Lighting
Replacing conventional lighting reduces energy consumption
Replacing fluorescent bulbs with LED options can save you up to 20 percent of your energy bill while maintaining high-quality lighting. According to Mass Save light–emitting diode (LED) bulbs use 80–90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs. They are more durable, lasting 15–25 years or more, and they usually don’t burn out or fail abruptly, but instead slowly fade out over years.
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Assistance for Low-to-Moderate Income Families
Weatherization
The Department of Energy offers a Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) available for households that qualify for Supplemental Security Income, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and other income eligibility criteria. This program includes a home energy assessment and help with weatherization upgrades, like fixing or replacing old windows or water heaters.
Heating Assistance
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) offers help with home repairs and upgrades based on household size and income. For example, a 4-person household with an annual income of $39,750 would qualify for LIHEAP.
Planting Trees
Planting trees in urban environments offer numerous benefits that contribute to creating more livable, sustainable communities.
- Improved Air Quality: Trees absorb pollutants and carbon dioxide, helping to clean the air and provide oxygen, which is vital for urban health.
- Temperature Regulation: Trees provide shade and release moisture through transpiration, helping to cool urban areas and reduce the urban heat island effect.
- Enhanced Aesthetics and Mental Health: Green spaces with trees improve the visual appeal of urban areas, promoting mental well-being and encouraging outdoor activities.
- Biodiversity Support: Urban trees create habitats for various wildlife species, contributing to biodiversity and ecological balance in urban settings.
- Stormwater Management: Trees help manage rainwater runoff by absorbing water and reducing flooding risks, which is crucial in urban areas prone to heavy rains.
Spring 2025 Tree Programs
Your nonprofit can access programs offering free trees and/or planting services:
Worcester 311 – Request a tree planting
Residents of Worcester can call 311 to submit a request for a tree to be planted. Requests are currently being accepted by phone only (10/16/24), but soon may also be available online at the Worcester 311 website.
Get-A-Tree Program
The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill is operating a get-a-tree program. The program will resume in the spring, pending funding, but you can contact their offices to request more information.
More Tree Programs
- Greening the Gateway Cities: This program from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) provides free trees and planting to eligible residents in urban environmental justice neighborhoods. To receive a tree, you must agree to water it for two years. You can contact your local GGCP office to see if you’re eligible and schedule a site visit with a forester.
- Planting the Future: This program in Natick, MA provides free native trees to homeowners living in heat islands.
- Trees in the City: This program in Worcester, MA can be contacted at (508) 799-1190.
- Boston Tree Alliance Program: This program is running from Fall 2022 to Winter 2024.
- Opacum Land Trust: This program in Southbridge, MA is paused, but may resume in the near future.
- Westborough, MA
If you have a free tree program in your community and you’d like to share a link, please contact us!