Dozens weather storm to witness green jobs and energy efficiency in action
Who goes out on a snowy weekday morning to watch construction workers fix up an old house? Apparently, more than 40 Boston-area residents, supporting a Dorchester homeowner in her quest to drive down her out-of-control heating bills. (See a news report from BNN News)
Last Friday, January 21, as a snowstorm began pounding the Boston area, dozens of GJC supporters, union carpenters and members of the media converged on the home of Betty Maguire to see the progress being made in upgrading her home. She was trying to qualify for funding from the city’s Renew Boston energy efficiency program. The program helps homeowners to pay for various measures that reduce bills and energy consumption- including home insulation, replacing windows and heating equipment, and installing efficient lightbulbs.
But in order to qualify, the home needs to meet minimum structural standards, and the program provides no help to do this “pre-weatherization” work, which can cost thousands of dollars out-of-pocket. At Ms. Maguire’s home, there was plenty of work to be done to meet Renew Boston requirements- she had a dirt floor, several holes in her walls, etc- but she couldn’t afford it. In stepped GJC coalition partners like New England United For Justice (NEU), Alternatives for Community and Environment (ACE) and the New England Council of Carpenters.
ACE and NEU called in a dumpster for the construction debris and various community groups mobilized people to knock on neighbors’ doors and spread the word about the program. Meanwhile union carpenters and painters provided materials and their labor free of charge. The goal was to highlight this flaw in the current program, which favors wealthier households where homes are in better shape or owners can afford the upgrades.
On Friday morning, visitors streamed into Ms. Maguire’s home to check out the work already done and listen to carpenters’ apprentices describe what more they had in store for the home. A dirt floor had been cemented over, asbestos removed, wall-holes plugged, and sheetrock and a door installed. Soon the home would be up to the minimum level necessary for Renew Boston funds.
But some guests didn’t make it, citing weather difficulties, including city officials and utility companies NStar and NGrid. The utilities collect monthly energy efficiency fees on every bill in Massachusetts, which go into a pot that any ratepayer can access for efficiency work. The utilities also decide where the money gets spent. But they have so far resisted calls from community and environmental groups to find better ways to spread the money around.
Many groups have found that the vast majority of working-class residents, predominantly in communities of color, don’t even know about the programs available. And when they find out, they usually face obstacles identical to Ms. Maguire. This leads to the homes that need the most work- and which could provide the greatest greenhouse-gas savings in order to meet the state’s climate change goals- not having access to the money they are paying in every month.
But with determination and a collective spirit, good neighbors like those in Dorchester last Friday are changing how this game is played, one home at a time. Hopefully, city officials and utility companies will soon follow their lead.
