Jean Ward and Casey Stotts of the Hutchinson Housing and Redevelopment Agency have been recognized with 2008 Minnesota Energy Challenge Energy Efficiency Awards for their efforts to educate Hutchinson residents about energy efficiency and conservation and lowering the carbon footprint of Minnesota.

The awards are presented by the Center for Energy and Environment, a nonprofit based in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Energy Challenge encourages businesses and residents to reduce their carbon footprints by taking simple, effective steps to become more energy efficient.

Through a lighting retrofit program at Park Towers Senior Apartments, Hutchinson HRA reduced its demand and energy use by 20,856 kwh. This will eliminate 35,455 pounds of CO2 emissions, the equivalent of lighting 37 Minnesota households.

(Terry Davis is a Hutchinson Leader staff writer. E-mail him at davis@hutchinsonleader.com [1].)