I’ve been writing about my internship at CRR for a while now, and it’s really been a tremendous experience thus far. Just this morning, though, I got the big news–we got the go-ahead to move forward with the Polish Hill project!

As I mentioned earlier on, this project was different than other projects CRR has pursued in the past. Not only was this project meant to implement neighborhood-wide improvements, but it also was designed to galvanize the community. A lot of the work I’ve been doing has been in that area–canvassing, meeting with neighbors, and trying to build support–and apparently it’s actually worked! I was looking over the final details of the plan, and it’s pretty ambitious:

  • Conduct a neighborhood wide energy audit on buildings to identify structures which need better insulation or can benefit from other energy saving improvements, and then implement those improvements.
  • Install locally manufactured solar panels on the sides of buildings and roofs that receive the most light (approximately 40 structures).
  • Work with 10-20 home-owners and businesses to install water-reclamation systems
  • Secure a parcel of land to be used as a community compost collection and distribution center, (which may also be turned into a biogas collector down the line)
  • windprop.jpgAssess the possibility of also building a medium-scale wind generator on that piece of land.
  • Partner with a local biodiesel manufacturer to collect used frying oil from local businesses and homes and use it to create biodiesel, which will then be sold back to the neighborhood at a discount
  • Provide general consultation to home and business owners on how to improve the energy-efficiency of their buildings.

The project is getting paid for by a number of sources, including the Polish Hill Neighborhood Association, city, state, and federal grants, and also from the home and business owners themselves. After-all, these improvements will save them money in the long run!

But more importantly, this is a huge project that neighbors are doing with and for each other. It never ceases to amaze me how tremendous and seemingly impossible things can get done when people come together and decide to make it happen.