Tipmont funds three area green projects
Applications for next EnviroWatts grants due September 6, open to organizations in eight counties
Tipmont REMC’s EnviroWatts “Green Power” Program has awarded $15,300 to three area nonprofits for green projects, reports chief executive officer Tim McCarthy. This distribution brings the total EnviroWatts awards since the program began in 2001 to $272,551.
The current grants are:
- Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, $10,000, to improve the main entrance on 10th Street with three new trees, environmentally friendly landscaping, a planting bed in the parking lot and new plantings as a barrier.
- Lyn Treece Boys & Girls Club of Tippecanoe County in Lafayette, $5,000 to replace lighting with energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs.
- Montgomery County Master Gardener Association in Crawfordsville, $300 to print the booklet, Montgomery County Big Tree Record.
“As a green power program fund, we want to contribute to projects that conserve natural resources and improve our environment, and thus our communities,” McCarthy said. “These three projects, like the others we’ve supported, are meaningful steps on an environmentally conscious path.”
Under the EnviroWatts program, members may purchase power generated from wind, sun, biomass or landfills. Those participating pay an additional one cent per kilowatt hour, up to $5 a month per member. More than 950 of Tipmont’s some 20,800 members participate in the program. Monies are deposited in a trust fund overseen by an independent board, which makes quarterly distributions.
Those receiving funds are selected based on need for the program or project and its appropriateness for the EnviroWatts program. Applicants do not have to be served by Tipmont REMC to qualify for grants, but they must serve Tipmont’s geographic area, which includes Benton, Boone, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe and White counties.
The application deadline for the next cycle is September 6, 2010. Organizations interested in applying for funds may obtain an application online at www.tipmont.org or call 1-800-726-3953.
Tipmont also contributes to communities through its Operation Round Up program, which has distributed $704,501.35 to area nonprofits since the program began in 1999. Combined with the EnviroWatts program, Tipmont’s community contributions top $975,000.
Founded in 1939 and headquartered in Linden, Tipmont REMC is a member-owned cooperative providing electric service to some 20,800 members, primarily in Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery and Tippecanoe counties.
Tipmont is a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, a national alliance of local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives providing high standards of service and dedicated to serving members with integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community.