CA-CP has spent more than a decade developing innovative and pragmatic programs to help communities throughout the Northeast reduce their contributions to climate change while at the same time saving citizens money. We place a high priority on listening to our partner communities and addressing the specific barriers to climate action that they identify – building their expertise and local capacity, creating public engagement, providing practical tools and resources, and highlighting success stories to their peers.
In 2011 and 2012, we will step-up our work to engage, support and collaborate with community stakeholders at the sharp edge of local climate and energy decision-making – including town and county officials, businesses, planners, community organizations and colleges – to empower them to lay the foundation for innovative, local long-term climate solutions.
NH Local Energy Committees
Since 2006 roughly 100 energy committees have formed across NH with the goal of addressing local energy and climate change issues. Clean Air-Cool Planet was one of the founding members of the ad hoc NH Local Energy Committee Working Group, with the mission to “to provide collaborative guidance and technical support to New Hampshire Local Energy Committees seeking to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions within their communities.”
Carbon Coalition
In 2003 Clean Air-Cool Planet was a founding partner in a non-partisan coalition of NH citizens, scientists, businesses, students, communities and organizations advocating for a national energy policy that protects our communities and environment from the ravages of global warming caused by carbon pollution. This lead to the adoption of a NH Climate Climate Change Resolution in 165 towns across the state of NH and ultimately the formation of about 100 formal and informal energy or sustainability committees.
Maine Local Energy Working Group/EmPowerMe
EmPowerMe, a coalition of groups and individuals from the private, public, and non-profit sectors, is overseeing this initiative, which is staffed by the Greater Portland Council of Governments, with assistance from Clean Air - Cool Planet.
The Greater Portland Region (similar in population and geography to Cumberland County) spent $1.25 billion on energy in 2007, of which an estimated $900 million left the state’s economy. This represents a total energy cost of about $12,000 per household in 2007. These high energy expenditures mean that improvements in building and transportation energy efficiency could lead to major costs savings. Reducing local energy use by 30% would save $375 million per year in the region’s economy, equivalent to $1,500 per person, or $3,600 per household per year.
“Through strategic planning and public engagement, I am confident that we can reduce regional energy consumption and its associated costs,” said Barbara DiBiase, Chair of the EmPowerMe Energy Working Group.
GPCOG has begun to build the pieces of a Comprehensive Regional Energy plan: GPCOG is working with SPO on a Regional Comprehensive Plan; Clean Air-Cool Planet is supporting a broad-brush regional energy and greenhouse gas inventory; and finally, GPCOG has begun conducting individual municipal energy inventories and climate action plans, funding two pilot inventories through its endowment. GPCOG will continue to assist municipalities with energy inventories and climate action plans as outside funding becomes available.
Over a period of about three years, the regional energy planning project, which includes both regional and municipal inventories, climate action plans and a regional energy plan, will result in more educated and engaged communities, the formation of new partnerships, and increased local investments in emissions-reducing projects, with a goal of decreasing region-wide greenhouse gas emissions by at least 10%.
Clean Air Cool Planet is assisting the EmPowerMe Working Group in a novel outreach strategy to ensure public involvement in its efforts to make the region more competitive and sustainable. This strategy was developed by CA-CP through the NH Cool Monadnock project (link to CM). Power Hours are gatherings of 5-15 people to discuss ideas, prioritize actions, and identify barriers to reducing energy use, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions in Cumberland County. Power Hours will take place all across the region in a wide variety of settings to capture a broad cross-section of our community.
Power Hours are designed to “go viral” – anyone can participate and anyone can host a Power Hour. “It is our hope that this public involvement process will create the networks and generate the dialog to turn a plan into action,” said Christa Daniels, Manager of the State and Local Government Program at Clean Air-Cool Planet. “That was our experience when we assisted with a similar effort in New Hampshire.”
COOL MONADNOCK
COOL MONADNOCK is a three-year joint initiative between Clean Air-Cool Planet and Antioch New England Institute. The goal of COOL MONADNOCK is to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in the Monadnock Region.
This is a collaborative community mobilization effort that will serve the towns of the Monadnock Region that are members of the Southwest Region Planning Commission. The majority of the towns in this region passed resolutions last year at Town Meeting to take action on greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and to form local energy task forces.
This project was made possible through funding by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
NH Municipal Energy Assistance Program
The NH Municipal Energy Assistance Program was a one year project in 2010 to provide a guided (and staffed) step-by-step process to help up to 48 New Hampshire communities become project-ready. This effort set the ground work for future technical assistance through Regional Planning Commissions, and other agencies and programs, and for gaining access to funding through state and federal programs for implementation of projects. The New Hampshire Municipal Energy Assistance Program was made possible through the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions Fund. View our inventory recommendations, building and planning audits here.
My Energy Plan
My Energy Plan is a suite of web and outreach tools to 1) help New England residents identify and address their household energy consumption and 2) provide local organizers with the resources critical to leading local residential outreach initiatives. targeting energy and climate action. This program is a collaborative effort of several organizations dedicated to advancing energy efficiency and sustainable energy options at the household and community level in New Hampshire and throughout the Northeast. The New England Carbon Challenge (a joint initiative of the University of New Hampshire and Clean Air Cool Planet) leads this collaborative effort which also includes the NH Sustainable Energy Association and the University of NH Cooperative Extension.
Button Up NH
Button up NH is a highly successful home weatherization workshop pioneered by partners in Vermont that was shared with Clean Air-Cool Planet and the New England Carbon Challenge to be launched in New Hampshire in the Fall of 2009. Trained and resourced Button Up NH presenters - experienced home energy auditors – conducted of 60 free home weatherization workshops across the state in the Fall/Winter of 2009 & 2010. Each workshop was coordinated by local organizers, usually Local Energy Committee members and overseen by Clean Air-Cool Planet.
The New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup
NHCAW is a collaboration of 16 organizations working to help communities in New Hampshire's coastal watershed prepare for dealing with the effects of unusual and extreme weather events and other effects of long term climate change. NHCAW provides communities with education, facilitation and technical guidance.
