April is fast approaching, and this week we've already hit several landmarks. The first was solidifying our list of fifty participants to receive the IHD (the fancy acronym for an in-home energy display device) from BGE. This device, as I probably mentioned in previous posts, is mounted right next to a resident's thermostat, and keeps track not only of the amount of energy the resident is using, but displays real-time the amount of money that the expenditure is costing. This is a cool tool that can help residents gauge how much they will be spending on their utilities before they even receive their bills in the mail. It can also be useful for determining which appliances are big energy "sinks". The idea is that when residents see exactly how much money it's costing to keep that plasma TV running all day, they will become more energy-conscious. Because let's face it--money talks.
Another goal for this week has been identifying potential leaders or "captains" from each of our blocks who can help spread the word about the Challenge to their neighbors. Having an inside, trusted connection makes it so much easier for us to approach residents. Yesterday on Cliftwood Ave, a resident was kind enough to help me network for about an hour, and I ended up getting three more solid pledgers plus more potential candidates. Neighbor-to-neighbor networking is definitely the way to go!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Signs of Spring
Spring is in the air, and signs are in the ground! In Belair-Edison at least. Muhammed and I installed signs on four different blocks this afternoon. The weather was nice and between the porch-front gatherings and the kids playing outside, a lot of eyes were turned our way. The signs look great and are attention-grabbing without looking tacky...I think that people are going to start asking more questions about the Challenge very soon. On Lyndale Drive we had a little helper install our signs with us--a boy we had met a few times at the Herring Run Library. His mother was one of the sign recipients today, and we told him to spread the word to the other kids to get their parents involved in the Challenge. Since the kiddos aren't the ones paying the utility bills, the block party is a great incentive for them to learn about (and act toward) conserving energy.
Since my last posting, we have seen a HUGE increase in the effectiveness of door-to-door canvassing as well. We expect this to only improve with the installation of our signs, as people will now see that their neighbors are already involved. Muhammed and I have developed a new-and-improved canvassing strategy that makes much more efficient use of our time, and in general people seem more receptive to the project. I have a theory that it has a lot to do with Spring and the warm weather. People are more apt to open their doors or be on their porches, and the nice weather seems to have everyone thinking about spring cleaning and home improvement. A program like the Challenge (with the added benefit of the Project Lightbulb home energy upgrade) is a perfect home makeover for the new season, and comes at the perfect time to gear people up for the summer, when they inevitably spend more on AC and fans.
The canvassing has also been going much faster thanks to the help of the Project Lightbulb crew members. Although these guys are typically busy doing the installations for Project Lightbulb, they have been aiding us in our canvassing efforts and making a huge impact on how many houses we are able to hit each day--Thanks Project Lightbulb Crew!!!
By the end of the week we hope to have completed canvassing on our first ten tentative blocks, and have 20 signs installed. We also want to plan our first block meeting. We havent decided if we will meet with individual blocks or combine blocks into a larger meeting. We are leaning toward meeting with individual blocks, maybe holding porch-front meetings. We've heard that many community organizations hold porch-front meetings during the warmer months, and this way people wouldn't have to worry about finding transportation to our meeting place--we would come to them. During these meetings we hope to create a forum for discussion about energy-savings progress and maybe talk about potential pros and cons of various energy suppliers. Stay tuned :)
Since my last posting, we have seen a HUGE increase in the effectiveness of door-to-door canvassing as well. We expect this to only improve with the installation of our signs, as people will now see that their neighbors are already involved. Muhammed and I have developed a new-and-improved canvassing strategy that makes much more efficient use of our time, and in general people seem more receptive to the project. I have a theory that it has a lot to do with Spring and the warm weather. People are more apt to open their doors or be on their porches, and the nice weather seems to have everyone thinking about spring cleaning and home improvement. A program like the Challenge (with the added benefit of the Project Lightbulb home energy upgrade) is a perfect home makeover for the new season, and comes at the perfect time to gear people up for the summer, when they inevitably spend more on AC and fans.
The canvassing has also been going much faster thanks to the help of the Project Lightbulb crew members. Although these guys are typically busy doing the installations for Project Lightbulb, they have been aiding us in our canvassing efforts and making a huge impact on how many houses we are able to hit each day--Thanks Project Lightbulb Crew!!!
By the end of the week we hope to have completed canvassing on our first ten tentative blocks, and have 20 signs installed. We also want to plan our first block meeting. We havent decided if we will meet with individual blocks or combine blocks into a larger meeting. We are leaning toward meeting with individual blocks, maybe holding porch-front meetings. We've heard that many community organizations hold porch-front meetings during the warmer months, and this way people wouldn't have to worry about finding transportation to our meeting place--we would come to them. During these meetings we hope to create a forum for discussion about energy-savings progress and maybe talk about potential pros and cons of various energy suppliers. Stay tuned :)
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The week is off to a great start here at Project Lightbulb! As I mentioned in my last post, Muhammed and I are trying to expand the program west and south into neighborhoods like Park Heights, Druid Heights, Emerson Park, HEBCAC, and South Clifton. Now that we have a few pledges in these neighborhoods, it's time to get down to business...and by business, I mean canvassing. On a typical canvassing day we will leave fliers and door hangers on each door in a prospective block. We also knock on each door in the hope of catching a resident at home for a face-to-face explanation of the program. Insofar, we have found this to be relatively ineffective. Don't get me wrong--a few WONDERFUL residents have taken our pledge on the spot--but with the lingering chill and the fact that most folks work during the day, we rarely get hits this way. **Enter new strategy** We ordered our first twenty yard signs this morning and hope to have them by next week at the latest. Our new plan is to canvass once the signs are installed, so that we can reference the neighbors with the signs--our solid participants--to our prospective pledgers. This way they can see the actual sign, and will hopefully be more likely to take the pledge themselves, knowing their neighbors are already involved.
Then there's the catch. Or rather, the fact that there is no catch! Most residents are so wary of scams and fees that they hesitate to take the pledge or open their doors at all. Understandably...there are a lot of squirrely salespeople out there! Before taking this job, I was one of those don't-answer-the-door-pretend-to-be-on-the-phone people myself. Working with PLC has made me see that some canvassers truly are promoting low- or no-cost programs, for good causes. Next time a canvasser approaches me on the street, I'll be much more likely to stop and listen than to deliver my standard automatic dismissal. So overcoming this skepticism is one of our biggest challenges.
A great way to recruit potential blocks in new neighborhoods is attending community organization meetings and networking from there. We had a very successful day on Saturday, largely due to the enthusiastic reception of the PLC at the South Clifton community meeting. I was fortunate enough to meet the president of the organization at the Clifton Branch library about a month ago, and she invited us to speak at the meeting. We gained a few more prospective blocks in South Clifton, which is especially exciting because we are just branching into that neighborhood. Many of the residents who attended the meeting seemed like enthusiastic and proactive neighborhood leaders, and we are excited to partner with them to get the PLC started in South Clifton. Doughnuts, fried chicken, and good company made the experience all the more wonderful.
Tonight we are attending a meeting of community organization presidents operating on Baltimore's west side. Hopefully this will be our chance to connect to more blocks in that region...
Then there's the catch. Or rather, the fact that there is no catch! Most residents are so wary of scams and fees that they hesitate to take the pledge or open their doors at all. Understandably...there are a lot of squirrely salespeople out there! Before taking this job, I was one of those don't-answer-the-door-pretend-to-be-on-the-phone people myself. Working with PLC has made me see that some canvassers truly are promoting low- or no-cost programs, for good causes. Next time a canvasser approaches me on the street, I'll be much more likely to stop and listen than to deliver my standard automatic dismissal. So overcoming this skepticism is one of our biggest challenges.
A great way to recruit potential blocks in new neighborhoods is attending community organization meetings and networking from there. We had a very successful day on Saturday, largely due to the enthusiastic reception of the PLC at the South Clifton community meeting. I was fortunate enough to meet the president of the organization at the Clifton Branch library about a month ago, and she invited us to speak at the meeting. We gained a few more prospective blocks in South Clifton, which is especially exciting because we are just branching into that neighborhood. Many of the residents who attended the meeting seemed like enthusiastic and proactive neighborhood leaders, and we are excited to partner with them to get the PLC started in South Clifton. Doughnuts, fried chicken, and good company made the experience all the more wonderful.
Tonight we are attending a meeting of community organization presidents operating on Baltimore's west side. Hopefully this will be our chance to connect to more blocks in that region...
Friday, March 4, 2011
Getting into a Groove...
Here at Civic Works, Baltimore's Service Corps, the Project Lightbulb Challenge (PLC) is well underway and the crew is gettin' into a groove! What exactly is the PLC? Well...it's a lot of things...but the short of it is, it's a friendly competition among neighbors to see if comparing the number of kilowatt hours (kWh's) each household uses and displaying that number publicly on yard signs can help residents reduce the amount of energy they use.
Have you ever wondered if you're paying too much for your monthly utilities? Ever wondered if you could do something to lower your bill? If you have, you're not alone. But the real question is, have you ever actually sat down with your BGE bill and looked at it? I mean REALLY looked at it...because if you have, you've probably also wondered...what the heck are kilowatt hours? Therms? What's the difference between gas supply and gas commodity? What exactly am I paying for here!?
Here at Project Lightbulb, we're not only trying to reduce energy consumption and help folks lower their bills, but understand exactly what affects the cost of their utilities. The number of kilowatt hours that a house uses each month reflects the amount of used electricity, which affects the amount you pay. The kWh numbers are what we're trying to get Baltimore City residents to start thinking and talking about. We thought...what if we gave Challenge participants a yard or window sign reflecting the number of kWh's they used the previous month. What would happen? What we HOPE will happen is this: neighbors driving and walking by the house (or just lookin' out the window) will notice the sign and think "what's that number?" "what are kWh's?" "how many do I use"? Hopefully this will spark enough curiosity that they actually walk over and talk to their neighbors...and voila! The dialogue has begun.
The really cool thing about this project--there are lots of cool parts--but I really love that this program fosters conversation and collaboration among neighborhood blocks. The fact that this conversation regards energy conservation is the icing on the cake. Once Muhammed and I recruit Challenge participants (through canvassing, community meetings, tabling, etc), we schedule a home visit with them to look at their BGE bills and see how many kWh's their household uses. We also tell them about habit changes they can make to save energy, and hook them up with the Project Lightbulb free home energy upgrade. The upgrade, simply put, is awesome. Each household that takes the Challenge qualifies to receive:
*15 free CFL lightbulbs
*a low-flow shower head and faucet aerators
*hot water heater insulating wrap
*insulation on up to 6 feet of piping
*a free carbon monoxide/smoke detector
WOW!!!
I have a lot of these devices in my own apartment, and they are fantastic.
But, back to the Challenge.
We now have about 20 households spanning eight different blocks involved in the Challenge, but we are aiming for 10 solid blocks, or roughly 200 homes. Most of our concentration is currently on the East Side, in Belair-Edison, Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello, South Clifton, and HEBCAC. We are looking to expand into the West side, and have a few home visits in that region next week. We are trying to locate ten solid blocks where most of the residents will want to participate in the Challenge. So far, reception has been great! But the real "challenge" is finding whole blocks of interested people. We hope that as we start installing the yard signs displaying kWh's next week, curiosity and participation will increase in our chosen blocks. At the end of the summer, whichever block has used the fewest kWh's will receive a free block party funded by Civic Works!! Yay!! I think this is going to be a great way to get the kids involved in energy savings.
So that's the Project Lightbulb Challenge, in brief. More to come later...stay tuned for updates!
Have you ever wondered if you're paying too much for your monthly utilities? Ever wondered if you could do something to lower your bill? If you have, you're not alone. But the real question is, have you ever actually sat down with your BGE bill and looked at it? I mean REALLY looked at it...because if you have, you've probably also wondered...what the heck are kilowatt hours? Therms? What's the difference between gas supply and gas commodity? What exactly am I paying for here!?
Here at Project Lightbulb, we're not only trying to reduce energy consumption and help folks lower their bills, but understand exactly what affects the cost of their utilities. The number of kilowatt hours that a house uses each month reflects the amount of used electricity, which affects the amount you pay. The kWh numbers are what we're trying to get Baltimore City residents to start thinking and talking about. We thought...what if we gave Challenge participants a yard or window sign reflecting the number of kWh's they used the previous month. What would happen? What we HOPE will happen is this: neighbors driving and walking by the house (or just lookin' out the window) will notice the sign and think "what's that number?" "what are kWh's?" "how many do I use"? Hopefully this will spark enough curiosity that they actually walk over and talk to their neighbors...and voila! The dialogue has begun.
The really cool thing about this project--there are lots of cool parts--but I really love that this program fosters conversation and collaboration among neighborhood blocks. The fact that this conversation regards energy conservation is the icing on the cake. Once Muhammed and I recruit Challenge participants (through canvassing, community meetings, tabling, etc), we schedule a home visit with them to look at their BGE bills and see how many kWh's their household uses. We also tell them about habit changes they can make to save energy, and hook them up with the Project Lightbulb free home energy upgrade. The upgrade, simply put, is awesome. Each household that takes the Challenge qualifies to receive:
*15 free CFL lightbulbs
*a low-flow shower head and faucet aerators
*hot water heater insulating wrap
*insulation on up to 6 feet of piping
*a free carbon monoxide/smoke detector
WOW!!!
I have a lot of these devices in my own apartment, and they are fantastic.
But, back to the Challenge.
We now have about 20 households spanning eight different blocks involved in the Challenge, but we are aiming for 10 solid blocks, or roughly 200 homes. Most of our concentration is currently on the East Side, in Belair-Edison, Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello, South Clifton, and HEBCAC. We are looking to expand into the West side, and have a few home visits in that region next week. We are trying to locate ten solid blocks where most of the residents will want to participate in the Challenge. So far, reception has been great! But the real "challenge" is finding whole blocks of interested people. We hope that as we start installing the yard signs displaying kWh's next week, curiosity and participation will increase in our chosen blocks. At the end of the summer, whichever block has used the fewest kWh's will receive a free block party funded by Civic Works!! Yay!! I think this is going to be a great way to get the kids involved in energy savings.
So that's the Project Lightbulb Challenge, in brief. More to come later...stay tuned for updates!
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