WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE CARBON CHALLENGE?

Program Description
Programmatic Focus
People Behind the Carbon Challenge
Program Achievements Since Inception
Primary Objectives for 2008-2009

What People Are Saying About the Carbon Challenge
Upcoming Presentations and Recent Events
Media Coverage

Interested in Collaborating with the Carbon Challenge?
Related Links

Program Description:

Residential carbon emissions from vehicles, space heating, and electricity consumption account for roughly half of all US greenhouse gas emissions and thus reducing these emissions is essential to stabilizing our climate. The New Hampshire Carbon Challenge^TM (NHCC) is a University of New Hampshire (UNH) initiative committed to providing NH residents and communities with the information, tools and support necessary for households to reduce their residential carbon dioxide emissions by 10,000 pounds per year. A key objective of the NH Carbon Challenge is to develop a duplicable residential outreach model using research-based behavioral change tools that target the root causes of climate change inaction and utilize the networks and community organizations that can foster personal behavioral change.

NHCC is Developing Programs in Three Areas:

Communications, Outreach and Education - Taking the Challenge to Individuals

• Public Presentations
• Carbon Challenge Presenter and Organizer Trainings
• Employee Education Modules

Community-Wide Carbon Challenges - Establishing Support Networks for Change

• Town/Municipal Carbon Challenges
• Employee Carbon Challenges
• Faith-based Carbon Challenges
• School-wide Carbon Challenges

Collaborative Solutions – Increasing the Social Capital Needed to Succeed

• Collaborative partnerships with NH state government agencies; local utilities; major corporations; and state, regional and national environmental organizations.

• Partnering with other grassroots organizers such as Clean Air – Cool Planet, the Carbon Coalition, the New England Grassroots Environment Fund and the National Wildlife Federation to meet the needs of the groundswell of local action.

• Connecting Challenge takers with access to advocacy and policy information and opportunities.

The People Behind the NH Carbon Challenge

The New Hampshire Carbon Challenge was co-founded and is now co-directed by Julia Dundorf and Denise Blaha, whose backgrounds encompass small business ownership, non-profit management, earth science research, grassroots organizing and local political activism. Julia and Denise are on the Steering Committee of the Carbon Coalition, the Carbon Coalition Speaker’s Bureau and Local Energy Committee Advisory Group and Julia is also a founding member of the Rockingham/Strafford Energy Alliance. Chris Skoglund, the NHCC Program Manager, rounds out the leadership team bringing to the NHCC a wealth of experience in education and environmental science and policy.

The NH Carbon Challenge has a distinguished Steering Committee of scientists, community leaders, educators, and public policy analysts. Biographies of staff and steering committee member are available here.

Program Achievements Since Inception (Oct 2006):

• Over 100 public presentations on climate change and residential action steps to more than 5000 New Hampshire residents representing over 70 towns and cities throughout NH.

• Two regional pilots in the southwestern and southeastern corners of NH to identify potential obstacles and opportunities for the community challenges.

• New England specific, action-oriented online Carbon Estimator^TM calculator that is being used by the Timberland Company for use on its intranet website to engage employees in household carbon reduction.

• NHCC tools and resources are being used by communities outside of New Hampshire; COOL Williamstown (MA) and the New England Grassroots Environment Fund (NEGEF) are using our Carbon Estimator^TM calculator to engage their communities in household carbon reduction.

Primary Objectives for 2008-2009:

• Implementation of Climate Champions Training Workshops: Through our partnership with the National Wildlife Federation, the New England Grassroots Environment Fund, and UNH Cooperative Extension, we will hold a series of three workshops in 2008 to train 60-80 NH community members to give presentations on climate change and to organize NH Carbon Challenges in their communities. Workshops will also include grassroots organizing skills.

• Implementation of our Employee Carbon Challenge^TM: Presenting the NH Carbon Challenge to employees at their workplace.

• Integration of the NH Carbon Challenge into a full scale, cross-sector regional pilot in southwestern NH, the COOL Monadnock (NH) program. COOL Monadnock is an integrated collaborative led by Clean Air – Cool Planet and Antioch New England Institute to work to achieve a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within three years by implementing an assertive public outreach and community mobilization campaign designed to engage residents and businesses to take action.

• Development and dissemination of "Climate Action Kits". Pre-assembled starter kits of household energy efficiency products useful in taking the Challenge. Kits will be piloted and tested in the COOL Monadnock (NH) program, a regional initiative of Clean Air - Cool Planet.

HERE IS SOME RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE:

Our 2008 press coverage and 2006-2007 press coverage files (.pdf)