KANE — On Dec. 15, West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund will host a “breakfast with the fund” seminar in Kane to present funding opportunities for clean energy projects.
The workshop has been developed in collaboration with the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 15 at the Laughing Owl Press Co., 59 N Fraley Street in Kane. Light refreshments will be served.
The fund is a non-profit that provides investment capital for clean energy projects that benefit the West Penn Power ratepayer. The Fund will present on its open Request for Proposals for innovative clean energy projects seeking non-traditional funding opportunities with flexible terms. The deadline to submit proposals is Feb. 27.
The PA Wilds Center, a regional nonprofit, received a $23,800 grant from WPPSEF to create educational materials to raise awareness about several LEED-certified nature tourism facilities that have opened in the Pennsylvania Wilds in recent years. LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices.
Ta Enos, executive director of the PA Wilds Center, said, “Sustainable energy is a theme weaved throughout the PA Wilds work. We are thrilled to partner with WPPSEF for the December 15 Breakfast with the Fund to help connect other complementary clean energy projects in the Wilds with new potential funding sources. Stewardship and conservation is a large, collaborative, long-term effort; I hope many stakeholders take advantage of the WPPSEF December 15th program to learn more.”
The seminar will also feature the debut of a short video on the Pennsylvania Wilds titled “Life Above 80,” that overviews the successful stewardship partnership between the PA Wilds Center and WPPSEF. The professionally produced video is a part of WPPSEF’s signature “The Quiet Ones” series spotlighting successful clean energy investments in the region. Other projects highlighted in “The Quiet Ones” series include the Elk Country Visitor Center, Geisinger Medical Center, and Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh.
The state Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, a key stakeholder in the effort to grow nature and heritage tourism in the Pennsylvania Wilds, is committed to green building design and construction at its facilities as well as other energy efficiency initiatives. DCNR currently has has 15 LEED-certified buildings in the state; seven of these facilities are in the Pennsylvania Wilds region. They include the Elk Country Visitor Center, Bald Eagle Nature Inn, Sproul State Forest Resource Management Center, Clear Creek State Forest Resource Management Center, Sinnemahoning State Park Wildlife Center, Kinzua Bridge State Park Visitor Center and Park Office, and the Tiadaghton State Forest Resource Management Center.
Space is limited at the Dec. 15 breakfast, and participants must register in advance. To register for the event, and view the WPPSEF RFP, please visit: http://www.pawildscenter.org/blog/opportunities/wppsef-clean-energy-seminar
