Articles in this newsletter:
Creative Team Building at JJC
In the past year Joliet Junior College has introduced two new approaches to teaching team building. Groups have taken these classes to inspire, motivate, foster creativity and enrich their skills. Creativity with pizza has been the focus of two such classes. Led by culinary arts instructor Chef Keith Von Hoff, businesses have used the Teambuilding Pizza class to turn yearly and quarterly meetings into fun educational experiences.
In January of 2008, the Edward Jones office in Tinley Park, Illinois contacted Joliet Junior College's Personal Enrichment Coordinator, Brenda Large, about setting up a quarterly meeting for their district. "They were looking for a place to meet, have lunch and do a hands-on activity. The team building pizza class was a perfect fit," said Large. Participants created pizza in small groups, sharpening their teambuilding skills and dining on their creations. The group then focused on a specific meeting agenda.
Later in September another business group, The Professional Development Alliance, expanded upon the teambuilding aspects of this class. Not only did they work in teams to build a menu of salad, pizza and dessert, they created their own restaurants and worked as teams to solve dilemmas that could occur in such an endeavor. The group achieved their goals while enjoying the culinary delights they created in the class.
Such classes are not limited to adults. This January, Large was contacted by the Joliet Chapter of the National Hookup of Black Women; a national non-profit organization dedicated to the improving the lives of women and their families. The group was looking for an affordable activity for their youth group and contacted Large to see how Kids College could help. Large helped them choose a special class using Lego Robots.
The Robolab classes were held on two Saturdays with one class for the boys and one for the girls. The students were divided into teams and each group worked to build robots using the Lego kits. Participants learned to work together developing skills they would use all of their lives.
"I love when the kids first enter the college building," said Large, "they are excited to be going to a college and it really shows. When the girls group entered, one girl exclaimed, 'Wow, this is a really big college,' she was beaming and the excitement showed in her face. I often hear students say things like, this is cool, and I want to go here someday. The adults with the kids seemed to enjoy the robot classes too. They worked along with the kids and were proud of their accomplishments by the end of the class.
It was a great example of how teamwork and learning can be fun at any age."
Large is continuing to work with the National Hookup Chapter to coordinate more classes in the future with enrichment themes in photography, art and sciences. For more information, contact Brenda Large at (815) 280-1504 or e-mail blarge@jjc.edu.
Energy Management Innovations for Illinois Manufacturing Companies
How a diversified energy management strategy can help manufacturing companies meet financial goals while contributing to a cleaner energy future
This article first appeared in the Winter 2009 issue of The Illinois Manufacturer magazine, the official publication of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA), www.ima-net.org. It is reprinted here, in its entirety, with permission from the IMA.
Today's unpredictable global energy marketplace and the rising costs associated with increasing demand for oil and gas, coupled with a growing demand to curb greenhouse gas emissions, have converged to make energy purchasing a dominant issue for manufacturers in Illinois and across the nation. For manufacturers operating in this complex energy market, the path forward requires careful consideration of costs and the role of enhanced conservation and efficiency efforts, renewable energy purchases and long-term purchasing strategies. It is also filled with opportunity. Leading competitive energy suppliers are successfully advising owners and managers of office and commercial buildings on how to leverage these opportunities to chart a winning course in a changing energy market.
Innovative energy solutions and demand response
As competitive energy markets continue to develop in Illinois and other states, retail suppliers are responding with a wide array of products and services. These energy solutions range from the long-term price stability of fixed rates to variable rate programs that tailor usage to match the highs and lows of the short-term spot market.
Demand Response programs are one example of these innovative energy solutions. Most facilities already have a management system in place that integrates lighting, heating and air conditioning onto one platform. Enhancing this platform to integrate load response metering and real-time market pricing enables an organization to increase its energy management and conservation efforts, as well as better manage its energy-related risk.
By achieving a broader understanding of a building's energy consumption patterns, owners and managers are better equipped to evaluate and curtail demand at peak times during the year. Those who can capitalize on this knowledge and capability through a demand response agreement with an energy supplier have the potential to reap significant savings worth thousands of dollars and help reduce regional blackouts.
Illinois commercial and industrial customers who demonstrate an ability and commitment to curtailing at least 100 kilowatts of electricity can sign up to participate in PJM's ISO-directed demand response program through a competitive energy supplier. In essence, demand response creates a “virtual” peaking plant where instead of the ISO resorting to firing up the most expensive generating resources to meet peak power demand, it harnesses the energy conservation efforts of the customers themselves. In exchange, participants receive substantial monthly payments throughout the year.
Constellation NewEnergy, a leading competitive energy supplier, has enrolled companies across multiple industries in load response programs. For example, a major healthcare system in Northern Illinois has taken advantage of the PJM demand response program. The healthcare facilities agree to reduce their energy requirement for a specific period of time to make more energy available on the regional power grid and help to prevent blackouts and power failures. Scott Fotre, Director of Energy Management for the healthcare system, recognizes the benefits. "I am very happy to participate in a program designed to lessen the demand on the PJM Transmission System and be able to reduce the energy costs at my facilities." Most hospitals have backup generation, and in many areas, these facilities can be enrolled in demand response programs and be eligible for payments in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Renewable energy solutions and benefits
Competitive markets are also supporting the development of domestic renewable energy solutions. More and more building owners and managers are recognizing that securing clean sources of energy is an effective, long-term strategy that's good for the environment and also good for their bottom line, especially since tenants are increasingly looking for "green" buildings.
The most common way for building owners to match energy demand with clean renewable energy is to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which have been designed to promote the generation and sale of energy from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro and biomass. REC purchases support the future development of renewable energy, lessen our dependence on fossil fuels, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with fossil fuel generated sources of energy.
By investing in renewable energy, building operators are supporting the future environmental benefits that will come as more diversified power sources positively impact the grid. In addition, RECs help provide regulatory certainty for forward-looking owners and managers that are anticipating future mandates such as the potential regulation of greenhouse gases.
Illinois is making serious environmental strides, as one of 25 states to mandate renewable energy purchase benchmarks. The Illinois Power Agency Act has set benchmarks for renewable energy purchases by utilities, which required a minimum of two percent by June 1, 2008, and incrementally increases to a minimum of 10 percent by June 1, 2015. At this time, the Act requires 75 percent of the state's renewable energy purchases to come from Illinois wind generation. Many customers are already purchasing renewable energy above and beyond these pending mandates to demonstrate their environmental commitment.
Direct purchases and on-site generation
Constellation has already taken steps to secure regional renewable energy sources and currently purchases nearly 100 megawatts of power produced by Horizon Wind Energy’s Twin Groves wind farm located outside of Bloomington. This commitment will be increased nearly threefold over the course of 2008, which in addition to underscoring our leadership in sustainable energy solutions; it will give our Illinois customers greater access to wind power produced in the state.
Constructing on-site renewable generation is another viable energy management solution, which enables office and commercial buildings to decrease their dependence on fossil fuels. For example, on-site solar power systems generate renewable energy or power that can directly meet the energy demands of a corporate campus or an individual building and its many operational systems. The provider of the on-site system establishes a long-term contract to build on the property and sells the power exclusively to the building operator. Since the provider maintains ownership of the solar power systems, there are a number of associated financial benefits, including a reduced upfront investment on the part of both parties. Lastly, on-site renewable generation also has a positive impact on the environment by drastically reducing emissions and decreasing the demand on local electric grids, freeing up hundreds of watts of power that would otherwise have been generated from traditional fossil fuel sources.
Integrating innovative energy solutions into your building
Today's energy market provides both challenges and opportunities to building operators. With fuel and other energy costs increasing on a daily basis, it is important that office and commercial building owners and managers devise an energy management strategy that protects their bottom line. Building operators who develop a well-rounded energy strategy are also well positioned to capitalize on the growing interest from tenants seeking more energy efficient and environmentally friendly work places. Office and commercial building operators that take full advantage of the many opportunities and innovative products available in today's competitive energy market are able to develop a comprehensive approach to energy procurement that meets both their environmental and financial goals.
For more information about better managing your building's electricity budget or innovative energy solutions, contact Constellation NewEnergy (http://www.newenergy.com) at 866-237-7693 or via email at green@constellation.com or loadresponse@ constellation.com.
Scott Lewis is Sales Director for Constellation NewEnergy, a leading competitive energy supplier for commercial and industrial customers that serves the Illinois manufacturing industry. He can be reached at scott.lewis@constellation.com.
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