CIREC’s September 19 Meeting — “Cooperative Energy: Coming Together for Mutual Benefit” — Features Discussion of Cooperative Models

Lynn Benander, manager of Co-op Power in Greenfield, Mass., is the featured speaker at a forum on September 19 sponsored by the Cape & Islands Renewable Energy Collaborative (CIREC). This forum, free and open to the public, will run from 7 to 9 pm at the Woods Hole Research Center, 149 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth.

Co-op Power is an energy cooperative servicing residents and businesses in western Massachusetts, upstate New York, and elsewhere in the Northeast. As members of Co-op Power, individual consumers are joining together to get a better deal on clean energy products and services, to invest in renewable energy facilities, and to take control of their energy future. In her presentation, Lynn Benander will describe the benefits of community-based cooperatives and introduce Co-op Power and the products and services available to its members. The Co-op Power model also will be compared and contrasted with other institutional approaches, including the heating oil cooperative run by Cape & Islands Self-Reliance and municipal electric cooperative being explored by the Cape Light Compact.

Ms. Benander has worked since 1996 to develop sustainable energy projects in the Northeast based on community-ownership models. Previously, as President and CEO of the Cooperative Development Institute and the Northeast Federation of Cooperatives, she provided strategic planning and technical assistance to support development, startup, and financing of numerous consumer, producer, and worker-owned cooperatives in the region, primarily in the areas of energy, agriculture, and food. She has a passion for building member-owned and member-controlled businesses that strengthen local economies.

CIREC participants are exploring cooperative approaches for delivering the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy to local residents and businesses under grant funding from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The September 19 meeting will conclude with Q&A and a networking session with light refreshments. Information will be available on CIREC membership and on local clean energy programs and activities.

For more information on CoopPower, visit http://cooppower.onlinecommunity.coop/. For meeting information contact Chris Powicki, 508.362.9599, chrisp@weeinfo.com. For information on other upcoming events, check out the Sustainable Energy Calendar at www.cigogreen.org.