By Vanita Mistry
As part of the President’s National Day of Service I participated in a Green the Block event, hosted by Bridges Training Communities and Awakenings Movement, in Detroit’s Southeastern Village. Green the Block is a national event organized by the Hip Hop Caucus and Green for All to engage low income communities of color in the clean energy movement. The focus of the Detroit event was bringing the community together, educating the community about energy efficiency, and informing the community of weatherization resources available to them.
We started the day by going door-to-door in the neighborhood informing people about the Green-the Block event and leaving them with literature about energy auditing and home weatherization resources available to their community at little to no cost. The afternoon was spent grilling and socializing with members of the community, planting tire gardens, and providing the community with Energy Star certified CFL’s.
The evening ended with a panel discussion with representatives from NWF, Sierra Club, Repower America, local energy efficiency and sustainability experts and others. This was an opportunity for the community to be part of a conversation about energy efficiency and renewable energy and how Detroit’s residents will be positively affected
The event was a huge success and we look forward to working together as a community in the future.
