Read about Devin’s experience weatherizing Montana homes:
I have spent most of the last three months weatherizing homes across Montana and while no two places are the same, after nearly 150 homes across a dozen cities and towns the experiences start to blend together into one big weatherizing whirl. So it was a nice change from our regular routine when the rest of the Energy Corps members joined us in celebrating MLK day with a week of weatherizing in Browning. As Energy Corps’ resident weatherization experts, Gordon and I were in charge of planning this weeklong event: scheduling the appointments, organizing the materials, and making sure that all the other members were comfortable in their ability to weatherize before we sent them off to houses without us. At first we were nervous about the scope of this week, as we have had trouble scheduling a whole week in a single community when we were just looking for enough appointments for the two of us, but we were very pleasantly surprised by the response that we received from the Browning community, and we were able to schedule 130 appointments! This success can partly be attributed to the fact that Browning is so windy and cold, that even houses that might feel well sealed in other places in Montana feel drafty, but looking back on the week we spent in Browning, I feel that more of our success in Browning is due to the willingness the community had to accept us into their homes. Most places that we go in Montana we meet great people who are excited to meet us and welcome us into their homes, but nowhere else have I felt as widely accepted in the community as in Browning. Everyone I personally met (and from what I have heard most people the other members met in Browning) was not only nice and welcoming, but genuinely excited about the work we were doing in their community. I have been fortunate in the course of my service to be able to travel across this beautiful state and meet many incredible people, but I think I will always remember the people of Browning for their enthusiasm and kindness.
Devin Rothman graduated from Earlham College in May 2014 with a B.A. in Environmental Science. He has worked doing active conservation and stewardship both with a land conservancy in Ann Arbor and a forest preserve in New Zealand. He also has experience teaching both volunteers and as a teaching assistant while at Earlham. Devin will serve at NCAT this year, weatherizing low income homes and educating communities about energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
