Community engagement can be a powerful tool for change, especially when it comes to energy use and conservation. This is because the positive acts of one household can influence how their neighbors act, which in turn can have an effect on an entire neighborhood. The lifestyle choices of a person are shaped by the community they live in—it determines how a person gets to work, where they are able to buy groceries and which utility they are serviced by.
However, people can also shape the community around them. Clean Energy Resource Teams will be posting several stories about successful community engagement projects that resulted in more involved, educated residents who were able to implement energy efficiency measures in their homes.
The report on Neighborhood Energy Services (NES) highlights the importance of doing more than just a door-to-door audit of home energy use. Community engagement is the key to producing measurable results. The NES project used a number of community involvement strategies, such as social marketing, signage and outreach. After a home energy audit, it most often happens that the residents get an overwhelming laundry list of ideas on how to improve their home’s efficiency. Programs models like the kind offered through NES that include the installation of materials, offer suggestions for bigger steps and work with the neighborhoods are important tools a city can use to meet broader energy efficiency goals.
Another example is the City of Elk River. Named “Energy City” in 1997 by the Minnesota Environmental Initiative, Elk River has been a demonstration site for energy efficiency for over a decade, but city officials wanted to reach out specifically to residents to focus on energy savings per home. The city used EECBG funds to make improvements to help residents save money on electricity and natural gas, as well as reduce waste and water.
None of these projects would have been possible without active community participation. The effort made by locals to take action against energy losses in their homes and public buildings has resulted in an increased awareness of energy efficiency and allows them to benefit from it as well. We encourage you to read about community engagement projects and become inspired to think about what you could do in your home or city.
About the Local Government Energy Action Series:
This effort tells the stories of Minnesota municipalities, counties, and schools and the tangible results of their energy-saving efforts to inspire others to take their own actions.
