Community ConnectionsThe Suzanne referred to here is Suzanne Burnham, Workforce Coordinator with Finger Lakes ReUse. This connection is by design: the Energy Warriors program connects its students with local employers and nonprofits that assist with finding employment. Staff from other local organizations like OAR, Historic Ithaca, and TST BOCES also attended and spoke at the event. The program is also closely connected to BlocPower, the City of Ithaca’s electrification partner, through a separate program that offers trainees hands-on experience. In the recently launched Cozy Basements! program, two recent graduates from the Energy Warriors program have been joined by two graduates of a previous cohort to perform weatherization work in residents’ homes. Trainees learn how to assess homes for areas that could be improved in terms of energy use and then focus on insulating and air-sealing the rim joists, commonly uninsulated areas that allow significant amounts of cold air to leak in in the winter. The program provides paid, hands-on experience for trainees, led by experienced BlocPower supervisors. All the materials are paid for, so participating homeowners get free upgrades along with valuable information about their homes’ performance. Preference is given to lower- and middle-income homeowners. (If you’re interested in participating as a host home, sign up using this form.) “We got to jump in there and learn this—the weatherization with BlocPower,” said Keegan Coughlin, who graduated from the Energy Warriors program last year and is working on the Cozy Basements! program. “So now I’m taking everything that I learned before, putting it into use. Now we’re working like a team, like a well-oiled machine.” |