For Immediate Release
‘Conservation for All’ pioneers new approach to save water, energy, & money
BOULDER – 10/4/16 – While Colorado communities struggle with soaring housing costs, a local nonprofit has launched a new approach to tackle those costs and help families in need.
Center for ReSource Conservation, based in Boulder, has come up with a new way to help low-income families decrease monthly utility bills by making upgrades to conserve water and energy. Those utility bills can add up, costing the average family more than $1,500 per year for basic costs like water, gas, and electricity according to Numbeo, a cost of living research firm.
Conservation for All, which launched Tuesday, attacks this issue head-on. For the first time, community supporters can donate LED light bulbs, high-efficiency toilets, and solar panels through the new Conservation for All website to save water and energy – and to help low-income families save on monthly utility bills. By working in collaboration with low-income housing providers, apartments with older appliances can be upgraded efficiently, expanding the benefits of conservation to families in need.
“Conservation is not just for the wealthy,” said Neal Lurie, president of the Center for ReSource Conservation, “As housing prices keep going up, conservation is needed now more than ever to lower the cost of living. Through Conservation for All we can help families make smart upgrades to save money month after month.”
Low-income families often spend a large percentage of their monthly income on basic utility costs, sometimes as much as 25-50%. That’s because older apartments tend to have less efficient lighting, water-wasting toilets, and old appliances costing more money to operate.
Lurie added, “We’ve set a goal to generate $5 million in savings for low-income families by 2020. What makes Conservation for All unique is that it empowers the community to help families in need and preserve natural resources – a win-win for everybody.”
Center for ReSource Conservation is working with low-income housing providers like Boulder Housing Partners and Denver Housing Authority to ensure home upgrades are completed where they are needed most.
“If a family is drowning in utility bills it can be a challenge just to keep heads above water,” said Tim Beal, director of sustainable communities for Boulder Housing Partners. “We see Conservation for All as an innovative way to lower costs for families – a little extra help to move from staying afloat to getting ahead.”
Across Colorado, utility bills cost low-income families hundreds of millions of dollars each year, funds that could otherwise be spent on necessities like food, clothing, and medicine.
“The number of homes with energy burden in the state is significant,” notes Joseph Pereira, Colorado Energy Office’s director of low-income services. “We encourage efforts such as CRC’s Conservation for All initiative to help address this issue for Colorado residents.”
Considering the scale of the problem it’s not going to be solved overnight, but the upgrades through this program are long lasting.
“If we can build the right partnerships to make homes more efficient,” said Lurie, “the savings aren’t just for a month or two. The benefits can last for decades.”
To learn more about Conservation for All and how to get involved, visit: ConservationForAll.org
About the Center for ReSource Conservation:
Founded in 1976, the Center for ReSource Conservation (CRC) is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to putting conservation into action. Its programs serve more than 70,000 community members each year and make it easy to conserve water, energy, and materials. Learn more at resourcecentral.org.
Contact:
Neal Lurie, Center for ReSource Conservation
nlurie@resourcecentral.org
