Transcript:
Weatherizing your home, installing rooftop solar panels, or switching to an electric heat pump can cut both your energy bills and your carbon pollution.
But getting started can feel overwhelming.
Arteaga: “Especially when you’re talking about, for example, making an upgrade in your home – how do you do that? How do you find the most efficient appliance? How do you apply for, like, rebates? Or how do you finance that project?”
Melody Arteaga, a community organizer in Minneapolis, says getting information can be especially hard if you do not speak English.
So she helped bring together a group of bilingual Latine community members. And together they got trained and certified as community energy ambassadors through the Clean Energy Resource Teams initiative.
They learned about energy efficiency, solar power, heat pumps, and electric vehicles – as well as rebates, incentives, and financing options.
Arteaga says the group of trainees included a real estate agent, a contractor, and an educator.
Arteaga: “Everyday folks who are not necessarily working in the energy field or in the environmental field …”
… but who are trusted members of the community, who people turn to for advice and information. So they can help more Latine residents learn how to reduce their utility bills and cut carbon pollution.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media/ Thanks to the Midwest Climate Resilience Conference for logistical support.
