NORTH ADAMS — With rising energy costs and winter on the horizon, a local initiative is offering residents the information necessary to make minimal-cost actions that will make their homes more efficient, comfortable and affordable to live in.
The North Adams Public Library hosted the launch of the Take Charge task force. Take Charge is a movement in North Adams and, hopefully, in the Northern Berkshires to conserve energy and money.
Mayor John Barrett III, Kathy Keeser of Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and Marie Harpin of Berkshire Community Action North came out to support the campaign to save energy with coordinator of the Take Charge task force, Morgan Goodwin.
"I am not an integral part of making this happen," said Barrett "We need the support of community to make this work."
Photos by Justin Saldo
Morgan Goodwin, left, at the launch of the Take Charge program at North Adams Public Library on Thursday.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Energy, within the last three years the price of heating oil has increased from $2.10 to $4.30 and the cost of natural gas increased from $2.49 to $3.92
"There are going to be a lot of bad stories this winter and if we want to prevent them in this community we need to be proactive in this cause and educate future generations as well," continued Barrett. "Because of this, we are a proud partner in this [program]."
Goodwin, an intern at NBCC, supported the mayor's statements with some of his own.
"The time is past when we can wait for experts and technology to solve this problem," said the Williams College graduate. "We need to take the steps we can as a community and as individuals."
Though the city has not pledged any financial support to the program, members of Take Charge were pleased at that the City Council approved a resolution supporting the program on Tuesday night.
"The mayor and the City Council's resolution is an excellent form of support in this campaign because of their influence in the community," said Goodwin in an interview.
Mayor John Barrett III checks out energy-efficient lightbulbs; below, a meter shows how they stack up against regular bulbs in energy use.
"I like to start from the big picture and work backwards," he said. "Energy consumption is a global problem, but the best way to facilitate change is on a individual level and it doesn't need to be a drastic change either; if we all just change our consumption habits in small ways we can make a big impact worldwide."
Senior resident Edith Taskin has been using energy-efficient light bulbs for two years and planned to take charge by having her windows inspected and lowering her thermostat and putting on a sweater. Taskin also encourages people to use public transportation.
Another resident of North Adams, 64-year-old Judy Lepel, pledged to turn the power off when she leaves rooms and encourage family members to take charge as well.
Librarians Marcia Gross and Marion Grillon are also taking charge with energy-efficient lighting in the library in complement to the building's photovoltaic array and geothermal heating systems. On a personal level, Gross has changed the appliances in her house to more energy-efficient models.
Take Charge has a permanent display at the library and is promoting the campaign in the Hoosac Bank lobby. Future plans include another booth during the Mayor's Downtown Celebration, educational workshops in the fall and collaboration with the Williamstown COOL Committee.
"The coalition is looking for ideas, suggestions and volunteers for the program from members and the community," said Goodwin.
The Take Charge task force consists of 15 members and attained about 100 pledges on its launch with the intention of having 1,000 by November. It signed up 60 at National Night Out last week. Those who sign up receive an energy-efficient lightbulb or a clothesline.
For more information, contact Goodwin at morgan.goodwin@gmail.com or call Al Bashevkin at 413-663-7588.
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