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Mark Your Calendars...

It Pays to Go Green: Rebates & Grants for Businesses

Saving energy saves money.

And right now it is easier than

ever thanks to a number of

energy efficiency grants and

rebates just for businesses.

If your business is located in

the Dakota Electric service

area , there are a number of

grants, rebates and loans

available for green projects.

Rebates are available for in-

stalling energy efficient light-

ing, cooling, heating and

more. If you have a bigger

project in mind, an Energy-

Grant might be right for you.

For information, go to

www.dakotaelectric.com/

business and click on

“Rebates Grants and Loans.”

Businesses in the Xcel service

district are also eligible for a

number of programs. Re-

bates, energy assessments and

consulting services are avail-

able. Details can be found at

www.xcelenergy.com/

business and click on

“programs and resources.”

If you are a Burnsville busi-

ness, you may be eligible for

a city grant program to help

businesses reduce energy con-

sumption. Upgrades to en-

ergy efficient lighting, heating

and air conditioning systems,

office equipment and more

may now be in reach for busi-

nesses, saving both money

and helping the environment.

The Burnsville Energy Effi-

ciency Grant Program will

provide grants of up to $1000

for an energy audit and up to

$7500 for energy efficient pro-

jects. These grants will require

a one to one match from partici-

pating businesses and funds

will be available on a first-

come, first served basis. Each

application will be reviewed for

energy saving measures.

Information and an application

form can be found at

www.burnsville.org in the link

“energy block grant.” Contact

Skip Nienhaus, Economic De-

velopment Coord., at 952-895-

4454 or skip.nienhaus@ci.

burnsville.mn.us for questions.

2010

Newsletter

Welcoming our

new 2010 Members:

Burnsville Perform-

ing Arts Center

Dick’s Valley Service

of Apple Valley

Thank you for your

environmentally-

preferable business

choices!

Inside this issue:

Join us for our

ARROW Event!

2

What Can

ARROW Do For

You?

2

Hard-to-Dispose-

of Items Made

Easier

3

Sending Green:

Shipping Carbon

Neutral

3

Starting an

Employee Garden

4

Cup o’ Joe: the

Impact of your

Coffee Cup

4

Going Green:

Where To Start

5

The Burnsville Energy Efficiency Grant Program

will provide grants of up to $1000 for an energy

audit and up to $7500 for energy efficient projects.

• • •

• • •

• • •

ARROW Special Section Page 2

The 3Rs and Reaping Rewards: Join us on October 14, 2010

Dakota Valley Recycling—a partnership

between the Cities of Apple Valley, Burns-

ville and Eagan—brings you ARROW:

Awards for the Reduction and Recycling of

Waste. Since 1998, this free program has

been recognizing over one-hundred and

twenty-five local businesses for their envi-

ronmentally-preferable choices in manag-

ing resources.

ARROW members incorporate recycling,

buying recycled, selling recycled, reducing

and/or reusing into their everyday business

practices. To join, organizations and busi-

nesses simply fill out an application detail-

ing their activities within these five catego-

ries. After eligibility for ARROW is deter-

mined, members receive our annual AR-

ROW newsletter, which discusses the chal-

lenges, solutions and innovations of sus-

tainable and environmentally-preferable

practices.

ARROW members are recognized in an

annual newspaper advertisement. In addi-

tion, a window sticker and certificate is

awarded to commend efforts in managing

waste and allow ARROW members to ad-

vertise these efforts. Through these means

of promoting the ARROW program, resi-

dents recognize resource-managing efforts

by businesses in their area.

Dakota Valley Recycling also provides a

hotline for questions from residents and

businesses at 952-895-4559. For more

information, contact ARROW Coordinator

Leigh Behrens at 952-895-4515 or

leigh.behrens@ci.burnsville.mn.us.

What Can ARROW Do for Your Business?

The ARROW program started in 1998 as a pilot

project, and since then has recognized over 125 organizations for their

green business decisions.

Dakota Valley Recycling and

the ARROW program are ex-

cited to announce “Reduce,

Reuse, Recycle...And Reap

Rewards.” This event will

recognize the ARROW pro-

gram and its members on Octo-

ber 14, 2010 from 11:00am to

1:00pm.

Come for a catered lunch and learn about the steps busi-

nesses are taking to reduce their impact while saving

money with a keynote speech by Andy Acho, former

worldwide director of Environmental Outreach &

Strategy for Ford Motor Company.

The event will held be at the Burnsville Performing

Arts Center, 12600 Nicollet Avenue in Burnsville, MN.

Lunch will be provided by Buca Di Beppo.

Register online or by mail by October 1. Included with

this newsletter is our mail-in registration form. Online

registration will open soon on the Dakota Valley Recy-

cling website. Questions? Call 952-895-4515.

Registration is $12.00 per person, however, employees at

ARROW businesses receive a $2.00 discount and regis-

ter at $10.00 per person. There is limited space available,

and registration is first-come, first serve.

The ARROW program is funded in part through the City of Burnsville,

the City of Eagan, the City of Apple Valley, the Dakota County Board of

Commissioners, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Arrange-ments for the appearance of Andy Acho made through BigSpeak, Inc.,

Santa Barbara CA, www.BigSpeak.com.

Online registration will be opening soon: go to

www.DakotaValleyRecycling.org/ARROW for details

and a link to the registration page.

process is certified by The Carbon-

Neutral Company, and its calculator is

based on Greenhouse Gas Protocol. UPS has purchased offsets from the

Garcia River Forest Climate Action

Project, which is overseen by The

Nature Conservancy and The Conser-

vation Fund.

Here are some other tips for making

your purchasing and shipping prac-

tices greener:

•Negotiate with suppliers to provide

merchandise in returnable or reusable

packaging - or in packaging that you

can recycle through your in-house

recycling program.

•Instead of cardboard boxes, use dura-

ble containers for shipping to your

Many businesses and organizations

ship packages on a regular basis.

United Parcel Service (UPS) now

offers a carbon neutral shipping pro-

gram. Under the program, shippers in

the U.S. can offset the carbon foot-

print of their packages by paying a

small fee that covers cost of the off-

sets, emissions calculation and ad-

ministration: Five cents for a ground

package, 20 cents for an air package

and 75 cents for an international pack-

age. UPS is matching offset purchases

up to $1 million through 2010.

UPS's methodology and processes for

its carbon calculations are verified by

Société Générale de Surveillance, an

inspection, verification, testing and

certification firm. UPS's carbon offset

branch offices,

stores, or ware-

houses.

•Set up a sys-

tem for return-

ing cardboard

boxes and packaging materials to dis-

tributors for reuse.

•Reuse packaging materials—such as

boxes, newspaper, tissue, polystyrene

"peanuts" and foam pads—from in-

coming shipments as alternatives to

buying new packing material.

•Return, reuse and repair wooden

pallets and crates.

Reprinted with permission from Do It Green!

Minnesota at www.doitgreen.org.

Greener Shipping, One Package At A Time

Page 3

Hard To Dispose of ? Not Anymore

In Minnesota, there are a number of items that cannot be thrown in the garbage by state law. In addition, there are items

that can go to a landfill, but are bulky and often require extra fees. These two types of items are often called “hard to dis-

pose of” items. Fortunately, there are a number of programs and opportunities available to businesses looking to off-load

some of these items and materials, making “hard to dispose of” easier.

Volume 8, Issue 1

Dakota County businesses and or-

ganizations that generate less than

220 pounds of hazardous waste in a

calendar month qualify as Very

Small Quantity Generators (VSQG).

To apply for the VSQG program, or

for more information , go to

www.dakotacounty.us and search for

“VSQG” or call 952-891-7557.

Minnesota State Law requires

that major appliances be recy-

cled. Some retailers will recycle

old appliances when you pur-

chase new ones. There are three

appliance recyclers in the South

Metro: Advanced Recycling

(advancedrecyclers.com), Certi-

fied Recycling (certified appliance.com), and Plaza TV

and Appliance (plazatv.com). Fluorescent light bulbs contain a

small amount of mercury and must

not be thrown in the garbage. State

law requires that electronics such as

computers and TVs be recycled, due

to lead and other hazardous materials.

The Recycling Zone has drop-off

days for businesses to dispose of

these items. From 9 am to 2 pm on

the second Tuesday of each month,

drop off bulbs for $0.25 to $1.15

each and electronics for $0.35/lb.

The Minnesota Materials Ex-

change (mnexchange.org) is a

free service that connects busi-

nesses that have reusable goods

to those who can use them. Find

low or no-cost materials, save

money on disposal costs and find

new markets for surplus materi-

als. Contact the Exchange by

calling 612-624-1300.

Gardening provides great exercise, reduces stress and

gives people access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Busi-

nesses have gotten into this trend by starting gardens at

work. Here are some tips if you are considering this

healthful activity for your workplace.

Get buy in. Talk to your staff. Is an employee garden a

benefit to them or merely additional work? If

they love the idea and are willing to put in

some sweat equity, it will be more likely to be

successful.

Assess your resources. How much space,

time, and resources can you devote to provid-

ing this benefit? Decide what you are willing

to provide: ground space, plants, compost,

tools? Considering asking for donations—

employees may have extra plugs from their

home garden.

Start small. Start easy. Choose a small number

of easy herbs and vegetables to grow your first

couple of years. Some easy vegetables would

be lettuces, peas, tomatoes, and zucchini.

Be realistic. Know your limits and set reasonable goals

until you’ve figured out what will work for your staff and

the garden becomes an integral part of your company cul-

ture. Consider purchasing plants that have already been

started rather than seeds.

Get organized. Do a little research and create a to-do

calendar for the year, including planting and harvesting.

Share. When dividing up your harvest, give a portion to

the local food bank. Have employees volunteer to drop off

the vegetables to a food pantry or homeless shelter.

Accounting. Keep records of what you spend on materi-

als and supplies, the amount of labor put in each week,

and the produce coming out. This will help decide

whether this is a financially viable activity for your

business.

Keep the garden in perspective. Remind your staff and

yourself that the garden is an added bonus, not the main

focus of your business. Time in the garden should not be

interfering with the work day.

Have fun. Have salsa tastings or recipe tastings to liven

up your employee meetings. Share garden recipes with

your customers on your blog. Your garden has the po-

tential to boost staff morale and your company’s image.

Adapted with permission from twistedlimb.blogspot.com article “Ten

Tips for Starting an Employee Garden” posted 8-20-2009.

common alternative, a ceramic mug, offers

an interesting picture. While a ceramic

mug cuts down on landfill waste im-

mensely, it takes three times more energy

to make. However, this becomes negligi-

ble after eight months of ceramic mug use.

Not sure reusable mugs will work for your

office? A number of companies now pro-

vide sustainable solutions when disposable

cups are needed. Solo has introduced a

green line of cups called “Bare” that utilize

recycled paper and other renewable materi-

als. Contact your supplier for details.

Coffee is a staple in many offices, but what

is the environmental impact of that daily

cup o’ Joe? Many offices buy disposable

cups for their employees to use. In the

United States, the number of disposable

coffee cups being used and thrown away

each year has been estimated at 23 billion.

When the amount of natural resources and

solid waste are calculated from the cups’

widespread use, the numbers can be over-

whelming.

So what is a “greener” alternative for your

office? Comparing the disposal cup with a

How Green is your Coffee Cup?

Page 4

Grab a disposal cup or bring a ceramic mug? When it

comes to going green, the answer is not as clear-cut as one might think.

Growing Morale: Starting an Employee Garden

The City of Burnsville Maintenance Facility garden was placed behind the parking lot and has tomatoes and peppers that were donated by employ-

ees. All produce goes to the 360 Communities food shelf in Burnsville.

Dakota Valley Recycling is the shared

recycling departments of the Cities of

Eagan, Burnsville and Apple Valley, serv-

ing as a resource for residents and busi-

nesses about recycling, waste disposal and

sustainability issues. Connect with us on

the web for green tips, upcoming recy-

cling events and opportunities, and more.

Getting Connected with Dakota Valley Recycling

Page 5

Going Green: Where to Start?

Technical Assistance

There are a few resources that will provide services free of charge. The Min-

nesota Technical Assistance Program (MnTAP) and the MN Retired Engineers

Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) are both programs that offer free as-

sessments, recommendations and implementation plans on energy saving and

waste reduction to Minnesota businesses. The MPCA offers the Small Busi-

ness Technical Assistance program. Go to www.pca.state.mn.us and search

“Pollution prevention: Technical assistance ” for more programs.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Both of the electric companies, Dakota Electric Association and Xcel Energy,

have some assessment and consulting services available for businesses regard-

ing energy use and savings. In addition, grant or rebates may be available for

energy conservation projects your business takes on. See page 1 for details.

Green Purchasing

If you are interested in reducing your company’s environmental impact

through purchasing choices, consider using Green Seal (www.greenseal.org) as

a resource. They are a reputable non-profit that certifies cleaning products and

paper products that are environmentally responsible. The site contains a lot of

information, so after you look through, talk to your company’s suppliers and

tell them what you are striving to do. Because so many businesses are looking

for environmentally friendly products recently, suppliers are carrying “green”

alternatives more often.

Waste Reduction

Minnesota Waste Wise is a non-profit assistance program of the Minnesota

Chamber of Commerce. It is designed to help businesses develop effective

waste reduction and recycling programs and find new markets for waste mate-

rials. Membership required for services. Benefits of membership include

newsletters, a guidebook, site visits and individualized assistance. For more

information, call 651-292-4681 or toll-free 800-821-2230.

Volume 8, Issue 1

@DVRecycling www.facebook.com

/CityOfBurnsville

www.youtube.com

/DakValleyRecycling

Going green—reducing your company’s environmental impact—may seem overwhelming if you are just starting to

consider the options. This information will give you some leads on the resources available to businesses looking to

make a change. Numerous success stories—around the country and right here in the South Metro—have illustrated that

green business practices not only help the environment but also save money.

Looking for more guidance on green initiatives for your business? Contact ARROW Coordinator Leigh Behrens at

952-895-4515 or leigh.behrens@ci.burnsville.mn.us.

Contact Info: Dakota Valley Recycling

13713 Frontier Court

Burnsville, MN 55337

952-895-4515

Fax: 952-895-4531

leigh.behrens@ci.burnsville.mn.us

Visit us on the Web! www.DakotaValleyRecycling.org

DAKOTA VALLEY RECYCLING

Burnsville Maintenance Facility

13713 Frontier Court

Burnsville, MN 55337

Produced with support from the cities of Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Eagan, the Dakota County

Board of Commissioners, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Strengthening the economy and protecting the environment are top concerns for

communities today. By properly managing resources, businesses and

organizations can cut costs and minimize their impact on the environment.

The Cities of Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Eagan developed the ARROW

program (Awards for Reduction and Recycling of Waste) as a way to publicly

thank participating businesses and organizations for reducing, reusing and

recycling. This annual newsletter provides members with current information to

enhance their environmental initiative programs.

Interested businesses should contact Dakota Valley Recycling for more

information on this FREE program. See contact information above.

Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled content paper.