Green Opportunities Asheville, NC
Low-Income Weatherization + Paid Training + Electric Bikes
www.greenopportunities.org

Green Opportunities is delighted to be nominated as a Green America top-ten finalist to build an electric-assist cargo tricycle for the GO Weatherization Assistance Training Team (WATT). Green Opportunities (GO) is a Community Based Development Organization (CBDO) dedicated to improving lives, communities and the health of the planet through innovative green collar job training and placement programs.

GO programs target unemployed and underemployed youth and adults in the city of Asheville, NC with an emphasis on low-income neighborhoods. Many of our clients face significant barriers to employment including criminal background, lack of stable housing, lack of childcare, lack of healthcare and low educational attainment.

The GO WATT program is a paid, registered apprenticeship designed to prepare GO clients for building performance careers while improving the efficiency of houses in target Asheville neighborhoods. The program provides free energy audits and weatherization services to qualified homeowners while providing structured on-the-job training for previously unemployed young adults.

Why the WATT team would like to build an electric-assist cargo tricycle:

The WATT crew weatherized 60 low-income homes in 2010, and works in a 1.5 mile radius in low-income urban West Asheville neighborhoods. The team does not have a vehicle to bring tools and materials to the jobsite, and relies on the personal vehicles (either cars or trucks) of its members. Some members do not have transportation and must depend on co-workers to get to the jobsite. While this approach has gotten the job done until now, there are multiple reasons that an electric-assist cargo tricycle would be a huge improvement. These reasons include:

• Reduced vehicle emissions
• Increased health benefits of cycling
• Reduced transportation barriers for those who do not have or cannot obtain drivers licenses
• Reduced wear and tear on personal vehicles
• High visibility for the free weatherization program
• Community building through increased interactions with local residents
• Increased community education about green transportation
• Increased enjoyment in the workplace

How this project will be accomplished:

The WATT team will leverage existing program funds and a partnership with a knowledgeable local bicycle mechanic to purchase the necessary parts and construct the electric-assist cargo tricycle. The WATT team will donate labor and advertising space on the bike to the mechanic that assists with the project. Once completed, the WATT team will use the tricycle to transport tools and materials to weatherization jobs and for various outreach efforts related to the low-income weatherization. By building the tricycle, the WATT team will gain valuable mechanical skills, and gain a sense of empowerment in creating their own transportation solution. An example of the type of vehicle that the team would like to build can be found here: http://www.lightfootcycles.com/TCX.php Also, pictured below is a proud crew standing outside the crew leader’s personal car and an unpowered bike trailer that the WATT team enjoyed using for a few jobs, but ultimately found too cumbersome to haul up and down the mountains of West Asheville.

How this project improves community health:

Green Opportunities offices are located in the Weatherization target area, and many members of the WATT team live, work, and recreate there. The WATT team recruits homes to weatherize through community education and outreach efforts that bring the team members face-to-face with their neighbors in positive mutually beneficial interactions. Weatherization clients run into members of the WATT team in church or out in the neighborhood and comment on how comfortable their home feels, how much money they have saved and how proud they are of the members for finding respectable employment. These interactions give the WATT members a sense of pride and accomplishment and break down communication barriers between neighbors.

By riding electric-assist tricycles to jobsites residents and WATT members will have increased interactions. The bikes are natural attention-getters and are fun to ride and talk about. These conversations double as educational opportunities about green transportation and help get the word out about the weatherization program. Riding in cars and trucks is not conducive to these interactions and creates a missed opportunity for community building. Driving also does not offer the physical health benefits that the WATT members would receive from riding electric-assist tricycles. Being healthy has never been as fun as riding an electric-assist vehicle

How this project improves social and economic justice:

The WATT team is made up of young adults that have a wide variety of barriers to employment, from lack of educational attainment to criminal backgrounds. GO recognizes the value in these individuals and sets them on a green-collar career path that they can be proud of, while earning the money that they need to support themselves and their families. At the same time, WATT members are providing a free service to low-income households. Clients are often elderly people that are on a fixed income. The work that is performed lowers utility bills and improves the durability and comfort of the homes, providing those families with a measure of relief from their difficult circumstances.

Electric-assist tricycles address transportation issues which are a major barrier to employment in low-income communities. Many GO clients express difficulty in getting to work because of a lack of drivers licenses or vehicles. This problem is compounded by insufficient public transportation and the associated expenses. These tricycles do not require licenses to drive, do not require insurance, and cost less than a dollar to fully charge. They are street legal, and most importantly people want to ride them! While one tricycle will not get the entire team to the jobsite, it is a good place to start and will help to generate momentum and support for building the rest of the fleet.

How this project improves environmental health:

The WATT team is already reducing CO2 and other emissions, and preserving natural resources by weatherizing homes to make them more energy and water efficient. This project would take those efforts one step further by reducing emissions and petroleum consumption from the vehicles used to transport the team to and from the job. Not only would there be less pollution coming out of the local power plant, but there would be less pollution in the neighborhoods being served.

Future projects might also include a solar charging station at the GO office which would create additional educational opportunities about renewable energy, and using the electric assist tricycles as pedicabs to support entrepreneurial efforts of GO members.