Take Charge: The Next Step
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This Week's Energy-Saving Tip:
"Share the Driving! If one million people carpooled, 1.7 million tons of carbon dioxide would be eliminated per year."
— from the Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook
This Week In Clean Energy:
We want to let you know about an exciting opportunity to "green up" your electricity and help support local green initiatives.
Many residents who signed the Take Charge pledge and have begun to benefit from saving on lighting, turning down the heat, stopping the drafts, saving on hot water and having a home-energy audit are asking us what they can do next.
National Grid's GreenUp program is a great next step! By signing up for the program you can match 100 percent or 50 percent of your electricity usage with renewable-energy certificates from renewable-energy sources — low-impact hydro, landfill methane, solar and wind — all in New England. In addition, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Choice program will match your clean-energy contributions. This money will be put into an account for North Adams or your community and will be used to fund renewable-energy projects.
Projects can include teacher training, photovoltaic installations on municipal buildings, solar-powered trash compactors and other clean-energy projects. With the current economic situation, the funding for these types of projects is more important than ever, and essential to create the green community that we are all striving for. You all took the first step by taking the Take Charge pledge, now we can help the city with its green endeavors.
The average extra cost per month to GreenUp your energy is $3 to $12, and this premium is 60 percent tax deductible. National Grid has a list of the different providers. Your service would not change and National Grid would remain your service provider. You may have seen this information already on your electric bill. To sign up for this program you can either follow the directions on your bill or go here.
North Adams already has almost $6,000 in the Clean Energy Choice program account with 40 residents signed up. We would love to increase that number and really make an impact on the city's ability to go green.
Let us now if you have any questions about how to sign up for GreenUp or if you have any renewable energy projects you would like to suggest. We already have a beautiful LEED-certified library and it would great to have the funding and the energy (literally and figuratively) to expand our local energy efforts!
In Our Community:
Northern Berkshire Community Coalition Forum: "Promoting World Peace through High School Exchange," Friday, March 13, 10 to noon
Come to First Baptist Church on Eagle Street, North Adams, to discuss this topic with members from all aspects of our community. All are welcome; contact the NBCC office with questions at 413-663-7588.
North Adams Green Group meeting, Thursday, March 12, 4:30 to 6 p.m.
The Take Charge campaign is organized by an ad-hoc citizens group that meets on the North Adams Public Library's third floor. This week's meeting will focus on creating an action plan to engage more of the community, from the municipal areas to schools. Contact Madeline with questions.
MCLA Green Living Seminar "Good Food: Sustainable Agriculture for the 21st Century," Thursdays at 5:30 p.m.
The series will continue with "Seed Saving" on Feb. 26; "Sustainable Agriculture Landscapes: Protecting Soil, Water and Biodiversity" on March 5; and "Soil-Building Techniques" on March 12. The complete schedule can be found here, and events will take place in Murdock 218.
Williams College presentation "Advancing Climate Justice: A Carbon Change — the Change we Need," Tuesday, March 10, 8 p.m.
Cecil Corbin Mark, director of policy initiatives at WeACT for Environmental Justice, will be giving this talk as part of the Class of 1960 Scholars Program. The event will take place in Hopkins Hall in the 1964 room (click here for campus map).
Madeline King
Take Charge Project Intern
msk1@williams.edu
Kara McCall
Take Charge Project Intern
KM3564@mcla.edu
Northern Berkshire Community Coalition
413-663-7588
Take Charge Project Intern
msk1@williams.edu
Kara McCall
Take Charge Project Intern
KM3564@mcla.edu
Northern Berkshire Community Coalition
413-663-7588
