In October, a group of roughly 25 individuals gathered in Mankato to connect and hear about renewable and energy efficiency projects in the area. The day began at the Courtyard Marriott in Mankato, the first LEED certified hotel in Minnesota. The event, which was co-hosted by SE CERT and the Region 9 Renewable Energy Task Force, served as an opportunity for both groups to connect with each other as well as their community to discuss what they have been doing in regards to goals and projects throughout the region. The day consisted of a presentation period, then a bused tour throughout Mankato, and finally a tour of Gustavus Adolphus College.
Presentations began with Jon Noerenberg, the planning assistant of the City of Mankato, who discussed many of the sustainability standards and goals that Mankato has; in addition to some of the projects they have worked on recently such as upgrades to their wastewater treatment plant and the revitalized Orness Plaza.
Bill Ward, facility administrator of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, also spoke about an up and coming project in the Mankato area. The School Sisters plan to put in a 970 kW system, consisting of 3000 panels on five acres of CRP land. They hope to have final approval for the project by December, with a spring construction timeline. The Sisters plan to hold classes and use it as a tool to educate the community with on-site and online interactions. The group that continued on the tour was able to see the site of the project on the drive.
General Manager Preston Lougheed spoke to the group about all the work that was put into the Courtyard Marriott hotel and a little bit about the experience of it all. Being the first LEED certified hotel in the state, they met challenges not previously discussed, such as cosmetic appeals like green grass; whereas LEED would prefer no sprinkler systems. The hotel, which went after the stricter 2009 LEED program standards, has experienced the struggles of documentation when dealing with multiple parties, but has been very successful in much of what they had set out to do. With 192 PV panels on the roof, which produces around 40 kW of electricity and amounts to around six percent of the electric bill, this is the first Marriott in the world to have solar. Learn more about the Marriott’s energy efficiency strategies.
After initial presentations and the tour of the Marriott, the group began at the Minnesota Valley Action Council at 706 North Victory Drive. MVAC has made a lot of great energy choices in their renovated buildings, including 100 solar panels on the roof and awnings, LED parking lot lights, occupancy sensors, and low-flow plumbing fixtures. The organization, realizing the importance of fiscal stewardship, decided to actively curtail costs and find other revenue streams to lower operating costs. In addition to becoming more efficient and bringing in renewable energy sources, MVAC has begun work on a “food hub”, an initiative focused on bringing local, healthy foods to the region. Their goal is to work with twenty or so local farmers (within fifty miles of the site), to start a multi-farm CSA (community supported agriculture) plan and then opening a commercial kitchen and processing site inside.
Plans are also in the works to have a retail outlet for the fresh and local foods. This initiative, which they hope will bring in two million dollars in sales within the first three years, was originally an idea submitted to the MN CAP competition, where it won as a social venture and finished in the top six overall. Not only is it a way for the council to help provide fresh fruits and vegetables to the community, but an opportunity to support local farmers, many of whom are considered low-income. Find out more information about their site and programs at MN Valley Action Council.
Eric Lennartson, an architect with Paulsen Architects, joined us for the remainder of the tour to speak about three projects that their firm assisted to become LEED. En route to the Mankato Public Safety Center, we drove past the Blue Earth County Justice Center and Rosa Parks Elementary School to see and hear a little bit about their LEED certifications from Eric. The justice center, which is certified LEED Silver, is the first LEED certified jail in Minnesota. Rosa Park Elementary, which received a LEED for Schools Gold certification, focused their renovations to make the building healthy and safe for students and staff alike. More info on those projects: Rosa Parks Elementary and Blue Earth County Justice Center.
Our third stop, the Mankato Public Safety Center, houses both the police and fire departments. The safety center was completely gutted and renovated from the old county jail, originally built in the 1970s. Reusing as much as possible, their central downtown location, and brand new solar panels were a few of the features that allowed them to be certified as LEED Gold. The safety center features large open spaces to create a welcome and comfortable atmosphere; as well as a high efficiency HVAC system on the roof, and fire doors that close quickly, which were efficiently made locally in Kasota, MN. Learn more from Paulsen Architects building & material reuse plan.
The final stop of the tour was at Gustavus Adolphus College, which has a number of renewable projects up and running. We were able to see solar panels on both the Jackson Campus Center and Olin Hall; both of which serve as educational opportunities for students to learn about renewable energy. The solar electric panels on Olin Hall highlight three side-by-side technologies which makes for a good comparison. LEED components in Beck Hall and the mechanical room in Lund Center were also seen by the group before they trekked out to the Skystream wind system and new composting facility to wrap up the tour. Find out more detailed information about Gustavus’ renewable projects and data tracking.
To see more photos from the event, click play below or click here.
Recap of resources from the tour:
- Jon’s presentations on City of Mankato efforts
- Green Building Applications Handout
- MN Valley Action Council
- Learn more about the Marriott’s energy efficiency strategies
- Details about the Rosa Parks Elementary design
- Details about the Blue Earth County Justice Center’s design
- Details about the Mankato Public Safety Center design
- An analysis of Gustavus Adolphus College’s renewable energy projects
