Michael Walton, the executive director at green|spaces, said the Empower Chattanooga energy program is “about bringing people together and building stronger neighborhoods.”
On Wednesday, the program was recognized as a recipient of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award in the category of Environmental Education and Outreach. Out of the 11 award winners statewide, green|spaces and EPB were chosen from Hamilton County.
Mr. Walton spoke with The Chattanooga Civitan Club on Friday about the work of green|spaces, a nonprofit located on Main Street whose mission “is to advance the sustainability of living, working, and building in Chattanooga and the surrounding region.”
He said when talking about sustainability, green|spaces looks at the idea “of the triple bottom line,” which includes not only environmental sustainability, but also social and economic sustainability.
“If you focus on just one, … you get Chattanooga in 1969, where you have people leaving the city in droves,” he said.
green|spaces’s public outreach campaign, Empower Chattanooga, “focuses on the sustainability of living.” After looking at data showing energy use in the city of Chattanooga, the nonprofit identified neighborhoods where energy use was the highest. They layered those maps with data which located calls to 211 hotlines requesting assistance to pay utilities.
Information from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank showed that 69 percent of their clients were choosing between paying for utilities or paying for food.
“We wanted to build this program not based on our preconceptions and what we thought these neighborhoods needed,” said Mr. Walton. “We wanted to build it on listening.”
After hearing the stories of locals, green|spaces responded with activities driven by each neighborhood’s particular needs, finding low-cost and no-cost ways for people to save money and reduce their utility bills.
He said many low-income families regularly have to choose between paying utilities and paying for food. Hour-long workshops, taught by residents of the neighborhoods, provide education to such struggling families. These workshops are followed up with energy kits, which provide simple solutions to help people lower their bills.
Mr. Walton told the story of Glenda, a 76-year-old long-time resident of East Chattanooga. Though she lived in a fairly small house, she had a regular electric bill of no less than $250 per month. After her attendance at one of the Empower Chattanooga workshops and some changes at home, her next bill was $67.
Mr. Walton said Glenda “saved it forward,” using the extra money to buy food for her great-granddaughter and keep her car full of gas so that she could provide transportation to her neighbors without vehicles. Now, she is a block leader for her neighborhood and helps run similar programs.
Mr. Walton also spoke briefly about green|light, a business certification in the city of Chattanooga which helps with employee attraction and retention, stronger public image, cost savings, and environmental stewardship.
He said 90 percent of millennials desire to use their skills for good causes, and 50 percent are willing to take a pay cut to find work that matches their values.
Current green|light certified businesses include the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Flying Squirrel, 212 Market Restaurant, The Crash Pad, The Strand, River City Company, and Ruby Falls. A number of other local businesses, such as Lupi’s Pizza and the Hunter Museum of Art, are working toward certification.
Mr. Walton also discussed green|spaces’s NextGen homes. These homes produce as much energy as they consume and also “protect and promote the health of the occupants.”
Construction will begin on the first house next week, located at 631 Hamilton Ave. A three bedroom, two and a half bathroom, zero energy home, it is priced at $350,000.
Even if you don’t buy a NextGen home, however, there are still many opportunities to help.
“We’re asking everybody in Chattanooga to look for those simple ways that they can save on their own energy bills,” said Mr. Walton.
He hopes the community-at-large will follow Glenda’s example and “save it forward” by donating on the green|spaces website at http://www.greenspaceschattanooga.org/.
For as little as $8 per month, he says contributions can help Empower Chattanooga educate local people.