Green Energy Ohio Annual Awards Recipients for 2016

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May 4, 2017 - Francisco Bay, facilitating cooperation for efficient renewable energy use of wind, sun, ... coming years,
Green Energy Ohio Annual Awards Recipients for 2016 PRESENTED MAY 4, 2017 AT GEO POLICY CONFERENCE IN COLUMBUS PIONEER OF THE YEAR Donald Scherer, Professor Emeritus, Bowling Green State University

Developer of the Environmental Ethics component of the prestigious Applied Philosophy Program at Bowling Green State University, Dr. Donald Scherer has thought deeply about environmental ethics and the social environments in which people can thrive for more than 40 years.

He has consulted on projects from the upper Hudson River to San Francisco Bay, facilitating cooperation for efficient renewable energy use of wind, sun, water and wastes. He and his students have facilitated restoration and green energy projects with master planning in Van Wert County, restoration of the Cuyahoga River and educational signage development for walks through the sand prairies of Toledo Metro Park’s Oak Openings Park. He has made oftrebroadcast television documentaries concerning the restoration of the Maumee River and Ohio’s first wind farm.

GEO ANNUAL AWARDS FOR 2016

Serving on GEO Board of Directors since 2004, Don is one of its past presidents. Current projects include greening the Toledo Symphony, planning a micro-grid for the Marysville campground of the Christian Church in Ohio in cooperation with Energility and Ohio Interfaith Power and Light, and developing a large community solar project with American Renewable Energy. Don lives with his wife, Char, in their Energy Star, wind-powered, geothermal, naturally landscaped home outside of Bowling Green.

OHIO CLEAN ENERGY COMMUNITY OF THE YEAR 2016 Athens County, Ohio

For more than two years UpGrade Athens County (a project of UpGrade Ohio) has engaged with the countycommunity with the primary goal of reducing residential and municipal energy consumption through innovation and broad-base collaboration. This was spurred by Athens County's participation in the Georgetown University Energy Prize - a competition that is still deciding finalist communities to make their pitch for a $5 million prize! In collaboration with the Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council, UpGrade Ohio has become a strong voice for southeast Ohio by increasing overall awareness of community choice aggregation, renewable energy development innovations, and clean transportation initiatives. The UpGrade movement has saved millions 8

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www.GreenEnergyOhio.org

of dollars from residential, commercial, and governmental utility bills and we hope that stories like this can begin to illuminate the value that energy action can bring to a community’s spirit.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR 2016 Buckeye Power

Buckeye Power and its 24 member rural electric cooperatives are invested in safe, reliable, affordable and economically sustainable power production that is also environmentally responsible. Member cooperatives are investing in 23 solar photovoltaic systems across the state ranging in size from 25 kilowatts (kW) to 650 kW for a total installed capacity of 2.1 megawatts (MW) in the “Our Solar” program. Ohio’s co-ops take a balanced approach to renewable energy. While continuing to support and utilize affordable coal-fired generation for the bulk of co-op power, Buckeye Power’s renewable energy portfolio reflects its ongoing interest in solar, wind, biomass and hydropower resources that align with the key priority of delivering reliable power to its coops at the lowest possible cost.

PUBLIC OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR 2016 Governor John Kasich

Governor Kasich vetoed 2016 legislation reducing incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency saying: “Job creators have attributed their reasons for expanding, growing and creating jobs in Ohio to, among other things, out state’s stable fiscal health, jobsfriendly tax climate and sound regulatory policies – as well as our state’s wide range of energy generation options.” And he noted his support for “energy generation options, particularly the very options most prized by the companies poised to create many jobs in Ohio in the coming years, such as high technology firms.” John R. Kasich was sworn in as Ohio’s 69th governor on January 10, 2011 and called on Ohioans to come together to make the Buckeye State stronger and more prosperous for all. As Governor, Kasich’s top priority is to create a jobs-friendly climate so Ohioans can get back to work. Kasich is the author of three New York Times best-sellers. Kasich, 65 is a 1974 graduate of The Ohio University and lives in Westerville with his wife, Karen, and their twin daughters, Emma and Reese.