Climate + Energy Project

Utility Scale Solar & Storage Webinar
2021-09-30 11:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago)
The Clean Energy Business Council, a project of the Climate + Energy Project, is hosting a webinar with special guests Robert Wright, Renewable Energy Development Manager at Burns & McDonnell and Frank Jakob, Energy Storage Technology Manager at Black & Veatch to discuss utility-scale solar and storage.

Panelists include Dorothy Barnett, Executive Director of the Climate + Energy Project, as host; Bill Roush, CEP Board Member, as moderator; Robert Wright, Renewable Energy Development Manager at Burns & McDonnell, as a presenter; and Frank Jakob, Energy Storage Technology Manager at Black & Veatch, as a presenter.

Recording Available Now

Presentation Slides

Presenters

Robert Wright, Burns & McDonnell

Mr. Robert Wright is the Renewable Energy Development Manager for the technical development and implementation of new renewable generation for Burns & McDonnell’s Energy Division. His duties include technology comparisons, cost estimating, performance optimization, economic analysis, conceptual design, siting studies, and project coordination. Additionally, Mr. Wright helps clients determine overarching project strategies to go from conception through regulatory approval focusing on competitive and winning approaches.

Mr. Wright incorporates current market conditions, policies, and tax benefits into his analyses. He has his professional engineering license in mechanical engineering as well as a master’s degree in Engineering Management and a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Physics, both from the Colorado School of Mines.

Frank Jakob, Black & Veatch

Mr. Frank Jakob, P.E., PMP, is the Energy Storage Technology Manager at Black & Veatch. He leads the design of energy storage systems that improve and enhance renewable and conventional electricity generation. He has over 30 years of experience with developing new applications for products. Now his focus is on electrochemical devices (batteries and fuel cells) and bulk storage technology (pumped hydro, compressed air, and sensible & latent thermal heat storage technologies) in short- and mid- and long-term energy storage applications for renewable energy (solar photovoltaic and wind turbine systems) and for conventional generation (turbines, engines; hydroelectric generation, and thermal power plants.) Frank adds energy storage to improve operations, extend life, increase responsiveness, and decrease emissions — including carbon footprints and greenhouse gasses.

Most recently Frank has been growing Black & Veatch’s energy storage EPC practice and Owners’ Engineering services.

2021 Community Wind Workshops
2021-07-13 19:00 - 20:00
Wind Energy is an economic driver in Kansas. Currently, over 40% of our power is generated from wind energy, and there is a lot of potential for growth. Climate + Energy Project welcomes community members to hear from Kansas subject matter experts and landowners on common misconceptions related to wind energy. You’ll also have an opportunity to debrief with your neighbors about what this means for your community and get all your questions answered. You’ll walk away with a better understanding of the impact of wind development, as well as ideas on how to talk to members in your community about wind energy. We encourage you to sign up for the location that is closest to you, but are welcome to attend any of the meetings that work for your schedule:

PAST WORKSHOP RECORDINGS

Session 1 Presentation Slides

Join Dorothy Barnett and Josh Svaty as we kick off this summer long workshop series with an overview of the wind energy economy in Kansas. Currently, over 40% of our power is generated from wind energy. How did we get here? Where do we go from here? Dorothy and Josh will reflect on the history and the role they’ve played in growing the wind energy economy in Kansas and discuss what lies ahead for the state. They will also touch on the remainder of the workshops, which will include property values, health and safety, wildlife, and more.

Session 2 Presentation Slides

Wind Energy brings many opportunities to local communities. Join two economic development professionals, Randi Tveitaraas-Jack and Joann Knight, to learn about these benefits in more detail. Randi will be providing a deeper overview of the economic development impacts of Wind Energy in Kansas, and Joann will be discussing how her community has been impacted by wind development. Together, Randi and Joann will discuss the various components of community benefits from wind development, including local jobs, increased support for local businesses, and support for local schools.

Session 3 Presentation Slides

Join Amanda Miller and Pete Ferrell to discuss issues around health and safety for wind development. Amanda will provide overview of health & safety from her professional experience at Olsson, working with renewable energy clients throughout the continental U.S. Pete will join Amanda in this discussion and add his perspective as the initiator of and primary landholding member in the development of the Elk River Wind Farm constructed on the Ferrell Ranch in 2005.

Session 4 Presentation Slides

Mike Busch will be presenting his research study: Wind Power Effects on Residential Property Values. He will be joined by Mary Fund, to add her perspective as a landowner with wind turbines.

Session 5 Presentation Slides

Zac Eddy, with the Kansas Department of Parks, Wildlife, & Tourism, will share information about wind development and wildlife. He will be joined by Pete Ferrell to add his perspective as a landowner with wind turbines.

KDPWT Presentation Handout

Kansas Climate CORE Kick-Off
2021-06-30 17:30 - 18:30
Join CEP to launch the Kansas Climate CORE!

We’ll introduce the Kansas Climate CORE and discuss what it means to be a CORE Leader. We’ll also be announcing a partnership with the Environmental Voter Project and are excited to host Founder and Executive Director, Nathaniel Stinnett as a guest speaker!

Become A Kansas Climate CORE Leader

Sign the Kansas Climate CORE Voter Pledge

Learn More About

Environmental Voter Project Partnership Volunteer Opportunities The Voter Network Partnership Get Out the Vote Trainings

Guest Speaker

Nathaniel Stinnett

Environmental Voter Project

Founder, Executive Director

Nathaniel Stinnett founded the Environmental Voter Project in 2015 after over a decade of experience as a senior advisor, consultant, and trainer for political campaigns and issue-advocacy nonprofits. Hailed as a “visionary” by The New York Times, and dubbed “The Voting Guru” by Grist magazine, Stinnett is a frequent expert speaker on cutting-edge campaign techniques and the behavioral science behind getting people to vote. He has held a variety of senior leadership and campaign manager positions on U.S. Senate, Congressional, state, and mayoral campaigns, and he sits on the Board of Advisors for MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative. Formerly an attorney at the international law firm DLA Piper LLP, Stinnett holds a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School. He lives in Boston, MA with his wife and two children.

Project Funded By

Event Recording

Presentation Slides

Get Ready and Run for Office!
2021-06-09 12:00 - 13:00
Interested in running for office, or know someone who is? Join this nonpartisan series of trainings on running for office. This informational series will include both technical and adaptive elements of running a successful campaign. RSVP today!

May 12 – 12:30 PM – Step Up & Lead Panel with Mainstream Coalition and The Voter Network

May 19 – 12:30 PM – Know Your Why & Then Run for Election with Racquel Thiesen of the Kansas Leadership Center

May 26 – 12:30 PM – Pathways to Civic Engagement: Serve & Run with the KU Institute for Leadership Studies

June 1 – Deadline to File

June 9 – Meet Your Legislators hosted by Kansas Interfaith Action

June 16 – Media Engagement hosted by Kansas Interfaith Action

June 23– Power Map Your Network hosted by Kansas Interfaith Action

June 30– Give Legislative Testimony hosted by Kansas Interfaith Action

PAST WORKSHOP RECORDINGS

Step up to Lead Panel with Mainstream Coalition & Voter to Voter

Webinar Handout

Presentation Slides

Know your Why and Then Run for Election with Racquel Thiesen of the Kansas Leadership Center

Presentation Slides

Pathways to Civic Engagement: Serve & Run with the KU Institute for Leadership Studies

Presentation Slides

PARTNER EVENTS

KIFA Advocacy Lunch & Learn – Wednesdays in June – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Visit KIFA’s Website to Learn More

2021 RE-AMP Annual Meeting
2021-06-08 09:30 - 2021-06-11 16:00
It’s time to register for the 2021 RE-AMP Annual Meeting online June 9-11th. A benefit of membership is that organizations send their first attendee for free! After that, the cost is $50 per person to help cover speaker fees, technology, and care packages. Please review the agenda before you register.

Program highlights include:

Featured speakers, Dr. Cecilia Martinez from the Council on Environmental Quality and Nakisa Glover from the Hip Hop CaucusTwo rounds of issue sessions to learn more about work happening to equitably eliminate greenhouse emissionsOpportunities for deep engagement around our Network’s prioritiesSkills building workshopsA choose your own adventure social hour

Read through the session descriptions in the agenda before you register. You will be asked to provide your shipping address because we’re sending everyone a care package this year. The deadline to register is June 4th.

Register Today

If you have any questions, please contact Director of Community Management, Sarah Ann Shanahan at sarah@reamp.org

P.S. We are offering a few pre-conference activities on June 8th to give you a foundation for the meeting. Simply register to join!

Breakfast Buddies: Meet Fellow Network Members

Accelerate your connections by joining Breakfast Buddies! As the name suggests, you have breakfast with another member to learn more about each other and your work. We’re hosting this one virtually, so we’ll be mailing you a package a week before the call (to be opened the day of). We’ll come into the Zoom room together and then you’ll be sent into a breakout with another member- generally we try to pair a new member with a seasoned one. It’s fun, casual and you get mail that’s not a bill! Register by May 31st to be sure you get your package in time. Registration required.

Getting Grounded in the Network

Get the most of the Annual Meeting by joining this Network orientation where we will focus on key components of the Network that will build a foundation of understanding for the meeting. How does the Network guide its work in an equitable way? What are the guiding principles for equitable deep decarbonization? What opportunities are there to collaborate with others? What should you expect at the Annual Meeting? We’ll answer these questions and more! Registration required.

Social Hour

Get to know people in the Network by playing charades! Charades is a basic game that translates easily to Zoom. We’ll split you into teams and use a charades idea generator to choose your words and phrases. The person who’s acting out the charade will use the Zoom “spotlight” feature, and their team has one minute to figure out the phrase. Winning team will be recognized by RE-AMP’s CEO, Melissa Gavin in the opening remarks at the Annual Meeting. Registration required.“

2021 KIFA Virtual Annual Meeting
2021-06-01 19:00 - 21:00
Register Today

Kansas Interfaith Action is pleased to invite you to join us for our 2021 Annual Event, on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 at 7:00 pm. We will gather virtually.

This is our main friend- and fund-raising event for the year, a chance for us to celebrate our work and to resolve ourselves for the tasks ahead. We hope you will join us!

Our featured speaker is Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General and former US Representative (2005-2019).

The event will include: reports on KIFA’s activities over the past year, spoken word and musical performances, and awards. Recipients include:

KIFA Service Award: Linda ThurstonLegislator of the Year Award: Sen. Oletha Faust-GoudeauBeloved Community Award: Kansas Action for Children; Larry Erickson

If you are unable to attend, but wish to support the work of Kansas Interfaith Action with a tax-deductible donation, please click here.

For more details visit KIFA Annual Event Facebook page

RE-AMP Hosts: Blocking Beneficial Electrification
2021-05-11 10:00 - 11:00
Register Today

In the absence of state action, attention has turned to opportunities at the local level for climate solutions. Across the Midwest, various cities, towns, and counties are making clean energy commitments, demanding more energy-efficient buildings, and expanding transportation options. It’s threatening our opponents and they are fighting back against cities who want to move away from gas toward beneficial electrification. Advocates in Iowa, Kansas, and Ohio were taken by surprise with legislative bills that undermined the commitments local municipalities have made toward electrification by protecting gas under the guise of preserving consumer choice. In this Community Strategy Conversation, we’ll hear from advocates in Kansas, Iowa, and Ohio on the impetus of legislation in these states, what it means for current and future local climate action, and the lessons that were learned. All three states have very similar stories, and we expect similar legislation to pop up in other RE-AMP states. Get ahead of the curve by joining us on May 11th at 10a CT.

Presenters: Dorothy Barnett (Climate + Energy Project) Kerri Johannsen (Iowa Environmental Council) Neil Waggoner (Sierra Club Ohio)

Taking Climate Action in Douglas County with Jasmin Moore
2021-05-03 14:00 - 15:30
Program Description: Douglas County is impacted by climate change in ways that seriously affect our people, ecosystems, and businesses. Join Jasmin Moore, Sustainability Director of Lawrence and Douglas County to learn more about what climate change looks like, who is impacted most, and how we can work together on Climate Action in Douglas County, the Kansas City area, and the state.

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8623261298?pwd=[REDACTED] ID: 862 326 1298

Passcode: [REDACTED]

One tap mobile+13462487799,,8623261298#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Houston)+16699009128,,8623261298#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (San Jose)

"Voices from Southwest Kansas: Immigrant Perspectives" Film Screening Plus Q&A
2021-05-01 10:00 - 12:00
REGISTER TODAY!

“Voices from Southwest Kansas: Immigrant Perspectives” was produced as part of a broader study of Southwest Kansas’ Food and Farm System by the Kansas Rural Center (KRC). Southwest Kansas is a sparsely populated, agricultural economy set in a semi- arid climate, fueled by water from the Ogallala Aquifer. It is also home to some of the country’s largest grain farms, livestock feedlots, dairies, swine confinement facilities, and beef processing plants. The region has a long history of immigrants from Mexico and other Central and South American countries, plus a number of other countries around the globe.”

Current Revolution: A Nation in Transition focuses on the closure of the Navajo Generating Station
2021-04-29 14:30 - 16:00
Register Today!

Solar United Neighbors is hosting a film screening of Current Revolution. Current Revolution: A Nation in Transition focuses on the closure of the Navajo Generating Station — the West’s largest coal-fired power plant — and the Navajo Nation’s efforts to deal with its impacts and embrace renewable energy.

After the film, hear from the filmmakers and those featured in the film! They’ll answer your questions and give you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film.

WEALTH Day 2021
2021-03-16 03:00 - 2021-03-18 13:00
Join Kansans to learn about and advocate for

Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation, and Health in Kansas

Get up-to-date on current environmental issuesJoin the Interfaith Prayer VigilSample new ideas at our Happy Hours each day at 5pmConnect with your legislatorsClick here to read about last year’s event!

WEALTH Day Agenda

View the 2021 WEALTH Days: Kansas Virtual Advocacy Days schedule & directory.

Visions of a Resilient Kansas: Change is in the Air
2020-10-01 13:00 - 15:00
The Climate + Energy Project’s Annual Fundraiser and Awards Celebration

Tickets and Registration Now Open

2020 has been full of change, but good things are happening in Kansas. Thanks to climate and energy advocates like you, the movement to expand clean energy and drive climate action is growing every day.

The Climate + Energy Project and our supporters build resilience in Kansas through equitable clean energy solutions and climate action. While this engagement looks different this year, either through virtual meetings or 6 feet away with masks, CEP continues to bring Kansans together to ensure equitable access to everything from the energy that keeps us cool to the air we breathe.

Join your friends at the Climate + Energy Project to celebrate Kansans driving the changes we need to see to secure a healthy and resilient Kansas.

What is the change you most want to see in Kansas?

2019 Visions of a Resilient Kansas: A Healthy Future for All
2020-09-30 03:00 - 12:00
For 12 years, the Climate + Energy Project has advanced clean energy and energy efficiency in Kansas. Access to clean energy helps our economy, creates jobs, saves money, and also improves the health of our communities. As we see the impacts climate change has on public health, it’s increasingly important to elevate the benefits of clean energy on the health of Kansans.

Growing Climate Solutions Webinar
2020-09-08 08:00 - 09:30
The Climate + Energy Project, The Nature Conservancy, Citizens Climate Lobby, and Kansas Farmers Union have partnered to discuss the Growing Climate Solutions Act- a positive step forward in addressing climate change in rural areas and presenting climate solutions through agriculture. Registration required. To register visit https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrceiuqz0qE9BB05VPTXjyEvnoFfqj2_xa

Celebrate 100 years of women's right to vote!
2020-08-26 07:00 - 08:30 | Zoom Virtual Meeting
100 years ago was the first step towards full women’s suffrage. In 1920, White women won the right to vote. It wasn’t until the voting rights act of 1965 that women of color fully gained the right to vote. Transwomen and incarcerated women still face restricted access to voting. We celebrate the 19th amendment this year as the start of an equal voting rights movement. Join us for an online moderated panel with Kansas female elected officials! We’ll discuss obstacles to running for office, civic engagement, and dealing with the climate crisis. The bipartisan panel will take place online on Women’s Equality Day, Wednesday, Aug. 26th at 12 pm CT, and will consist of Senator Carolyn McGinn, Senator Dinah Sykes, Rep. Susan Ruiz.

We will also live to stream this event on the Climate and Energy Project’s Facebook Page.

WEALTH Day 2020
2020-02-10 02:00 - 09:00 | Kansas State Capitol Building, 300 SW 10th St., Topeka, Kansas, 66612, United States
Join Kansans to learn about and advocate for

Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation, and Health in Kansas

Get up-to-date on current environmental issuesVisit the Solutions Showcase featuring leading environmental organizationsEnjoy the local foods luncheon Join the Interfaith Climate Prayer VigilSample new ideas at the Cookies & Conservation ConversationMeet with your legislatorsClick here to read about last year’s event!

WEALTH Day Agenda –Subject to Change

8:00-8:45 Interfaith Climate Prayer Vigil – Visitor’s Center Classroom

9:00-10:15 Policy Briefing – Visitor’s Center Auditorium

10:00-3:00 Solutions Showcase: exhibitors – 1st floor Rotunda

11:00-11:30 Local Foods Luncheon – 2nd floor, North Wing

11:30-1:00 Climate Hearing – 582-N

1:15-1:30 Climate Rally – 2nd floor, North Wing

1:30-2:00 Water Dialog – 212B-N

2:00 -3:00 Cookies & Conversation – 1st Floor Rotunda

Climate, Health, and Resilience: Connections and Conversations
2019-10-07 03:00 - 12:00 | KU Edwards Campus, 12600 Quivira Rd, Overland Park, 66213, United States
Understanding and addressing climate change can be daunting. Orienting around the Kansas Climate + Health Declaration, participants will learn about Kansas-specific climate impacts, related public health concerns, and solutions that build community resilience. Come ready to learn about climate change and public health in Kansas, and leave ready to start productive conversations about the issues.

For more information, email takeaction@climateandenergy.org

RSVP Required http://bit.ly/ClimateConnect
