Kenny Oleson is applying the knowledge he has gained from over 35 years seeking and implementing solutions to energy consumption for business into an opportunity to help the Burlington community.

Oleson who leads Des Moines County as a clean energy district, will join with the League of Women Voters of Southeast Iowa for an informational forum about clean energy at a public forum on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the Burlington Public Library. The program begins at 5:45 p.m. and will conclude at 7:45 p.m.

Oleson said energy is on a par with the basic needs of food, water and shelter for residents of the community, and the effects of energy costs on the low-income residents of the community is part of what the energy district wants to address.

“I will be talking about the basics of energy in this community and how the energy burden affects the low-income population in the community,” Oleson said.

His program will also look at energy build-out here and how it can make Burlington a sustainable community, able to generate its own power.

He works with the City of Burlington on sustainable energy projects, including assisting with the possibility of installing solar panels on the city’s public works, library and animal shelter rooftops.

He serves as the chairperson of the city of Burlington’s Renewable Energy and Sustainability Advisory Committee. He also represents Des Moines County in its membership in the Clean Energy Districts in Iowa, a consortium of counties that study clean energy, sustainability, and assist counties individually and collectively.

Oleson was the Operations Manager at Westland Mall for 20 years. In that position his interest in sustainable energy was sparked when mall staff upgraded lighting and realized a 30 percent drop in the energy bill as a result. He went on to provide sustainable energy solutions and emissions monitoring for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and later would work for a consulting firm on sustainability for Class I railroads.

Martha Wolf, of the League of Women Voters of Southeast Iowa, forum host, said each year at the national, state, and local level, legislative priorities are adopted.

“One of our priorities is educating our members and the public about climate change, which we feel is a serious threat facing our nation and planet. We look for opportunities to inform and educate our communities in all areas that are affecting and will affect the future population,” Wolf said.

The League of Women Voters of Southeast Iowa has presented programs in the past on the effects of climate change on farming practices, and the quality and quantity of our water. “We are very excited to have Kenny Oleson present a program on clean energy and the benefits and opportunities for a cleaner environment,” Wolf added.

The League of Women Voters (LWV) is nonpartisan, neither supporting nor opposing candidates or political parties at any level of government but always working on vital issues of concern to members and the public. It was established over 100 years ago after the 19th Amendment passed and was started by an Iowan, Carrie Chapman Catt.

“The initial purpose was to educate and inform women so they could vote as they wished and not be dependent on their husband telling them for whom to vote. Today’s LWV welcomes everyone and one of our fundamental goals is to provide all voters with clear nonpartisan information about who is running for office, what their qualifications are, and what their positions are on public policy,” Wolf said.

Forums allow voters to hear directly from the candidates — not filtered through media sound bites or campaign ads Wolf added.

The LWV also take this opportunity to register voters and encourages all voters to go to the polls and cast their vote.