Tag Archives: Brooklyn

BlocPower, a social enterprise that aims to provide job training and energy-efficient products in underserved neighborhoods

Baird, 31, runs BlocPower, a social enterprise that aims to provide job training and energy-efficient products in underserved neighborhoods.

“One in three men in that neighborhood was incarcerated, and so many of them who had served their time in jail had come back to the neighborhood and had nothing to do,” Baird said. “No one would hire them; they were not given a second chance. It was not clear what they were supposed to do with the rest of their lives.”

“Using about $2.5 million from the city’s federal stimulus funds, the group weatherized 400 houses, while training 20 formerly unemployed workers to do the work. He said the trainees received health benefits and were paid a wage high enough to sustain a family of four.”–WILLIAM HARLESS

City to Fit All Streetlights With Energy-Saving LED Bulbs

“The news conference was on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, where lights have already been replaced, expecting to save more than $70,000 and nearly 248,000 kilowatt-hours a year in energy. Unlike standard lights, which last six years, LED bulbs can burn for 20 years before they need to be replaced, the administration said, and the project is expected to save $14 million a year in energy and maintenance costs.”–By 

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