History

Take Charge is a community-based campaign which focuses around assistance to local residents in the Berkshire area with becoming more energy independent.  In May of 2008, several North Adams residents met for the first time to devise a plan for the town to discuss its energy problems.  The group wanted to address environmental issues, but in a way that is relevant and helpful to all residents and can make improvements in the quality of life for the city possible.  At this time, the nbCC had no history of addressing environmental issues and kicked off with three initial goals; learn about the community needs early on, create momentum for a greening movement in the northern Berkshires, and to come up with innovative ways to work with the community to keep the movement going strong. Saving money on home utility bills began as the top priority and the Take Charge 5-step Pledge began. Followed by the long process of getting the word out to the community and especially to those that needed it the most.

Late in June of 2008, Take Charge intern Morgan Goodwin met with local officials to discuss the progress of the campaign which resulted in a city commitment to make the Take Charge initiative a citizen-informed success. The North Adams City Council passed a resolution supporting the Take Charge pledge and efforts to support its success. By August of 2008 a press conference was held to kick off the campaign which received coverage from TV, radio, and local newspapers. At this time, Take Charge was focused on disseminating the 5-step energy-saving brochure which had been developed to help prepare community members for the energy challenges of the 21st century and the economic struggles that come with it. The brochure asked for a personal pledge to uphold low-cost or no-cost energy conservation measures, aided in collecting contact information and home ownership status, along with a follow-up email newsletter which gives Take Charge a way to communicate periodically with the community about low-cost energy saving measures, tips, and local events.

Today, Take Charge has succeeded in fulfilling some of its initial goals and seeks not only to strengthen its existing programs, but also to expand its reach to further develop innovative, environmentally-driven initiatives through education, outreach, and action based campaigning. Since the campaign began in 2008, Take Charge has received over 500 signed pledges, hosted a variety of workshops, successfully circulated home energy audit kits through the Public Library, has supported two annual Winter Blitz events, and strives to continue to grow in a progressive direction with the local community. Take Charge is an ongoing effort which strives to provide a bond between the local Berkshire community and political officials and grassroots organizations to aid with energy-saving initiatives and connect people to programs and services offered in the area. As Take Charge continues to grow, we hope to expand our reach to include more action-based initiatives to aid in the community more directly, while still providing help and support through education.

Take Charge serves as a branch of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.

Coalition Support

Take Charge began as a project of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition and CET with help from other organizations such as the North Adams Green Group.  The project’s interns work out of the Coalition office located in downtown North Adams, MA and rely mainly on Coalition resources.

Interns:

Madeline King is a sophomore at Williams College. She works for the Center for Community Engagement to coordinate student involvement in the Take Charge campaign, specifically organizing a home winterization project. Madeline is from South Carolina and a member of the Thursday Night Group, Williams student climate action group.

Jaimie Wallace is a senior at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the student intern for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition with the Take Charge campaign. He majored in Natural Resources & Conservation at Norfolk County Agricultural High School and was a member of the Norfolk Chapter of the FFA national organization for four years. Jaimie lives in North Adams, MA and is a Sociology major with a minor in Social Work.

Becky Eakins is a sophomore at Williams College. Through the Center for Community Engagement, she works on the Take Charge Campaign and helps coordinate student involvement in service and civic engagement on and off campus. Becky is from Wisconsin and an American Studies major with a concentration in Cultural and Critical Theory.

Jason Brown is a sophomore at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and the 2010-2011 student intern for the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition with the Take Charge campaign. Jason is an Environmental Studies major and also works as a research assistant for the department Jason enjoys spending time in the outdoors and is passionate about helping the community save energy.