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Cambridge volunteers cut 132,000 pounds of carbon in just one day!

Sunday- Community members traveled door to door in the Riverside neighborhood of Cambridge distributing free energy efficient compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and efficiency resources to hundreds of homes. This community event, organized by the Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA) and the Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET), was held in order to help residents lower their home energy consumption and cut carbon emissions in Cambridge. Jason Taylor, a HEET Team leader, enthusiastically remarked, "Changing light bulbs will put money in your pocket. And it helps the Earth." The Riverside light bulb exchange is part of a broader effort by HEET to help Cambridge residents lower their carbon footprint by implementing efficiency measures in homes with support from volunteers. Twenty-four volunteers met traveled on foot door-to-door in the Riverside neighborhood, exchanging CFL bulbs for incandescent bulbs. The CFL bulbs were generously donated by TCP, Inc., and Metro Pedal Power provided the carbon-free delivery for the CFLs to the Cambridge Community Center—making it a carbon free event. Four hundred and forty-two CFL bulbs were exchanged today, saving 132,000 pounds of CO2 emissions from being emitted per year. If a resident were to exchange 20 light bulbs in their home it would save approximately $1200 dollars over the life span of the bulbs. The exchange will help Riverside residents decrease their energy consumption, combat climate change, and also save money on their energy bills. After the canvass, a community party was held at the Cambridge Community Center to celebrate the volunteers’ outreach efforts. Lilah Glick, Community Outreach Manager for the Cambridge Energy Alliance considers the event to be a great success and shared, “this demonstrates how a small group of committed individuals can make a real difference in their community and lead the way for a more sustainable, healthy future”. The Riverside light bulb exchange is a continuation of CEA’s summer canvass program, connecting Cambridge residents to efficiency programs and services to help them save money and save the planet. Ms. Glick views changing out light bulbs as a great first step toward reducing energy use and recommends Cambridge residents get connected to CEA’s energy audit programs and services to help identify deeper savings opportunities that create more sustainable, healthier, and comfortable homes.”

CEA and NSTAR Announce Unprecedented Commercial Outreach Effort

The Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA) and NSTAR launched a commercial outreach effort today in the Cambridge small business community to promote energy efficiency measures and accompanied incentives. Over the course of the next three weeks, CEA is partnering with Northeastern University’s Summer Discovery program to visit small businesses establishments throughout Cambridge. Volunteers from the Northeastern University’s Summer Discovery and the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment programs will be key participants in making this canvass a success. Volunteers will visit over 1,000 businesses in the Cambridge community, and will in turn receive valuable, hands-on community outreach and energy efficiency experience that will aid them in future endeavors. The Cambridge commercial canvass helps businesses save money on their utility bills through energy efficiency improvements, by connecting businesses to NSTAR’s Direct Install, Small Business Program. "Our Direct Install Program for Small Businesses helped save 30 million kilowatt hours of electricity in 2009 alone," said Penni Conner, NSTAR Vice President of Customer Care. "This initiative provides free energy assessments and incentives for qualifying businesses, including discounts of up to 70% on certain efficiency measures. We believe energy efficiency is one of the best ways to reduce energy use resulting in lower customer energy bills -- a true win-win situation." In addition to helping businesses become more energy efficient, business owners can also become eligible for participation in the Energy Business Leader program. “This summer’s Commercial Canvass will be a great opportunity for local businesses to reduce their costs and help the city reduce its carbon footprint” said Lilah Glick, Director of Community Outreach at CEA. “Energy Efficiency not only makes good business sense, but the Energy Business Leader Program provides an opportunity for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to doing their part to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.” The targets for this canvass are Cambridge’s main commercial squares including: Harvard, Central, Porter, Inman, Kendall, East Cambridge, and Huron Village. This canvass, organized by CEA, is a collaboration of many institutions. CEA is working closely with NSTAR,the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, and participating Business Associations. Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce shared that, “We are excited about this important initiative and are eager to see the results from businesses taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints. Energy Efficiency improvements are an excellent way for businesses to improve their bottom-line during these tough economic times.” Other benefits to this program include using less energy, saving money, catching up on neglected maintenance, and even improving the comfort and productivity of staff and customers. Working with the CEA means that businesses will have easy access to rebates and incentives, access to financing options, and free guidance through the energy assessment process. The Cambridge Energy Alliance is also connecting businesses to other valuable resources in the community including the city’s Façade Improvement and Better Retail Practices programs, Sustainable Business Leader Program, and New Generation Energy.

CEA and NSTAR begin small business canvass

This summer (July 6-22) CEA and NSTAR will be reaching out to Cambridge’s small business community to promote energy efficiency measures and accompanied incentives. The Cambridge commercial canvass is made possible through a partnership with Northeastern University’s Summer Discovery program which is supplying six volunteers for the duration of the small commercial campaign. After several days of training, volunteers will visit Cambridge’s small businesses establishments, and alert businesses of money-saving opportunities in their buildings. Businesses that implement qualified energy efficiency improvements will be eligible to receive a window sticker certifying them as a Green Business Leader. Benefits incurred from energy efficiency improvements include: using less energy, saving money, catching up on deferred maintenance, and improving comfort and productivity of staff and customers. The Cambridge Energy Alliance (CEA) is a community-based nonprofit organization sponsored by the City of Cambridge that helps residents and business owners invest in making their homes and buildings work smarter and more efficiently-saving energy, water and money. CEA aims to tackle building inefficiencies because 80% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Cambridge are from buildings, and over 60% of those emissions come from the commercial sector. In order to reduce Cambridge energy use CEA helps residents, businesses, and institutions of all sizes make their buildings work smarter and better by presenting them with tips, incentives, and rebates to help them save energy, water, and money. The incentives CEA presents are offered through NSTAR, Cambridge’s local environmentally-forward utility company.

Site updated: May 1, 2024 Page updated: October 1, 2012

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