Grant Round:
2011 September
Grant Program:
Small Grants
Grant amount requested:
2,400.00
Grant amount awarded:
$1,500.00
Attachments
Please provide a brief description of the project for which you seek funding.
To build on what we have done in the past, our project is two-pronged. One avenue focuses on local food and the other on energy conservation. Past Rye Energy Committee local food projects have included: the Rye Farmers Market (including 3 winter markets) which continues to draw 300 shoppers a week, the Rye Eats Local newsletter which reaches 400 households, an apple tree grafting workshop taught by a UNH professor to propagate local heritage apples, and our committee's instrumental work toward establishing a town CSA. This past year the Town of Rye spent $500,000 to match a grant from the federal government to purchase one of the last remaining farms in Rye. The Rye Energy Committee help lay the foundation for the successful acquisition of this grant. The Rye Energy Committee also supported efforts for home owners and the Town of Rye to conserve energy. We hosted two panel discussions on energy conservation, created "Honor Your Home", an art/energy project that encouraged home owners to take energy saving actions, and sponsored book discussions. For several of these projects the Rye Library and the Seacoast Science Center were co-sponsors. In a previous year, the town was influenced by our committee to expend funds to hire outside firms to conduct energy audits on three of the four major municipal buildings. These completed audits put the town in a favorable position to receive three EECBG (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants) grants for a total of $377,490. The REC also helped with the energy usage data tracking required by the state for the buildings that are being upgraded through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. Rye is required to track all future energy use for the Town Buildings on EPA's Portfolio Manager. In the coming year we plan to hold an open house showcasing the energy savings realized in the town buildings as a result of the EECBG grant work, create "no idling" and recycling improvement campaigns, continue with panel and book discussions, a sustainability film series, and sponsor hands-on workshops. We will continue our support of the farmer's market, increase circulation of the Rye Eats Local newsletter, and support the establishment of a CSA on town land.
Project Summary
The Energy Committee received a grant in 2011 to conduct efforts around local food and energy conservations. The group will hold an open house showcasing the energy savings realized in the town buildings as a result of the EECBG grant work, create "no idling" and recycling improvement campaigns, continue with panel and book discussions, a sustainability film series, and sponsor hands-on workshops. We will continue our support of the farmer's market, increase circulation of the Rye Eats Local newsletter, and support the establishment of a CSA on town land.
Primary Issue Area:
Living Economies
Please break-down/categorize the program expenses:
| Proposed Item | Estimated $ Amount | Would grant funds be used for this item? | Type Of Expense |
|---|
| Rye Eats Local newsletter service
| $253.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
| Domain for Rye Turning Green (yearly website fee)
| $95.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
| Farmer's Market marketing support such as include newspaper ads and flyers
| $300.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
| CSA support such as seeds, tools,equipment, outreach ( website design, workshops)
| $1,000.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
| Programs honorarium, mileage, advertisement, refreshment
| $300.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
| NESEA (Northeast Sustainable Energy Association), one day, one Rye Energy Member
| $255.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
| "no idling" campaign signs $30x 10 town locations
| $300.00
| Yes
| Materials
|
Whom does your group need to make this project happen?
Please explain how your group will engage members from your community in this project.
If your group receives a NEGEF Grow grant, how do you plan to pay for remaining expenses?
| $ Amount | Source |
|---|
| $100.00
| sale Rye Eats Local/Rye Energy tote bags
|
| $2,400.00
| New England Grass Roots Grant
|
Please list these materials or services
| $ Amount | Item |
|---|
| $20,000.00
| Rye Energy Members volunteer work 1000 hours
|
| $10,000.00
| Rye Farmer's Market volunteers 500 hours
|
| $6,000.00
| CSA volunteers 300 hours
|
| $800.00
| no idling volunteer 40 hours
|
| $200.00
| program refreshments
|
| $2,000.00
| recycling volunteers 100 hours
|
Please describe what changes will occur in your community and its environment when your group's project is successful.
We hope to continue to inspire the citizens of Rye to eat more local foods, save more energy, and to live more sustainable lives. We expect that the air will be cleaner in our beautiful town through less idling and that more trash will be recycled at area homes, businesses, and beaches. We also hope to motivate our residents to take actions to green their lifestyles. These efforts can also save money for the residents through lower household energy costs, less wasted gasoline, and lower taxes due to more efficient municipal buildings and decreased trash tipping fees. The Town CSA at the Goss Farm will serve as a community gathering place and be a visible example of Rye's agrarian roots.
Please list how many people in your community your group expects to actively engage in this project.
What relevant skills does the group need (but does not currently have access to) to help move the initiative forward?
The group needs to learn more about what other local energy committees have done to successfully inspire their residents and their town officials to make changes to save energy. The group would also like to keep informed about the most up-to-date ways to construct and renovate buildings to be more energy-efficient. Specific skills that would be useful for our group are: how to use an infra-red camera for home energy audits and marketing strategies to enlist support of citizens and elected officials,
What relevant skills do current members of the group have to help move the initiative forward?
Our committee is comprised of a mechanical engineer who works in the field of industrial energy-efficiency whose spouse works for an energy auditing firm, a chemical engineer who built her own very efficient house, a hydrologist with her own consulting business, retired school counselor with excellent communication skills, a master gardener and member of Rye Bakers Co-op, and a very enthusiastic poet.
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