Duke Energy Awards $10k to Support Monroe County Energy Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 2, 2015

For more information, please contact:

Jacqui Bauer, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Bloomington Economic and Sustainable Development Department, 812.349.3837, bauerj@bloomington.in.gov

Bruce Calloway, District Manager, Duke Energy, 812.337.3034, bruce.calloway@duke-energy.com

Duke Energy Awards $10k to Support Monroe County Energy Challenge

Bloomington, Ind. - On Saturday, June 27, the Duke Energy Foundation awarded the City of Bloomington a grant of $9,936 to support the ongoing Monroe County Energy Challenge and the community's effort to win the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize. The award was presented at the "Explore Energy" event at the City of Bloomington Farmers' Market.

"We are going to put this to good use and hope to use these funds to leverage additional grant funds to support the Challenge," said Jacqui Bauer, City Sustainability Coordinator. "This has been a huge undertaking for the community, and Duke's support will help us do even more to engage local residents."

The Energy Challenge, launched in January 2015, aims to reduce natural gas and electricity consumption in local households over the next 18 months, in order to reduce the community's environmental impact, save money for local households and win the Georgetown Energy Prize.

"Duke Energy is proud to partner with the City of Bloomington and Monroe County, as well as other utility companies, to support the Monroe County Energy Challenge," said Duke Energy Indiana South Central District Manager Bruce Calloway, who presented the award. "The Challenge requires much coordination and collaboration in order to compete in an event in which all participants are winners."

In addition to the grant award, Duke Energy has been supporting the Challenge by providing staff for outreach efforts and reporting data of local energy use.

For more information on the Energy Challenge, visit [the Monroe County Energy Challenge website|www.mocoenergychallenge.org] or call 812.349.3837.

About Duke Energy Foundation

In Indiana, the Duke Energy Foundation invests approximately $2 million annually for community support and charitable contributions. To learn more about Duke Energy Foundation, visit [www.duke-energy.com/community].

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[[image:24397,right]|www.mocoenergychallenge.org]