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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

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