Community Conservation Corps
Project Description & Co-benefits
The Community Conservation Corps (CCC) is a weatherization program formed within the Furman University Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities. With its three-pronged mission to reduce energy consumption, promote homeowners’ financial stability, and increase environmental awareness in Greenville, South Carolina, the CCC has been seeking to reduce the total carbon emissions of Greenville homes in alignment with Furman University’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2026.
The CCC achieves its mission by performing free home weatherizations for low-income homeowners, thus reducing the home’s energy usage and saving the homeowners money on utility bills. Weatherizations modify the homes in ways including, but not limited to, sealing of HVAC ductwork and installation of attic insulation, weatherstripping, water heater blankets, water pipe insulation, and energy-efficient light bulbs. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, the CCC organizes a team of both student and community volunteers to weatherize homes under the direction of a professional contractor.
In order to evaluate the quantitative impact, an experienced BPI-certified home energy auditor conducts audits in the home before and after each weatherization. These audits include blower-door tests, duct work analysis, and other examinations of the home. While these tests are informative and confirm the immediate positive effects of the weatherization, a better look at the long-term impact comes from a four-year analysis of the home’s electricity and heating bills. From these bills, we can see how many kilowatts of cooling energy and therms of heating energy are used to cool and heat the home before and after the weatherization. Thus, it is determined how many metric tons of carbon dioxide have been avoided and how much money the homeowner has saved. This data shows how impactful the CCC has been. From its founding, the CCC has weatherized over one hundred and fifty homes and has an waitlist of many more homes that it projects to weatherize in the coming years.
Furman University emphasizes the financial savings its program grants participants.
Students install energy-efficient lightbulbs to reduce electricity consumption.
Student Involvement
The Community Conservation Corp relies on student involvement in every aspect of its work. On weatherization days, students from various organizations at Furman University such as the Heller Service Corp, the Shucker Leadership Institute, the Shi Institute Student Fellows, the Bartram Society, the Environmental Action Group, a variety of sustainability-related classes, and various fraternities, volunteer to help. One student fellow works alongside the CCC program coordinator to help collect, organize, and analyze the data received from the energy companies in order to comprehensively analyze the results of the weatherizations in terms of the CO2 offsets and monetary savings.
Student caulks baseboard to seal gaps and prevent drafts.
Student uses mastic to seal air leaks in ductwork.
Project Organizer
Kelly Grant, Associate Director of Sustainability Programs
kellygrant.purvis@furman.edu, (864) 294-2517
Active (2010–present)
Project Status
The Community Conservation Corp performs under the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University.
Offset Registry or Program
Internal
PROTOCOL APPLIED
Approximately $600 per mtCO2e
Cost Per Offsets ($ Per MTCO2E)
410.89 mtCO2e over six years.