GLIN==> SWP and Pictured Rocks helping Alger County residents conserve energy and SAVE MONEY!

Date:  February 14, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:  Natasha Koss at the Superior Watershed Partnership @ 906-228-6095

ENERGY-SAVING PROGRAM COMES TO ALGER COUNTY

With funding from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (PRNL) and Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust (SWP) are teaming up to launch a new energy saving program called Alger Energy Savers. This program helps community members save money by reducing energy use while helping to protect public lands. Alger Energy Savers is engaging communities in Alger County and educating citizens on the many benefits of energy efficiency. The Program offers all residents of Alger County home energy assessments and up to $50 of free energy efficiency measures. The target is to reach 1500 homes County-wide.  Through a community-based energy retrofit approach, the program shows that energy efficiency can save individuals money, improve the comfort of their homes, and reduce the impacts of climate change on national parks such as Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.
By contacting the Alger Energy Savers program and signing up for a visit, residents of Alger County receive a brief home energy assessment from a professional contractor. During this visit, the contractor will identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency, install free energy efficiency measures including efficient light bulbs, pipe wrap, and faucet aerators, and discuss next steps to save money by reducing energy use. As a bonus, all individuals who sign up for a home visit will also receive a voucher for $10 towards select energy efficiency products at a local hardware store.
“As a resident of Alger County, I know that energy bills can be very high during the winter,” said Gregg Bruff of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. “And as a staff member of Pictured Rocks, I also know that climate change is already affecting our parks and the region. The hope is that this program can help people find a solution to both by sharing information about energy efficiency.”  The Lakeshore has been recognized as a leader in energy stewardship and climate change outreach through its “Sustainable is Attainable and Climate Friendly Parks program.
 The SWP is a regional nonprofit focusing on Great Lakes protection.  Program Manager, Natasha Koss touts the program as a way for people to do simple things to make a difference in their community.  “As a Lake Superior shoreline county, Alger County residents have a unique opportunity to do small things that can make a profound difference to protect one of our greatest resources,” exclaimed Koss.  By the end of the program in September, the SWP will be able to determine total energy saved in terms of carbon dioxide emissions reduced in the atmosphere.  “For each measure installed in participant’s homes, we will be able to calculate the exact amount of CO2 we are keeping out of the atmosphere,” said Koss.  “And it’s likely to be in the area of 51,000 tons cumulative for the life of each measure installed.”
Alger County residents interested in having a free home energy assessment can call the Superior Watershed Partnership office at (906) 228-6095 or sign up online at www.algerenergysavers.org<http://www.algerenergysavers.org>.

Photo caption:  Alger Energy Savers team members, Natasha Koss with the Superior Watershed Partnership, Gregg Bruff, with Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and TJ Brown with Michigan Energy Options.


Natasha Koss, CFRM
Superior Watershed Partnership and Land Trust
Lake Superior ● Lake Michigan ● Lake Huron
2 Peter White Drive
Presque Isle Park
Marquette, Michigan 49855
Phone: (906) 228-6095 Ext. 14
Fax: (906) 228-6863
Website: www.superiorwatersheds.org<http://www.superiorwatersheds.org/>
www.algerenergysavers.org<http://www.algerenergysavers.org/>


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The mission of the Superior Watershed Partnership is to protect and improve the natural resources of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on a watershed basis; by promoting responsible individual and community actions that ensure a sustainable environment, encourage a sustainable economy and help improve quality of life.

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