Record Crowd Gathers to Participate in Resourceful Kansas Seminar

Public officials throughout the State of Kansas attend one-day session demonstrating benefits on energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy conservation.

A record-breaking number of participants, including 28 people from 18 organizations attended a full-day of training and education as Resourceful Kansas launched its fifth seminar on January 25. GBA’s Energy Studio, in partnership with Riley County Public Works and Kansas State University, hosted the event which provides an in-depth tutorial on energy saving technologies, public and private financing, incentives and installations of renewable energy systems.

Resourceful Kansas is funded by a $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and is intended to engage communities throughout Kansas in making a fundamental shift towards a more energy efficient economy. Cities, counties, and state agencies; public schools, unified school districts, and private schools; public colleges, universities, and technical schools; agribusinesses; and non-profit organizations are all eligible to apply for the program. Once selected, organizations have an opportunity to attend the one-day seminar in Riley County, Kansas at no cost.

By the conclusion of the program in 2013, eight seminars will have been held at Riley County Public Works, an award-winning facility demonstrating the benefits of wind, solar and other renewable energy sources. A tour of facility grounds provides a glance at these installations, some of which include, a 100kW wind turbine, solar energy systems, a 200,000 BTU waste oil heater, and a 30-ton geothermal heating and cooling system.

After attending the seminar, GBA’s technical staff provides on-site assistance to selected participating organizations to promote energy efficiency, energy conservation and renewable energy generation projects. The program is also designed to provide more than 80 energy assessments which will be conducted across the state to participating organizations, free of charge, as funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

To date, 74 participants have successfully completed the program. Three more Resourceful Kansas seminars will be held in the coming months and more than 45 organizations will receive an opportunity to attend these remaining sessions. Find out if your organization is eligible to apply for Resourceful Kansas by visiting http://www.resourcefulkansas.org./