Fresh Energy CI Report – Interim

What has been most instrumental to your progress?

Continued relationship building between Community Stabilization Project and Fresh Energy was instrumental to moving the Saint Paul Tenant-Landlord Energy Project in a thoughtful and intentional way. CSP and Fresh Energy held regular calls and meetings throughout the year to share updates and work collaboratively on various parts of the project.

CSP and Fresh Energy’s relationship was strengthened with the addition of two new staff. In late spring 2018, CSP hired Lee Lucas, a Saint Paul renter and previous CSP volunteer, for a paid staff role with the organization, and in summer 2018, Fresh Energy hired Janiece Watts, an environmental justice advocate with a professional organizing background, as a policy associate supporting the Saint Paul Tenant-Landlord Energy Project. These core staff additions were supported by the Bush Foundation’s grant, and both Lee and Janiece have already served—and will continue to serve—key roles in carrying out the activities of the project.

Both CSP and Fresh Energy were actively involved in stakeholder outreach over the last year to advance the activities of the project.

In April 2018, CSP began planning a series of events called Landlord Resource Seminars, designed to connect landlords to information on energy efficiency programs and additional strategies to improve their buildings.

During Fall 2017, Fresh Energy and CSP produced an informational video discussing the impacts of energy costs on renters, which is available on Fresh Energy’s website and social media. Development of the Toolkit included an iterative feedback process occurring throughout Spring and Summer 2018 with interested stakeholders to identify and build out specific sections of the Toolkit to be most helpful to renters and landlords.

Finally, Fresh Energy conducted research and outreach to advance our goals to secure a city wide time-of-lease energy cost disclosure policy and change St. Paul’s on-off heating ordinance. Fresh Energy produced an analysis of temperature data over several decades to identify the most practicable approaches to a temperature-based heating ordinance, and met with City Councilmember Nelson to gauge interest.

Key lessons learned

Progress with Saint Paul city officials proved less rapid than anticipated. Though CSP secured verbal support from Saint Paul Safety and Inspection officials regarding potential changes to Saint Paul’s on-off heating ordinance, moving the idea “up the chain” proved difficult.

Further, the Saint Paul City Council was heavily occupied with other high-profile issues (e.g., the city budget, a city-wide increase in the minimum wage, a proposed ban on non-compostable food takeout containers) during this portion of the grant period, which hindered our ability to raise these issues into the conversation and have them considered by the Council.

We learned that securing additional buy-in from even more decision-makers will be key to securing these policy changes in the near-term. We also learned that additional voices, including “unconventional” stakeholders such as landlords in favor of the policy, will be critical to make the case for significant policy change.

We also learned about the difficulty of conveying and communicating truly authentic messaging to these key audiences. The content of the Toolkit, developed with input from diverse stakeholders, is final. However, CSP and Fresh Energy are now working to identify consultants, such as graphic designers, who also have experience working with (or are themselves a part of) under-resourced communities and/or communities of color. A key priority for both partners in this project is to communicate information in an accessible and digestible way, and to carry out that communication in a way that ensures equitable benefits in rental properties in Saint Paul. This priority takes time, but is critical to ensuring that our work provides relevant information in a meaningful way to the communities we intend to serve.

Reflections on inclusive, collaborative or resourceful problem-solving

Collaboration: Fresh Energy and Community Stabilization Project have to work together to get the toolkit to a finished product that can be used in multiple ways for multiple audiences. Because both organizations have their respective strengths, it is important to continue the collaborative relationship. Inclusion is also important: as we begin the stage of engagement and outreach, we have to ensure that we are including many perspectives of renters and landlords including how unique home situations can be, and we want to be aware that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ model of renters or landlords.

Other key elements of Community Innovation

Flexibility: This project has evolved to have other potential benefits. Because environmental justice is encompassing of racial, economic, health, housing and climate justice, this project has brought forth new ideas of what issues still need to be addressed. Further, by focusing on a group of individuals that has been left out of the conversation on energy efficiency, and another group that may not know all of their options either, renters and landlords have an opportunity to break down some of the power dynamics that act as a barrier to communication and community. This project is utilizing energy efficiency as an entry point to start that conversation.

Creativity: There are many ways that this toolkit can take shape in terms of engagement and outreach. We are working on a communications plan that includes narrative development and message testing while building a network of renters and landlords that will help determine how this guide is shared and is beneficial.

Understanding the problem

The work has shown that not only is there is a need for residents (of any status) to want to reduce their utility bill costs and energy usage, the needs go beyond education and awareness. There is also a desire to have more agency and involvement in the decision making of one’s home and environment. Also, there have been for too long assumptions made about both renters and landlords–about both of their willingness to invest in energy efficiency and home improvements–and this project is bringing clarity to how both groups can engage specifically in the way that makes sense for them to reach a common goal.

If you could do it all over again…

Thinking about the need to develop the narrative while crafting the toolkit, instead of trying to piece the narrative in the toolkit after it’s been built, would give it more depth. So much of the evolution in bringing the issues of housing, energy, climate and health together is breaking down the assumptions about one another, which is demonstrative in the way that Fresh Energy and Community Stabilization Project have collaborated on this project. But the importance of narrative for building the interest of an issue for people to engage with is critical.
Also, it is good to note for the potential policy developments that could arise from this is working to identify political allies and pathways to move ordinances and ideas.

One last thought

We would like to share the major text of the toolkit and are emailing it separately.

As we have shared the idea of the toolkit with partners and other advocates its clear that there is also a need for more connection and collaboration between community advocates, agencies, utilities and government. Even once a renter or landlord begins to access a program, goes through the energy audits, gets more efficient products and starts to manage their utility bills, we do not want them to feel like they are on this journey alone. Making sure that no one “falls through the cracks” is just as important as getting them the information to begin with. So, we must ask: how can this project also open up the conversation of what community partners need to ensure that their programs are successful? This is a question that has come up in many conversations with advocates and continues to be something that we are thinking about.