Cook County Local Energy Project

09/28/2026

A CCLEP Tradition Continues Through CCHE: Solar & Sustainable Home Tour

Cook County Higher Education (CCHE) will host the Cook County Solar & Sustainable Home Tour on Saturday, October 24, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m. The tour continues community education previously offered by the Cook County Local Energy Project (CCLEP), which dissolved earlier this year after 18 years of work in Cook County.

The tour will provide community members an opportunity to visit four Cook County homes and see firsthand how local homeowners have approached solar energy, sustainable building, energy efficiency, and creating comfortable homes that work in our northern climate.

Guided by Kjell Olsen and Jennifer Victor-Larsen of Northwoods Sustainable & Resilient Housing Project, the tour will feature passive solar and solar panels, owner-built and contractor-built homes, super-insulated construction, straw bale walls, plaster wall finishes, geothermal systems, in-floor heating, mini splits, and more.

More than seeing different technologies and building approaches, the tour is an opportunity to learn from neighbors. Homeowners will share the choices they made, what worked, what was challenging, what they might do differently, what they still hope to do, and what they have learned along the way.

A special thank you to the homeowners who are welcoming us for this year’s tour and generously sharing their spaces, experiences, and lessons learned with the community.

Founded in 2008, CCLEP spent 18 years providing education around renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable building, and related topics. When the organization dissolved in January 2026, its assets and activities were consolidated with CCHE. Having partnered with CCLEP on many events, CCHE is carrying forward efforts such as the winter Builders, Contractors CEU & Homeowners Workshop, sustainable housing programs, and the fall Solar & Sustainable Home Tour.

As CCHE gets ready to carry on this fall tradition, it is also an opportunity to recognize and deeply thank CCLEP’s past leaders and board members, especially Chris O’Brien, who served as both Board President and Interim Executive Director, along with the community members and partners who shared their knowledge, passion, ideas, and dedication to local energy and sustainability efforts. CCHE hopes to be a thoughtful steward of that work.

Cook County Higher Education is a local nonprofit connecting people of all ages with education, training, resources, and learning opportunities close to home. Through partnerships with local organizations, instructors, employers, colleges, and community members, CCHE works to bring programs and resources to Cook County that respond to local interests and needs.

As CCHE looks ahead, we ask: What would you like to learn more about? Community members are encouraged to reach out with topics, questions, speakers, workshops, or other ideas they would like to see offered locally.

Register for the Solar & Sustainable Home Tour or learn more about CCHE at www.mycche.org..

08/05/2026

Business Energy Retrofit (BER) grants are funded by Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation and administered through a partnership with Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) to assist business owners with energy-efficient improvements.

Contact: Noah Ningen from AEOA, [email protected] or 218-780-8061.

Grant Cycle Dates: Open year-round. Businesses are encouraged to apply at any time for an opportunity to receive a BER grant. There is no risk to apply. Applications are reviewed twice per year.

Eligible Applicants: Small business owners located within Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation's service area.

FY27 Business Energy Retrofit (BER) Guidelines:https://mn.gov/irrrb/assets/FY27%20Business%20Energy%20Retrofit%20FINAL_tcm1047-757844.pdf
FY25 Business Energy Retrofit Grant Program Evaluation:
https://mn.gov/irrrb/assets/FY25%20Business%20Energy%20Retrofit%20%28BER%29%20Grant%20Program%20Final%20Report_tcm1047-717751.pdf

08/04/2026

The Community Climate Leaders Program from the University of Minnesota Extension connects you with actionable climate science, impact strategies, and a local network of peers in Cook County.
https://climate.umn.edu/community-climate-leaders

This eight-week program includes:
* Five online modules covering climate change basics, what climate change looks like in Minnesota, accessible climate actions you can take, how to amplify your impact by working in community, how to integrate climate justice, and leadership skills
* Four in-person sessions in Grand Marais including group discussions, climate communication exercises, and sharing of climate action plans
* A stepping stone project to make plans for taking climate action in your community
* A copy of The Climate Action Handbook by Dr. Heidi Roop, a climate action notebook, and other activity materials

Individual Program Discount
We don’t want cost to be a barrier to the program. If the program fees are a barrier to your ability to participate in the program as an individual, please select a discount code from the list below that will enable your participation. You can enter this code during the registration process to reduce your registration fees.
* $200 discount (pay $0) use code CCL200
* $150 discount (pay $50) use code CCL150
* $100 discount (pay $100) use code CCL100

Climate change is here. To weather the challenges ahead, we need to adapt to the changes we’re already experiencing — and those to come. It’s not too late to create a better climate future, but we do need to work together to take action now. The Community Climate Leaders program empowers you t...

06/08/2026

Northwoods Sustainable Housing Project - Exemplary Homes in and Around Cook County
June 11 | 8:30-10:30am | At CCHE and Zoom
Presenter and Partner: Northwoods Sustainable Housing https://northwoodssustainablehousing.weebly.com/
Register at: https://cche.app.neoncrm.com/event.jsp?event=1226&

Join the Northwoods Sustainable Housing Project to learn about exemplary homes in and around Cook County. We toured diverse homes to identify strategies, materials, and features that make homes sustainable, healthy, resilient, and affordable. A discussion and roundtable will follow to explore how to create practical paths forward for expanding this type of housing in Cook County.

An exploration of sustainable, resilient, healthy, and affordable housing possibilities for the unique climate, topography, and local materials of Northeast Minnesota.

05/26/2026

June 2026 Twin Ports Freshwater Folk

Twin Ports Freshwater Folk invites you to a special event on June 3, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Zoom showcasing the work of the 2025-2026 cohort of the Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellowship.

Twin Ports Freshwater Folk (TPFF) is an informal gathering of people from the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, who are engaged in freshwater research, policy, or regulation issues, for networking and informal discussion. Meetings take place the first Wednesday of every month.

During this month’s event, three Minnesota Sea Grant Science and Policy Fellows will share their experiences and work on Minnesota’s water resources. Fellows Larissa Scott, Reid Brown, and Reane Loiselle-Kasun will share their work, which focused on stream restoration tools for St. Louis County, data-driven evaluations of water sustainability and permitting, and new insights into the management of aquatic invasive species. Full abstracts and fellow bios are available on the event webpage.

The event is free and open to the public. Register at:

Use this form to register for virtual attendance of Twin Ports Freshwater Folk. Twin Ports Freshwater Folk (TPFF) is an informal gathering of people from the Twin Ports of Duluth, Minnesota and Superior, Wisconsin, who are engaged in freshwater research, policy, or regulation issues, for lunch, netw...

05/26/2026

04/15/2026