Cleaner Skies

Clean Skies, a national Benefit Company dedicated to helping K-12 schools and the environment, has intro Clean Skies Certificates for Education™ to provide financial aid to disadvantaged schools. The country’s current financial woes could mean a reduction in the Federal subsidies that have helped to pay for teachers and to keep class sizes down. As cuts are made to school budgets, the best hope to achieve financial stability may be to implement revenue-producing programs like Dragonfly’s innovative School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED) Program.
“Even the most disadvantaged schools can improve when sustainability programs are successfully implemented and integrated with community support and financial aid”, said L. Brent Ivie, Dragonfly’s CEO. “The SEED Program is a sustainability program for schools that captures and monetizes the environmental attributes created by schools that reduce their energy use, recycle wastes, conserve water, or install renewable energy projects.” Each Clean Skies Certificate is equal to energy savings or clean energy production of 1000 kilowatt hours – approximately the electrical energy consumed in a month by an average U.S. home.
Clean Skies Certificates generated by K-12 schools are sold to large corporations, small businesses and individuals intent on offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions or becoming “carbon-zero”. Clean Skies Certificates have the double advantage of helping the environment and disadvantaged schools. Businesses that purchase Clean Skies Certificates exhibit corporate responsibility and create customer loyalty. Schools receive cash from Certificate sales and reinvest a portion of the revenue in additional energy-saving projects. In turn, these clean energy projects create additional cash rewards and lower energy costs. Energy bills are the second largest school budget item and are expected to increase 5% per year for the next decade.
“Although it is rarely done, members of the community must be involved in helping to solve the problems our schools are facing”, said Mr. Ivie. “Evidence shows that a collaborative, community-driven approach combined with significant, sustained financial aid and a focus on learning has been proven to be the better path to school improvement. Schools in communities where people and businesses believed they had the ability to make a positive change were twice as likely to succeed in solving school problems.”
“Clean Skies for Education Program is a bold new environmental commodities program that overcomes the challenge of getting energy saving technology into schools with tight budgets while creating substantial new revenue streams for schools at the same time” said Jacqueline Zielenski, Dragonfly’s President. “The hopeful news is that even truly disadvantaged schools can be improved. Through the SEED Sustainability Program, some incredibly positive changes can be made rapidly with no expense to schools.”

Schools Cash In Big Time With Energy-Efficiency Improvements

Energy retrofits can reduce school utility bills by 20 percent to 40 percent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Schools spend as much on energy each year as what they spend on books and supplies. A new national program is giving schools the opportunity to cash in on their clean energy projects including energy efficiency, recycling, water conservation and renewable energy.
More than half of U.S. schools are older than 25 years, making them ripe for energy retrofits. As the Center for the Next Generation reported recently, “The equipment used in these buildings for heating, lighting, cooling and ventilation is outdated, inefficient and often malfunctioning.

A new company is turning simple improvements to reduce school energy costs into additional cash for disadvantaged schools. Energy-saving improvements such as installing high-efficiency boilers, lighting controls, efficient lighting fixtures, high-efficiency air conditioners, better insulating walls and roofs, installing energy-efficiency windows and doors, recycling waste and conserving water can produce environmental certificates that can be monetized to benefit K-12 schools.

Dragonfly Solutions is a new benefit corporation that works with schools with above-average energy consumption in economically disadvantaged communities to produce Clean Skies environmental certificates. The School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED)™ Program allows school districts to earn substantial rewards for the energy-efficiency upgrades they have implemented and receive no-cost energy efficiency and monitoring equipment. Unlike other programs, the District keeps 100% of the energy and maintenance savings generated by the SEED Equipment to aid schools.

The SEED Program helps participating Districts reduce their energy use, and with energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, facilitates revenue streams from the energy savings or energy production. The SEED Program is a sustainable approach to reducing energy costs and creating new revenue by producing Clean Skies Certificates™ as an immediate incentive for demonstrating fiscal and environmental stewardship. The SEED Program also delivers on-going value by providing the means to fund additional energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

Clean Skies Program to Aid Disadvantaged Schools

 

New sustainability program provides disadvantaged K-12 schools with financial aid for energy conservation and clean energy projects

Dragonfly Solutions, a national Benefit Company dedicated to helping K-12 schools and the environment, has introduced Clean Skies Certificates for Education™ to provide financial aid to disadvantaged schools. The country’s current financial woes could mean a reduction in the Federal subsidies that have helped to pay for teachers and to keep class sizes down. As cuts are made to school budgets, the best hope to achieve financial stability may be to implement revenue-producing programs like Dragonfly’s innovative School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED) Program.

“Even the most disadvantaged schools can improve when sustainability programs are successfully implemented and integrated with community support and financial aid”, said L. Brent Ivie, Dragonfly’s CEO. “The SEED Program is a sustainability program for schools that captures and monetizes the environmental attributes created by schools that reduce their energy use, recycle wastes, conserve water, or install renewable energy projects.” Each Clean Skies Certificate is equal to energy savings or clean energy production of 1000 kilowatt hours – approximately the electrical energy consumed in a month by an average U.S. home.

Clean Skies Certificates generated by K-12 schools are sold to large corporations, small businesses and individuals intent on offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions or becoming “carbon-zero”. Clean Skies Certificates have the double advantage of helping the environment and disadvantaged schools. Businesses that purchase Clean Skies Certificates exhibit corporate responsibility and create customer loyalty.  Schools receive cash from Certificate sales and reinvest a portion of the revenue in additional energy-saving projects. In turn, these clean energy projects create additional cash rewards and lower energy costs. Energy bills are the second largest school budget item and are expected to increase 5% per year for the next decade.

“Although it is rarely done, members of the community must be involved in helping to solve the problems our schools are facing”, said Mr. Ivie. “Evidence shows that a collaborative, community-driven approach combined with significant, sustained financial aid and a focus on learning has been proven to be the better path to school improvement. Schools in communities where people and businesses believed they had the ability to make a positive change were twice as likely to succeed in solving school problems.”

“Clean Skies for Education Program is a bold new environmental commodities program that overcomes the challenge of getting energy saving technology into schools with tight budgets while creating substantial new revenue streams for schools at the same time” said Jacqueline Zielenski, Dragonfly’s President. “The hopeful news is that even truly disadvantaged schools can be improved. Through the SEED Sustainability Program, some incredibly positive changes can be made rapidly with no expense to schools.”  

Clean Skies Program to Aid Disadvantaged Schools

Dragonfly Solutions, a national Benefit Company dedicated to helping K-12 schools and the environment, has introduced Clean Skies Certificates for Education™ to provide financial aid to disadvantaged schools. The country’s current financial woes could mean a reduction in the Federal subsidies that have helped to pay for teachers and to keep class sizes down. As cuts are made to school budgets, the best hope to achieve financial stability may be to implement revenue-producing programs like Dragonfly’s innovative School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED) Program.

“Even the most disadvantaged schools can improve when sustainability programs are successfully implemented and integrated with community support and financial aid”, said L. Brent Ivie, Dragonfly’s CEO. “The SEED Program is a sustainability program for schools that captures and monetizes the environmental attributes created by schools that reduce their energy use, recycle wastes, conserve water, or install renewable energy projects.” Each Clean Skies Certificate is equal to energy savings or clean energy production of 1000 kilowatt hours – approximately the electrical energy consumed in a month by an average U.S. home.

Clean Skies Certificates generated by K-12 schools are sold to large corporations, small businesses and individuals intent on offsetting their greenhouse gas emissions or becoming “carbon-zero”. Clean Skies Certificates have the double advantage of helping the environment and disadvantaged schools. Businesses that purchase Clean Skies Certificates exhibit corporate responsibility and create customer loyalty. Schools receive cash from Certificate sales and reinvest a portion of the revenue in additional energy-saving projects. In turn, these clean energy projects create additional cash rewards and lower energy costs. Energy bills are the second largest school budget item and are expected to increase 5% per year for the next decade.

“Although it is rarely done, members of the community must be involved in helping to solve the problems our schools are facing”, said Mr. Ivie. “Evidence shows that a collaborative, community-driven approach combined with significant, sustained financial aid and a focus on learning has been proven to be the better path to school improvement. Schools in communities where people and businesses believed they had the ability to make a positive change were twice as likely to succeed in solving school problems.”

“Clean Skies for Education Program is a bold new environmental commodities program that overcomes the challenge of getting energy saving technology into schools with tight budgets while creating substantial new revenue streams for schools at the same time” said Jacqueline Zielenski, Dragonfly’s President. “The hopeful news is that even truly disadvantaged schools can be improved. Through the SEED Sustainability Program, some incredibly positive changes can be made rapidly with no expense to schools.”

Sustainability for U.S. Schools

The sustainability problem for our schools has many dimensions: ethical, technological, political and financial. It is a management problem that has at its core a single question: Can we increase the planet’s production of goods and services to meet the needs of a growing population without destroying the planet’s natural systems that we depend on?

Much of a school district’s consumption is built on one-time use of non-renewable resources, especially energy. This is what creates the problem of sustainability. School district management requires an understanding of economics, quantitative reasoning, and financial and nonfinancial aspects of organizational management. Money, labor, information, technology and communication are the building blocks of organizational existence. A successful and sophisticated manager must understand politics and public policy.

Water, air, energy and other materials are used in schools. Are these resources used efficiently and returned to the ecosphere undamaged? Or does the district’s culture dismiss waste and pollution as necessary “breakage,” arguing that you can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs? If you think this is only limited to manufacturing, you have not considered the vast amount of energy used by schools. Or that some schools are green and others are not. Finally there is the impact of the schools on the environment. Do schools pay attention to their environmental impact and seek ways to minimize it?
Environmental and physical factors cannot be “assumed away.” These factors can be as important to management decision making as issues of finance, labor and strategy.

School superintendents can no longer focus all of their attention on finance, facilities, labor and communication; they must also focus on the physical dimensions of sustainability, an issue used to be seen as unimportant. Sustainability for education must include some of the basics of ecology, environmental science, engineering, hydrology and possibly toxicology. On a more crowded planet that constantly faces resource stress, school managers cannot afford to be scientific illiterates – effective school management requires sustainability management.

We have a long way to go before we learn to manage the planet’s resources without destroying them. Developing renewable energy is key; so too is a better understanding of the effect of human settlements and production on natural systems. But we have begun. At schools all over America, teachers are learning about sustainability science and are being preparing for employment in the fast-growing green economy. A new field of study has begun and a new aspect of school district management is underway. Since there are too many people on the planet to get back to the land and be “one with nature,” we have little choice but get better at practicing and teaching sustainability.

Dragonfly Solutions Wins Academy Award of Cleantech for Helping K-12 Schools

Cleantech Open Academy Awards recognizes Dragonfly Solutions as the top clean technology innovator with the most significant progress achieved during the year

SAN JOSE, CA – November 13, 2012 – Dragonfly Solutions,™ a Benefit Corporation focused on helping schools discover new sources of revenue through energy efficiency, announced today that is has been named the 2012 Cleantech Open Alumnus of the Year at the 7^th Annual Academy Awards of Cleantech Global Forum. The award further validates the success of Dragonfly’s School Energy Efficiency Development (SEED^SM) Program, a sustainable approach to reducing energy costs and creating new revenue through Clean Skies Certificates.

“We are honored to be the recipient of the prestigious Cleantech Open Alumnus of the Year award,” said L. Brent Ivie, CEO and Co-Founder of Dragonfly. “It’s a testament of the success of Dragonfly’s SEED Program in helping school districts earn substantial rewards for the energy-efficiency upgrades they have implemented, while receiving Dragonfly’s revolutionary energy efficiency and monitoring equipment at no-cost.”

 School Districts can enroll in the SEED Program after Dragonfly analyzes District buildings and assesses past energy efficiency and energy producing projects (like wind, solar arrays, and geothermal projects). Recycling and water conservation are also qualified projects in the SEED Program.

“The SEED Program serves as a sustainability model for schools across the country and delivers on-going value by providing the means to fund additional clean energy projects,”said Jacqueline Zielenski, President and Chief Sustainability Officer of Dragonfly. “The Clean Skies for Education Certificates earned through the SEED Program are a powerful way for schools to capture the full value of being good stewards of the earth.”

 “This is a huge recognition for Dragonfly, as the company absolutely demonstrates the essence of the Cleantech Open and its mission of finding and developing game-changing technologies and businesses,” said Richard Franklin, Regional Director for the Rocky Mountain Cleantech Open.

This industry recognition follows other significant achievements by Dragonfly during the past year. Dragonfly was the Cleantech Open’s Sustainability winner in the Rocky Mountain Region, and National Sustainability Award runner-up in 2011. In 2012, Dragonfly was also recognized as an award finalist in the Innovative Product or Service category from the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. The Company has added over 60 sales representatives and recorded $10 million in sales contracts for 2012.

About Dragonfly Solutions

Dragonfly Solutions, Inc.™ is a Maryland Benefit Corporation focused on sustainability and upholding the principals of social, environmental, and economic stewardship. Dragonfly’s School Energy Efficiency Development Program℠ (SEED Program℠) provides proprietary revenue generation by capturing the environmental attributes from energy efficiency projects by utilizing patent-pending Energy Efficiency Equipment manufactured for K-12 School Districts across America. Harvested Clean Skies for Education™ Certificates™ are sold in the U.S. voluntary energy markets and provide Schools a new stream of revenue. Dragonfly Energy Efficiency Equipment provides real-time monitoring, comprehensive energy efficiency, peak demand management, reduced maintenance costs, and power bill savings up to 20%. For more information, visit www.dragonflysolutions.co.

About The Cleantech Open

The Cleantech Open runs the world’s largest cleantech business competition. Its mission is to find, fund and foster entrepreneurs with big ideas that address today’s most urgent energy, environmental and economic challenges. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, the Cleantech Open provides the infrastructure, expertise and strategic relationships that turn clever ideas into successful global cleantech companies. Since 2006, through its one-of-a-kind annual business competition and mentorship program, the Cleantech Open has enabled hundreds of clean-technology start-ups to bring their breakthrough ideas to fruition, helped alumni contestants raise over $300M, and created an estimated 2,500 green-collar jobs. Fueled by a global network of more than 1,000 volunteers and sponsors, the Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors in a shared vision for making America’s cleantech sector a thriving economic engine.

Contact: Jacqueline Zielenski, Dragonfly Solutions, Inc., 972.754.3372.

For more information visit the following websites:

www.dragonflysolutions.co

http://www.cleantechopen.org

www.ECXmarkets.com

www.schoolenergypartners.com

The School Energy Efficiency Department (SEED) Program

The School Energy Efficiency Department (SEED) Program creates self-sustaining revenue streams for District Departments that manage energy in K-12 Schools by cutting electrical energy waste, extending equipment life, reducing operating costs, plus generating and monetizing Environmental Certificates.

School Districts across the country face challenges to handle increased energy and facility costs on tight budgets.
The School Energy Efficiency Department Program is a powerful way for K-12 Schools to spend less on energy bills, reduce operating costs for electrical/electronic equipment and generate recurring revenues from Environmental Certificates to free up valuable dollars for the Energy Management Department. Unlike the ESCO model, Dragonfly Solutions’ SEED Program savings considerably out-weigh the Program’s modest fees.

The SEED Program implements energy-awareness and conservation behavior because the products in the System monitor energy consumption data, collects energy distribution statistics, and all of it can be queried, reviewed and reported. The involvement of the students and faculty allows them to see that their decisions make a difference.

Electricity generally accounts for one-third of the energy consumed by Schools, but nearly two-thirds of the School’s total utility costs. Simple changes can save substantial amounts of wasted energy, wasted natural resources and wasted money. It’s as simple as automatically tuning the electrical system—continually.

Dragonfly Solutions has developed a revenue-generating program for America’s cash-strapped K-12 Schools to create sustainable revenue streams for Energy & Resource Departments by:

(1)  generating Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Energy Efficiency Certificates (EECs)

(2)  cutting electrical energy waste

(3)  extending equipment life and

(4)  reducing operating costs.

To the best of our knowledge and belief, this is the first program that provides a financially sound strategy for creating sustainable revenue streams for K-12 Schools.

Environmental Certificates capture in dollars the value that our society places on protecting the environment, and are the largest and fastest growing new commodity market. The purpose of these financial instruments is to provide investment incentives for clean power generation and energy efficiency projects. Environmental Certificates are intangible assets that are real and have value. These new commodities include:

• Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) – represent 1 megawatt hour of power generated by a renewable resource such as wind or solar power. The voluntary and mandatory markets are predicted to grow as states continue to adopt Renewable Portfolio Standards as a means to promote investment in renewable energy.
• Energy Efficiency Certificates (EECs) – represent 1 megawatt hour of power conserved or reduced. The market for energy efficiency has a huge potential for monetizing energy efficiency savings. The EEC market potential may become even larger than the REC market.

Environmental Certificates serve to offset purchasers’ use of conventional electricity from nonrenewable energy sources such as fossil fuels. Each Certificate represents the environmental attributes produced when conventional fuels, such as coal, oil, gas or nuclear are displaced through renewable energy sources or through energy efficiency. Benefits from the emerging environment market include a reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that would have been generated by burning fossil fuels.

The SEED Program works to promote sales of Environmental Certificates with local businesses and individuals wishing to offset their energy use, booster clubs wanting to support teams, and fund-raisers for groups and activities. The market for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Certificates is a way to reward those who have taken real steps to conserve energy and/or produce renewable energy, such as installing an energy- management and solar array systems. It is believed that the market for EECs and RECs will continue to grow, and provide K-12 Energy Services Departments with an important ongoing source of revenue.

More information at ECXmarkets.com

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Revenue Generation for Education by Monetizing Energy Management Efforts

Creating Revenue Streams for Schools by Monetizing Environmental Certificates

K-12 Schools can create revenue streams by capturing the full value of their renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts and generate revenue beyond the savings created at the meter. Monetizing the energy assets created from capital projects that reduce energy use or produce alternative energy can create significant revenue streams.

 

The Clean Skies for Education™ Program supports the development of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects at K-12 schools and maximizes the financial benefit of energy management efforts. Sales of Clean Skies Certificates help to lower the high cost of education and assist teachers and students.

Participation in the Clean Skies for Education Program sends a powerful message about how much businesses and individuals care for the environment and the community. Buyers of Clean Skies Certificates help to provide a better quality of life for U.S. communities and make a difference in creating a better future for our children.

More information at http://www.ECXmarkets.com

Clean Skies for Education

Dragonfly Solutions is a finalist in the Cleantech Open 2011 Global Forum

Dragonfly Soltuions to compete for $250,000 in prizes for the best clean tech companies in the Cleantech Open 2011 Global Forum

November 15, 2011 at 12:00 PM – November 16  – San Jose, San Jose http://www.cleantechopen.com/2011globalforum

The Cleantech Open Global Forum — the Academy Awards of Cleantech and a Featured Event of Global Entrepreneurship Week — where entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders convene for the grand finale of the world’s largest search for the most innovative cleantech startups.

Visit 100+ exhibits, listen to dynamic speakers and keynotes, watch live-judging of the US Regional Finalists as they compete for the $250,000 National Grand Prize, hear from finalists from up to 20 countries, and network in style at the Gala Dinner and Annual Fundraiser.

Your host, The Cleantech Open, is the world’s largest cleantech accelerator. In just six years 473 Cleantech Open alumni companies have gone on to raise over $500m in external funding.

Competition is judged in seven categories: renewable energy, energy efficiency, green building, air water and waste, transportation, smart power, and sustainabilility.

Labels: cleantech, startup, Cleantech Open, Accelerator, conference, entrepreneur, event, Exp, expo, forum, funding, Gala Dinner, global, ideas, incubator, innovation, international, investment, investor, clean tech open, gobal forum, global forum and gala dinner

Cleantech Open Announces Dragonfly Solutions as Sustainability Winner

Utah Cleantech Company Wins $10,000 Top Sustainability Prize
in the Rocky Mountain Region Cleantech Open and a chance to compete for the $250,000 National Grand Prize in in November.

 Denver, October 6, 2011: The Cleantech Open (www.cleantechopen.org), the
world’s largest cleantech accelerator, has announced Dragonfly Solutions as the
Regional Sustainability Finalist that will represent the Rocky Mountain Region
in a final showdown at the Cleantech Global Forum in San Jose, California. It
was a night full of accolades for Dragonfly Solutions, being selected from an elite group of 34 clean tech startups as the company most effectively incorporating a triple-bottom-line approach to its business.

“Competing at the 2011 Global Forum in November will allow them to take their story to a national audience.” said Rex Northern, executive director of the Cleantech Open. 120 semi-finalists were selected from a pool of 285 talented cleantech entrepreneurs from across the country.

“The Cleantech Open really helped us understand the value of focusing on and owning one market,” says Dragonfly co-founder and President Jacqueline Zielenski. “Schools are the first target for our electricity-saving units because they are suffering from escalating electrical rates. Dragonfly patent-pending technology can reduce energy consumption by up
to 20%, with a payoff of less than two years.”

Dragonfly combines six types of energy-savings technologies into one system – at one-fifth the cost as compared to other solutions. Their solution monitors all energy data continuously and “tunes” the electrical system automatically to reduce energy consumption. The hardware and software components of Dragonfly systems condition power, regulate voltage, mitigate harmonics, and filter surges and spikes.

As a benefit corporation, dedicated to People, Planet and Profit, Dragonfly Solutions sees sustainability as its driving force,
completely aligned with our core values and business practices. “Winning the Sustainability Award for the Rocky Mountain Cleantech Open was a nod from the organization about how we approach the triple-bottom-line throughout our business model. It’s really quite an honor”, said Zielenski. “The life cycle of a product—especially for a manufacturing firm—has a great deal of sustainability opportunity”.

Zielenski is putting a “Take Back Scheme” in place, working with each city or state Dragonfly sells to. Some communities
have programs in place. Where there isn’t a program, Dragonfly will develop their own, to ensure that products do not end up in landfills.

About Dragonfly Solutions Inc.™

Dragonfly Solutions, Inc.  manufactures patent-pending Energy Efficiency Systems for K-12 School Districts across America. Its Energy Efficiency Systems provide comprehensive energy efficiency solutions that reduce energy consumption, allow
demand-side management and provide Schools with proprietary funding solutions.
For more information, visit www.dragonflysoltuions.co.