Shortly after 11am on Saturday morning, six high school students headed toward a group already forming in front of the table WeatherizeDC had set up in Rock Creek Park.  Despite the occasional gust of wind, the sun was shining and it was really a pretty ideal day to spend outdoors.  After some informal mingling, chatting, and bagel munching, Winston gathered a group of about 15 Sidwell students and a few community leaders to give us some training before we hit the streets as the first round of weatherization canvassers.

We were split up into groups of two, and each pair was given a packet that contained a map of our target area, script, fliers about upcoming events, and information about weatherization.  Winston gave a dynamic rundown of the tools, and spelling out our mission:

1. Help every resident save money by elminitating wasted energy.
2. Create local green jobs.
3. Bridge Communities to build a Model Green City.

Another of our goals for the day was to encourage people to attend the big Earth Day Climate Rally on April 25th. Jessica, from the Earth Day Network, talked to us about the importance of this year’s event, urging us to help make Earth Day a “turning point in the environmental movement,” and to use the rally to “tell Congress that it’s time to pass a comprehensive climate bill.”

The whole experience left me feeling pretty jazzed up, and I set off toward Cleveland Avenue with my canvassing partner, Jenny.

At the first house we went to, we were greeted by Cheryl, an enthusiastic homeowner, and her equally exuberant golden retriever, Chloe. Cheryl had already been thinking about ways to improve the energy efficiency of her home. She mentioned that she was considering replacing her windows, but was concerned about how expensive it would be.

Jenny was quick to point out that, although getting new windows can certainly improve the energy efficiency of a home, there are many less expensive alternatives that can create a larger impact on energy efficiency relative to the size of the monetary investment. Cheryl’s interest was sparked, and she gave us her information so that someone from the WeatherizeDC team could contact her about weatherization options.

How cool is that?

We were off to a great start, and I was feeling really good about the impact we were making already.  Even if Cheryl was the only person that we connected with that day, weatherizing one home is the equivalent of taking three cars off the road!

Saturday was my first time canvassing for WeatherizeDC, and since Jenny has volunteered with them in the past, she did most of the talking at the first few houses.  As the morning progressed, though, I found myself enjoying talking to homeowners.

At one house, we opened the door to quite a festive scene.  Balloons, cake, and lots of young children clearly indicated that there was a birthday party going on.  Not wanting to distract too much from the celebration, Jenny and I gave a brief overview of what we were up to, and I handed the man at the door a flier.  He took in the information, and then politely asked for a few more fliers to pass around to his friends and neighbors at the party.

To me, that house with the birthday party really served as an indication of just how far reaching a day of canvassing can be. Getting a few people excited about weatherization means that they will tell their friends, who will reach out in turn, impacting communities and getting us one step closer to creating a model green city.

Earth Week has just begun so stay tuned. Have you checked out the Direct Impact Fundraiser details? This Thursday, April 22nd (Earth Day). Check it out: http://www.weatherizedc.org/fundraiser