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Just in time for winter season, Green Madison [1] and the Urban League of Greater Madison [2] teamed up to execute
[3] the Green Ambassadors program. This coalition provided temporary employment to citizens and promoted energy efficiency.
Green Ambassadors, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, aimed to reduce costs of utility bills across the city by going door-to-door advocating weatherization for energy efficiency.
The program’s goal was to target 12,000 single-family homes and 110 businesses.
“Basically what we needed was to get the word out. Energy efficiency is kind of new, we need to get neighbors talking to neighbors,” said Mary Lou Krase of the Community Development Division for Green Madison.
Green Madison produced door hangers advocating a three-step weatherization process and Urban League students got appropriate training on how to market and distribute them.
“We contacted Urban League because they had great people that just finished a weatherization program,” Krase said.
The Urban League’s weatherization program focused on unemployed or underemployed individuals interested in construction skills and home energy efficiency. Jane Moy, Member Development Manager of Urban League, said students went through hands-on power tool training and achieved OSHA certification.
“They were ready and were looking for an employer,” Moy said. “It felt so good to see these folks head out to work. They were able to use the skills they learned from their weatherization training and they felt good about it.”
Green Ambassadors distributed 17,000 door hangers, more than their goal. Both Krase and Moy consider the marketing effort a “huge success.”
The door hangers encouraged interested homeowners to call Green Ambassadors to initiate the first step towards winter weatherization.
The three-step energy efficiency program the ambassadors promoted begins with a consultation. Green Ambassadors provides an “energy advocate” who talks to the homeowner about the program. During a walk-through of the home or business, the advocate identifies ways the client could improve on energy efficiency by checking insulation and window leaks.
If the client decides to adopt the suggestions, they are in charge of executing the weatherization procedures. Once the weatherization is complete, the advocate returns for a follow-up meeting to discuss the project’s success.
People continue to call in for information, Krase said. Green Madison continues to wait for the final results on the program.
Krase said the Green Ambassadors program was short.
“Four weeks was all we could do,” she said. “[The employees] did a phenomenal job though and it was really valuable.”
While Green Ambassadors program wrapped up its last week of promotions on December 5, Krase said Green Madison continues to hold educational workshops in libraries and neighborhood associations to promoting energy efficiency and the weatherization program.
“The Green Ambassadors Program created a pipeline between Urban League and Green Madison,” Moy said, “And it produced good results.”
Both Moy and Krase look toward another possible coalition in the spring.
For more information, or to request an application call 877.399.1204 or visit www.cityofmadison.com/greenmadison [4]
