Now that Duluth has won the Outdoor Magazine Best Town contest, it's set its sight on another competition: a $5 million prize to reduce energy consumption.
The city is one of 52 communities that has advanced to quarterfinals for the Georgetown University Energy Prize. The goal is to create the most innovative and effective means of reducing electricity and gas usage in ways that can be replicated by other communities.
A public meeting to get local residents involved will take place 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9 in the Central Hillside Community Center, 12 E. 4th St.
"Any community that can convince the world they're the best city outside after 75 days below zero has a competitive attitude," said Jodi Slick, founder and chief executive officer of Ecolibrium3, a local nonprofit leading the charge in the contest in coordination with the city, Comfort Systems and Minnesota Power.
Other areas in the running include Houghton County, Mich., Fargo, N.D., Madison, Wis., Berkeley, Calif., Aspen, Colo., Chattanooga, Tenn. and Atlantic City, N.J.
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The process began when Duluth submitted its letter of intent in August, 2013. The university announced the quarterfinalists in August of this year.
Semifinalists, who are chosen in December, spend the next two years putting their plans to work. Finalists are chosen in January 2017, with the winner announced in June.
The city needs to come up with a strategy that includes the many different types of residential and government buildings: owner-occupied, rental, new, older, historical , low-income and upper-income. The contest does not include commercial business because of the difficulty in comparing areas with different-sized industrial bases.
Duluth already has many energy-reduction programs in place and the challenge is to make them more effective and reach more people, Slick said. Strategies will be proposed and public input taken at the Oct. 6 meeting.
The $5 million prize won't go into the city's general fund - "You can't fill potholes with it," Slick said - but must be used for more energy efficiency.
Even if Duluth doesn't win, it will benefit just by reducing energy use. A six percent drop in residential energy consumption alone would save $5 million a year, she said.
For more information, contact Ecolibrium3 at (218) 336-1038 or visit the Georgetown University Energy Prize website at www.guep.org .
WHAT: Help Duluth reduce energy consumption and win $5 million.
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WHEN: 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 9
WHERE: Central Hillside Community Center, 12 E. 4t Sth.
