{"id":5808,"date":"2017-05-18T17:26:57","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T17:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ean.kunikla.xyz\/?p=5808"},"modified":"2019-01-30T17:04:35","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T17:04:35","slug":"pollinator-friendly-solar-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/featured-news\/pollinator-friendly-solar-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Pollinator-Friendly Solar Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><strong>A Win-Win-Win for Agriculture, Clean Energy and\u2026Bees<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p>What if land under and around solar arrays in Vermont could be used to promote pollinator-friendly vegetation? EAN, together with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/giee\/\">UVM Gund Institute for the Environment<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/extension\/agriculture\/pollinator-friendly-solar\">UVM Extension<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/vt.audubon.org\/\">Audubon Vermont<\/a>, and several other partners are leading an effort to promote this initiative in Vermont. Read more <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Pollinator-Friendly-Solar-Summary-03-30-17.pdf\">here<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for a full description.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>To learn more about how you can participate, check out the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Vermont Pollinator Habitat Scorecard:<\/b>\u00a0To guide the process of site and seed mix planning\/designing. These voluntary standards, developed by Vermont experts, draw on the successful MN model that has generated exponential growth in pollinator friendly solar over the past year (over 2300 acres!):\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/Agriculture\/Pollinator_Solar_Scorecard_FORM.pdf\">VT Pollinator Habitat Scorecard<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>How to Get Started&#8230;<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>STEP 1: Contact a qualified pollinator expert<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/extension\/agriculture\/pollinator-friendly-solar\">Participating Environmental Consultants List <\/a>&#8211; Please contact us if you would like your company to be added to the list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>STEP 2: Make sure consultants use the VT Scorecard in their planning and budget to ensure that the site can be considered pollinator-friendly<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/Agriculture\/Pollinator_Solar_Scorecard_FORM.pdf\">VT Pollinator Habitat Scorecard<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>STEP 3: Work with already established pollinator seed mixes<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MN-North-Star-Solar-Pollinator-Seed-Mix.pdf\">New England Sample Pollinator Seed Mix &#8211; Xerces<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>STEP 4: Consider building in an annual assessment plan<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Sample-Pollinator-Survey-Bee-the-Change.pdf\">Sample Pollinator Survey Tool<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>STEP 5: Once you&#8217;ve finished your pollinator seeding\/plantings, post your completed scorecard on your website to say you&#8217;ve joined the Pollinator-Friendly Solar Initiative!<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><b>Who is piloting this already in Vermont?<\/b><\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/extension\/agriculture\/pollinator-friendly-solar\">Potential Pollinator-Friendly Solar Pilots in Vermont <\/a>&#8211; Please contact us if you would like your project to be added to the list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pollinator Friendly Solar Forum (April 2017)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DjvukTLHq18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Opening Remarks<\/a>&#8211; Dr. Taylor Ricketts, Director UVM Gund Institute<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Apr4-Vermont-Talk-lite.compressed.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Opening Presentation<\/a> &#8211; Rob Davis, Fresh Energy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Supporting Studies: <\/b>Learn about how this initiative has sparked national interest and bipartisan legislative support in MN, MD, NY and WI. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.audubon.org\/\">The National Audubon Society<\/a> views it as one of its core achievements in 2016.\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/NREL-Overview-of-opportunities-for-co-location-of-agriculture-and-solar-PV-1.pdf\">NREL Overview of Opportunities for Co-Location of Agriculture and Solar<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/NREL-Solar_Pollinators.compressed.pdf\">NREL Solar Pollinators<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/The-Effects-of-Solar-Farms-on-Local-Biodiversity-A-Comparative-Study-UK.pdf\">The Effects of Solar Farms on Local Biodiversity &#8211; UK <\/a>(PDF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/FarmFriendlySolar_FactSheet.pdf\">Standard for Bird and Pollinator friendly Solar Sites <\/a>(PDF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.prairieresto.com\/blog\/solar-sanctuaries-birds-bees-pollinators\/\">Minnesota Solar Sanctuaries for Birds, Bees, and Pollinators<\/a>(Prairie Restorations, Inc.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pollinator Friendly Articles\/Videos:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.delmarvanow.com\/story\/opinion\/columnists\/2017\/04\/15\/solar-offers-clean-low-cost-energy\/100463142\/\">Maryland &#8211; Solar Offers More Than Clean Low Cost Energy<\/a>\u00a0(Delmarva Now)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.beeculture.com\/can-solar-sites-help-save-bees\/\">Can Solar Sites Help Save Bees?\u00a0<\/a>(Bee Culture)<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><span style=\"color: #73a5db;\"><a style=\"color: #73a5db;\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/PXdleMoFnUk\">Solar Energy Made &#8216;Sweet&#8217; at Connexus<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>(YouTube)<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.solarpowerworldonline.com\/2017\/05\/pollinator-friendly-solar-vegetation\/\">Solar Array Abuzz Thanks to Pollinator Friendly Vegetation<\/a>\u00a0(Solar Power World)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenbiz.com\/article\/pollinator-friendly-solar-sites\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.greenbiz.com\/article\/pollinator-friendly-solar-sites&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1495719943158000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHKaja4jaapC_WvpbuMeD57VN6DOw\">The Business Case for <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenbiz.com\/article\/pollinator-friendly-solar-sites\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?hl=en&amp;q=https:\/\/www.greenbiz.com\/article\/pollinator-friendly-solar-sites&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1495719943158000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHKaja4jaapC_WvpbuMeD57VN6DOw\">Pollinator Friendly Solar<\/a>\u00a0(Green Biz)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Sample Documents: <\/b>Learn about tools that were developed in Minnesota to help guide the planning for the rapid growth of pollinator friendly solar in 2016-2017.\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MN-Pollinator-Friendly-Solar-Legislation.pdf\">Minnesota bill related to pollinator-friendly solar <\/a>(PDF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/MN-North-Star-Solar-Pollinator-Seed-Mix.pdf\">MN Native Pollinator Seed Mix<\/a> (PDF)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Sample-MN-Solar_Vegetation-Management_Proposal.pdf\">MN Sample Pollinator Habitat Vegetative Management Plan <\/a>(PDF)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Additional Helpful Information:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div><strong>HOW TO: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.prairieresto.com\/solar-sites-native-prairie-plants.shtml\">Large-Scale Solar: Minimize Maintenance, Maximize Benefits<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><strong>HOW TO: <\/strong>Prairie Establishment &amp; Maintenance\u00a0Technical Guidance for Solar Projects &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/files.dnr.state.mn.us\/publications\/ewr\/prairie_solar_tech_guidance.pdf\">Minnesota Department of\u00a0Natural Resources<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uvm.edu\/extension\/sustainableagriculture\/guide-farming-friendly-solar\">New Guide to Farming-Friendly Solar in Vermont Now Available<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Win-Win-Win for Agriculture, Clean Energy and\u2026Bees What if land under and around solar arrays in Vermont could be used to promote pollinator-friendly vegetation? EAN, together with UVM Gund Institute [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5808"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5808"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6009,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5808\/revisions\/6009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eanvt.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}