Get Involved: Summer 2011!
Energy Service Corps has a lot planned for this summer. Check out some of the highlights below.
Educational Forum for Eco-Friendly Families - July 9th, 3-4pm
Location: Reformed Church of Highland Park (19-21 S. Second Ave, Highland Park, NJ)
-Bring the whole family to learn how to be environmental leaders in your community!
-Learn how to save money by being eco-friendly in your home!
-Kids can explore energy issues through games and activities!
If you'd like to attend, please contact Shane (enahs89@yahoo.com)
Our partner on this event is It's In Our Power Highland Park. Visit their Facebook page or website to learn more about the great work they do!
New Brunswick Street Clean-up - July 30th, 10am-1pm
We will mobilize over 75 volunteers to provide a much needed service: cleaning up the streets of New Brunswick! Whether you live in New Brunswick or not, this is sure to be a fun and meaningful community service effort. To join the clean-up crew, please email Stefany (farino92@gmail.com). All ages are welcome!
Contact Us:
405 College Ave Student Center, Room 405
Rutgers College
847.858.7867
kathryn@energyservicecorps.org
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Spring 2011 - OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
K-12 Education
Students from Rutgers-New Brunswick educated 1,250 students over the course of the semester. Our organization aims to foster a sense of environmental stewardship in grade school and high school children, helping to ensure that the future of our environment is in good hands. We know that the earlier we reach children, the more likely we are to achieve this goal. The K-12 efforts in New Brunswick have made very substantial headway toward carrying out our mission.
Weatherizations
In total, Rutgers-New Brunswick students performed 31 energy assessments and weatherized 28 homes. Interested residents were identified primarily through tables on campus and door-to-door canvassing. This latter approach accomplishes the dual goal of education along with direct service. On March 27th we put on a large service project called Weatherization Day. In just one afternoon we weatherized 16 homes. Students also helped weatherize two churches and a community center during Alternative Spring Break.
Community Education
Through door-to-door canvassing and peer-to-peer education on campus, students at Rutgers-New Brunswick educated over 325 community members this semester. We got off to a slow start, but as we transitioned from winter to spring we prioritized community education and really focused in on the campus community. We know that a huge reason for our nation's energy crisis is that we use energy inefficiently. Therefore, our community education project aims to convey the detrimental impacts of our current energy use and empower community members with the skills and knowledge to save energy in their homes. Under our guidance, people are able to take further action and save money on utility bills as well.
Service Projects
As a part of our K-12 Education project, students taught a four-week series of lessons at Linwood Middle School. Each week the children built upon the material from the previous lessons, culminating in the collaborative design of theoretical sustainable cities. Over 700 students were educated during this project.
During Weatherization Day on March 27th, 3 coalition partners and nearly 50 volunteers hit the streets of New Brunswick and weatherized 16 homes. These efforts will save residents up to 30% on their monthly utility bills. Furthermore, 32 community members were educated during the project.
On Earth Day, April 22nd, volunteers went door-to-door in Highland Park to educate homeowners about ways to save energy and be more energy efficient. We educated over 50 people and strengthened our ties with the Highland Park community
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Energy Service Corps- New Brunswick:
Energy Service Corps is working to increase energy efficiency here on campus and in the local community. Our current energy use is expensive and has left a lot of our community members deciding between putting food on the table and paying the utility bills to heat and cool their homes. Not only is our energy use expensive, but the old outdated buildings in New Brunswick are wasting energy and money due to the cracks and drafts. People in our community want to save energy and money but they think the resources are out of reach or too expensive - especially here in New Brunswick where 70% of residents are renters and about half of them are students.
The students don't have the resources to upgrade their buildings nor is it their responsibility and in reality, they'll most likely be moving next year. On the other hand, landlords do have the resources to upgrade these units and it is their responsbility, but they don't have any incentive to take these steps because they don't pay the bills.
In order to help students and community members save energy and money, we need to educate them about the simple things they can do in their homes to increase energy efficiency.
