Regional Priority Renewable Energy

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    Regional Priority Renewable Energy

    Priority from the North East Region

    Description and Background

    Consumer and industry interest in energy issues has risen dramatically in the last several years, in tandem with the rising costs of fuel. Rising fuel prices have spurred increases in the costs of associated agricultural needs such as transportation, greenhouse heating,running machinery, processing and packaging, and livestock feed.

    In addition, the use of corn and other agricultural crops to produce biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel has significantly impacted the price of some grain and legumes and their availability for uses as livestock feed as well as human consumption.

    The Northeast Agriculture and Natural Resources Program Leaders for Cooperative Extension met in Manchester, New Hampshire in September 2007. At this meeting, they identified several topics as high-priority areas within the realm of sustainable agriculture. Chief among these topics was energy. They concluded, however, that the Northeast was best served by not only focusing on energy derived from renewable sources such as biofuels, solar and wind, but through actually reducing the carbon footprint of farmers and citizens. This is to be accomplished through multiple activities, research projects and educational efforts in all of the Northeast states, depending on the expertise available and stakeholder needs identified.

    We proposed an initiative—the Northeast Extension Energy Innovations Consortium— and developed a draft framework for a logic model that could be used as the backbone of several proposals, including one to eXtension as a Community of Practice.


    We identified three chief outcomes of the Consortium’s efforts:

    • Farmers and growers will reduce their carbon footprint;
    • Citizens and businesses will reduce their carbon footprint;
    • Youth audiences will engage in better energy practices.


    Our vision for this Consortium, as drafted, states that the Northeast Extension Energy Innovations Consortium creates and fosters a sustainable energy future through innovative strategies and collaborative education, outreach and research opportunities.

    We identified potential partners and stakeholders across the Northeast and listed existing and potential research and Extension efforts. We noted the existing work of Sun Grant through Cornell University, the renewable energy associations and nonprofit organizations that are focusing efforts on this topic, and federal agencies’ involvement such as USDA’s Rural Development and the US Department of Energy.

    Current Extension efforts span a breadth of topics and approaches, such as the agronomic work in Pennsylvania being conducted by Greg Roth on renewable crops, the triple benefit sunflower biofuels project jointly conducted in New Hampshire by Becky Grube and farmer Dorn Cox, the greenhouse energy audit training of Extension personnel in through John Bartok, and Vern Grubinger’s work on on-farm, small-scale alternative energy production in Vermont as well as Allen Matthews’ concept of a renewable energy portal.

    We recognize that energy concerns will be with us for many years and that the Northeast has multiple needs and audiences requiring a myriad of approaches. We propose to utilize Cooperative Extension’s capacity as a catalyst and our power to convene and educate to develop an educational hub focused on a web of solutions and strategies to address energy needs and innovations.

    The current chair of the NE ANR PLs is Dan Kluchinski (Rutgers). The lead contact for this initiative is Juli Brussell (UNH).


    Contact information:


    Daniel Kluchinski Assistant Director of Extension Rutgers Cooperative Extension New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey 88 Lipman Drive New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525 USA p. 732.932.5000, ext. 590 f. 732.932.6633 kluchinski@njaes.rutgers.edu


    Juli Brussell Program Leader, Agricultural Resources UNH Cooperative Extension 122 Taylor Hall 59 College Road Durham, NH 03824 phone: 603-862-2033 juli.brussell@unh.edu


    Roy Jeffrey Extension Educator Office of the Associate Director Cooperative Extension System University of Connecticut 1376 Storrs Road, U-4134 Storrs, CT 06269-4134 860.486.5962 (Tel) 860.486-0264 (Fax) Roy.jeffrey@uconn.edu


    Possible Participants:

    • NY – Deb Grantham
    • NJ – Zane Helsed
    • ME – Peer Sexton,
    • VT – Heather Darby, Vern Grubinger
    • NH - Juli Brussell, Becky Grube, MaRuth Hazzard

    Possible Participation from the Western Region

    (was was of this regions top four priorities)

    Western Region Description:

    Energy security is perhaps the most pivotal issue confronting the economic and physical security of the US. There are limited holistic resources available on the Internet that provide energy information. The Energy CoP would develop and deliver content that focuses on energy efficiency/conservation and development of renewable resources. The target audiences would include individuals, homeowners, and businesses. The current energy clearinghouse managed by the WSU Extension Energy Program could be a template on which a national program could be built. This can be accessed at http://www.energy.wsu.edu/

    Possible CoP Members from the Western Region:

    Engineering Technology New Mexico State University P.O. Box 30001 MSC 3566 Las Cruces, NM 88003 Phone: 505-646-2236 socooper@nmsu.edu

    Possible CoP Members from the 1890 Region

    Possible CoP Members from the Southern Region

    Possible CoP Members from the North Central Region

    CSREES Program Leaders (Liaison)

    Administrative Advisor(s)

    • Linda Fox, Washington State University has volunteered.
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