Cook County Announces Off-Site Renewable Energy Power Purchase Agreement RFP
Cook County has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a renewable energy off-site Power Purchase Agreement (PPA The PPA will allow Cook County to purchase a large portion of its electricity supply from a renewable source beginning in FY2023. This is a significant step forward in reaching the County’s goal of 100% renewable electricity for County-owned facilities by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050.
Cook County’s Clean Energy Plan calls for actions such as these, that meet the urgency of climate change, promote local green jobs, increase the resiliency of the local power grid, improve air quality and provide reliable and cost-conscious electricity.
Cook County has already made progress toward its carbon neutrality goals by reducing its government building greenhouse gas emissions by 35% since 2010. This includes a solar array on the Domestic Violence Courthouse roof and 12 solar trees in the Bridgeview Courthouse parking lot, totaling about 300 kW. The Clean Energy Plan has mapped out upcoming installations for on-site solar, but even with these plans the County requires off-site renewable transactions to reach the scale needed for meeting the 100% renewable electricity goal by 2030.
Read more about the Power Purchase Agreement RFP here.
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Cook County CPACE Helps Support Bridgeport Historic Theater Renovation
The historic Ramova Theater is being completely renovated, thanks in part to financing through the Cook County Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) program. This project is giving new life to a historic Bridgeport building and will save water and energy. After having been closed since 1985, the renovated 100-year-old theater will consist of a live entertainment space, restaurant and brewpub.
The Ramova Theatre is the first participant in Cook County's CPACE program. Improvements will be made to the building shell including roof insulation, wall and window upgrades, interior LED lighting, an updated efficient HVAC system and low flow faucets. These improvements will save energy and money for the facility and are projected to prevent 214 metric tons of CO2e emissions in the first year alone, which is equivalent to nearly 57 homes’ electricity use for one year.
Cook County CPACE offers commercial, industrial, institutional and large rental property owners a financial tool to spread energy, water and resiliency project costs over a term of up to 30 years and repay the funds through an assessment on their property tax bill and with no upfront capital outlay. Key benefits of the CPACE program include:
- No up-front costs in most cases (100% financing, including hard and soft costs)
- Long-term, fixed interest rate financing (up to 30 years) resulting in lower annual payments
- In many cases, cash flow positive within the first year
- Reduces capital expenditure budget - upgrades paid through operational savings
- Extends building lifespan
- Enhances the value of the property
- No required payoff upon sale
Have questions about Cook County CPACE? Find out more here and read more about the program here.
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Beaubien Woods Transformation
Over the last few years, visitors to Beaubien Woods on Chicago’s Far South Side have seen an ongoing transformation - not only in the landscape, but also in how the Forest Preserves of Cook County is connecting to the community.
This fall, Openlands begins another chapter at Beaubien including an initiative with the Forest Preserves to foster a healthy community by creating inviting and culturally relevant access to nature. Funded by the Walder Foundation, the work will restore 20 acres of prairie and create a more inviting entrance to the trail from Carver Military Academy to Flatfoot Lake by thinning invasive vegetation. The Field Museum will also work with a team of community curators to design a “gathering space” near the boat ramp on the Little Calumet River.
The Forest Preserves have been increasing the number of events at Beaubien Woods over the last few years. Through the Better Beaubien project, they’ve also been incorporating racial equity into their work and forging deeper connections with residents and organizations in the area.
Read more about Beaubien Woods here.
Racial Equity Action Plan and Language Access
“This Racial Equity Policy and Racial Equity Action Plan build on strategies we are currently using and seeks to codify them and provide us with a framework for the next several years,” said Denise Barreto, Director of Equity and Inclusion. “Publishing these documents will ensure that the work we do will last well into the future."
The Action Plan outlines five strategies, broken down into action steps complete with a timeline, accountability measures, performance measures and desired outcomes. One strategy was the spring 2021 launch and implementation of the Language Access Policy. The Department of Environment and Sustainability has increased language access through interpretation services on the phone for our inspectors and translated the 2020 Sustainability Report into Spanish.
Read more about the Racial Equity Action Plan here.
Weatherize Your Home
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Cold weather has arrived. Save on utility bills and make your space more comfortable by weatherizing your home. Weatherization focuses on finding the small leaks and holes in your home’s building envelope and sealing them. If you add up all the leaks, holes and gaps in your home’s building envelope, it would be the equivalent to having a window open every day of the year. |
Some materials that help seal these leaks include:
- Rubber weather seal or weather strip: helps create an edge seal for door and window openings
- Caulk: seals small gaps
- Plastic window covers: stops drafts and could save you up to $20 on your utility bills per window covered
- Draft stoppers: add under front and back doors to stop drafts
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Programmable and smart thermostats: adjust temperature when you are away from home to save on utility bills
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