Fox Valley Citizens For Peace & Justice is pleased to co-sponsor along with  with Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren and ECCO the upcoming appearance of Jarrod McKenna, the Australian peace & environmental activist.  Jarrod is active in The Peace Tree Community, Together for Humanity, and the award-winning initiative Empowering Peacemakers in Your Community.  
  
That’s at 6:30 PM at
Highland AVenue Church of the Brethren
783 W Highland Avenue
Elgin, Il  60123
 Plan to listen and learn from this dynamic speaker.  Discussion will follow. 

EPYC’s Founder and Creative Director Jarrod McKenna and his team have gained permission from the Education Department to conduct these seminars which use music, media and visual arts to engage students in engaging our world.

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 Tour  Dirk Dypold’s, of Advanced Geothermal Plumbing & Heating, home .   Check out his passive solar system, his geothermal setup, and his rain garden too. He’ll follow this with a discussion on geo-thermal.  All are welcome! Thursday, June 3rd @ 7PM at 323 S. Commonwealth-Elgin.

From the South
Take Lake Street / Route 20 to Illinois Route 31. Follow Illinois Route 31 north to Kimball. Turn east or right. The Centre is located on your right.

From the East
Take I-90 west to Illinois Route 25 south. Follow Route 25 to the split and continue on Dundee Avenue to Kimball Street. Take Kimball Street west into the downtown Elgin City Center area. The Centre is located just past Douglas Street, on your left.

From the West
Take I-90 east to Illinois Route 31. Follow Route 31 to Kimball Street. Take Kimball Street west into the downtown Elgin City Center area. After the river, on your right.

Lecture Three

At the Elgin Public Museum

Elgin’s Premier Green Event – Family Friendly -Free Admission
Celebrate, explore and take in the remarkable cornucopia of sustainable living ideas, services and products in our community.

Hundreds of exhibitors coming together in one location-once a year!  This year we’re pleased to be partnering with the City of Elgins Sustainability Master Planning Committees, Elgin Heritage Commission, and most recently Elgin High School.  From gigantic wind turbines to wiggly worms…from the City’s largest yard sale to a live recycled art show…..from the largest selection of native prairie plants to kids seed necklaces….from Farmers Market to handcrafted goods.

Speakers & Presentations

• How to retrofit your home without going broke
• Successful home landscapes with low maintenance native plants
• Greening Elgin’s Food Industry
• How do you do a One-Watt House
• Elgin’s Tree Assessment Survey
• What the heck do you do with those pesky plastic bottles & other tossable horror stories

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We’ll be at In The Neighborhood Deli, 185 Edison in Elgin for a lights out mellow night!  This is from our good friend Mary Alice: 

Friends,

Just a reminder that Earth Hour is this Saturday at 8:30 pm local time.  Millions of people worldwide will be turning out the lights for one hour and making a collective statement of concern about our planet. Together, we can turn out the lights on pollution and climate change and show that we care about our country, our planet and our future.

Participation is easy. By turning off all non-essential lighting for one hour, we can join cities, states, businesses, individuals and government leaders throughout the world in calling for action to save our planet for future generations.

Earth Hour began three years ago and is now the largest event of its kind in the world. In 2009, nearly one billion people from 4,100 cities in 87 countries shut off their lights, along with international landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower and Great Pyramids and the city skylines of Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv.       www.EarthHour.org

Mary Alice

P.S. I hope to be taking a walk under the nearly full moon during Earth Hour!

Simple steps any homeowner can follow for the whole house. Cost effective ways to retrofit your home ~ update appliances ~Tax credits ~  City programs to offset these costs.

Moderated by Jennifer Fritz-Williams,  Elgin’s Historic Preservation Specialist

RSVP here as a comment or Become a Fan of

 our Facebook Page  @ Elgin Climate Change Organization

        Thursday, April 1st @ 6:30 P.M.

       Elgin Public Museum in Lord’s Park

Free Admission

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Sign up for Elgin's Green expo

Elgin’s Green Expo

Free admission, Saturday, May 8 from 9am to 4 pm at Elgin’s Centre, 100 Symphony Way.

View the PDF to see the invitation or fill out the application to become a part of the event.

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An overview  from technology to installation in residential and commercial buildings, specifically in Elgin.  Is it doable here, what’s the  cost,  is there financial assistance,  what’s the return on investment, the  zoning/permit issues….what’s new on the horizon.

Join us as Solergy Alternative Energy Solutions gives us the nuts & bolts on Thursday, Feb. 25th @ 7PM at the wonderful Elgin Public Museum, 225 Grand Blvd., Elgin 847 741 6655

RSVP by adding your name in the comment section here, or RSVP to the event post we have on our Facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Elgin-Climate-Change-Organization/322600679777?ref=nf

Solergy website: www.solergy.net

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Tax Credit FAQ’s

ILLINOIS WIND ENERGY REBATE PROGRAM

Illinois Renewable Energy Resources Solar and Wind Energy Rebate:   Program Highlights

These interesting program highlights are  intended for informational purposes only and are not all inclusive.  Please refer to the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy  www.DSIREusa.org  to stay afoot of the most current available incentives.

Issued by:  DCEO, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Application Deadline:  4:30 p.m. Friday April 30, 2010

Rebate Amounts: 

• 30% of installation and labor costs for private businesses and residences 
• 50% of installation and labor costs for public sector and non-profit businesses 
• Customer must pay for at least 25% of the overall project costs 
• This is in addition to the 30% federal tax credit eligibility and any other qualified tax deductions or incentives (consult your tax accountant for more information) 

Project Criteria:

• In the state of Illinois only
• Grid connected system for a gas or electric customer of one of the following entities:  Ameren, Consumers Gas, Illinois Gas, Mid American Energy Co, Nicor, North Shore Gas, Peoples Gas, United Cities Gas, Adams Electric Coop, Ameren CIPS/IP/UE/CILCO, City of Carmi, City of Flora, COMED, Corn Belt Energy Coop, Egyptian Elec Coop, IL Rural Elec Coop, Jo-Carroll Energy, Mid American Energy Co., Monroe County Elec Coop, Mt. Carmel Public Utility Coop, Norris Electric Coop, Rural Electric Convenience Coop, Southern IL Electric Coop, Village of Rantoul OR in cases where customer can document they are with an investor-owned or municipal gas/elec utility or cooperative that imposes a specific Renewable energy charge
• Rated turbine capacity of 1 to 100 kW, mounted on a minimum 60 ft. tower
• Land 1 acre or greater and several specific site selection guidelines must be followed; installation by an Illinois licensed and qualified professional

Application Process:

• Apply before proceeding with any potential rebate-related costs
• Schedule the system install date no more than 120 days from the date application is submitted
• Wait to receive a Notice to Proceed and the DCEO will hold appropriate funds for the particular project (rebate) for 120 days from application date
• If project is rejected, DCEO issues an ‘ineligible project letter’ and consumer is eligible to reapply
• Complete system installation and submit remaining rebate documents prior to the 120 day date
• Rebates are issued based on actual equipment and installation costs

AMERICAN RECOVERY and RE-INVESTMENT ACT (2009 Stimulus Package): How it helps with small wind

Background
On February 17, 2009 President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Re-investment Act of 2009. With a significant emphasis on renewable energy technology deployment and job expansion, the bill improved upon the 2008 small wind tax credit by removing “cost caps.” This change allows consumers and small businesses to deduct from their tax liability 30 percent of the installed cost of a wind turbine. Additionally, businesses will have the option of receiving their credits in the form of cash grants.

Q: What does this mean to me?
A: The entire cost of a Skystream system (plus installation) is reduced by 30 percent provided you have a tax liability. The credit can be claimed over the course of two years. Depending on where you live, you could save even more! Some states have also implemented rebates for small wind systems which can be used in addition to the Federal credit. Furthermore, in the last two months alone, more than 30 states have introduced legislation that either expands incentives for renewable energy and/or addresses market barriers. Learn more at http://www.dsireusa.org

Q: How does a tax credit work?
A: Typically, a tax credit is money that you can deduct from any money owed to the federal government at tax time (tax liability). The small wind tax credit can be carried over two years after the product is installed. For more information on how to take advantage of the credit, we suggest that you speak to a tax specialist.

Q: I don’t normally owe taxes – how can I claim the credit?
A: You can only claim the credit based on what you would owe in taxes (your tax liability for two years). If you do not normally receive a refund, you may want to consult with a tax specilalist to understand better what opportunities are available to you.

Q: How do I claim the credit?
A: You will be required to file the long form and itemize your deductions. The IRS form 5695 must be completed and filed with your taxes. The current form does not reflect the changes to the most recent legislation.

Q: Can someone who already owned a Skystream claim the tax credit?
A: If you purchased a Skystream in 2008, you qualify for the federal-level tax credit, passed as part of the October 2008 bailout legislation, up to $2,400 per wind turbine with a cap of $4000. If you purchased a Skystream in 2008 but your dealer did not install it until 2009, ask your dealer to write a letter indicating that the wind turbine was not “commissioned” in 2008 and became operational 2009. You would qualify for the 30 percent tax incentive in your 2009 filing.

Q: What if I want to purchase and install more than one Skystream?
A: The stimulus package allows for a 30 percent tax credit on the total cost of multiple units. There is no cap on the 30 percent tax credit. Businesses may qualify for a grant from the US Treasury in lieu of a tax credit.

Q: I heard I can get cash back rather than a tax credit – how does that work?
A: Businesses can apply for a grant from the US Treasury and rather than a tax credit, receive a cash grant. The details are still being worked out but should be in place by April or May. Keep in touch with your dealer or the manufacturer for more information.

Q: Does this work for all small wind systems, even Whisper and Air Breeze?
A: Yes. The incentive is available to all users of small wind systems.