Kicking Off United We Serve
State and National Environmental Organizations Join President Obama’s United We Serve Initiative: US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Governor Jennifer Granholm, and Representative Mark Schauer Attend Battle Creek event
Battle Creek, MI – State and national environmental organizations are taking part in United We Serve, a national effort launched by President Obama to engage more Americans in serving their communities this summer. On Monday, June 22, eighteen high level administration officials, including the First Lady, joined volunteers in service as part United We Serve’s nationwide kickoff.
In Battle Creek, the League of Conservation Voters Education Fund and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters Education Fund participated in the kickoff by setting an example for Congress: helping Battle Creek families save money through clean energy and energy efficiency. Joined by U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu; Representative Schauer; Governor Granholm; the Michigan Environmental Council; Clean Energy Coalition and Meijer, the Leagues and volunteers at Battle Creek's YMCA created home energy efficiency kits and teach children to locate energy inefficiencies in their homes to help their parents save money on energy bills.
“Making our homes more energy efficient is a great start, but the real challenge is ending our dependence on the expensive, dirty sources of energy of the past and setting our sights on the clean, American energy sources of the future,” Michigan LCV Education Fund Director Lisa Wozniak said. “If our members of Congress support the clean energy bill that will likely come before the House this week, Michigan will be ready to lead the charge for clean, renewable energy that creates jobs, makes us more secure, and protects our health and safety.”
According to The Battle Creek Enquirer:
About 125 children attended the event and received free tomato plants, as well as the home energy kits, which included surge protectors, compact fluorescent light bulbs, tire pressure gauges, low-flow shower heads and educational materials. In addition to the kids, roughly 60 people attended the event.
"The kids get it before the adults," Chu said. "They do it repeatedly. It was the kids who led the move to decrease the amount of smoking the adults were doing. It was the kids who got their parents to wear seatbelts, and I think it's going to be the kids who are finally going to get their parents to say, 'We're going to save any way we can on energy.'"
Chu also announced more than $32.8 million in federal economic relief money coming to Michigan to help create jobs through energy conservation efforts and by encouraging energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts.
As Michigan works to rebuild its manufacturing base, Chu said the state will need to encourage high-tech, energy efficient industries.
United We Serve kicked off on Monday and runs through September 11, which will be marked for the first time as a national day of service and remembrance. The initiative focuses on four key areas: education, health, energy and the environment; and community renewal. It is being led by the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that improves lives and strengthens communities though volunteering and service.
“This summer, I'm calling on all of you to make volunteerism and community service part of your daily life and the life of this nation,” said President Obama via video. “Economic recovery is as much about what you're doing in your communities as what we're doing in Washington – and it’s going to take all of us, working together.”
To make it easy for individuals to get involved, the Corporation created Serve.gov, a website that allows visitors to type in their zip code to find local volunteer opportunities, recruit volunteers by posting their organization’s projects, or get ideas for creating their own projects with friends, families, and neighbors.
