Webinars Upcoming for Brownfields Grants, Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Solar Hot Water in Higher Education Facilities, and Small-Scale CHP

This newsletter provides details for four webinars scheduled for October 2012 that may be of interest to state and local governments. All webinars are offered free of charge; preregistration is required for some webinars (see the descriptions below for details).

 

 

***October 22, 2012, 2:00–3:00 pm (EDT) EPA FY13 Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant Guidelines
All potential EPA Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant applicants are invited to this webinar, which will walk through the FY13 Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant Guidelines, discuss eligibility and ranking criteria, and answer any questions potential applicants may have.

***October 22, 2012, 11:00am–12:00 pm (EDT) – Mayor Bill Finch (Bridgeport, Connecticut) Speaks on Government Support for Environmental Justice and the BGreen 2020 Plan
Join Mayor Bill Finch of Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities for a webinar on how the city of Bridgeport is working to become New England’s greenest city. An EPA Environmental Justice Showcase Community, Bridgeport was featured in the Partnership’s 2012 Accomplishments Report and recent Partnership video.

 

Mayor Finch will discuss Bridgeport’s BGreen 2020 plan for a sustainable Bridgeport and how Bridgeport accessed support from state and federal agencies to help improve the quality of life for city residents. Officials from HUD, DOT, and EPA will discuss how the Partnership (which helps communities improve access to affordable housing, increase transportation options, and protect the environment) has been working to assist environmental justice communities.

This webinar, hosted by EPAs Energy Supply and Industry Branch, will showcase solar thermal technology applications in higher education facilities that reduce water heating costs for cleaning, showering, and laundering. Two university professionals will discuss the economic, energy, and social motivations that led them to consider a solar water heating system, how they handled perceived and real risks or barriers to project development, as well as the financial and energy savings each institution has experienced. A technical expert will also provide an overview of the common solar thermal technologies in higher education that reduce water heating costs.

***October 30, 2012, 1:00-2:00 pm (EDT)  Combined Heat and Power In the Mid-Atlantic: How Small-Scale CHP Systems Can Boost Energy Efficiency and Save Money
EPA Region 3 will host a webinar on small-scale combined heat and power (CHP) application in the Mid-Atlantic. The webinar will provide a forum for attendees to learn about small-scale CHP systems their economic, environmental, and efficiency benefits particularly for hotel, college/university, and office buildings. Examples of current CHP applications in downtown Philadelphia will be profiled to highlight the CHP process. The webinar will include a presentation and case studies by Philadelphia Gas Works, the nations largest municipally owned natural gas utility, serving more than 500,000 customers.