The Project Lightbulb Challenge has a slightly different approach compared to other Civic Works programs geared toward energy conservation. Rather than focusing on the neighborhood level, we are focused at the block level, and this has been so effective for the scope of our project. Now that we have been out on our blocks, in action, for about four and a half months, we have really fostered some strong relationships with our participants. Some days, we may visit a block four or five times over the course of the afternoon, doing home visits, fliering, or re-stickering our signs. I love when we see the same faces on the porch fronts several times a day, and have a few moments to joke around or listen to a few anecdotes. Better yet, residents really turn to us for resources and advice about their energy usage and bills, and it feels good to be able to refer them to other Civic Works programs, or simply schedule a time to sit down with them ourselves. It feels good to have such an active presence on our blocks, and as we get to know our residents, we get to know their families and friends, some of whom live on different blocks. I guess my point in all of this is, to some folks, ten blocks may seem like a pretty small portion of the city...but when you are concentrating at the block level, you form such strong relationships with the residents of those blocks that networking becomes so much easier. If the Project Lightbulb Challenge continues in the future, I have great faith that our current participants will be an invaluable resource in the recruitment of the next challenge blocks.
This week in updates, we are still chugging along with the IHD installations, following up with residents who have received their new BGE meters and teaching them how to use their devices. The journals that Muhammed and I made are very simple and straightforward, which I hope encourages religious usage. The journals are in calendar format, each day having a space to fill out readings from the device. Residents can fill out readings for "Today" (usage so far today) "This Month" (usage so far this month), and "Right Now" (the rate of kWh usage at any given moment). Each month has its own page in the journal, and on the backs of the calendars are monthly surveys to rate usage and satisfaction. It was so great the other day when we visited one of our residents on Cecil Avenue to drop off his journal and check in to see how he was liking the device. The man was so excited to show us one of his discoveries; when he turned on the microwave, the kWh usage rate jumped from $0.07 to $0.31 per hour! It was so rewarding to see a resident actively using the device, and learning how much energy various appliances in his home use. These are the kinds of findings we would love our participants to record in their journals.
This evening we are hosting a block meeting for the 2500 and 2600 blocks of Cecil Avenue. The weather looks a bit ominous, but hopefully it clears up by 6:30. It is really crunch time for recruitment, and these block meetings have been very successful. Our recruitment efforts are at an all-time high, but because of the time sensitivity of the block party application process, we are deciding this week which block will receive the block party, based on both energy savings data and participation. Muhammed and I are very excited to start planning the block party. Stay tuned--we will reveal the winning block in our upcoming post!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
Adventures With BGE
This week has been a whirlwind of activity, between hosting our block meetings and trailing the BGE crew all over town as they install our participants' IHDs, my feet (and my car) are ready for a breather this weekend! But as the weather warms up (and cools down..and warms up...) everything seems to be coming together.
The IHD (if you remember, that stands for in-home display) installations have been very interesting, and our Challenge participants are excited to play around with the devices. From the moment we turn them on, the devices show how much energy the house is using and how much money that equates to...you can see how much you've spent daily, weekly, and monthly. One awesome feature is the messaging system; the device can remind residents of energy-saving tricks. As one resident told me, looking at the device made her want to go through the house unplugging everything, just to see how low she could get her numbers. This is EXACTLY the effect we want these devices to have. Muhammed and I are preparing some journals for our recipients so they can record how they're liking the device and which features are especially effective in helping them save. As one of the first studies of this kind in Baltimore City, it's important that the program is well documented--this way we can get a good idea of just how effective devices like the IHD are, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
In addition to running around with the installation crew, we hosted our second official block meeting last night between the 2500 and 2600 blocks of Robb Street in CHM (Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello). It was a great success; we got the community together for refreshments and a good discussion of Civic Works' programs, and recruited about six more families into the Project Lightbulb Challenge. We were also able to sign quite a few residents up for the Project Lightbulb home energy upgrade, and BNEC. One of the little girls on Robb Street told me that when she grows up, she wants to "do what I do", and that's what I love about Civic Works--the organization not only gets resources out to people in need, but also provides employment and job skills to Baltimore City youth. It's nice to know that when she's old enough, she can probably achieve that goal. Go Civic Works!
The IHD (if you remember, that stands for in-home display) installations have been very interesting, and our Challenge participants are excited to play around with the devices. From the moment we turn them on, the devices show how much energy the house is using and how much money that equates to...you can see how much you've spent daily, weekly, and monthly. One awesome feature is the messaging system; the device can remind residents of energy-saving tricks. As one resident told me, looking at the device made her want to go through the house unplugging everything, just to see how low she could get her numbers. This is EXACTLY the effect we want these devices to have. Muhammed and I are preparing some journals for our recipients so they can record how they're liking the device and which features are especially effective in helping them save. As one of the first studies of this kind in Baltimore City, it's important that the program is well documented--this way we can get a good idea of just how effective devices like the IHD are, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
In addition to running around with the installation crew, we hosted our second official block meeting last night between the 2500 and 2600 blocks of Robb Street in CHM (Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello). It was a great success; we got the community together for refreshments and a good discussion of Civic Works' programs, and recruited about six more families into the Project Lightbulb Challenge. We were also able to sign quite a few residents up for the Project Lightbulb home energy upgrade, and BNEC. One of the little girls on Robb Street told me that when she grows up, she wants to "do what I do", and that's what I love about Civic Works--the organization not only gets resources out to people in need, but also provides employment and job skills to Baltimore City youth. It's nice to know that when she's old enough, she can probably achieve that goal. Go Civic Works!
Monday, May 2, 2011
It's All Happening!!
Last Thursday, Muhammed and I hosted our first official block meeting on the 3600 block of Lyndale Avenue in Belair-Edison. We had called our participants the week before to invite them to the meeting, but had only gotten two definite responses. We also advertised for the block meeting with fliers, which we put in each resident's mailbox. By the day of the meeting, however, it still looked like not too many people were interested. Nevertheless, it was time to hold a block-wide meeting, so rain or shine, good turnout or poor turnout, we decided to go ahead with it. The objectives of the block meeting were (a) to talk about the installation of the IHD devices with participants who are receiving them (b) to refer our participants to the Baltimore Neighborhood Energy Challenge (BNEC) and (c) to try to recruit the rest of the block. We loaded up our cars with sandwiches, lemonade, BNEC kits (full of energy-saving devices and resources), and a table and chairs and set out to Lyndale Ave with a bit of apprehension...
By the time we reached Lyndale the storm clouds had passed and a lot of residents were outside working in their yards and enjoying the weather. With the aid of our block captain, Mrs. Morgan, and a couple of other participants, we swept the block one more time, knocking on doors and inviting residents to the meeting. The table full of sandwiches and cookies, and the large pile of BNEC kits certainly helped in the recruiting process. The meeting was a huge success!!! We recruited 11 new residents during the one-hour meeting...that's more than we've ever recruited in a given day, maybe even in a given week. These block meetings are definitely the ticket to full-block recruitment. By the end of the meeting, everyone was very excited--some residents were having a lot of fun posing for photos with CFL lightbulbs and Project Lightbulb Challenge signs. We hope to have similar meetings (with similar recruitment success!) on each of our other participating blocks within the coming weeks. Next on the agenda is the 2600 block of Robb Street in Coldtream-Homestead-Montebello (CHM), which will be this upcoming Thursday, May 5th at 6:30 pm. We're keeping our fingers crossed for an even bigger turnout...and this time we'll bring a LOT more sandwiches!!
By the time we reached Lyndale the storm clouds had passed and a lot of residents were outside working in their yards and enjoying the weather. With the aid of our block captain, Mrs. Morgan, and a couple of other participants, we swept the block one more time, knocking on doors and inviting residents to the meeting. The table full of sandwiches and cookies, and the large pile of BNEC kits certainly helped in the recruiting process. The meeting was a huge success!!! We recruited 11 new residents during the one-hour meeting...that's more than we've ever recruited in a given day, maybe even in a given week. These block meetings are definitely the ticket to full-block recruitment. By the end of the meeting, everyone was very excited--some residents were having a lot of fun posing for photos with CFL lightbulbs and Project Lightbulb Challenge signs. We hope to have similar meetings (with similar recruitment success!) on each of our other participating blocks within the coming weeks. Next on the agenda is the 2600 block of Robb Street in Coldtream-Homestead-Montebello (CHM), which will be this upcoming Thursday, May 5th at 6:30 pm. We're keeping our fingers crossed for an even bigger turnout...and this time we'll bring a LOT more sandwiches!!
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