Call it a “mission” or a “cause.” But it seems lacking to describe the work of Lisa (Notarnicola) Daniels ‘80 as simply a job. As founder and executive director of a nonprofit that advances the use of wind energy, she helps give a voice to community interests.
The alumna launched her venture — Windustry — with a heartfelt desire: to find a better way to provide the energy that fuels our lives. As she puts it: “I truly wanted to be part of the solution . . . whatever that solution was.”
Daniels began her education in wind energy after graduating from Bentley in 1980, when she moved to California. Volunteering with several nonprofits inspired the former Management major to take classes on renewable energy forms, like wind and solar power. A move to Minneapolis and part-time work with Minnesotans for an Energy Efficient Economy presented an opportunity to take her interests to the next level.
This was in the mid-1990s, when legislation directed the Minneapolis-based Northern States Power Company (now Xcel Energy) to explore alternative forms of energy. Daniels felt ready for a “meaty” undertaking, like the wind curriculum project that her boss passed along.
“I had been really involved with having a family,” says the mother of three. “In order for me to have a career, I had to be involved with something really good for the community. Windustry was the way to do that.”
Funded by Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, the first incarnation of Windustry worked through a series of town meetings. Attendees gathered over coffee and cookies for informal presentations by Daniels and other wind energy experts. Even then, wind was a fast-growing source of energy. The state’s high wind-capacity, like that of California, Texas and Iowa, meant that many Minnesotans were being offered contracts to establish wind turbines on their property. The town meetings drew residents eager to learn more about the economic benefits of using wind power, including how it can help keep dollars local.
“I came at [the issues] as an environmentalist,” says Daniels. “But because I had the business background from Bentley, I was able say, ‘What does this mean in terms of economy? How can we help this make more sense to people in the area?’”
By 2003, Windustry was an independent nonprofit with national reach. Current programs include an information hotline, educational materials, advocacy for wind energy policy, and outreach events for communities. The organization also hosts a national wind energy conference, and empowers communities to create their own wind projects — such as turbines — through education and guidance. Daniels herself spends a lot of time in Washington, D.C., working to establish community wind initiatives as more of a national priority.
Today in the United States, wind generates an annual 17 billion kilowatt-hours of power — enough to fuel 1.6 million households, according to the American Wind Energy Association. The demand has created several organizations centered on wind power, but Daniels insists that Windustry occupies a unique niche.
“We don’t have any significant funding from the industry itself. It doesn’t influence our agenda,” she says. “My original goal to be part of the solution is still there. Wind energy is an important part of that solution, and Windustry is a big part of the wind energy component.” Deblina Chakraborty
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