Renewable Energy: Will Steger Renewable Energy Expedition 2006
 

On June 26, 2006 Will Steger, renowned Arctic explorer and environmental educator, set out across Southern Minnesota to tour locally-owned renewable energy sites. The expedition highlighted the economic and energy opportunities produced by Minnesota’s rural communities while emphasizing that Minnesota farmers and their communities hold the key to global warming solutions. Rural communities lead the way in wind power, ethanol, biodiesel, and methane digester development and offer economic opportunity to their communities while bringing cleaner air and energy independence to the nation.

View media coverage of the expedition here.

To learn more about Will Steger go to, www.willsteger.com.

To learn more about the Minnesota Natural Legacy Campaign go to, www.mnlegacy.com

The tour included stops at four different renewable energy facilities:
Amanda Bilek (MN Project), Will Steger and Kelly Scanlan (MN Natural Legacy Campaign) drove an E85, 2006 Chevy Avalanche provided by General Motors and the Select Heartland Chevy Dealers.
Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant, Luverne
Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant, Luverne, MN. Prior to the tour of the plant, Jay Sommers (General Manager) spends some time educating Will about ethanol production.
Jay Sommers leads Steger and group on plant tour.
MinWind Energy LLC biodiesel peaking plant, Beaver Creek
MinWind Energy LLC, an energy company made up of local investors, operates over 15 MW of wind energy in Southwest, MN. Steger listens to Mark Willers describe how the 2 MW biodiesel peaking plant will integrate with the existing operational wind energy capacity, providing base load power.
Will Steger, Mark Willers (MinWind Energy LLC) and Jim Willers
(MN Soybean Growers Association at Large Director.
Farmer-owned wind turbine, Jim Nichols Farm, Lake Benton
Steger gets a first-hand look about how a wind turbine operates from turbine owner, Jim Nichols. Steger gets an education from Jim Nichols about financing a farmer-owned wind turbine.
Will poses for a picture with Jim Nichols and his family.
Methane digester, Northern Plains Dairy, St. Peter
Northern Plains Dairy owns and operates a two-cell digester that collects manure from 2,900 Jersey cows and produces 6,600 kw
of electricity per day.		 Steger visits with Mitch Davis (dairy manager), Maureen Boro (Congressman Gutknecht’s office) and Gerald Woodley
(Senator Coleman’s office) at Northern Plains Dairy.
Will Steger and Mitch Davis (Northern Plains Dairy manager).
   

Media Clips
There was also local media attention given to the Steger Renewable Energy Expedition. Below are media clippings from various media outlets.

The Minnesota Project and the Minnesota Natural Legacy Campaign plan to do another renewable energy tour with Steger in the fall.

 
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