forthcoming Distributed Wind Smart—under one umbrella! Energy Ready provides a unified experience for communities to access expertise and best practices about all three technologies. We're excited to keep empowering communities to gain national recognition for their efforts to reduce barriers to clean energy adoption and unlock the local benefits of these technologies. Energy Ready is coordinated by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and ICMA - International City/County Management Association. ??Learn more: www.Energy-Ready.org #SolarPV #ElectricVehicles #DistributedWind #Justice40 #EnergyReady #CleanEnergy

ICYMI: We’re excited about our new resource connecting decision makers, advocates, and everyday citizens to the information and data they need to build the carbon management and energy infrastructure that will help Colorado reach its goals. “This tool supports the state’s climate goals by offering a comprehensive, user-friendly platform that highlights essential environmental and social information,” said Matt Fry, policy and technical director of Carbon Management at GPI. “The goal is to ensure the full range of stakeholders critical to project development have access to the same data to support informed and equitable decision-making.” Read our full release by Diana Leane, communications and public relations strategist for Carbon Management at GPI: https://bit.ly/3Yfgt85 #NetZero #CarbonManagement #Colorado #Geospatial #Climate

Join us in gratitude and celebration as we share that our VP of Communities, Lola Schoenrich, is evolving her leadership at GPI after 17 years with the organization. Starting Nov. 1, Lola will transition to serving as a senior fellow for our Communities work, where she will continue to mentor colleagues earlier in their careers, contribute to new project development and fundraising, remain connected to professional networks, and grow relationships valuable to our collective work to accelerate the clean energy transition. Brian Ross, our current VP of Renewable Energy, will serve in the additional role of interim VP of Communities. Thank you, Lola, for your countless contributions to GPI and our mission, and congratulations on this new exciting chapter! https://lnkd.in/gzFFUPyR

Spread the word—GPI is hiring! Submit an application today at betterenergy.org/careers. ?? Open Positions ? Development Manager ? Board Member ? Meeting Planner & Administrative Associate ? Program Coordinator/Land Use & Energy Planner ? Program Coordinator/Transportation Planner #NowHiring #ClimateJobs #DevelopmentJobs #PlannerJobs #MeetingProfs

Today we released our newest tool to support accelerated deployment of carbon management tech for the benefit of people, the economy, and the environment. The Colorado Decision Support Tool is an interactive data and mapping resource to help decision makers, developers, and communities make informed, equitable decisions about where to locate carbon management projects in Colorado. Colorado is poised to be a leader in deploying carbon management tech and the clean energy transition; we’re proud to be a partner in that leadership, both here and around the country. Explore the tool today! https://bit.ly/3XATDGl The tool is published through GPI's Carbon Action Alliance, an initiative to bring together stakeholders and inform the public about carbon management opportunities. #CarbonManagement #Colorado #NetZero

Together with Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs), GPI is proud to co-facilitate the Community Energy Network (CEN). This network brings local government staff together from all across Minnesota to share ideas and learn new ways to bring clean energy to communities. "Ultimately, the future of clean energy in Minnesota is intricately tied to the collaboration of our cities and communities," shares Catherine Kemp, program manager of Communities at GPI, in a recent CERTs story about the network. Read the full story to learn about how we're engaging local government staff to advance climate and clean energy projects. #CleanEnergy #climate #communities #MN https://lnkd.in/gdxW6WWY