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Wednesday, December 5, 2012
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Learn to Cut Down your Utility Bills this Winter at the Winter Weatherization Workshop
On Friday, December 7th, Knoxville residents will be treated to a Winter Weatherization Workshop hosted by SOCM, The Healthy Energy Campaign and Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development (SEEED). Each group will share a little about the work being done throughout the state to lower the burden of high-energy costs to low-income communities. Representatives from the City of Knoxville's Sustainability Office and Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) will talk about some easy tips for homeowners AND renters to save money on their utility bills this winter.
What: Winter Weatherization Workshop
When: Friday, December 7, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
Where: Krutch Park (next to Market Square in downtown Knoxville)
Friday, December 7th is also First Friday and the Christmas Parade so it's a great evening to be downtown! We'll have free hot chocolate and will be giving away an LED lightbulb!
Contact Knoxville Organizer Katie Greer for more information. |
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5 Tips for Making Your Home More Energy Efficient this Winter
1) Use compact fluorescent or LED lighting. 90% of the energy used to power an incandescent bulb is lost as heat. Turn off compact fluorescent lighting if you are leaving a room for over 15 minutes. (www.energystar.gov)
2) Beware of energy vampires! The average U.S. household spends $100 per year to power devices while they are turned off. Unplug electronics when not in use.
3) Adjust the temperature. Setting your thermostat back 10 to 15 degrees for eight hours a day will save around 10% a year on your heating and cooling bills.
4) Seal leaks. Seal air leaks around utility openings, chimneys, recessed lights, and unfurnished space behind cupboards. Don't forget that large amounts of heat can be lost through the entrance to your attic; place insulation above the attic hatch! Add caulk or weather-stripping to air leaks around leaky doors and windows.
5) Sign up for an In-Home Energy Evaluation. Rebates of up to $500 are available for eligible energy-saving improvements. There is also an online survey renters can use to evaluate their energy use.
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New Job Opportunities Posted on SOCM Website
SOCM Organizer in Training
A unique opportunity has presented itself! SOCM will be accepting applications for one or more Organizer in Training positions in 2013, with the goal of providing valuable statewide grassroots organizing experience for the chosen candidate(s). Candidates should be familiar with SOCM's values and mission and have a strong commitment to social, economic and environmental justice.
Community Media Organizing Project Coordinator
The Community Media Organizing Project (CMOP) is a regional partnership of grassroots community organizing groups in the Southern US. Its mission is to empower Southern community-based organizations to use communications and media work as an organizing tool for social change. SOCM is a part of CMOP.
Full descriptions of each of these opportunities can be found here on our website. |
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Chapters Celebrate the Holidays with Friends, Fellowship
While there is always work to be done to make our communities safer and stronger, we do like to have fun every once in awhile! SOCM members are a special group of people and through our efforts to make Tennessee a better place to live, we have all made some special friends along the way.
This month, many chapters are choosing to forego their monthly chapter meetings in favor of Holiday parties and celebrations of their accomplishments this year.
On December 1st, the Roaring River Chapter hosted its annual Holiday Party and Wine Tasting FUN-Raiser. The event always has a great turnout and serves as a very effective fundraiser for the group.
The Jackson Chapter is convening on Thursday, December 13th at the Westwood Activity Center for a potluck and evening of fellowship.
The Cumberland County Chapter's Holiday party is in the works and will be held the week before Christmas.
If you can't attend your local Holiday party, consider giving a gift to SOCM instead.
You can donate online, send a check to our main office at 2507 Mineral Springs Ave., Suite D, Knoxville, TN 37917, or call Kathy Nix at 865-249-7488 and she can process your credit card over the phone. Gifts to SOCM can be tax-deductible if given to our 501c(3): The SOCM Resource Project.
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Join SOCM!
Your community needs you. Click on the link above to pay membership dues or click below to donate to SOCM and designate your donation as membership dues.
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Concerned Citizens Meeting on Underground Mines in Rhea County
Thursday, Dec. 6
Dayton, Tenn.
6:30 p.m. ET
Winter Weatherization Workshop
Friday, Dec. 7
Location TBD, Knoxville
5:30 - 7 p.m. ET
Maury County Chapter Meeting
Monday, Dec. 10
St. James UPB Church, Mt. Pleasant
6:30 - 8 p.m. CT
Racial Stereotypes in the Media Conference Call
Tuesday, Dec. 11
6 - 7 p.m. CT
Rutherford County Group Meeting
Wednesday, Dec. 12
Patterson Park Community Center, Murfreesboro
6:40 - 8 p.m.
Jackson Holiday Fellowship
Thursday, Dec. 13
Westwood Activity Center, Jackson
6 - 7:30 p.m. CT
Open House to Discuss Fracking on University of Tennessee Land
Thursday, Dec. 6
Wartburg Civic Center, Wartburg
2 - 6 p.m. CT
The University of Tennessee is looking to conduct fracking research on its land in Morgan and Scott Counties. For the Knoxville News-Sentinel article, click here.
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"True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
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