Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana
Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana
Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana
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10. Educate and motivate citizens to change habits.<br />
As Pat Murphy points out, “Changing habits is as important as changing infrastructure.” 218<br />
In addition to making citizens aware <strong>of</strong> energy‐techniques, such as those outlined in the<br />
Opportunities for Citizen Action section <strong>of</strong> this <strong>Report</strong>, below are several strategies that may<br />
be useful in helping people understand the need to make changes and learn how to make<br />
them.<br />
• Launch an “Efficiency Pioneers” Program<br />
The <strong>City</strong> should create an Efficiency Pioneers program. Participants in the<br />
program would undergo a home energy audit subsidized by the <strong>City</strong> in order<br />
to discover best ways to drastically reduce utility use. Participating<br />
households would hold regular open‐house or neighborhood events<br />
showcasing their efforts. All efficiency modifications should be well<br />
documented and publicized. Part <strong>of</strong> the cost <strong>of</strong> the program might be<br />
underwritten by area businesses (home assessors, lumber yards, building<br />
suppliers, architects, and contractors).<br />
• The <strong>City</strong> should sponsor an energy conservation competition.<br />
218 Murphy, 162‐3.<br />
Community stakeholders such as <strong>Indiana</strong> University and the Southern<br />
<strong>Indiana</strong> Renewable Energy Network (SIREN) have conducted or initiated<br />
energy conservation competitions with great success. 219 The <strong>City</strong> should<br />
expand this effort by sponsoring an energy conservation competition for the<br />
citizens <strong>of</strong> <strong>Bloomington</strong>. The goals <strong>of</strong> the competition would be to<br />
demonstrate how easy it is to reduce consumption and to create permanent<br />
community habits.<br />
Throughout the competition, the <strong>City</strong> should publicize the effort widely. The<br />
<strong>City</strong> could partner with efficiency experts to sponsor efficiency workshops<br />
and webinars. Newspaper feature stories, film festivals and an energy<br />
efficiency display in the atrium <strong>of</strong> <strong>City</strong> Hall could be part <strong>of</strong> the outreach<br />
effort.<br />
Winners could be awarded a solar panel or some other component <strong>of</strong> a<br />
renewable energy system, reinforcing the concept that renewable energy<br />
makes sense only after reducing energy use as much as possible.<br />
219 IU’s effort is known as a yearly “Energy Challenge” while SIREN’s effort is known as an “Energy<br />
Showdown.”<br />
<strong>Report</strong> <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Bloomington</strong> <strong>Peak</strong> <strong>Oil</strong> <strong>Task</strong> <strong>Force</strong> 170