Florida: Setting Energy Efficiency Goals Like It’s 1999 Blog Southface Staff | June 9, 2022 Back in 1980, the Florida legislature recognized that reducing energy consumption can benefit both ratepayers and utility companies that need to reliably meet customer demand for energy. State legislators enacted the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (FEECA) that year, which charged the Public Service Commission (PSC) with establishing energy efficiency and conservation goals for the state’s seven regulated electric utilities—Florida Power and Light, Duke Energy, Tampa Electric Company, Gulf Power Company, Florida Public Utilities Company, JEA, and Orlando Utilities … Continue reading “Florida: Setting Energy Efficiency Goals Like It’s 1999” Read More Tags:
Solar Energy Leader Now President of Nonprofit that Inspired Him Since High School Blog Southface Staff | May 25, 2022 During his senior year at Lincoln County High School, James Marlow wrote to a newly established nonprofit of solar energy advocates in Atlanta, Ga., to learn how he could start his own career on the cutting edge of sustainability and clean energy. James never guessed that he would become the president of that organization decades later, but that’s exactly what he accomplished when he joined Southface Institute on May 16. After graduating from high school and then from Georgia Southern … Continue reading “Solar Energy Leader Now President of Nonprofit that Inspired Him Since High School” Read More Tags:
The Decatur Clean Energy Public Forum is a Community-Driven Success Green TechnologyRenewable Energy Southface Staff | April 18, 2022 City of Decatur staff and members of the consulting teams outline pathways to 100% Clean Energy. Photo credit: Greg White On March 8 and 9, more than 50 community members joined Southface Institute and Greenlink Analytics at the Decatur Recreation Center for the Decatur Clean Energy Public Forum. Equipped with resources and information about the Clean Energy Plan, students from Decatur City Schools canvassed downtown Decatur and engaged the public as people arrived, explored, and asked questions. While residents learned … Continue reading “The Decatur Clean Energy Public Forum is a Community-Driven Success” Read More Tags:
Florida Nonprofits Partner to Save the Planet While Serving Communities Blog Southface Staff | March 24, 2022 SARASOTA, Fla. — Great ideas often start with a lightbulb moment, especially in the sustainability world. In 2008, sustainable building nonprofit Southface Institute recognized that reducing nonprofits’ utility bills by increasing the efficiency of their facilities would save critical dollars to reinvest in serving meals, teaching youth, assisting unsheltered families, and more. Years after Southface’s GoodUse program launched, the idea has proven its substantial value — 400+ nonprofits nationwide have saved $3.2 million, 24 million kWh of electricity, 15,466 kGal of … Continue reading “Florida Nonprofits Partner to Save the Planet While Serving Communities” Read More Tags:
States Weigh the True Price of Natural Gas Amid Russia-Fueled Volatility BlogRenewable Energy Southface Staff | March 21, 2022 ATLANTA — As Russia escalates its invasion of Ukraine and the U.S. imposes sanctions banning the import of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal, America grapples with stabilizing its own energy markets. Though we produce almost all the natural gas we consume, domestic prices are increasing in response to global market volatility and growing international demand for U.S. resources. As sustainable building nonprofit Southface sees it, it’s another setback for an energy fuel source that state utilities have long touted … Continue reading “States Weigh the True Price of Natural Gas Amid Russia-Fueled Volatility” Read More Tags:
Unboxing Georgia Power’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan BlogRenewable Energy Southface Staff | March 7, 2022 Every three years, Georgia Power updates its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), determining how they will invest funds from their 2.7 million customers over the following two decades. This plan largely determines which energy sources and programs are available to Georgians and at what environmental and financial cost. Georgia Power is our state’s largest utility, and the decisions that will be finalized in a few short months will have far-reaching impacts on Georgia’s energy future. It is crucial that the … Continue reading “Unboxing Georgia Power’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan” Read More Tags:
Balancing the Scales: What Justice40 Means to Me BlogClimate Change Southface Staff | February 8, 2022 By Jo’De Cummings, Technical Program Coordinator, Southface Institute On January 27, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,” that created a governmentwide Justice40 Initiative. This initiative aims to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of federal investments in climate and clean energy to disadvantaged communities. It is incredible progressive reform that can revitalize these communities in multiple ways. First, the cost savings from sustainability improvements have the potential to pay massive … Continue reading “Balancing the Scales: What Justice40 Means to Me” Read More Tags:
What’s One Footprint? What the Climate Report Means For Real People Blog Southface Staff | December 8, 2021 You stayed up later than you really wanted to, but you were finally starting to settle into bed. You were so tired that you forgot until just that moment that you didn’t turn off the light in the kitchen. Sure, you know it’s more environmentally friendly to turn your lights off when you’re not using them, but how much can you as one individual influence something as massive and dire as the climate crisis? Can’t the environment take one … Continue reading “What’s One Footprint? What the Climate Report Means For Real People” Read More Tags:
Sustainable Infrastructure Wins! Now What? BlogGreen Building Southface Staff | November 17, 2021 Countless capital improvement projects in communities nationwide have been backlogged for decades, but for many, that’s about to change. New funding in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“Infrastructure Bill”) will go toward a wide range of projects, including road repairs, energy improvements in low-income housing, replacements for old and dirty lead pipes, electric vehicle chargers, and electric buses. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Bill, approving unprecedented levels of funding for investments in transportation, water, … Continue reading “Sustainable Infrastructure Wins! Now What?” Read More Tags:
Southface’s upcoming leadership transition Blog Southface Staff | November 5, 2021 Dear Southface community, Like 2020, 2021 has been a year of great change, fundamentally redefining where and how we work and live, how we protect and support each other, and what it means to work toward a more equitable world. While some of the changes Southface Institute experienced presented us with obstacles to achieving our goals, such as holds on our work with municipalities and the limited availability of funding for long-term sustainability projects, other changes opened doors to the kind of … Continue reading “Southface’s upcoming leadership transition” Read More Tags:
