“Since our leaders aren’t really leading, we’re going to have to. This challenge is a simple way to show how really easy and obvious the first changes we need to make really are.” —Bill McKibben, author and founder of 350.org
Yesterday I had the honor of delivering the Commonwealth Challenge to Massachusetts lawmakers, asking them to pass “An Act to Create a Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force”, a bill that would set up a task force to pursue 100% clean electricity by 2020. Marla Marcum and I delivered a letter describing the results of the campaign along with the 350 names of those who have taken the Commonwealth Challenge Pledge to the 160 Massachusetts State Representatives and 40 State Senators.
Thanks to your actions and the courageous efforts of the Leadership Campaign, yesterday afternoon Chairman John Binienda indicated to us that he would have the conversations necessary to move our bill out of the Rules Committee in the House of Representatives. This is a critical step that would allow the bill to get a full hearing.
Earlier in the day, I was privileged to announce (dressed in Colonial brown) the accomplishments of the Commonwealth Challenge at the “Climate Courage Awards” in the State House:
“Hello. I am Paul Revere. 235 years ago in April, I rode across the Massachusetts countryside to mobilize patriots against an impending threat. Today, there is a threat even more daunting. Facing the worst unemployment since 1976 and a climate crisis threatening to wipe out countless species and millions of lives around the world, the people of Massachusetts have taken matters into their own hands.
In the last 48 days 40 volunteers have donated more than 100 hours to the Commonwealth Challenge. As of this morning, 350 patriots of the Commonwealth have taken the Challenge to audit and retrofit their homes to save energy. They have taken the first step toward 100% clean power in Massachusetts within 10 years and have sent us here with a message.
Today, on this 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we the people of Massachusetts set forth a challenge to the Massachusetts State Legislature to re-power the Commonwealth with 100% clean electricity by 2020. This action is needed to stem the tide of climate change before its forces become too great. But it is also an action that will produce positive results.
By retrofitting their homes, 350 Massachusetts residents will collectively save about $100,000 per year on their energy bills, remove 120 tons per year of carbon pollution from the atmosphere, and create 2 full-time green careers for local workers. The Commonwealth Challenge represents only the beginning of what we can accomplish from a transition to clean power. We urge you, our elected officials, to help us re-power Massachusetts.”
There are so many people that have helped to make this campaign possible. First among them, are the 32 partners who have dedicated their time and resources to make this dream a reality.
It’s time to celebrate what we’ve achieved. Take a look at this video from our friends at Green For All, who helped organize the April 10th Green Jobs Rally and Block Walk.
I have to agree with what author Bill McKibben had to say last Thursday about federal climate policy:
“The Obama administration has done more in its year and a half in office on climate change than all the other presidents of the global warming era combined. On the other hand, you know, I’ve drunk more beer than my twelve-year-old niece.”
The same could be said for climate policy in Massachusetts. Compared to a lot of places, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is ahead of the curve on climate change and green job creation. The average Bay State resident burns 13.24 tons of CO2 per year, 9th lowest in the United States. In the last 20 years, Massachusetts has lowered per capita CO2 emissions by about 1.6%. The trouble is, the laws of physics and chemistry don’t give points for effort. Either emissions will be reduced aggressively enough to avoid dangerous tipping points for the earth’s climate, or not.
According to the landmark “Copenhagen Diagnosis” released in December 2009, to “secure a decent chance of avoiding dangerous human interference with the climate system”, the world must reduce emissions 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 85-90% below 1990 levels by 2050. In Massachusetts, that would mean getting from about 13.5 tons of CO2 per person per year in 1990 to around 8 tons by 2020 and 2 tons by 2050. Getting there is going to take courage.
Massachusetts Legislators don’t have to look far to see what leadership looks like. On March 4th a coalition of 32 organizations and businesses came together to form the Commonwealth Challenge. The campaign is producing results..
The Commonwealth Challenge is a statewide grassroots campaign to retrofit homes to save energy and challenge the State Legislature to create a task force to meet the goal of 100% clean electricity by 2020. The campaign draws the link between pollution and poverty – promoting family-supporting “green collar” jobs for local workers who may have barriers to employment while reducing carbon pollution.
With three days until Earth Day, 231 homeowners and residents have signed up to audit and retrofit their own home.
Next Step Living, an energy efficiency company based in Boston who has signed the Green Collar Hiring Pledge, estimates that the average Massachusetts resident will save $340 on their energy bills and reduce 800 pounds of carbon pollution every year just by taking the first steps to audit and air seal their home. Those who insulate their walls and attic, upgrade appliances, and take other advanced measures can save 25% or more of their CO2 output and energy costs per year. Next Step Living also estimates that for every 100 homes that receive an energy audit, one full-time green job will be created.
Relying solely on volunteers and a tiny budget, in seven weeks, the Commonwealth Challenge has enrolled enough people to:
* Reduce 184,800 lbs of CO2 per year
* Save $74,540/year on home energy bills
* Create 2 full-time green collar careers for local workers
Each year the rate-payer-funded MassSAVE energy efficiency program reaches about 10,000 residents through all of their programs including energy audits. Within this context, 231 people signing up for an audit in seven weeks is no small potatoes. Commonwealth Challenge volunteers knocked on doors, spoke at neighborhood meetings, attended fairs and festivals, engaged students and educators, and spread the word online.
On Thursday the Commonwealth Challenge will head to the Massachusetts State House to deliver the results of the campaign. The campaign will challenge U.S. Senators John Kerry and Scott Brown to put a price on carbon pollution this spring. Massachusetts residents will further challenge their State Senators and Representatives to pass “An Act to Create a Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force“. This bill, introduced by Senator Pacheco, Representative Brownsberger, and 17 co-sponsors on December 7th, 2009, following the bold efforts of The Leadership Campaign, would create a 14-member task force including governmental and community representatives, House and Senate leaders on climate change, representatives of the religious, student climate advocacy, and environmental justice communities, electric utilities, and local businesses. The aim of the task force would be to aggressively pursue the goal of 100% clean electricity by 2020 via appropriate economic incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy generation.
Whether or not political leaders rise to the challenge this spring, the people of Massachusetts will continue to get to work for clean energy solutions and green jobs. The question is, will elected representatives have the courage to lead aggressively enough to meet the scale of crises at hand? Will Massachusetts put a stiff price on carbon pollution, phase out fossil fuels, and build access to green collar careers for everyday people, or will the legislature stick with politics as usual and allow the crises to grow worse? Will they show courage?
The State of Massachusetts really wants you to make your home more energy efficient. They know that energy efficiency creates jobs that can’t be outsourced, reduces harmful carbon pollution, and saves people and the state lots of money in the long run. That’s why several years ago they set up a $.0025/kWh energy efficiency charge on your utility bill to pay for everybody to get a free energy audit through MassSAVE. And that’s why this March, they added free air sealing service to MassSAVE. Strangely, even though it’s free, only about 10,000 of the millions of Massachusetts residents take advantage of the free audit each year. What a waste!
If you sign up for the Commonwealth Challenge, and schedule a free energy audit and air sealing service (Step 2), this is what you get:
800 lbs (one gorilla) of carbon pollution eliminated every year.
$940 worth of services (the 2 hour audit is valued at about $300 and the air sealing is about $640) and around $340 of energy savings every year.
1 home out of 100 needed to create a full-time green collar career for somebody in your neighborhood.
How often do you go to an event with: A) live green hip hop, B) representatives from national and statewide green jobs movements, C) an immediate opportunity to improve the local neighborhood by helping people save energy and create jobs, D) a free health and job fair, and E) a “moon bounce” for the kids? The answer is never.
You don’t want to miss this!
RSVP NOW for the Green Jobs Rally and Block Walk at Russell Auditorium in Dorchester this Saturday, April 10th from 12:30-3:00pm. Or just come down. This free event is being hosted by the Commonwealth Challenge and partners.
Not convinced that you should come yet? Hear what Julian Mocine-McQueen from Green The Block and Tem Blessed have to say about Saturday..
Julian Mocine-McQueen, Green The Block Program Manager at Green For All
Green The Block is proud to take part in the Commonwealth Challenge because it represents a real community level effort to take immediate action around climate change, while at the same time highlighting the opportunity to create new employment opportunities in our communities. This effort is significant because it leverages personal action toward larger systemic change. It represents the type of action Green The Block hopes to support and inspire all over the country. We hope to use Saturday as a way to not only inform and engage the members of the Dorchester community, but highlight the “Challenge” as an example for communities around the country of how individual action can have an effect on an entire community.
As an educator and a musician I know that returning to the natural world is essential for human survival. The sustainability Movement provides many of the answers for today’s global challenges. I define sustainability by 3 Es. – Environment, Economy and Equity. A green economy and green jobs addresses the equity concerns of the sustainability movement. Addressing unemployment while engaging people who most need work: youth and undeserved members of our society. At YouthBuild, green jobs provide hope to perception of a bleak future. I use Hip-Hop as a tool to raise awareness about Sustainability. Examples can be found in my songs and videos Green Anthem and Miraculous Apertures.
Come down and support good green jobs in Dorchester and nationwide. RSVP.
I said those four sentences about 20 times in three hours on Saturday. It was just before I asked one of my neighbors if they had thought about ways to save energy in their home and would they like to sign up for the Commonwealth Challenge? It’s a funny thing, meeting your neighbors. I remember watching movies where people would welcome new people to the neighborhood with a home-baked pie. Have you ever gotten a home-baked pie? Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never gotten a pie and I don’t usually take time to meet my neighbors. This is nice though. Now as I’m walking from the train to my house, I can say “Hey Neal!” or “What’s up Angela?” instead of nodding my head “Hello”.
A local energy professional checks for insulation in a Boston apartment
The Commonwealth Challenge is building community. Massachusetts neighbors are helping their neighbors save a little money, find a job, and do something about the most daunting crisis the planet has ever seen – climate change. If we are going to weather the storms ahead, we are going to have to learn how to come together. The Challenge is also about bridging the personal and the political. Let’s take the example of Angela, a woman I met on Saturday, to see how it works:
1. She signs up.On Saturday, I asked Angela if she would be willing to get an energy screening in her house to identify options for insulating and retrofitting the place. After I explained that screening was funded through the MassSAVE program she was already paying for through a $.0025/kWh charge each month on her utility bill, she said “sure” and signed up. 2. An energy screening is scheduled. This week a customer service representative at Next Step Living, a local energy efficiency company, will call Angela and schedule her screening. Next Step Living is one of four Massachusetts companies who have signed the “Green Collar Hiring Pledge”, promising to make quality jobs available to local workers with barriers to employment and use environmentally preferred materials and practices.
3. A local worker gets a job. Within a few weeks, a local professional energy specialist will come to Angela’s house, check her boiler and thermostat, check if she has insulation in the walls and attic, and recommend steps she can take to make her home safer, more comfortable, and more energy efficient (Read about Joe’s recent energy screening). As more people like Angela sign up, more local workers can be hired. If Angela chooses to follow up on her screening by investing in insulation, duct sealing, or other retrofit measures, a local worker will benefit with several hours more labor, Angela will save money on her bills for years to come, and her home could use up to 25% less CO2.
4. We deliver the results to Massachusetts. At the end of the campaign, on Thursday April 22nd, neighbors from around Massachusetts will join labor, faith, community, and business groups for a visit to the Massachusetts State House. Residents like Angela will tell the story of what they did alongside workers, business leaders, and advocates. All of them will call on the Massachusetts Legislature to invest aggressively in energy solutions like Angela’s with a statewide goal of 100% clean electricity by 2020.
Like 350’s “Get To Work” campaign, the Commonwealth Challenge was founded on the idea that we can’t put all our eggs in the advocacy and activism basket anymore. We have to come together as communities to begin solving the climate crisis and putting people back to work immediately. We have to show politicians and businesses how to lead as we demand that they enact the laws and create the products and services necessary to get us where we are trying to go. In short – we have to get to work.
The truth is we don’t know if this is going to work. What we do know is that we are not going to sit back as the legislation we are pushing for stalls in committee. We are going to ask our legislators to engage with us in this effort. We took the first step in that direction last Monday by hand-delivering letters to over 100 state representative and senators’ offices inviting them to take the Commonwealth Challenge pledge with us and support 100% clean power by 2020.
So far, one Massachusetts legislator has answered the call – Representative Will Brownsberger of Belmont. With 16 days until the 40th Earth Day, we hope more leaders will step up and take the Commonwealth Challenge. But we’re not waiting for them before we get to work.
I am a renter. On Wednesday, March 24th, Mike from Next Step Living came and screened my apartment. It was free to me (paid for through the MassSAVE program) and it only took two hours of my time.
There are several low-cost solutions that can cumulatively save energy. Mike recommended replacing our shower head. The current one runs 2.5 gallons of water/minute. They now make low-flow shower heads that run 1.7 gallons/minute. While checking our insulation, his infrared scanner showed that my roommate’s AC unit leaks a lot of heat around the edges; a problem easily solved by using a makeshift cover. We can also save a lot of energy through good habits, like turning off the surge protector that connects our TV and the gaming consoles, and keeping the thermostat at 60 when we’re gone for several hours.
He checked the boiler in the basement of the building and found that it’s running at 78% efficiency and recommended that our landlord get it serviced. Knowing this, our landlord can save money on utilities and make the building safer to live in by lowering the carbon monoxide emissions of the boiler.
Our primary costs are the fridge and lighting. Our fridge, though not the latest Energy Star model, is costing us $15/month, which Mike said was a reasonable cost. Having done the screening, we’re qualified to have MassSAVE provide and install free CFL light bulbs for the apartment. Compared to regular light bulbs, these energy efficient bulbs use 75% less energy. The energy screening was a good first step toward making our apartment more energy efficient.
The Commonwealth Challenge is about creating green jobs and reducing energy use now in Massachusetts. By signing up for the campaign, you are creating work for somebody who needs it locally. The Green Collar Hiring Pledge, which all contractors who work with the Commonwealth Challenge must sign, is one way to help ensure these are not just jobs, but good jobs, and that they reach communities that really need them.
On March 16th, the Green Justice Coalition and the Apollo Alliance released a groundbreaking report, “An Industry at the Crossroads: Energy Efficiency Employment in Massachusetts”. This report shows how Massachusetts can benefit taxpayers, workers, the state and people living in poverty by making weatherization a “high road” industry.
Below is the press release from the Apollo Alliance.
New Report Offers Solutions For Ensuring That Massachusetts Weatherization Jobs Are Good Jobs
March 16, 2010
By Sam Haswell
Apollo News Service
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Mike Prokosch: (617) 723-2639
March 16, 2010
State Could Gain 6,000 Jobs by Making Weatherization Field a “High Road” Industry
BOSTON – Massachusetts can get 6,000 good jobs by making the fast-growing weatherization field a “high road” industry. That’s the takeaway from a report released today by the Green Justice Coalition and the national Apollo Alliance. The report, An Industry at the Crossroads: Energy Efficiency Employment in Massachusetts, shows that:
* The jobs are coming. The state and utility companies are investing $1.4 billion in building energy efficiency over the next three years. That will create 6,000 direct and 8,300 indirect jobs in the construction sector retrofitting more than 100,000 residential units and 20,000 commercial and municipal structures.
* Right now, weatherization wages are poverty wages. Prevailing wages in home weatherization are $11.26 to $17.59 per hour in Massachusetts, so low that workers qualify for low-income weatherization assistance.
* “Low-road jobs” cost workers, taxpayers, and the state. Employers who underpay workers shift the cost of supporting their families onto taxpayers. This can cost the state and federal government more than $28,000 a year per family.
* “High road” jobs are a good bargain. Paying all of Massachusetts’s energy efficiency workers $18 an hour + $4 in benefits would bring in $32 million a year in income taxes, unemployment contributions, and workers compensation premiums.
The reports concludes that the state, cities, and utility companies can make weatherization jobs “good jobs” by requiring contractors to meet Responsible Employer standards. Responsible contractors would pay living wages and offer benefits, provide quality training and safe workplaces, and hire local residents. Responsible contractors can help end Depression-level joblessness in the state’s low-income communities and communities of color by hiring local residents.
For copies of the report, visit www.massclu.org or contact Mike Prokosch at Community Labor United at 617-723-2639 or mike@massclu.org. Interviews are available with workers in the industry, labor market expert Dr. Andrew Sum of Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies, and leaders of the state’s Green Justice Coalition.
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The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of unlikely and diverse interests – including labor, business, environmental, and community leaders – advancing a bold vision for the next American economy centered on clean energy and good jobs.
The Green Justice Coalition is a partnership of community groups, labor unions, environmental and other organizations that support a sustainable, equitable, and clean energy economy in Massachusetts. The Coalition is an affiliate of the national Apollo Alliance.
I want to tell you about something that you can do right now to save a bunch of money, clean up our neighborhoods, and create good jobs for our friends and neighbors who are hurting in this recession.
The Commonwealth Challenge wants to encourage you and 2,999 other Massachusetts residents to save 5% of their electricity by the 40th Earth Day on April 22nd. By weatherizing and retrofitting your home, you will live more comfortably and spend less, but also challenge Massachusetts to create a task force to clean up the state’s electric grid within ten years. This year Earth Day is personal and political.
Join us now by taking the Commonwealth Challenge to save 5% of your electricity costs: http://www.CommonwealthChallenge.org/get-started
Now is the time to retrofit your home. Here is why:
* Whether you are a renter or a owner, the initial energy screening and air sealing service is FREE.
* You can get a 75% instant rebate for up to $2000 worth of efficiency work on your home and an optional no-interest HEAT loan available through MassSAVE.
* We are pooling the buying power of hundreds of residents for a group discount from Service Partners over and above other rebates and incentives.
By hiring local workers to retrofit our homes and paying them fair wages and benefits, we are demonstrating the path to a green collar economy that works for all of us.
“Since our leaders aren’t really leading, we’re going to have to. This challenge is a simple way to show how really easy and obvious the first changes we need to make really are.” – 350.org founder and author, Bill McKibben
For our leaders to pay attention, we need to create a spark that catches fire. If you can, send this email to 10 Massachusetts friends with a personal note inviting them to get involved.
Thanks for helping us put Massachusetts back to work,
The Commonwealth Challenge is a grassroots campaign involving the following Massachusetts partners: 350.org, Alliance for Climate Education, Back Bay Green Initiative, Bikes Not Bombs, Boston Youth Environmental Network, B.O.L.D. Teens, Cambridge Energy Alliance, Common Green, Co-op Power, Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, Green Schools, Green Trade Association, Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), IBEW Local 103, The Leadership Campaign, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Massachusetts Green Jobs Coalition, Massachusetts Interfaith Power and Light, Inc., M.O.E.R. Foundation, National Energy Audits, New England Women in Energy and Environment, Next Step Living, Span, Inc., Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston, Tech Networks of Boston, Total Green Energy Solution, United Methodist Church in New England Climate Change Task Force, Wattzy, and Youth Build Boston.
Today Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced a $63 million investment to retrofit 4300 public housing units. The plan trumps Chicago’s $43 million project as the nation’s largest energy efficiency investment in public housing.
Mayor Menino’s announcement comes after Massachusetts finalized a three-year plan to triple utility investments in energy efficiency. Boston and the State of Massachusetts are moving toward a clean energy future. But will it be enough?
An emerging coalition of faith, business, environmental, and workforce development groups are joining The Leadership Campaign in challenging the Massachusetts State Legislature to double-down on recent clean energy and energy efficiency investments by creating a task force to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2020. The campaign – The Commonwealth Challenge, launched on March 4th – is not your typical political initiative.
The motto of the Commonwealth Challenge is “When the people lead, leaders will follow.” 40 years after the first Earth Day, the people of Massachusetts are putting down their phones, pens, and signs and picking up caulk guns and home retrofit contracts. Residents of the Commonwealth are demonstrating a real solution – hire local workers, including workers with barriers to employment, to make homes more energy efficient and pay them family supporting wages and benefits. Following in the footsteps of Van Jones, Green For All, and the Green Justice Coalition of Massachusetts, the Commonwealth Challenge is creating a green collar economy that works for people and the planet. And along the way, people are measuring the results and holding themselves and their leaders accountable.
The Commonwealth Challenge aims to engage 3,000 residents by Earth Day, April 22nd, in saving 100,000 KWh of electricity. If each person saves 5% of their electricity the goal will be reached. 100,000 KWh is enough to power the homes of Beacon Hill, home of the State Legislature, for a full day. It’s also enough to create 2200 job hours for local workers, save residents $20,000 on their energy bills, and remove more than 370 tons of carbon from the atmosphere.
By retrofitting their homes to make them more efficient, residents are taking the first step toward clean energy revolution. But more has to be done if the planet is to stabilize greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid dangerous climate change tipping points. On April 22nd, residents will present the results of their actions as a challenge to the State Legislature to lead the nation toward the next American Revolution – an energy revolution for good jobs and climate security. The way to get there – pass An Act to Create a Repower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force, a bill introduced on December 7th that would create a task force to achieve 100% clean electricity by 2020. At the same time, residents are challenging Massachusetts Senators Scott Brown and John Kerry to lead Congress toward finally putting a national price on carbon pollution.
It is not enough to simply promote home energy retrofits. Without a signal from customers or government that they should act differently, many companies will continue to weed out job applicants with barriers to employment such as the disabled, women, people of color, people from marginalized communities, and people who have ever been convicted of a crime. Contractors serving the Commonwealth Challenge must sign on to, the Green Collar Hiring Pledge, a promise by employers to pay fair wages and benefits, hire people with barriers to employment, and choose environmentally preferred products and practices. So far, three companies have signed on and are serving homes through the Challenge.
Before April 22nd, Neighborhood Captains across Massachusetts will organize “Energy Retrofit Parties”, phonebanks, canvass their neighborhoods, and show up at community events to sign people up to retrofit their homes. Thanks to significant subsidies and a group discount from Commonwealth Challenge Service Partners, a home retrofit is an easy sell for anybody in Massachusetts whether they own or rent their home. In fact, the initial energy audit and air sealing work is free. This flier explains what I am talking about.
After Copenhagen many people lost faith in the willingness of political leaders to step up to the plate to address the climate crisis. The question now becomes – what are we going to do about it? With coastlines eroding in the Maldives, fires and droughts raging in Africa, and desperate farmers turning to suicide in India, I believe that it is incumbent on all of us to take this challenge into our own hands. If governments won’t adopt a fair, ambitious, and binding climate treaty, we the people, have to use whatever power we have to decarbonize our economy and demonstrate the way forward.
Actions speak louder than words, but they also often begin with words. I have one question for people reading this.
Who do you know in Massachusetts? If you are inspired by what we are doing, I urge you to tell your friends and family in Massachusetts about the Commonwealth Challenge and encourage them to retrofit their home. 3,000 people might not seem like a large number; but the difference between 3,000 people signing a petition and 3,000 people signing up to schedule someone to come work on their home is significant.
“Since our leaders aren’t really leading, we’re going to have to. This challenge is a simple way to show how really easy and obvious the first changes we need to make really are.”
“Hello. I am Paul Revere. 235 years ago in April, I rode across the Massachusetts countryside to mobilize patriots against an impending threat. Today, there is a threat even more daunting. Facing the worst unemployment since 1976 and a climate crisis threatening to wipe out countless species and millions of lives around the world, the people of Massachusetts have taken matters into their own hands.
Julian Mocine-McQueen, Green The Block Program Manager at Green For All
