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Lynn Hunt and Gov. Tim Pawlenty
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Gov. Tim Pawlenty got a personal tour of the Hunt Utilities Group Campus, May 9 to learn about the environmentally sustainable efforts going on there.
During the visit Hunt Utilities Group (HUG) founders Paul and Lynn Hunt, and HUG Chief Operating Officer Bob McLean, unveiled a new sustainable building design for new construction on campus called ARC Õ08: Agricultural, Resilient Communities.
The design - a collaboration between HUG and Paul Hirst of Oldham Hirst Design of Brainerd - includes the goal of heating and cooling a building without fossil fuels, processing its own water and waste and helping feed the occupants, according to Nolita Christensen of Happy Dancing Turtle, a non-profit spin-off of HUG.
The ARC will utilize solar panels for hot water, heat storage and air handling as well as a water-recovery system, composting toilets and a green house - technologies already in use on campus.
"We are delighted to host the governor, and share his desire to have Minnesota take a leadership role in advancing energy conservation, efficiency and sustainability," according to Lynn Hunt.
The day before the HUG tour Pawlenty signed a bill (S.F. 2706) including "Sustainable Building 2030," an effort to monitor energy use, improve energy-efficiency standards, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in buildings.
The University of Minnesota's Center for Sustainable Building Research will oversee activities related to Sustainable Building 2030.
"We've learned a lot in our first efforts with sustainable buildings," according to Paul Hunt. "Our newest design helps us bring all of those things into a new package that should help us realize our expectations for conservation, efficiency and affordability."
Pawlenty also visited with Jason Edens, of Pine River's Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL). RREAL, located on the HUG campus, will use solar power to heat low-income homes through their solar assistance program.
Edens expressed to the Governor that RREAL would like to see laws and regulations offering solar panel certification in Minnesota.
Pawlenty emphasized the importance of making sustainable energy sources - like solar and wind power - "usable and affordable to individual homeowners."
HUG and RREAL, too, share those goals.
Editor's note: To view photos of Gov. Pawlenty's visit to HUG, go online to http://spotted.pineandlakes.com<P>
