Community Innovations Grants Program

Grant Report for Cornwall CT



January 31, 2009

Period: January 1 to December 31, 2008

Cornwall Energy Task Force, Katherine Freygang (Ch), (kfreygang@aol.com)

Date of Award: Fall 2007 Amount: $5000

Project Title: Informing and Implementing Clean Energy in Cornwall CT




Grant Outcomes

Event, Enrollment, Hours, Cost, Media


“Kill a Watt”, presentation by Roger Liddell on conserving energy. Sixteen to twenty people attended this three-hour presentation. There was no cost and the program was covered in the Lakeville Journal.


Seventh and eighth grade solar power curriculum for 50-60 students in the spring semester cost $2000 and was announced in the Cornwall Chronicle.

This program culminated in a seventh and eighth grade field trip to Talcott Mt. Environmental Center. Two appeals for Clean Energy sign-ups were sent home through the school using standard forms and therefore not trackable. We used one paid teacher and six to eight volunteers.


A Phonathon to solicit Clean Energy sign-ons was initiated by splitting the town list among six task force volunteers. New forms, to be registered through the Town Office, were issued.


Earth Day Idea Exchange was announced in the Cornwall Chronicle to be displayed at the Memorial Day Fair.

Memorial Day Fair Booth with a clothesline of ideas, and children’s drawing station, sign-on forms, light bulbs, and information were made available to 400+ attendees and five volunteers for 4-5 hours. There was no cost or media coverage. (The summer activity was to continue with the Phonathon and to canvass the Dump for new sign-ons.)


Agricultural Fair Booth with light bulb and kW meter sales, Fuel Oil Report, Sign-on Display, Recycling Display, Home Audit Fliers, Kids Drawing Table and Clothes Line, and climate change music provided by a solar powered boom box. This event is attended by 400+ people, with 5 volunteers, lasts 4-5 hours and cost $60 for Energy Savers Brochures. It may have been covered in the Lakeville Journal.


Halloween Party, attended by 125 children plus parents (2 volunteers) for four hours to canvass sign-ons and to celebrate featuring old CFL blue light vs. clean new CFL warm light (donated costs and no media.)


Election Day Lunch Display, attended by 50-60, for three hours, to canvass sign-ons. (no cost, no media.)


Christmas Fair Display, attended by 300+, for four hours, to canvass sign-ons and to sell LED Solar Powered Christmas Lights. The lights were donated and procedes given to a soup kitchen and fuel bank.


A Solar Christmas Tree was installed at Routes 4 and 7 in Cornwall Bridge using LED Christmas Lights. Lights and labor were donated. The Republican American and the Lakeville Journal provided coverage.


Public Presentations on community action building were given by the Cornwall Task Force Chairperson at the Cornwall Association Annual Meeting Oct 4, the Litchfield League of Woman Voters Sept 11, and the NW Conservation League in Litchfield on Oct 20. (No cost.) (Unsure as to media.)



Additional Grant Outcomes:


Here are some spin-offs from our participation in your programs:




Financial Report:


$2000 spent for school programs on Solar Power and field trip to Talcott Mt.

$300 spent on kW meters for Library lending ($60) and for sale (money to be reimbursed)

$60 spent on Energy Savers booklets to hand out at fairs (from the US Dept of Energy on Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy)


$2140 remaining for programs and solar panel installation celebration

Community Innovations Grants Evaluation:


Despite the obstacles of the last year, this program still serves as the spine for all others. It has the grassroots incentive building qualities plus the funding and legislative leadership to create sustainable and energy efficient communities. Communication, celebration and consistency are key. Our success has been in our consistent presence at events that affirm the heartbeat of life in Cornwall. We develop understanding about energy and redefine it’s casting at all town events. Consistently we practice the joy of the creative difference. Events that focus only on energy have been missed or dismissed. A cultural transformation towards sustainability needs both the integrated examples and the specific information to take hold.



Current Difficulties:


People work very hard at energy management whether informed or not. Mostly they do not know where to start re-evaluating their practices. Creating easy doors such as light bulbs, kW meters, energy audits, and community activities helps enormously. Our task is to develop a map of simple steps given key lifestyle scenarios typical of our residents.


Handing out forms was carried out by our entire committee and more.

Registering our sign-ons with CL&P has been a nightmare. We allieviated this by tightening our process to involve only two people; Katherine Freygang, our task force chairperson and Valerie Christopher in the Georgia office of Sterling Planet. All registrations were handled by fax, with originals maintained in Cornwall. Other assistance was provided by Kat West at Connecticut’s office of Sterling Planet and Joyce Hart of the Cornwall Town Office.

Previously, excuses for misplaced registrations at CL&P ranged from; we never got them, to we changed all our account numbers, to she no longer works here, to she is out on maternity leave, to (and my favorite) we expect a 10-20% attrition rate due to people who move or die. (I am not kidding here.)


It has been very difficult for us to use our tiny band to expand to projects beyond the CTCleanEnergy Program. This has taken enormous energy to keep hold and keep track when we have so much invested in time, money, and education in solar energy. It has cost time and effort in other areas, especially the area of creative invention.



Others interested:


Towns of Kent, Canaan, Salisbury and Litchfield. Also the NWCT Conservation District.