In an effort to assist local Baltimore residents in need of energy efficiency upgrades, volunteers from Morgan State University, including students, staff and University President David Wilson, Ed.D., teamed up with representatives from GRID Alternatives, the U.S. Department of Energy, the City of Baltimore, Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Belair-Edison Neighborhoods, Inc, Civic Works, AmeriCorps members and other community organizations to bring clean energy to select homes. The program, which will commit an investment of $200,000 from the City of Baltimore to advance solar installations for up to 40 homes located within the Morgan Community Mile, was officially announced during the nationally recognized Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
In the days after the announcement, volunteers participated in the installation of a rooftop solar array for Ms. Barbara Bivens, a Belair-Edison resident and member of the neighborhood Mature Adult Group, The Silver Angels. The solar array and efficiency upgrades will help Bivens reduce future electricity bills. Before engaging in the delicate process of solar panel installation, each volunteer attended a one-hour safety orientation.
The MCM partnered with Belair-Edison Neighborhoods, Inc. (BENI) on community outreach to identify residents interested in being a part of the program. BENI canvassed the neighborhood with literature, attended community meetings and sent out print and electronic media to help spread the word!
Local officials and those involved in the clean energy partnership anticipate that at the program’s conclusion, the installations will help Baltimore transition to clean energy, assist economically disadvantaged families with saving money, improve the environment and grow the city economically by providing jobs and job training for local workers.
The Morgan Community Mile is a university-community partnership in which residents, businesses, public officials and other stakeholders come together with Morgan’s faculty, students and staff to make the community a better place. Morgan acknowledges the strength and diversity of its surrounding communities and leverages the University’s skills and knowledge, academic research and community engagement activities to improve and sustain the quality of life in Northeast Baltimore.