Blue Mass Group

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Weatherization Barnraising Results

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Here’s the announcement and work plan that HEET sent out before the event:

Weatherization Barnraising

Saturday, June 26th

12:30-5:00 p.m.

Attic air-sealing Saturday, June 19th 9-2

Cambridge YWCA Emergency Family Shelter

3 Bigelow Street, Cambridge

Pitch in to help 10 homeless families who live at the shelter

Lower vast energy bills for the shelter so it can help the families more

Learn skills that can save you $$ at home

Fight climate change

Share food & celebrate after a job well done

No skills necessary – training on the job!!

Work includes:

• An easy and cheap way to fix old vinyl replacement windows so they easily close again

• Air-sealing an incredibly leaky attic

• Using caulk and sprayfoam to stop air leaks

• Saving water and electricity

• Installing programmable thermostats

• Masonry, plastering, and more

If you want to take part in the attic air-sealing, check the box on the form

www.heetma.com

heet.cambridge@gmail.com

617-491-6761

Organized by HEET (Home Energy Efficiency Team), a Cambridge-based co-op that brings neighbors together to weatherize our homes and take the energy future into our own hands.

Co-sponsored by Cambridge Energy Alliance

HEET has been doing monthly weatherization barnraisings since the summer of 2008 and are looking for new homes to weatherize.  Cambridge is not the only community doing weatherization barnraisings.  HEET now has links to some 25 groups.

crossposted to dailykos.com, eurotrib.com, and greenmassgroup.om

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Comments

  1. I love love love love LOVE doing barnraisings for charities.  You not only get your enviro work in, but you also cut the costs for a charity, freeing up more of their money to do their own good work.  It’s a double dipper, to be sure.

    <

    p>I’m of the opinion that you bang out as many charitable organizations (charities, churches, etc) as you can, then you go after the low income folks — families, seniors, etc.  Might as well get the double dip as much as you can!

    • HEET has done at least one public school, two community centers, and a church over the last year or so.  It definitely has a multiplier effect.

  2. This shows how much can be accomplished with communities working together to achieve a common goal.  This group has accomplished far more than government funded agencies with budgets many times larger than this group’s.

    <

    p>I agree with stormv, the barnraisings are fun, help with a great cause and provide an opportunity for people not only to learn more about weatherizing and other energy efficiency measures you can employ in your home but also to meet the people at the church, shelter, etc. and see how the work you are performing helps them by freeing up funds previously dedicated to energy to other, better uses.

    <

    p>Win, win for all.  Keep up the good work.

    • Weatherization and solar barnraisings provide clear goals and immediate gains in the pursuit of a unifying purpose:  using energy effectively.

      <

      p>Add autonomy and the chance for mastery and you have a powerful social motivation in organizing do it yourself energy efficiency events.

      <

      p>HEET’s list of barnraising groups has grown from 18 to 25 over the last few months.  Where’s the scale at which such ideas can take off?

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