Boston, MA – Today, the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) received the Greenovate Award for their work on created access to weatherization jobs and services for the Chinese American community in Boston. CPA helped over a 100 residents receive energy efficiency services and helped employ Chinese Americans as weatherization technicians to insulate and air seal people’s homes.
(L to R) Baoliao Kuang, Mark Liu, Mayor Menino at the award ceremony.
|
|
CPA was recognized by the City of Boston along with 17 other businesses, individuals, and organizations that helped the City move towards its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.
Through their efforts, CPA was able to contact over 1,000 people. In the end, 126 homes received energy assessments, and 74 proceeded with weatherization and energy efficiency measures, affecting the lives of hundreds of Bostonians. CPA also conducted a bilingual weatherization training program for Chinese immigrants in partnership with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) and the Aulson Company. |
Workers employed by the Aulson Company as weatherization technicians, also became members of the IUPAT, receiving a wage of over $18 an hour, free trainings, and benefits associated with being a member of the union.
|
|
As part of the awards ceremony, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced the official launch of Boston’s new sustainability brand and initiative, Greenovate Boston, with ambitious new community engagement goals, and a citywide sustainability campaign. Greenovate Boston will aim to engage one-third of all Boston residents to take on one new, daily climate action per year and engage businesses constituting one third of Boston’s employees to form their own in-house sustainability teams, or to participate in existing sustainability initiatives.
More information is available at www.greenovateboston.org. The City of Boston’s press release about Greenovate Boston is available at http://www.cityofboston.gov/environmentalandenergy/greenawards/. |