A Void in Kansas

The below excerpt is from an article in Earth News. At the National Conference for The National Council of Nonprofit Associations the focus will be in part employing one in 10 Americans in the nonprofit sector. I think this is really interesting. According to http://www.nonprofitcongress.org/?q=localefforts#KS Kansas has no state coordinator or town hall meetings that would help facilitate Kansans receiving such employment. Why is this? Is Kansas inherently slow on the green movement? Would this be because we are not located on a coast and so there for the trend hasn’t fully hit? Now there are those who would say Kansas has many activities and this is just one instance where someone hasn’t stepped up yet. That may be so but I see a void here, and that’s troublesome.

The National Council of Nonprofit Associations, in conjunction with State Coordinators in 36 states and the District of Columbia, will host Town Halls throughout the country during March and April 2008. The Town Hall meetings provide a forum for local nonprofit leaders to identify challenges facing their communities and organizations, exchange ideas, and help set the agenda for the Nonprofit Congress National Meeting in Washington, DC this June. In addition, the Town Hall meetings will reveal strategies and programs developed in various states to address the three priorities identified by the Nonprofit Congress in 2006: public awareness and support of the sector; advocacy and grassroots community organizing; and nonprofit organizational effectiveness. http://www.nonprofitcongress.org/

Green Ties

Thursday, February 21, 2008 – 3:18 PM PST

Nonprofit lands funding for solar electric system

Portland Business Journal

Portland Habilitation Center Northwest, a nonprofit group that trains and employs individuals with disabilities, has secured funding for Oregon’s largest solar electric system.

The $6.5 million, 870-kilowatt system will sit atop the organization’s new industrial facility in Northeast Portland. Renewable energy generated from the system will power expansion of the center’s in-house manufacturing, assembly, order fulfillment, courier and warehousing services to Oregon and Washington companies.

The excess from the system will go to Portland General Electric’s grid. The Habilitation Center will received credit for any unused energy under Oregon’s net-metering law.

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp‘s Community Development Corp. will own and provide the primary financing for the system. Other funds will come from Meyer Memorial Trust and the Energy Trust of Oregon.

United Fund Advisors of Portland, developed the project and structured the federal and state tax credit financing for U.S. Bancorp.

Portland-based Commercial Solar Ventures is serving as the project’s consultant, while Dynalectric’s Portland office and local architect Ernie Munch will design and install the project’s photovoltaic components.

The installation is expected to save the Habilitation Center nearly $75,000 in annual energy costs and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 18,000 tons over the life of the system.

My opinion

The above article in my opinion highlights a fantastic example of a non profit not only achieving it’s set goals by providing a new Habilitaion Center but also be environmentally conscious. I think this is great!

The Green movement, in my opinion, should be embraced by NPOs although this is sometimes not the case due to cost. The reason I think NPOs should be treated differently is because of the general lack of funds NPOs have. The question I pose is should the government allow for special price reductions when NPOs attempt to implement green energy.

The Portland Habilitation Center Northwest is not only serving its constitutes by providing a new facility but also helping the environment and getting money back for their own programs from the excess energy produced. This is just a win, win situation.