Plugged in to the community

Participating in a brighter future for all

Thank you for joining us! At LES, our employees are passionate about sustainability initiatives that can provide a happy and healthy future for our families, friends and neighbors. As your community-owned, public power utility, we’re constantly innovating to find new and reliable ways to deliver electricity to your home and business. We also value the sustainability efforts being made by others in their areas of expertise.

Sustainable Learning

Together, we’re building a stronger, more sustainable community

 

We’re glad you stopped by to fill up on sustainable living tips from LES and our Community Partners. Dig in below! 

Watch the replay of our live-stream events

Solar panels

The journey to net zero: Past, present and future considerations

Scott Benson, manager, LES Resource and Transmission Planning

 

Scott Benson reviewed LES’ history of sustainability, how it has led to a 53% decrease in carbon emissions since 2010, and considerations LES staff will need to make looking ahead at a net-zero future. 

JULY 20 | NOON–1 P.M. CST
EV charging

Charging ahead: The state of EVs in 2021

Marc Shkolnick, manager, LES Energy Services | Jamie Dunckley, EPRI senior project manager

 

Get a sense of the current state of EVs locally and across the country from EV expert Jamie Dunckley, who dove into the numbers to pull out some interesting trends and observations.

JULY 22 | NOON–1 P.M. CST

On-demand videos from our Community Partners

City of Lincoln Solid Waste Management

Join Rhea Cycle as she talks trash on Waste Weekly. You’ll hear from Lincoln’s own Waste Historian, Willa; Guy from Guy’s Grocery store; and Kendra who moved here from New Jersey! They’ll cover topics such as what is a landfill, how to compost and how to manage your waste. You can try out some of these tips at your home!

 

Website: Visit Solid Waste Management
Twitter: CityOfLincoln
Facebook: @lincolnnebraska

City of Lincoln Solid Waste Management logo

City of Lincoln Watershed Management

Rain barrels are a fun and easy way to conserve water, slow stormwater runoff and prevent water pollution. The rainwater collected can be used to water lawns and gardens, refill outdoor water features or wash cars. There are lots of ways to make a rain barrel. In this step-by-step video, you will learn one method for making your own rain barrel to use at home.

 

Website: Visit Watershed Management
Twitter: CityOfLincoln
Facebook: @lincolnnebraska

City of Lincoln Watershed Management logo

LPS Sustainability

Join the Lincoln Public Schools Sustainability Team to learn about all of the ways we can reduce, reuse, recycle and compost at school and at home!

 

Website: Visit LPS Sustainability
Twitter: LPS_Sustain
Facebook: @LPSsustainability

LPS Sustainability logo

UNL Bee Lab/Pollinators

The UNL Bee Lab demonstrates how to build a wild bee hotel and what kind of nesting material to put inside. 

 

Website: Visit UNL Bee Lab/Pollinators

UNL Bee Lab logo

Knowledge is POWER

 
Empower your sustainable living efforts with a dose of education. Living sustainably starts with learning. Take some time to browse our offerings, including articles on electric vehicles, energy efficiency and more. Make sustainable living part of your new normal!

Sustainability

Electric vehicles

VIDEO: The journey to net zero – past, present and future considerations

Learn about LES’ decarbonization journey as Scott Benson reviews the community-owned, public power utility’s history of sustainability and what sort of considerations LES staff will need to make looking ahead at a net-zero future.

VIDEO: How to make a pollinator seed ball at home

   Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles and small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. They also sustain our ecosystems and produce our natural resources by supporting somewhere between 75% and...

VIDEO: Ask an arborist in Wayne Park

   More tree questions and a walk through the park with Justin Evertson, our friend and local arborist from the Nebraska Forest Service and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum.   Justin fields some great questions from community members, including:   Are...

3 cheers for smart thermostats

How intelligent is your heating and cooling system?   Here are three big ways that smart thermostats make our lives more comfortable.   Smarter comfort. Smart thermostats use data like the outside temperature, inside temperature and humidity, your daily...

Reducing waste around your home

American households generate about 250 million tons of trash a year, an average of 4.4 pounds per person each day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Much of this waste ends up in landfills, where it leads to a host of environmental problems....

Building a conservation culture in your organization

When you're looking to cut energy costs, it's easy to focus on big projects, such as lighting upgrades. Although these are important, you should also consider how energy is used in your facility. After all, those shiny new lights will still waste energy if left on in...

VIDEO: Charging ahead – the state of EVs in 2021

Get a sense of the current state of EVs locally and across the country as EV expert Jamie Dunckley dives into the numbers to pull out some interesting trends and observations.

What to consider when buying an electric vehicle

Types   There are different types of electric vehicles: hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV). All three varieties of electric vehicles use electricity for propulsion, but there are differences...

Rethinking electric vehicles: Everyday rides

Electric vehicles (EVs) sound cool to a lot of people. But are they a practical option for your normal life? Depends on your normal.   Some people worry about how far a car can go on a charge — often referred to as range anxiety. The average American drives about...

Renewables

Energy efficiency

Maria Telkes: Solar energy innovator

Today, solar energy is one of the fastest growing sources of renewable energy. Long before solar panels were added to homes and businesses, Maria Telkes (1900-1995) was a biophysicist, chemical engineer and innovator dedicated to developing practical applications for...

A look at community solar in Lincoln

Community solar...   The year 2016 marked a new era for solar power in our community when Lincoln Electric System unveiled the state’s largest utility-scale solar array, and then shortly after, a virtual net metering program to go with it. The program allows customers...

How do they do that? Solar panels

  What you need to know about solar...   Watch this replay of our live webinar with John Hay from UNL Extension, recorded for the 2020 Sustainable Living Festival. Learn more about the power of the sun as he speaks about customer-owned solar generation and...

Timeline of renewable energy through the years

For decades, hydroelectric and wood biomass were the largest sources of renewable energy in the United States. In recent years, other sources, such as wind and solar, have increased significantly. Watch this video to see how things have changed. And below, see your...

VIDEO: Simple ways to save energy at home

  Saving energy doesn't have to come from making a few BIG changes. Taking care of the little things adds up like drops in a bucket. Check out some of the simplest things homeowners in the Lincoln area can do to improve their home's efficiency with these easy...

Energy-efficient clothes washers

What makes energy-efficient clothes washers more efficient?   High-performance clothes washers save energy by reducing motor energy consumption and hot water volume using advanced controls and improved design. Less water means less energy required to heat, spin...

VIDEOS: No time like the present to save energy

It's the perfect time to get more serious about saving energy! These short videos are filled with energy-saving tips to help you do just that! And be sure to check out many more tips at LES.com/save-energy.   Keep energy savings flowing with clean air filters...

VIDEO: 5 ways to save while doing dishes

Nothing beats a home-cooked meal, but with dinner comes dishes. Use these five tips to save while cleaning up.   1. Use your dishwasher. Did you know your dishwasher is more efficient than hand washing — both in time and energy used? So, you'll actually save by...

Public Power 101

Electrical safety & more

The buzz about pollinators at LES

Pollinators like bees and butterflies are vital to our way of life, but some of their species are declining. According to the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, there are at least 17 insect pollinator species including butterflies, moths and bumble bees in need of...

Getting a line on the grid from generation to transmission & distribution

  Your home or business is powered by electricity that may be generated hundreds of miles away and delivered to your meter through a network of power lines and equipment known as the grid. See how it all happens...  

VIDEO: #PoweringLNK

   How electricity is generated and flowed to your home or business is quite a journey. Lincoln, Nebraska, and its surrounding areas are powered by Lincoln Electric System, a not-for-profit, customer-owned electric utility comprised of more than 500 community...

KIDS: Flipping the switch word scramble

You have the POWER to save energy!    

KIDS: Electrical safety coloring pages

  Coloring fun while you learn about electrical safety!    

The right connection: Generator safety tips

Your electric power is generally reliable, but outages do happen. Extended outages can be inconvenient or uncomfortable, depending on the weather.   For many homeowners, including those with security or medical issues, reliable backup power is more than just a...