Podcast appearances and mentions of marie donahue

Recently, Statewide Director of the Clean Energy Resource Teams Lissa Pawlisch and co-director Joel Haskard sat down virtually for a conversation with CERTs sustainability storyteller Marie Donahue. During the interview, Pawlisch and Haskard speak about CERTs ongoing seed grant program and how this unique opportunity helps launch community-led clean energy projects across the state. The podcast episode also features project highlights from CERT regional coordinators and other staff.

In June 2021, Gabe Chan, Assistant Professor and lead of the Chan Lab at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs in the Twin Cities, sat down virtually for a conversation with CERTs sustainability storyteller Marie Donahue. During the interview, Chan speaks about his career path and early interests in climate change and clean energy, his approach to engaged scholarship on energy technology and policy, and current projects working to explore utility business models, community solar programs, and energy justice and equity. Learn more.

About the show: Welcome to Energetic Talk with Colby Abazs brought to you weekly by a partnership of Clean Energy Resource Teams and Two Harbors Community Radio. I am excited to bring you conversations about clean energy and get questions answered from guests near and far. You can listen on KTWH-LP 99.5 FM in Two Harbors, MN, stream online at ktwh.org, or search for "Energetic Talk" wherever you listen to podcasts. This week: Today is a special show from my colleague Marie Donahue. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/energetic-talk/message

About the show: Welcome to Energetic Talk with Colby Abazs brought to you weekly by a partnership of Clean Energy Resource Teams and Two Harbors Community Radio. I am excited to bring you conversations about clean energy and get questions answered from guests near and far. You can listen on KTWH-LP 99.5 FM in Two Harbors, MN, stream online at ktwh.org, or search for "Energetic Talk" wherever you listen to podcasts. This week: Today I have a guest episode for you from my colleague Marie Donahue talking with Jamez Staples about increasing access to clean energy jobs and training opportunities.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/energetic-talk/message

In April 2021, Rachel Wagner of through design LLC, based in Duluth, Minnesota, sat down virtually for a conversation with CERTs northeast regional coordinator Colby Abazs and sustainability storyteller Marie Donahue. Through design is a firm specializing in to-scale consulting, providing ecologically and socially conscious solutions on projects that range in scope from single family residences to comprehensive public policy, in what Wagner calls “responsible design.” During the interview, Wagner speaks about her decades of experience working in private sector architecture and building design and the pivot she took to pursue bolder grassroots and mission-driven work. She shares about recent projects working to engage local youth and community members in green building design and solar energy through a workshop and video series supported by CERTs Seed Grants, as well as a new, collaborative Green New Deal Housing effort that seeks to address climate, social and economic inequities through energy efficient, affordable housing. Learn more

About the show: Welcome to Energetic Talk with Colby Abazs brought to you weekly by a partnership of Clean Energy Resource Teams and Two Harbors Community Radio. I am excited to bring you conversations about clean energy and get questions answered from guests near and far. You can listen on KTWH-LP 99.5 FM in Two Harbors, MN, stream online at ktwh.org, or search for "Energetic Talk" wherever you listen to podcasts. This week: Today I have a guest episode for you from my colleague Marie Donahue talking with Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) Statewide Director Lissa Pawlisch about advancing clean energy during COVID-19. This conversation kicked off our new Energy Futures podcast in 2020. Learn more. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/energetic-talk/message

Timothy DenHerder-Thomas, general manager of Cooperative Energy Futures, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue, Sustainability Storyteller with CERTs. Cooperative Energy Futures is a solar energy developer and cooperative based in Minneapolis that works across Minnesota. During the interview, DenHerder-Thomas talks about his journey working on climate and clean energy issues, and Cooperative Energy Futures' vision and approach to community-scale solar energy. He gives an overview of Minnesota’s leading community solar garden program and how his organization is working with residents and communities to address energy burden and strengthen participation in the energy system. Learn more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Nina Axelson, VP of Sustainability and Outreach at Ever-Green Energy, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue. Ever-Green Energy is both a utility system operator and energy planning and design firm, based in Saint Paul. Axelson talks about her path to Ever-Green and how she and the company navigated the challenges in 2020. She highlights what inspires her about recent projects, including the Towerside development with aquifer thermal energy storage in Minneapolis, their Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality program working with colleges and universities to advance their decarbonization goals, and Ever-Green’s inaugural Impact Report. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Carmen Carruthers, Outreach Director at the Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota (CUB), sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue at CERTs. Carruthers shares how CUB uses advocacy and outreach to advance affordable and reliable utility service and clean energy for households and small businesses across Minnesota. The discussion digs deeper into how Carruthers and her team have adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they are connecting consumers struggling to pay their utility bills with support and resources. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

In September of 2020, Kristel Porter, Founder and Executive Director of MN Renewable NOW, a nonprofit working to advance a renewable energy future in North Minneapolis and beyond, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue, Sustainability Storyteller with CERTs. Porter shares what inspires her to work on clean energy, how she and her team navigated challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, and her grassroots vision to advance local renewable energy and address issues of climate change and racial inequities block by block. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

In September of 2020, Danielle Hauck, Customer Engagement Manager at the Center for Energy and Environment, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue, Sustainability Storyteller with CERTs. Hauck manages the organization’s Energy Advisor Service, which helps Home Energy Squad and home energy audit customers implement recommendations from their home energy visits. Hauck describes how she and her team have adapted the energy efficiency services they offer in these challenging times, how residents can be proactive in preparing their homes for winter, and lessons learned from her career path in the clean energy sector. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

In July of 2020, Jamez Staples, president of Renewable Energy Partners, a clean energy training and construction services company based in North Minneapolis, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue, Sustainability Storyteller with CERTs. Staples describes the challenges and opportunities in the development of a clean energy workforce training center that empowers both youth and adults from North Minneapolis to engage and have access to opportunities in clean energy. He emphasizes the need to prioritize equity in decision-making and to include those who have “been traditionally left behind” when forming partnerships and building projects—from electric vehicle charging to microgrids and beyond. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

In July of 2020, Eric Pasi, Chief Development Officer of Impact Power Solutions, a leading full-service clean energy development company based in Roseville, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue, Sustainability Storyteller with CERTs. Pasi shares encouraging trends in the clean energy sector and his observations of how solar developers navigated challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He speaks to the need for increasing opportunities for everyone to participate in the clean energy revolution and highlights his forthcoming book, Clean Wave, featuring stories and tips for those interested in pursuing careers in clean energy. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

In June of 2020, Lissa Pawlisch, CERTs Statewide Director, sat down virtually for a conversation with Marie Donahue, Sustainability Storyteller with CERTs. It was just a month into Marie's time at CERTs, a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis that sparked uprisings demanding racial justice across the state and country. We discussed where the work of CERTs and partners to advance clean energy in the state fits in this landscape and what might come next. Read more. The Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) connect individuals and communities in Minnesota to the resources they need to identify and implement community-based clean energy projects. CERTs is a partnership of University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships, Great Plains Institute, Southwest Regional Development Commission, and Minnesota Department of Commerce.

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, Energy Democracy Initiative director John Farrell speaks with colleagues Marie Donahue and Neil Seldman about the harmful impacts of burning trash to generate electricity.

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, Energy Democracy Initiative director John Farrell speaks with colleagues Marie Donahue and Neil Seldman about the harmful impacts of burning trash to generate electricity. The discussion digs into ILSR’s late-2018 report Waste Incineration: A Dirty Secret in How States Define Renewable Energy and passage of the Baltimore Clean Air Act, a policy which will help shut down the city’s highly polluting waste incinerator.… Read More

Host John Farrell speaks with Marie Donahue, ILSR researcher, and Neil Seldman, Director of ILSR's Waste to Wealth Initiative, about the harmful impacts of burning trash to generate electricity. The trio dive into ILSR's recent report Waste Incineration: A Dirty Secret in How States Define Renewable Energy. They also discuss: Baltimore's recent passage of the Clean Air Act, a bill that will effectively shut down the Wheelabrator incinerator. Three key reasons why incinerators are a bad deal for communities including: financial risk, environmental injustice, and public health concerns. The story behind the successful efforts to shutdown two incinerators in Baltimore. Neil details how residents of the marginalized Curtis Bay neighborhood organized at the grassroots level to advocate for their community. How 23 states are providing subsidies to incinerators by allowing them to benefit from renewable energy tax credits. What communities and cities can do instead of hosting incinerators to manage their waste, foster a healthier environment, and create jobs. The economics of incinerators don't add up. Incinerators are risky investments for the local governments and utilities that support and subsidize them, particularly as energy prices decline [thanks to renewable alternatives.] Related Resources Report: Waste Incineration: A Dirty Secret in How States Define Renewable Energy Webinar: Waste Incineration: A Dirty Secret in How States Define Renewable Energy Baltimore's Historic Clean Air Act Could End Stagnation in Recycling Report on the Proposed Baltimore Clean Air Act Report: Why Should Baltimore Recycle More? 2019 Community Power Scorecard The Zero Waste Solution by Paul Connett Plastic Ocean by Capt. Charles Moore Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown Reduce, Reuse, Reimagine by Beth Porter Transcript John Farrell: Welcome to another edition of Building Local Power. I'm John Farrell, co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. With me this week are Marie Donahue, ILSR researcher and author of Waste Incineration: A Dirty Secret in How States Define Renewable Energy. Welcome Marie. Marie Donahue: Thanks for having me John. John Farrell: Also with me is Neil Seldman ILSR co-founder, director of our waste to wealth initiative, and the death knell to dozens of garbage incinerators across the country. Welcome Neil. Neil Seldman: Pleasure to be here with both you and Marie. John Farrell: Today I'm excited to talk to the two of you about how communities can save money, have healthier kids, and create more jobs by shutting down garbage incinerators. And I'd like to start with something very recent. Neil I was hoping you could explain how a recent city council decision in Baltimore will impact the Wheelabrator Incinerator that's responsible for so much of the city's industrial pollution. Neil Seldman About two weeks ago the city council voted unanimously, 14 to zero with one absent person, one city council member absent, who would have voted for the act as well. But the Baltimore Clean Air Act sets new standards for both burning garbage, and burning hospital and hazardous waste in the city of Baltimore. It requires that both incinerators meet the state of the art best practices in pollution control equipment, it requires constant monitoring coming out of the incinerator, which is technologically possible, and it also requires that the information on the constant monitoring be made public on a webpage as is being done in Montgomery County Maryland just to the south of Baltimore, Maryland. The situation in Baltimore is slightly different from Montgomery County, which we can get into. But in Baltimore the Wheelabrator company owns a facility called Bresco. B-R-E-S-C-O. And that facility is about 35 to 40 years old. The city sends its non recycled waste to that incinerator in downtown Baltimore. Most of the materials generated in Baltimore go there,

Host John Farrell speaks with ILSR’s Marie Donahue and Neil Seldman about the harmful impact of burning trash to generate electricity. The trio dive into ILSR’s recent report Waste Incineration: A Dirty Secret in How States Define Renewable Energy. They also discuss Baltimore’s recent passage of the Clean Air Act.… Read More

In 2018, numerous states, utilities, and cities made big resolutions to shift to 100 percent clean energy. In a special New Year’s episode of Local Energy Rules, John Farrell and Marie Donahue from ILSR’s Energy Democracy team discuss their take on this “Year of 100.” The two recap the year’s most notable clean energy commitments and what’s on the horizon for local, renewable energy in 2019.… Read More

In 2018, numerous states, utilities, and cities made big resolutions to shift to 100 percent clean energy. In a special New Year's episode of Local Energy Rules, John Farrell and Marie Donahue from ILSR's Energy Democracy team discuss their take on thi...

Co-hosts Stacy Mitchell and Marie Donahue speak with Tulsa City Councilwoman, Vanessa Hall-Harper. Earlier this year, the city council of Tulsa, Oklahoma passed an ordinance restricting dollar stores from building new locations in north Tulsa, a predominantly African-American area. … Read More

Since 2011, the number of chain dollar stores has grown from 20,000 to a staggering 30,000 locations nationwide, as these stores profit off of continued economic distress and insecurity across the country. In this same period, the number of full-service grocery stores supplying communities with healthier food options has been in decline. The city of Tulsa, Okla., is no stranger to this phenomenon. There are 50 dollar stores within the city limits, many concentrated on the city's north side, where residents are left with few if any other options to buy their groceries. Tulsa City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper In this episode, co-hosts Stacy Mitchell and Marie Donahue speak with Tulsa City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper. Earlier this year, Vanessa led a successful effort to convince the City Council to pass an ordinance restricting dollar stores from building new locations in the community of North Tulsa, a historically and predominantly African-American area of the city. The ordinance was part of community members' and Vanessa's efforts to address the lack of healthy food options in their neighborhood. Drawing some inspiration from ILSR's policy tools, Vanessa was able to amend the city's zoning code to stop the proliferation of chain dollar stores that have crowded out full-service grocery stores in North Tulsa. She overcame opposition from developers, chambers of commerce, and even some city agencies that were hesitant to exercise Tulsa's local authority in this unique way. Stacy, Marie, and Vanessa discuss the two-year journey to pass the ordinance. They cover both the challenges and successes Vanessa had along the way, concluding with a discussion of Vanessa's more recent efforts to bring a full-service grocery store to North Tulsa. Tune in to learn more about Tulsa's innovative example of building local power! If we continue to just accept Family Dollars and Dollar Generals, that's all we receive, then we're not going to get anything better. We have to make our voices heard, and we have to demand better. That was a lot, to a large degree, a part of this process in saying, no to this, and this is what we want. Interested in learning more about the rapid proliferation and impacts of dollar stores? Our team has released an in-depth feature “Dollar Stores Are Targeting Struggling Urban Neighborhoods and Small Towns. One Community Is Showing How to Fight Back.” We have also compiled a shorter 2-page fact sheet The Impact of Dollar Stores and How Communities Can Fight Back, with facts and strategies to take action. Sign up for our Hometown Advantage Bulletin newsletter to get updates and related resources straight to your inbox.   Related Resources Dollar Stores Are Targeting Struggling Urban Neighborhoods and Small Towns. One Community Is Showing How to Fight Back. — Featured Story on How Dollar Stores Impact Local Economies The Impact of Dollar Stores and How Communities Can Fight Back (2-Page Fact Sheet) Dollar Store Dispersal Restrictions ‘They was killing black people': In-Depth Feature of the Tulsa Race Massacre via The Washington Post 1921 Tulsa Race Riot History, Tulsa Historical Society & Museum Guide to Policy Tools that Expand Opportunity for Independent Businesses Formula Business Restrictions Want to Strengthen Independent Businesses? Use These Policies (Building Local Power Episode 51) Transcript   Stacy Mitchell: Hello, and welcome to Building Local Power. I'm Stacy Mitchell, of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Today, I'm joined at hosting this episode by my colleague, Marie Donahue. Hey, Marie. Marie Donahue: Hi, Stacy. Happy to be here. Stacy Mitchell: In the years since The Great Recession, many retail chains have been closing their stores, but one striking exception to this trend, are dollar stores. Since 2011, the number of dollar stores has grown from 20,000, to nearly 30,000. If you map the location of these stores, it quickly becomes clear that these chains have figured out how to prof...