On Sunday, 12 student volunteers celebrated “10/10/10,” the climate work party that took place across the globe, by going door-to-door in Middletown neighborhoods to provide information about subsidized weatherization programs available to Connecticut residents. The event, held on Oct. 10, 2010 (hence the title 10/10/10), was hosted by 350.org, an international campaign dedicated to raising awareness and creating solutions for the climate crisis.
According to 350.org, the 10/10/10 campaign became one of the biggest days of environmental action in history, with over 7,000 events occurring across 188 countries to address the issue of climate change. Groups around the world planted trees, installed solar panels and stoves, and repaired bicycles, among many other projects. In comparison, the last 350.org event on Oct. 24, 2010 only had 5,000 events.
“It was a historic day,” said 10/10/10 participant Dan Fischer ’12. “It was called the most widespread day of civic engagement ever and it was important that Wesleyan students were involved. Events happened in every country in the world except for four.”
Wesleyan’s 10/10/10 project was coordinated by Matthew Lichtash ’13 and Evan Weber ’13 through the Wesleyan chapter of Connecticut Students for a Just and Stable Future partnered with The Jonah Center for Earth and Art, a local non-profit organization that works to preserve ecologically significant areas in Middletown. On Sunday, Wesleyan students knocked on an estimated 350 doors of Middletown residents to encourage them to participate in home energy efficiency improvement programs offered by The Jonah Center.
“We thought it would be a great program to try to promote in Middletown and would be a good way to spend 10/10/10,” Weber said.
The two programs, Home Energy Solutions (HES) and Weatherization Residential Assistance Partnership (WRAP), bring in private contractors to help improve efficiency in Middletown homes. The contractors are hired by the state of Connecticut, which collaborates with The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, The North End Action Team, Connecticut Light and Power, The New England Conservation Services, and The Jonah Center.
Technicians will check insulation, wrap pipes, check and seal leaks in doors, windows, and ducts, inspect efficiency of appliances, and install energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs. These services will save homeowners about $250 annually and improve air quality in Middletown.
Although the services can usually cost between $500 and $1600, homeowners are only required to pay a $75 fee to participate in HES. If residents’ income is below a specified amount, they may qualify to participate in WRAP, which is a free program.
“I was overjoyed with the few people who showed up [to campaign],” Weber said. “It is very difficult to motivate people to do things outside of themselves. Those who participated commented how nice it was to actually get up and out into the community to help people live better lives and take concrete action towards preserving the state of the planet for future generations.”
Of the hundreds of homes the volunteers stopped by, they only gave out forms to about 50—mostly because many people didn’t answer the door. According to Fischer, most people they spoke to were open to the idea.
“People were very friendly and definitely receptive,” Fischer said. “We were frankly offering them a pretty good deal. They were happy to know that we were volunteers and out for a good cause and that they would save on their electricity bill as a result.”
Some residents, however, were less receptive than others.
“One woman actually said that she didn’t want to change the status quo, which is weird,” Lichtash said. “But the majority of people were nice and took the forms.”
Another woman who opened the door called the Middletown Police after threatening two volunteers, alleging that they needed a permit to solicit and knock on doors. When a police officer rolled through the neighborhood 10 minutes later, the students only had to show their identification before they were allowed to continue down the block.
Not deterred by these few surprising encounters, the students hope to continue the campaign by working to weatherize University professors’ houses. The University has pledged to pay the $75 fee for each professor, so the group is working on getting more professors involved in the program. The group also has plans to expand beyond Middletown.
“We’re going to continue outreach on weatherization in addition to working on shutting down the Bridgeport Coal Plant,” Fischer said.
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