At Issue & In Focus

2-1-1

Contributed by Meghan Keaney, Communications Director, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

Do you know someone who may need help with their utilities or other basic needs this winter? Tell them to dial 2-1-1 from any home or cell phone. 

The United Way has been seeing more and more residents who have been caught off-guard by the unstable economy – individuals who have jobs but still can’t make ends meet under a sharply rising cost of living. Last year, in an effort to ensure that individuals and families in unexpected financial crisis have somewhere to turn for help, United Ways across the state came together to launch the Community Support Fund, which provides direct emergency assistance for basic needs.

Mass211 is a free and confidential help line to connect people to health and human services. Individuals who need cash assistance for heat, food or other basic needs can access our Community Support Fund by dialing 2-1-1.  Data for 2009 reveals that Mass211 received over 46,000 calls with the majority coming from Boston, Brockton, Lynn, Springfield and Worcester. The overwhelming majority of calls were regarding assistance with basic needs such as rent, utilities, and food. The United Way would also like to encourage people to use 2-1-1 as a resource during tax time, to help residents find free tax filing sites and determine eligibility for EITC.  Notably, people can also use 2-1-1 to find organizations accepting donations for the Haiti Earthquake Recovery effort.

It was one year ago today…

One year ago today, the Attorney General’s Office entered the blogosphere with the AGO Energy Blog. The original blog was formed as a follow up to four regional AGO sponsored energy forums, when the cost of gas and home heating oil was over the $4/gallon mark in some parts of Massachusetts and there were estimates that crude oil prices could reach up to $150 a barrel. 

The (then) Energy Blog offered an opportunity for communication and problem-solving across Massachusetts, and featured tips to conserve energy, announcements of home heating oil assistance programs, and the like. Over the course of that first year, oil prices steadily decreased and according to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. households will pay 8% less in heating-fuel costs this winter and energy consumption is expected to decline by an average of 2% (Keeping Warm Looks Cheaper This Winter, October 7, 2009). 

In March, 2009, the AGO blog was renamed “At Issue and In Focus” to better reflect an expanding vision of the topics and issues which the blog would feature. Since that time, we have included information for consumer protection, the environment, cyber safety, and, of course, energy.

We continue to be grateful for the contributions of our readers, in the form of questions, comments and blog posts.  If there is anything you would like to see on At Issue and In Focus during the course of the next year, send your suggests and comments to agoblog@state.ma.us and, please, keep reading!

Energy Efficiency and Safety

Consumers on the lookout for energy efficient home options have been encouraged to use – and are probably already using – compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs).  CFLs use 75% less energy and can last up to 10 times longer.  Some energy companies even offer rebates for the bulk purchase of energy saving lights.

Take Charge Update

Organized by the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition (nbCC), Take Charge North Adams (Take Charge) is a long-term, student led, citizen-involved project to reduce energy use in the Northern Berkshire region. So far, the initiative has signed up 519 households to take a reduced energy pledge and receive a compact fluorescent light bulb and a bi-monthly newsletter about energy conservation. The 5-step pledge can be found at the website of Take Charge North Adams.

Question of the Week: A Home for Winter

Most people who fall in the middle to lower class category have a carbon footprint (total amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused directly by an individual), much lower than a celebrity jet setter or a rock star who tours the world. Like Alex Cheimets, an Arlington man who owns an old drafty two-family house, most of our carbon footprints can be traced back to the energy we use in our own homes. So if you are interested in reducing your carbon footprint, you can start by conducting an energy audit at your house. 

Did You Know...

Landlords are required by law to provide adequate heating for their tenants. 

According to the Massachusetts State Sanitary Code (105 CMR 410), a “landlord must provide a heating system in good working order. The landlord must pay for the heat, unless your lease requires you to pay for it.

Question of the Week: Banana Peels, They're Not Just for Slipping On?

Finding creative ways to cut back on expenses is all the rage in these tough economic times. Adding a green component to your budget busting efforts and you will surely be in line with all the latest trend setting environmentalists. So what to do if you have already taken steps to bag your groceries each week with reusable bags, drink your commuting coffee in a reusable mug, and started taking the T instead of driving to work?

Attorney General testifies at Fitchburg Public Hearing

The power may be back on for Unitil customers in Massachusetts, but tensions remain high among the thousands of people who were without power for weeks in the days following the Dec. 12 ice storm that ravaged the central part of the state. This sentiment was on full display at a Department of Public Utilities (DPU) public hearing on Tuesday, January 27.

Energy Bucks Presents: 10 Ways to Improve Your Energy Efficiency

Submitted by Haley Ayraud, Account Coordinator, Energy Bucks Initative

• Maintaining an efficient heating system is an important step to conserving energy. Have your heating system serviced at least once every two years.

• For every one degree Fahrenheit you set your thermostat back, you can save 1-3% on your annual heating costs.

Green Gala-vanting

No one ever said energy conservation and education couldn’t be fun!  Tomorrow night Sustainable Braintree will be hosting a Green Gala, “an evening to benefit our environment,” to support Sustainable Braintree towards their goals to help local residents, businesses, and government conserve energy, promote clean and renewable energy, and protect the environment.