UMaine Extension Teams Up with State, Agencies to Keep ME Warm
Contact: Aimee Dolloff, 581-3777; Jennifer O’Leary, UMaine Extension marketing leader, (207) 299-7751
Oil prices may have dropped for the moment, but keeping Mainers warm this winter continues to be a concern. University of Maine Cooperative Extension is doing its best to make sure residents are bundled up for the cold season now upon us through collaboration with the Maine State Housing Authority and the Governor’s Office of Energy Independence and Security.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, Keep ME Warm Kits will be distributed at all UMaine Extension sites with the exception of Cumberland County where they will be handed out at the county’s Department of Transportation headquarters in Scarborough.
Click here for important kit distribution details, including what the kits contains.
Saturday’s date coincides with National Make A Difference Day, which is exactly what UMaine Extension and other state agencies are trying to do in providing 2,000 kits for distribution.
There also will be a variety of volunteers and organizations on hand to help install the kits, including a group of UMaine students heading to Cherryfield to lend a hand for the weekend in Washington County as part of the Alternative Spring Break program.
“Our mission is to help the people of Maine help themselves through education,” John Rebar, UMaine Extension executive director, said. “Our long history is to look at what’s the issue that’s of greatest need and how can we help. Certainly, energy is that issue this year.”
In addition to the kits, UMaine Extension provides frequently updated research-based information on how to save money through energy conservation and alternative energy sources at its website and through literature it helps to produce and distribute to the public.
On the website, residents who want to weatherize their homes and are looking for cost-saving tips will find video clips and downloadable information. The clips can be found at www.extension.umaine.edu/energy.
The Do-It-Yourself Guide To Saving Money On Home Heating provides information about how to properly weatherize windows and doors, walls, attics and basements. The brochure is available at UMaine Extension county offices, on the website and will be handed out this weekend with the Keep ME Warm Kits. Other area organizations also have asked for copies to pass around.
Other energy-saving resources are available at the UMaine Cooperative Extension website www.extension.umaine.edu or by contacting your local UMaine Extension county office.
“UMaine Cooperative Extension is a can-do organization and we are really community based with our offices across the state,” Rebar said. “As a result, our folks are hearing and seeing firsthand the challenges that every citizen is facing. We’ve had a tremendous response from our staff to rally to support this issue.”