Page 22 - BusinessWest April 28, 2021

Making Change
Small Actions in Energy Conservation Produce Big Impact
By Mark Morris
One modest act can inspire others — and when that happens, the entire commu- nity benefits.
That’s the premise behind the Cooler Com- munities effort led by Uli Nagel, project director for Ener-G-Save, a program run by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation.
“Whether a person replaces standard light bulbs with LEDs or decides to buy an electric car, we encourage every action that saves energy.”
Cooler Communities (the word ‘Cooler’ refers to reducing global warming) encourages school systems in Western Mass. to take on class proj- ects relating to energy and energy efficiency. These projects are then displayed at a public exhibition in the community, where all attendees are asked to pledge one action they will take to conserve energy.
“Whether a person replaces standard light bulbs with LEDs or decides to buy an elec- tric car, we encourage every action that saves energy,” Nagel said. Staff from Ener-G-Save keep a running total on pledged actions to mea- sure their impact on the community.
For example, in 2019, Agawam schools held
a Cooler Communi-
ties event in which 115 people took an energy- conservation pledge. Ener-G-Save estimated that follow-through by those Agawam residents would result in $87,600 in energy savings and 605 tons of carbon emissions eliminated from the air every year.
Students gather at a booth during the 2019 Sustainathon, the last time it was held in person.
“Put another way, the energy-saving impact would be similar to removing 86 cars from Aga- wam roads every year,” Nagel said, demonstrat-
ing the impact from just one town.
The Cooler Communities efforts have contin-
ued this spring in the Berkshires and Agawam. This is the first year Springfield is taking part, as
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