Newswise — A number of homes in Greenville will soon be more energy efficient thanks to the volunteer efforts of a group of Furman University students.
The Community Conservation Corps at Furman is a new initiative to “weatherize” older, energy-inefficient homes in the Greenville area. That involves weather stripping doors and windows, adding insulation, installing vapor barriers in crawl spaces, and placing foam pads behind wall plates. Standard light bulbs are also replaced with more energy-efficient ones.
It is estimated that such changes can reduce the homeowners’ energy costs by 35 percent.
In their initial effort this spring, more than 75 students spent the morning and early afternoon of Saturday, April 10 weathering six Greenville homes.
The Community Conservation Corps is under the direction of the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability. It is being carried out in conjunction with Furman’s Heller Service Corps and the City of Greenville.
“Our initial effort was very successful and the student turnout was great,” said Chandra Dillard, Furman’s director of Community Relations. “Furman is committed to serving the Greenville community and making environmental stewardship a priority, and the weatherization project is a perfect combination of the two. We’re confident the program will continue to grow in size and scope, and become an important part of the university’s sustainability efforts.”
The City of Greenville provided all the weatherization materials.
The David E. Shi Center for Sustainability is named in honor of Furman’s president, who will retire at the end of this academic year after 16 years at the helm. The center coordinates Furman’s academic, co-curricular, research and community outreach activities related to sustainability.
For more information, contact Furman’s News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.
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