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Have you heard about the $25 mil grant the City of Phoenix received in partnership with ASU and APS as part of the Stimulus Bill?  You need to know about this!

This grant is intended to make the Green Rail Corridor into a model of energy efficiency and sustainability.  Now what part of town is this Corridor?  Here’s a map of the area that they’re including in the Green Rail Corridor:

(As an aside, this map provided by the City of Phoenix Planning Department is pretty cryptic and you have to work hard to figure it out.  I’m looking forward to a better graphic that’s easier to decipher!  Part of these funds are going to go towards community education and outreach on the benefits of energy efficiency.  If this is the case, clear, easy to comprehend graphics and communications are in order.)

Back to the grant…So how does the City, APS and ASU propose to make the Green Rail Corridor into a model of energy efficiency and sustainability?  The plan is to:

  • shrink home energy consumption by 30 percent
  • reduce commercial energy use by 18 percent
  • eliminate carbon emissions by 50,000 metric tons per year
  • retrofit 3,500 homes for greater energy efficiency
  • retrofit 30 million square feet of office and industrial space for greater energy efficiency
  • advance energy efficiency as the option of choice for the local community

What does this all translate into people?  Jobs!  Economic stimulus!  The Stimulus Act is finally doing what it says it’s going to do.  And these jobs will be added to an industry that has been hit hardest in Phoenix – the construction industry.

What I love about this grant is that this isn’t economic stimulus of the sort that exploits our natural resources, such as, say building a new retail megaplex on a greenfield lot.  No, it’s economic stimulus based on reducing energy consumption of existing buildings!  It’s economic stimulus based on environmental stewardship, something so many thought was impossible.

The details of this grant and it’s roll-out have yet to come, and I’ll keep you up to date on what comes forth.  But let me assure you, this is a very good thing for our local economy, for our Central Phoenix neighborhoods/businesses and for our planet.  Kudos to the City of Phoenix, APS and ASU for procuring these funds and using them to bolster a critical section of our city and helping the environment while doing it.

Read all about it…Here’s the link to the original announcement.

Tell me what you think of this grant and what it means for our city and leave me a comment!

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4 Responses

  1. […] A few weeks ago I wrote about Energize Phoenix, which is a grant that the City of Phoenix received to make the Green Rail Corridor more […]

  2. […] efficient.  To find out more about this grant and the programs resulting from it, check out my post about Energize […]

  3. Taz,

    I was so sorry I couldn’t make the presentation tonight about this. I’m excited about it and can’t wait to hear more about the particulars, especially how far out from the Rail the project extends. I’m 2 miles away, so may not be eligible to participate, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I am.

    All the best,
    Victoria

    • Taz Loomans says:

      Victoria, they’re going to do the official roll-out of this program in September at which time they’ll have a better map illustrating the boundaries of the green rail corridor.

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