Et cetera : NCCC Oak 2 talking about energy conservation in Illinois

By: Gabriel Huang

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is in Champaign County working with the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission(CCRPC) from March 13 until April 27. NCCC team Oak 2 is currently canvassing Champaign County to spread the word about energy conservation.
The NCCC team is going door to door in Champaign County to speak with residents about weatherization, energy efficient light bulbs, and LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). The team is covering 1,540 households within 13 towns as well as participating in a number of community meetings. The team is putting together bags for the households including energy efficient light bulbs and brochures in the CCRPC office. So far we have completed 1,800 bags for the residents. The team has also found time to organize over 3,000 forms and labeled the shelves to help CCRPC office get through the rush of applicants for assistance in the month of April.

CCRPC is a non-profit organization that provides the county with free resources to help cut energy consumption, weatherize houses and raise energy awareness. CCRPC has over 40 years of administering federal, state and local resources to meet community needs with regard to social services, urban planning and transportation, community development, Head Start and local services coordination.

The NCCC team is also volunteering at the Hooved Animals' Rescue and Emergency, where the team is clearing weeds to build a fence, planting flowers for the beautification of the property and caring for the animals. Another independent service project is with the Habitat ReStore, a place where the community is donating home goods to assist the people in need with furniture, appliances and other home decor. The team is helping with sorting, loading and unloading trucks, cleaning and organizing inventory while assisting the customers.