BAPA and Beverly/Morgan Park resident Thomas Dowling are partnering with Peoples Gas and ComEd to offer a workshop on reducing your energy bill and environmental impact Wed., Jan. 9, 7 p.m., BAPA Community Room, 11109 S. Longwood Dr.
Workshop presenter Amy Bobel, Peoples Gas and ComEd Outreach coordinator, will discuss opportunities for ComEd customers to reduce energy usage with a no-cost energy assessment that includes free and discounted products for their homes.
Dowling, University of Oxford Department of Social Policy and Intervention, will provide information on federal, state, municipal and nonprofit funding programs neighborhood residents.
The workshop is free and open to Beverly/Morgan Park residents. Seating is limited. Reservations are required at Eventbrite using the lnk http://bit.ly/EnergyBAPA or call 773-233-3100.
Dowling received a fellowship from the national business group Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) and the sustainability-driven hotel brand 1 Hotels to create a new sustainability initiative in the BAPA service area. The fellowship supports and develops young entrepreneurs and emerging business leaders who seek to make the world a better place through projects that are good for the economy and good for the environment. Dowling was among 10 fellowship recipients nationwide.
Dowling’s project is designed to demonstrate the value of sustainability and the economic benefits it can provide for communities and identify resources for funding for neighborhood sustainability, such as programs that provide rebates and tax credits for the purchase of energy-efficient appliances and other technologies, low-rate loans for clean energy installations, and grants for community projects.
This research will be used to assist eligible Beverly/Morgan Park residents and business owners apply for and win funding. The information will be presented in a series of workshops for residents and businesses.
“This initiative will ensure the Beverly/Morgan Park area maintains its reputation as one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Chicago,” Dowling said. “It will make our community more sustainable and bring additional investment into the area.”
Dowling’s plan is to take what he learns from the Beverly/Morgan Park initiative to create a model for similar community-level programs for other city neighborhoods and nationwide.
Dowling, 22, grew up in Beverly/Morgan Park. He is a Rhodes Scholar currently earning a Master’s in comparative social policy at the University of Oxford.
