From Fringe to Focus

When the Door County Renewable Energy Task Force (RETF) was first formed in 2003 under the Door County Environmental Council umbrella, the concept of shifting the nation’s energy sources away from oil and other fossil fuels wasn’t bathed in the most positive light, say founding members Don Pardonner and wife Judy Reninger.

“Most people would ask, ‘Who are these weird people?’” Pardonner says of the response to their early efforts.

Then the established energy infrastructure started hitting individuals and government in the pocketbook, and perceptions began to change.

“We started by holding informational meetings and surveying energy providers, and people seemed to respond to the idea,” Pardonner says. From the survey results they determined wind energy could be viable for Door County, and Community Wind Energy LLC grew out of the RETF. While wind energy has encountered no small measure of resistance in the Southern Door area, the task force battles on in a quest to inspire what Pardonner calls “a paradigm shift” from a fossil fuel-based economy to one based on wind, solar and other renewable sources.

The group’s goal, Pardonner says, is “to provide and encourage the use of renewable energy by the people of Door County in their homes, schools and business.” The group pursues that goal mission through educational programs, community outreach, and by providing resources to those who’d like to learn more.

The Door County Renewable Energy Resource Guide, a tally of local experts and businesses that specialize in renewable energy, is available free through the organization, and Reninger said a push is under way to bring more expertise to the classroom.

“We’d like to work with area schools to teach kids who are looking to go into the building trades about solar, wind, and other energy-efficient ideas,” Reninger says. This would include providing classroom materials, and they also hope to work more effectively with builders and developers on the peninsula.

The RETF even airs a radio show hosted by Ralph Valatka the first Monday of each month on 93.9 FM, WDOR, from 9:05 – 9:20 am.

In just a few short years, Pardonner and Reninger say the perception of their group’s efforts has shifted dramatically.

“It’s not perfect, but people in government are now asking the right questions,” Pardonner says. “They’re listening.”

“People are stopping us to ask questions, and the questions they ask are much more knowledgeable, more technical,” Reninger says. “You can tell they’re serious about it.”

• Door County Renewable Energy Task Force

920.839.1182

[email protected]

http://www.dcec-wi.org/retf_dcec.html

• Renewable Energy Task Force Meeting

Oct. 20, 6:30 pm

Sturgeon Bay Library