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EnviroWatts
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Application
Application
Guidelines
EnviroWatts
Trust Board
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EnviroWatts
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EnviroWatts is our
name for green power-energy generated from such renewable,
environmentally preferred sources as biomass, sun, wind, water, and
geothermal springs.

1.
The more electric cooperative
members who tell us they want EnviroWatts, the more “good energy” we
will buy.
2.
We will give part of every
EnviroWatts dollar to support local efforts that help make
our environment cleaner.
3.
If you want to help the
environment, this is simply the right thing to do.
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E n v i r o W a t t s F u n d i n g t o D a t e |
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Date |
Organization |
Amount |
Project |
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Lafayette Tree Fund |
$1,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting along Sagamore Parkway |
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Wolf Park |
$1,500 |
Purchasing trees for planting @ park |
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Apr, 2003 |
Lafayette Tree Fund |
$1,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting along Sagamore Parkway near Staley
N |
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New Richmond |
$3,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting in the town |
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July, 2003 |
Friends of Sugar Creek |
$1,540 |
Production of an educational DVD explaining the history of Sugar
Creek and importance of care |
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Tippecanoe Parks and Rec |
$475 |
Purchasing trees and grasses to create butterfly garden @
environmental center at Battle Ground |
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Oct, 2003 |
Darlington Conservation Club |
$700 |
Bear one-half the cost of restocking of fish pond |
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Delphi Water Watchers |
$1,121 |
Replacing broken equipment for monitoring of water along Deer
Creek and Wabash rivers |
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Boy Scouts |
$1,000 |
Purchasing 20 trees to plant along Walking trail near
Perrysville for Eagle Scout project |
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Friends of Sugar Creek |
$430 |
2nd part of funding for production of DVD |
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Jan, 2004 |
Wildcat Creek Foundation |
$700 |
($350 provided so far) Replanting of seedlings along the
bottomland along Wildcat Creek |
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between Tippecanoe and Carroll Counties |
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Pheasants Forever (Coal Ck) |
$6,000 |
Purchasing drill for planting of native grasses |
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Lafayette Tree Fund |
$1,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting along Sagamore Parkway near Staley
N |
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NICHES Land Trust |
$1,500 |
Purchasing materials/equipment for removal of invasive species |
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Jul, 2004 |
Banks of the Wabash |
$1,000 |
Purchasing gloves and tools for Detrash the Wabash, a project to
clean up the Wabash River |
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Montgomery County Master Gardeners |
$260 |
Updating of a publication listing the Large Tree Species in
Montgomery County |
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Oct, 2004 |
Boy Scouts |
$1,000 |
Purchasing trees & grasses to restore outdoor student nature lab
@ SE Fountain School |
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Jan, 2005 |
Lafayette Tree Fund |
$1,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting along Sagamore Parkway |
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Pheasants Forever (Sagamore) |
$3,875 |
Purchasing drill and tractor for planting of native grasses |
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Apr, 2005 |
Pheasants Forever (Coal Ck) |
$10,000 |
Purchasing mini-drill, bush-hog and tractor for planting of
native grasses |
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Banks of the Wabash |
$1,000 |
Purchasing gloves and tools for Eco-Conference and Detrash the
Wabash - cleaning up the Wabash River |
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Oct, 2005 |
Fountain County SWCD |
$8,174 |
Purchasing drill for planting of native grasses |
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Jan, 2006 |
Lafayette Tree Fund |
$1,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting along Sagamore Parkway |
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Van Buren Township of Fountain Co |
$10,000 |
Landscaping |
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Apr, 2006 |
Tippecanoe County SWCD |
$10,000 |
Purchasing drill for planting of native grasses |
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Pheasants Forever (Sagamore) |
$10,000 |
Purchasing drill for planting of native grasses |
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Banks of the Wabash |
$1,000 |
Purchasing leather-palmed gloves, trash pickers, first aid kits,
hand sanitizer and bug spray for |
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Detrash the Wabash |
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Oct, 2006 |
West Lafayette Tree Fund |
$2,000 |
Purchasing daffodils for Sagamore Pkwy in West Lafayette |
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Wildcat Creek Foundation |
$1,500 |
Purchasing trees for plantings alongside Wildcat Creek |
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Jefferson High School Mileage Fund |
$1,000 |
Super Mileage Challenge - Public Awareness to Fuel Economy |
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Jan, 2007 |
Friends of Sugar Creek |
$2,100 |
Develop a website for News & Information |
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Tippecanoe County SWCD |
$2,500 |
Cost sharing in projects that result from the Backyard Project |
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Sustainable Indiana |
$1,000 |
Bicycle Project |
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Apr, 2007 |
YMCA Camp Tecumseh |
$5,000 |
Purchasing bird feeders, installation of pond, & landscaping
berm area |
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Greater Lafayette Community Foundation |
$1,500 |
Purchasing safety items needed for "Clean Sweep Program" |
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Lafayette Tree Fund |
$10,000 |
Purchasing trees for planting along Twyckenham Blvd |
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Montgomery County Master Gardeners |
$300 |
Updating of a publication listing the Large Tree Species in
Montgomery County |
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Jul, 2007 |
Sustainable Indiana |
$4,000 |
Book collection for Crawfordsville library in Montgomery County |
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Nominate your Neighbor |
$1,500 |
Encouraging Community Beautification |
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Jan, 2008 |
Friends of Sugar Creek |
$5,000 |
Develop a watershed inventory |
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Boiler Green Initiative |
$10,000 |
Increase "green" activity and awareness on Purdue University's
Campus & surrounding Community |
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Jefferson Power Mechanics #4500 |
$3,000 |
Super Mileage Challenge - Public Awareness to Fuel Economy |
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Total = |
$129,675 |
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Frequently
asked questions
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1.
What is EnviroWatts?
Enviro-Watts is Tipmont REMC’s name for green power energy generated
from renewable, environmentally preferred sources.
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2.
Where does the EnviroWatts “green power” come from?
“Green power” can come
from many different sources, including solar, wind, biomass, and
geothermal springs. The power for EnviroWatts is renewable energy
currently generated from two sources: landfill waste and wind energy.
Landfill wastes create methane gas, and the methane gas is captured to
operate generators; therefore, they are a form of “biomass.” The
landfills from which the methane is captured are located in Bremen,
Hobart Chesterton, Danville, and Liberty, Indiana. EnviroWatts also
purchases power from a wind energy project about one hour north of
Peoria, Illinois.
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3.
Can I sign up for this program over the phone or web site?
YES!
You can sign up over the phone or web site and it only takes a few
minutes.
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4.
How will I know that this “green power” is actually being
run into my home?
You will not notice
anything different about the energy you receive, since the power
generated from the landfills will be part of the energy that is
delivered to your residence or business.
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5.
Does participating in the EnviroWatts program cost me anything?
The additional cost is
only 1 cent per kilowatthour for the first 500 kilowatthours. So, the
maximum additional amount each month is $5. If you only use 300
killowatthours, the charge is only $3 that month. There is no
additional cost if you use more than 500 kilowatthours. So, if you use
750 kilowatthours, the additional charge is, again, $5 that month. You
will find throughout the country that “green power” is priced above the
standard retail rates.
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6.
Since Tipmont is charging an additional 1.0 cent per kWh,
does power from the landfill cost more than other power?
The power from the landfill
does not cost more than the power we purchase from other sources, such
as from coal-fired power plants. However, the power from the wind
project near Peoria, IL is slightly higher than our traditional
generation sources.
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7.
If the power does not cost more to purchase, why are you
charging the additional 1 cent per kilowatt-hour?
While the power from
the landfills was the first step in developing a portfolio of renewable
energy power sources. While the cost of the power from the landfills is
not greater than the cost of other purchased power, the cost of most
other renewable energy, including the wind, is higher than traditional
power supply sources. As we continue to add wind and other renewable
sources to the EnviroWatts portfolio of power supplies, they will likely
cost more than the power from landfills and the power from traditional
fossil fuels. Therefore, the price would have to be increased. We
wanted customers to be aware, up front, that it will probably cost more
for “green power.” We were concerned that if we charged only the actual
cost of the landfill-generated power, customers would feel they were
misled once we added other “green power” sources and had to increase the
price. This way of pricing is also our method of determining the real
level of interest in “green power” among our members. Obviously, if we
priced “green power” at the same price as other more traditional
sources, it would attract many members, but it would not give us a good
idea of those members who support expansion of our renewable portfolio
at a likely higher cost. If there is sufficient interest in the
EnviroWatts, we will place greater emphasis upon expanding our portfolio
of alternative sources.
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8.
What is done with the additional
money collected from the EnviroWatts program?
The additional money is
deposited in the EnviroWatts Fund and used for environmental purposes or
projects in our service area. However, in the future, as we add other
higher-priced renewable sources to our portfolio, we expect the total
amount paid into EnviroWatts to be needed to pay for the additional
high-priced supply. So, we envision the EnviroWatts Fund to be
temporary – for a few years. In the meantime, the money is not
“pocketed” by Tipmont. It is instead used for purposes that folks that
sign up for “green power” could support – improving our environment.
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9.
Who will choose the individuals that will serve on the
EnviroWatts Board of Trustees?
Tipmont Board of Directors initially selected the individuals to serve
on the EnviroWatts Board of Trustees. The people that serve on the
EnviroWatts Board of Trustees must be members of the cooperative.
Since the initial selection, members who wish to serve on the
EnviroWatts must fund board volunteers to serve whenever there is an
opening.
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10.
What sort of environmental
projects will be funded with EnviroWatts money?
There are a set of bylaws
that has been adopted by the Tipmont Board of Directors that will govern
the EnviroWatts Fund. While the bylaws limits use of the funds to only
projects in our area, and therefore, prevents use of the money for
national organizations who goals and methods conflict with many of our
members, the precise projects is determined by the EnviroWatts Board of
Trustees. The EnviroWatts Board acts in much the same way as our
Operation Round Up Board of Trustees. However, Operation Round Up
monies are for charitable organizations, while the EnviroWatts money is
to be used for environmental purposes and projects. Tipmont will be
publishing in our newsletter, the Electric Consumer, the projects funded
through EnviroWatts. We also include this information on our web site.
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