One of 48 TogetherGreen national innovation grants will power new efforts to help a rural Arizona community to significantly reduce its dependence on fossil fuel consumption through energy-efficient upgrades and greener standards on new construction. The Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, Audubon Arizona, Sonoita Crossroads Community Forum and Cienega Watershed Partnership will team up to bring energy-efficient technology and a grassroots educational network that encourages individual conservation actions to Santa Cruz County.

The $24,000 grant will help provide the Mountain Empire area (Canelo, Elgin, Patagonia and Sonoita) with energy efficient technology and support. By creating a comprehensive outreach and education plan, the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch and their partners hope to receive commitments from 25 percent of local home and business owners to install systems that will produce at least 2kW each, or to increase the energy efficiency of homes and businesses through conservation actions and technology upgrades, within two years.

Use of alternative energy methods and improvements in energy use will significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of their community, improving the environment at large. And perhaps even more importantly, their experiences will be documented as a formal case study �“ their efforts will serve as a model for other rural communities, taking in-depth energy conservation far beyond Arizona.

“This grant is the corner stone of our community’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.” said Jeanne Horsemann, Project Leader “Not only will we be encouraging and assisting local residents and businesses, but our efforts will help other rural communities to decrease their dependence on fossil fuels.”

The Arizona innovation grant is part of $1.1 million awarded by the TogetherGreen initiative this year. Audubon and Toyota launched the five-year TogetherGreen initiative in 2008 to fund conservation projects, train environmental leaders and offer volunteer opportunities that significantly benefit the environment. Grantees were selected from scores of applicants across America. Funds were awarded to Audubon organizations that demonstrated exceptional innovation in working with other groups on projects that will produce tangible benefits for environmental quality.

“This project has amazing potential to make a difference for these community members, the communities themselves and for the environment, and we’re thrilled that TogetherGreen has a hand in getting it started,” said TogetherGreen Project Manager Judy Braus.