Howdy y'all We are down to the single digits in days left in Grand Junction and our project is progressing with great results. We are focusing on canvassing businesses and neighborhoods this week since we aren't attending the counties farmer's markets this week. We have successfully signed up several residents for our Red Door Challenge with Excel and for free home weatherization through Housing Resources. The residents of Grand Junction have been really welcoming to our efforts, one woman even gave Audra and I flowers to take home with us. The best part of this week was definitely our meeting with the owners of The Hot Tomato, a pizza shop in Fruita, Colorado. They have successfully completed all three levels of our Greenback$ Project and we wanted to really understand what the process was like so they agreed to sit down with us at The Hot Tomato to talk about it. It was really interesting hearing their story as local business owners that want to be leaders in energy efficiency. Jen and Anne, the owners, were so nice and so cool about explaining their interest in energy conservation. We learned a lot about the realities of what it takes to be an energy leader in the food industry and are hoping to complete a case study for future participants of the Greenback$ Projects. If you're ever in Fruita, Colorado definitely stop by this pizza shop and indulge in a slice. Here's a link to The Hot Tomato's blog: http://hottomatocafe.com/blog/  Thanks for reading -Amber |
Sunday, July 17, 2011
HOT Tomato HOT Tomato!!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Proud to be in AmeriCorps!
This past Sunday marked our last farmers' market. Kara, Audra and I set up our tent across from the Lavender Lady in Palisade, ready for a nice afternoon of handing out stickers to kids, people watching and promoting energy efficiency. But in fact, the people who stopped by actually wanted to talk about AmeriCorps! They were intrigued by our uniforms rather than our brochures. Some of them had even served as VISTA members, one of them going on to be the Executive Director of a Boys and Girls Club. His story was of particular interest (and comfort) since many of us are trying to make the transition into new careers/schools/lives.
This got the three of us talking about how we were feeling the last time we made decisions of this nature. It was interesting to me, especially as a Corps Ambassador who tries to recruit new members to NCCC, to learn how differently we had all decided to dedicate a year of our lives to service:
Audra told us that she had first met AmeriCorps members on an alternative spring break trip her freshman year of college. She came home and told her mother about how she had found her future calling and was already planning on joining after graduation. This announcement was met with skepticism, but 3 years later, her parents supported her wholeheartedly when she actually took the plunge.
Kara learned about the program through a bookmark that was handed to her during a presentation in her Health Careers class her senior year of high school. Her mom was the one that took it one step further, thinking that it was something to really look into. Kara's mom researched NCCC online, printed out FAQ and other info to convince the family that this was a great opportunity. Before she knew it, Kara was filling out the application, interviewing and getting accepted to join our fabulous team you know and love today.
My story is different as well. I was riding the metro in Washington, DC on my way to an internship during my senior year of college. It was that time of year when everyone was interviewing for jobs and having minor panic attacks about where they were going to live, what was their true passion, how much money they were going to make, etc. Sharing these sentiments, I was lost in thought when I saw three people dressed in uniform with red jackets. They were having a conversation about working with kids, doing different service projects, and they just seemed to be loving life so much that I vowed to look up whatever organization they were with online. Turns out they were with City Year and one click on the internet led to another which led to AmeriCorps NCCC. I chose NCCC because of the team-based work style and the travel, as well as the access it would give me to projects dealing with the environment. I ended up turning down a job offer from that internship I had in DC, but I haven't regretted a single minute of this year.
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Thanks for Reading!
-Julie
This got the three of us talking about how we were feeling the last time we made decisions of this nature. It was interesting to me, especially as a Corps Ambassador who tries to recruit new members to NCCC, to learn how differently we had all decided to dedicate a year of our lives to service:
Audra told us that she had first met AmeriCorps members on an alternative spring break trip her freshman year of college. She came home and told her mother about how she had found her future calling and was already planning on joining after graduation. This announcement was met with skepticism, but 3 years later, her parents supported her wholeheartedly when she actually took the plunge.
Kara learned about the program through a bookmark that was handed to her during a presentation in her Health Careers class her senior year of high school. Her mom was the one that took it one step further, thinking that it was something to really look into. Kara's mom researched NCCC online, printed out FAQ and other info to convince the family that this was a great opportunity. Before she knew it, Kara was filling out the application, interviewing and getting accepted to join our fabulous team you know and love today.
My story is different as well. I was riding the metro in Washington, DC on my way to an internship during my senior year of college. It was that time of year when everyone was interviewing for jobs and having minor panic attacks about where they were going to live, what was their true passion, how much money they were going to make, etc. Sharing these sentiments, I was lost in thought when I saw three people dressed in uniform with red jackets. They were having a conversation about working with kids, doing different service projects, and they just seemed to be loving life so much that I vowed to look up whatever organization they were with online. Turns out they were with City Year and one click on the internet led to another which led to AmeriCorps NCCC. I chose NCCC because of the team-based work style and the travel, as well as the access it would give me to projects dealing with the environment. I ended up turning down a job offer from that internship I had in DC, but I haven't regretted a single minute of this year.
Thanks for Reading!
-Julie
Monday, July 11, 2011
E2: Spreading the Word in Mesa County!
Check out what the Free Press had to say about Earth 2 and what we're doing in Grand Junction!!
http://www.gjfreepress.com/ARTICLE/20110708/COMMUNITY_NEWS/110709975/-1/RSS
http://www.gjfreepress.com/ARTICLE/20110708/COMMUNITY_NEWS/110709975/-1/RSS
Saturday, July 9, 2011
WE'RE FAMOUS AGAIN!!
Twice in one week! Earth 2 is doing something right :)
http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/Team_helps_local_biz_go_green_and_save_it_125253464.html?storySection=comments
Check it out!
http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/Team_helps_local_biz_go_green_and_save_it_125253464.html?storySection=comments
Check it out!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Only two weeks left?!
Hey all,
Just under two weeks remain before the team heads back to Denver, but the project in Grand Junction continues going strong. This morning we met with our sponsor, Kathy Portner and other important members of the project. The team received some media coverage yesterday by a local TV station, which you can view in the previous blog post. In the meeting we discussed other media outlets we have tried to contact, and also brought up the radio interview that will occur on July 19th. Following the meeting Kathy ordered pizza for the group from Pablo's Pizza, an excellent restaurant where we ate when we first arrived here. It was a welcome, appreciated surprise.
Around noon I drove to the nearby town of Palisade with Meredith, Jon, and Ali, to meet up with the owner of a mobile home park named Patrick. We had slight difficulty locating his place, and he initially appeared irritated, but was actually a friendly and agreeable individual who was late as well. At the park he knocked on residents' doors and requested that they fill out weatherization forms in which the resident gets a free energy audit of their home. There were four different homes in which we obtained completed forms, which was a big accomplishment for us because getting people signed up is always a difficult task. Most of the time people need time to think it over before committing to the services we offer. Patrick knew who was home and who qualified for the free audit so that made our job that much easier.
Additional canvassing was planned for the afternoon in Fruita, but as the team drove to the neighborhood dark storm clouds loomed ahead and lightning appeared. As a result we decided to cancel the canvas. Instead we split into two groups and drove around Grand Junction, scouting out businesses where people would be likely to visit and possibly look at information boards. With the owners' permission, we attached posters for the Red Door Challenge in the windows of grocery stores and coffee shops, and sometimes on a bulletin board. We're trying to get the word out about this program as much as possible. Along with the farmer's markets and canvassing neighborhoods, this is a great way for that to happen.
Our goal is to help people by cutting their energy costs, and while some may be negative or dismissive toward our efforts, we are still making real progress, and it's great to interact with those who are grateful for our assistance. Giving out information on these programs is a relatively easy thing to do but the impact it has is far greater than the effort required would indicate.
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Thanks for reading!
-Ben
Just under two weeks remain before the team heads back to Denver, but the project in Grand Junction continues going strong. This morning we met with our sponsor, Kathy Portner and other important members of the project. The team received some media coverage yesterday by a local TV station, which you can view in the previous blog post. In the meeting we discussed other media outlets we have tried to contact, and also brought up the radio interview that will occur on July 19th. Following the meeting Kathy ordered pizza for the group from Pablo's Pizza, an excellent restaurant where we ate when we first arrived here. It was a welcome, appreciated surprise.
Around noon I drove to the nearby town of Palisade with Meredith, Jon, and Ali, to meet up with the owner of a mobile home park named Patrick. We had slight difficulty locating his place, and he initially appeared irritated, but was actually a friendly and agreeable individual who was late as well. At the park he knocked on residents' doors and requested that they fill out weatherization forms in which the resident gets a free energy audit of their home. There were four different homes in which we obtained completed forms, which was a big accomplishment for us because getting people signed up is always a difficult task. Most of the time people need time to think it over before committing to the services we offer. Patrick knew who was home and who qualified for the free audit so that made our job that much easier.
Additional canvassing was planned for the afternoon in Fruita, but as the team drove to the neighborhood dark storm clouds loomed ahead and lightning appeared. As a result we decided to cancel the canvas. Instead we split into two groups and drove around Grand Junction, scouting out businesses where people would be likely to visit and possibly look at information boards. With the owners' permission, we attached posters for the Red Door Challenge in the windows of grocery stores and coffee shops, and sometimes on a bulletin board. We're trying to get the word out about this program as much as possible. Along with the farmer's markets and canvassing neighborhoods, this is a great way for that to happen.
Our goal is to help people by cutting their energy costs, and while some may be negative or dismissive toward our efforts, we are still making real progress, and it's great to interact with those who are grateful for our assistance. Giving out information on these programs is a relatively easy thing to do but the impact it has is far greater than the effort required would indicate.
Thanks for reading!
-Ben
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Tale of Success and Delight!
Soooo yesterday was great, from beginning to end. It all started when Kara, Daquan and I met with a business owner downtown. He passed the Greenback$ energy efficiency checklist with flying colors and we got him signed up for his free energy audit. Just making Grand Junction a greener place, one business at a time : )
In the afternoon, our team did some canvassing in Fruita, CO. We mixed up the partners and so Robert and I became a team for the week. Dare I say, a tag team?! I feel like we both brought different strengths to the job. We pounded the pavement and spoke with numerous homeowners about the energy efficiency programs available in the county. One of the streets we canvassed on consisted of single-level trailer homes. I never felt more needed during this project than I did today. The homeowners were extremely friendly and appreciative. Not only did a majority of them immediately know that they income qualified for the free services, but almost all of them didn't even know that these programs existed. They seemed to be beyond grateful that we had come by. It was a really good feeling to know that we were able to relay this information to needy individuals, whom could potentially save hundreds of dollars on their bills. Also, just knowing that they will be more comfortable and safe in their home for years to come is a heartwarming feeling. Many homeowners were pleasantly surprised that we weren't soliciting anything and even invited inside their homes. We had meaningful conversations with people who were thrilled to see that the county is reaching out to help them. Even after our 2 hour canvassing session had come to a close, we were approached unexpectedly by a homeowner who had initially said he wasn't interested in hearing about the programs. He ran after us to (across the street and about 4 houses down) to tell us that he wasn't thinking when he said he wasn't interested. He said a family member lived a street over and could desperately use our assistance. He lives alone, is disabled and is struggling to pay his bills. Robert and I were so glad he had chased us down. This moment made this whole project worth it for me. We plan on going back to this neighborhood to finish up our route and then some!
Our work day ended with a meeting with the city council. Our sponsor, Kathy Portner announced our efforts to the mayor of Grand Junction and all the council members. It was really nice to get recognized in front of some of the most important people in the city. Mayor Tom Kenyon seemed to really appreciate us being here and called us the official 'Green Team' of the city : )
In other news.....Will Pearson is here for two additional nights. That's always good : )
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In the afternoon, our team did some canvassing in Fruita, CO. We mixed up the partners and so Robert and I became a team for the week. Dare I say, a tag team?! I feel like we both brought different strengths to the job. We pounded the pavement and spoke with numerous homeowners about the energy efficiency programs available in the county. One of the streets we canvassed on consisted of single-level trailer homes. I never felt more needed during this project than I did today. The homeowners were extremely friendly and appreciative. Not only did a majority of them immediately know that they income qualified for the free services, but almost all of them didn't even know that these programs existed. They seemed to be beyond grateful that we had come by. It was a really good feeling to know that we were able to relay this information to needy individuals, whom could potentially save hundreds of dollars on their bills. Also, just knowing that they will be more comfortable and safe in their home for years to come is a heartwarming feeling. Many homeowners were pleasantly surprised that we weren't soliciting anything and even invited inside their homes. We had meaningful conversations with people who were thrilled to see that the county is reaching out to help them. Even after our 2 hour canvassing session had come to a close, we were approached unexpectedly by a homeowner who had initially said he wasn't interested in hearing about the programs. He ran after us to (across the street and about 4 houses down) to tell us that he wasn't thinking when he said he wasn't interested. He said a family member lived a street over and could desperately use our assistance. He lives alone, is disabled and is struggling to pay his bills. Robert and I were so glad he had chased us down. This moment made this whole project worth it for me. We plan on going back to this neighborhood to finish up our route and then some!
Our work day ended with a meeting with the city council. Our sponsor, Kathy Portner announced our efforts to the mayor of Grand Junction and all the council members. It was really nice to get recognized in front of some of the most important people in the city. Mayor Tom Kenyon seemed to really appreciate us being here and called us the official 'Green Team' of the city : )
In other news.....Will Pearson is here for two additional nights. That's always good : )
-Meredith
Friday, July 1, 2011
Our Week in Review
Hey dawgs,
This week we made mad progress on our project.
Monday started off sort of slow. In the morning we sat around and made phone calls to businesses for the Greenbacks program and spoke with individuals from Xcel and Grand Valley Power about what to say to business owners at the meetings we had scheduled with them. While our meeting with Xcel was informative, most of our team felt that the process of calling businesses to schedule phone calls was rather unsuccessful, as business owners often were either unavailable or unreceptive over the phone. Luckily, we felt way better after we ate the chicken parm that Audra and I cooked which was sweeeeeeeeet (although the eggplant wasn't too great, according to Kara).
Tuesday, on the other hand, was much more successful. Julie had the bright idea to go canvass businesses instead of just sit in the office and call them. Four members of our team walked down Main Street and talked with business owners, and we were much successful in selling the Greenbacks program this way than we were by calling them. Later, our team went canvassing in Clifton, and me and Guesa walked up and down some streets and chilled in KFC for a while. It was super windy outside and Guesa told me she was scared of tornadoes.
Wednesday we met up with Stephanie from Groundwork Denver and sat through a presentation on the Red Door Challenge with a group of high schoolers who were at Mesa State College for a Youth Leadership Summit. After the presentation, we all paired up with a youngin and canvassed around Mesa State. My partner and I did pretty poorly (only three people on our route opened their door and we didn't give a single light bulb away), but overall it was a positive experience as the kids came away with a better understanding of energy conservation and of the difficulties of canvassing door to door.
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Thanks for reading my blog post yo!
-Jon
This week we made mad progress on our project.
Monday started off sort of slow. In the morning we sat around and made phone calls to businesses for the Greenbacks program and spoke with individuals from Xcel and Grand Valley Power about what to say to business owners at the meetings we had scheduled with them. While our meeting with Xcel was informative, most of our team felt that the process of calling businesses to schedule phone calls was rather unsuccessful, as business owners often were either unavailable or unreceptive over the phone. Luckily, we felt way better after we ate the chicken parm that Audra and I cooked which was sweeeeeeeeet (although the eggplant wasn't too great, according to Kara).
Tuesday, on the other hand, was much more successful. Julie had the bright idea to go canvass businesses instead of just sit in the office and call them. Four members of our team walked down Main Street and talked with business owners, and we were much successful in selling the Greenbacks program this way than we were by calling them. Later, our team went canvassing in Clifton, and me and Guesa walked up and down some streets and chilled in KFC for a while. It was super windy outside and Guesa told me she was scared of tornadoes.
Wednesday we met up with Stephanie from Groundwork Denver and sat through a presentation on the Red Door Challenge with a group of high schoolers who were at Mesa State College for a Youth Leadership Summit. After the presentation, we all paired up with a youngin and canvassed around Mesa State. My partner and I did pretty poorly (only three people on our route opened their door and we didn't give a single light bulb away), but overall it was a positive experience as the kids came away with a better understanding of energy conservation and of the difficulties of canvassing door to door.
I didn't go to the Farmer's Market on Thursday so I can't really comment on how that went. Apparently, Julie had everyone there make a human pyramid in order to convince people to come over and talk to them. That turned out not to be very successful, and just left everyone sort of embarrassed. Oh well!
Today we're just business canvassing again and then we're going to do some residential canvassing later. Guesa is off today, so I'm gonna be chilling with our Team Leader Noel. I'm gonna have to be on my best behavior, I guess.
-Jon
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Week 2 in Grand Junction!
Kara, Noel and I held our first GreenBack$ consultation with Mesa Land Trust, a local business, and wow were we impressed at how enthusiastic they were about being a energy-conscious business! We walked through the level one checklist with them, and were excited to find out that they were already doing the majority of things on the checklist-from using CFL's and daylighting, managing computers and printers to shut off at night, to working remotely from home, biking to work, and recycling in their office. We conducted a brief walk through their offices and pointed out a few more simple changes they could make to complete level one of the program. At the end of our visit, we signed Mesa Land Trust up for their free business energy audit, the credit for which they had earned by completing level one of the GreenBack$ program. We even signed up one employee through the Red Door Challenge for a residential energy audit of his home. And, while we were busy meeting with the Mesa Land Trust, the rest of our team canvassed business downtown, signed a few up for the GreenBack$ program, and scheduled more consultations.
All in all, we had a great day promoting the GreenBack$ program!
-Audra
-Audra
Saturday, June 25, 2011
A GRAND Evening at the GRAND Junction Farmer's Market
The local Farmers' Market, comprised of farmers, artisans, vendors, musicians and downtown restaurants, hosted a new guest on Thursday night. Our team came out from 4-8 to represent the City of Grand Junction and other organizations/companies. Audra, Julie, Kara, Ben and myeslf were the first group from our team to experience the festivities. We set up our table complete with brochures from the Red Door Challenge, sign-ups for that program as well as for the Housing Resources of Western Colorado "income qualify only" program, the curbside recycling program, information on the Greenback$ program, information on the Governors Energy Office and 8 easy behavioral tips to help homeowners save energy and money. We also handed out coloring books for the kids, as well as seed packets for the gardeners. We quickly found out that the easiest approach to getting the attention of the passersby was to offer them a free reusable Xcel Energy bag (with a Red Door Challenger brochure inside). We would then ask them if they were interested in learning about energy efficiency in their home or business. Most people were very pleasant and interested in what we had to say. We were able to get two homeowners to sign up for the free audit/weatherization services through Housing Resources of Western Colorado. We also educated countless people on energy efficiency through handing out our brochures and just talking to folks about the energy audit process and weatherization. All-in-all, it was a very successful first Farmers' Market for the members of Earth two! Our sponsor, Kathy Portner was beyond helpful and checked up on us every now and then; she even bought our team a bag of fresh cherries from the market. Thanks Kathy!
Until next time, keep up the GREEN work Earth Two! ; )
-Meredith
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Who you gonna call? Frostbusters!
This was a great experience for the entire team to gain insight on what services we are promoting to the community. We worked together, we met some of the partners that come in to take action after the audits have been completed and we got some great pictures!
Thanks for reading!
-Julie
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Getting Things Done in Grand Junction--Earth 2 Style!
After a few hours of traveling from our Denver campus, we arrived in Grand Junction on Friday June 17th, and settled in to our new home for the next few weeks at Mesa State College. The college has allowed us to stay in apartments while working throughout Grand Junction.
Last week our team had energy trainings (in Denver) to allow us to learn a little bit about the kind of work we're going to be doing. We met with the Governor's Energy Office (GEO), Groundwork Denver/Groundwork Colorado, Recharge Colorado, as well as Xcel Energy. We listened, took down notes, role played, and actually got to go out into the community to run through an actual canvassing event.
Our fourth and final round project is all about Energy Efficiency in Grand Junction. We plan on canvassing the surrounding neighborhoods, talking with residents at farmers' markets, and introducing new energy efficiency services to business owners throughout the city. These activities are helping to promote the city of Grand Junction's Red Door Challenge program that challenges residents to save 25% or more on their home utility bills, reduce home energy use and increase the comfort, safety and durability of their home.
It may sound really expensive to do most of this, but it's basically free. You get a free compact flourescent lightbulb (CFL) for your porch (for the porch-light project we start out promoting), a free energy audit (if you meet certain qualifications), and free information about making your home more efficient as well as saving you some money on your bills. The only thing that you have to pay for is the Red Door Challenge. Its about a $450.00 offer that they're reducing to $120.00 with a $60.00 rebate.
Our team got the chance this past weekend to explore a little bit of Grand Junction. It's a beautiful view-from all different ways. Wherever you look, you see mountains and nothing but blue skies. Downtown Grand Junction has a lot of little shops and restaurants to explore. Today, we hiked a trail after work called "Devil's Kitchen" on the Colorado National Monument for our physical training (PT). I've got a lot of pictures as well, and I might just have to add some up here. We're hoping to explore the arches in Utah, maybe a bit of white water rafting, and some fireworks for the Fourth of July (and Audra's Birthday!!).
We'll all keep updating on what we're doing, how the project is going and some highlights (probably pictures) along our journey here in the Grand Junction.
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Until next time, be beautiful.
-Kara
Last week our team had energy trainings (in Denver) to allow us to learn a little bit about the kind of work we're going to be doing. We met with the Governor's Energy Office (GEO), Groundwork Denver/Groundwork Colorado, Recharge Colorado, as well as Xcel Energy. We listened, took down notes, role played, and actually got to go out into the community to run through an actual canvassing event.
Our fourth and final round project is all about Energy Efficiency in Grand Junction. We plan on canvassing the surrounding neighborhoods, talking with residents at farmers' markets, and introducing new energy efficiency services to business owners throughout the city. These activities are helping to promote the city of Grand Junction's Red Door Challenge program that challenges residents to save 25% or more on their home utility bills, reduce home energy use and increase the comfort, safety and durability of their home.
It may sound really expensive to do most of this, but it's basically free. You get a free compact flourescent lightbulb (CFL) for your porch (for the porch-light project we start out promoting), a free energy audit (if you meet certain qualifications), and free information about making your home more efficient as well as saving you some money on your bills. The only thing that you have to pay for is the Red Door Challenge. Its about a $450.00 offer that they're reducing to $120.00 with a $60.00 rebate.
Our team got the chance this past weekend to explore a little bit of Grand Junction. It's a beautiful view-from all different ways. Wherever you look, you see mountains and nothing but blue skies. Downtown Grand Junction has a lot of little shops and restaurants to explore. Today, we hiked a trail after work called "Devil's Kitchen" on the Colorado National Monument for our physical training (PT). I've got a lot of pictures as well, and I might just have to add some up here. We're hoping to explore the arches in Utah, maybe a bit of white water rafting, and some fireworks for the Fourth of July (and Audra's Birthday!!).
We'll all keep updating on what we're doing, how the project is going and some highlights (probably pictures) along our journey here in the Grand Junction.
Until next time, be beautiful.-Kara
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