Free air sealing for basements or attics is one of the benefits of participating in Commonwealth Challenge’s campaign to retrofit homes and address poverty and climate change throughout Massachusetts.
Announced last week at the State House, the campaign runs until Earth Day on April 22 and has a goal for participants to cut their electrical usage by 5 percent.
“This campaign is about connecting issues of pollution and poverty before this 40th Earth Day,” said Josh Lynch, a Commonwealth Challenge coordinator.
In addition to the current climate crisis, Lynch went on, “We also have an economic crisis in this country that affects people in low-income communities and communities of color first and worst. The climate crisis and economic crises are connected. People that live in pollution also often live in poverty.”
Commonwealth Challenge has partnered with over 20 organizations across the state to provide discounted and free home insulation services to all campaign participants. The retrofit program, which is available to residents of all income levels — regardless of whether they rent or own property — kicked off on March 1.
One of the partners is Next Step Living, a leading home energy efficiency company. They will manage the process of providing residents with free energy assessments and free air sealing for their attics and basements.
These services are offered as part of NStar and National Grid’s utility programs and also include access to over $2,000 in rebates for insulation work and a seven-year term, zero-interest loan of $15,000 to complete more extensive home retrofitting work.
MassSAVE will verify all home recommendations and ensure participants will receive eligible rebates.
Gabe Shapiro, director of community programs for Next Step Living, said that, in addition to the residential improvements, they plan to create jobs within the communities they serve.
He explained that part of the commitment to Commonwealth Challenge is participating in the Green Collar Hiring Pledge.
“That entails making sure that we are not only creating jobs and retrofitting homes but creating sustainable career paths for people in this field,” he said. “It also means opening [the jobs] up to the folks from within the communities that we are serving.”
Lynch was equally emphatic about the goals of the Commonwealth Challenge. “By retrofitting our homes for good jobs and climate security,” Lynch said, “citizens are challenging the state legislature to follow their lead.”
To find out more information about Commonwealth Challenge and to participate in the campaign, visit www.CommonwealthChallenge.org. To find out how to receive a free home assessment, call Next Step Living at (866) 867-8729 or visit www.nextsteplivinginc.com.
