Homeless Shelter Goes Green To Cut Costs

[Breeze54]

Homeless Shelter Goes Green To Cut Costs

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/environmental/18024699/detail.html

Simple Steps Can Save Big Bucks

POSTED: 12:19 pm EST November 20, 2008
UPDATED: 5:46 pm EST November 20, 2008

BOSTON -- This tough economy is hitting local homeless shelters particularly hard.

Rosies Place is seeing more women come through their doors and NewsCenter 5's David Brown reported that Channel 5 and NSTAR are helping out by giving the shelter an Extreme Makeover the green way.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/18027240/index.html">VIDEO: Homeless Shelter Goes Green To Cut Costs

At the Mount Vernon Home in Dorchester, which is run by Rosie's Place, 10 women are provided with permanent housing. They are women with severe medical issues.

The 100-year-old house is well insulated. It has newer windows and a roof, but Channel 5 and NSTAR have helped to make the home even more energy efficient. Simple steps have been employed to save the nonprofit big bucks.

"So, being able to save money on our light bill, on our gas bill, and making sure that the women that live in this house are still comfortable, is very very important. So it means a huge amount to us," Executive Director Sue Marsh said.

NSTAR dropped off new Energy Star appliances. This is expected to save up to 20 percent on their electric bill each month. Old light bulbs were taken out and compact fluorescents are in.

"On all three levels, we've changed out the light fixtures to put in compact fluorescent light fixtures and changed the bulbs out, and these bulbs will save 75 percent on their electricity bill using cfls on this level," NSTAR's Bill Stack said.

"We've added weather stripping on the exterior doors and this will prevent drafts from coming in. Whenever you feel cold air coming in warm air is going out. It's a lot more comfortable for the women living here, and it's also a lot more energy efficient," Stack added.

Volunteers also painted the rooms with a coat of fresh healthy paint. The colors are low VOC, which means they won't emit harmful toxins and are virtually odorless.

The changes come at a perfect time with the holidays looming.

NSTAR says anyone can go green at their house this holiday season. The Christmas tree at Rosie's Place, for example, is using LED lights. The lights use 90 percent less electricity than traditional Christmas lights.

I want to put lights on my balcony. Looked for lights the other day but they were all
clear bulbs. Yuck! I want the multicolored ones and preferably outdoor approved and leds!



Are you decorating for the holidays too and going green?

[SlumJack]

1. Are we decorating at the homeless shelter(s)?

Personally, although one year ago I was a General Manager at a privately held company that owns/operates two apartment properties, I've now been homeless for half a year... after having been intensely retaliated against by those wealthy partners. Why? I stopped going along with all their illegalities, improprieties and wrongs against the poorest people and the community and the public coffers. I also stepped forward to cooperate with a City Attorney staffer that was investigating them for potential six figure fines and penalties (who'd also promised me legal protections).

I shortly found out that deep pockets are VERY effective at retaliation and, once they hired some local politicos and city hall influence, they were easily able to:

1. Steal my car.
2. Get a kangaroo court judge
3. Route all the laws specifically designed to prevent them from that, with impunity
4. Complete waste my time and expense, fail to pay me earned wages, illegally and cost me a LOT
5. Force me homeless, causing me to lose most all of what I owned and disable me from fighting them further

I also discovered that all the various organizations soliciting funds to "help the homeless" not only don't help the homeless, but quite a few simply ignore attempts to contact them.

I stayed at a couple of "shelters" but soon found why most homeless avoid those.

So pardon me if I don't share your pleasure in the warming news that they are using LED Xmas lights this year.

Thanks for your interest in the welfare of "the homeless", though.

[Breeze54]

2. Dear SlumJack.... I am a supporter of 'Rosie's Place' and

I was also Homeless with two small children so I feel your pain and I must add, admire you for trying to stand up to the bastards, if I read your response correctly. Yes, some people got together and fixed up the joint for some sickly older women that need the help and LED Xmas lights weren't the gist of my OP. Helping the homeless was and 'going green' but keeping the costs down by 'going green' allows them to have more money to help more people. I don't have any problem with people donating time and money and items to help out these women or any homeless people. More needs to happen, that's for damn sure! Perhaps Barack Obama will have an open mind and heart to those in that dilemma. I think so.

You sound like a stand up guy, SlumJack. Welcome to DU! :hug: