Blog

James is a Senior Organizing Fellow with Groundswell. 

I was raised in a low-income neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri. The experiences and challenges that I endured throughout my childhood inspired me to work in communities similar to the one I grew up in. 

My current mission?

As part of our Strong Homes Program, spread the word about a forgivable loan available to low-income D.C. residents for energy efficiency and health and safety improvements to their homes through the DC Sustainable Energy Utility.

Though I just moved to D.C. a few months ago, as a Groundswell organizer, I've built strong relationships with several community organizations and native Washingtonians. 

I've sparked connections by relating to people on a personal level. 

The common thread that binds us: Poverty looks and feels pretty much the same wherever you go. 

When I meet with homeowners in Southeast and Northeast D.C., I'm reminded of my mom, aunt or people I knew growing up. 

I've also discovered a deep-rooted sense of community. 

People in poverty stricken pockets of the city, like Woodridge, Deanwood and Anacostia, are proud of their neighborhoods, traditions and history.  

Often when I speak to elderly homeowners in Deanwood, they remind me that Marvin Gaye is from their neighborhood. There's a park named in honor of the legendary soul singer and activist.

People in Anacostia like to tell me about Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene, an entertainer and community activist who once lived in the Anacostia projects. 

As July draws to a close, I'm rushing against the clock to get the word out about the forgivable loan for home energy efficiency improvements available to low-income residents. 

To learn more or apply now, email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , call  1.888.MYDCSEU or  202.479.2222, or attend an upcoming community meeting: 

Wednesday, July 25, 5-6pm, Petworth library conference room, 4200 Kansas Avenue NW 

Thursday, July 26, 5:30-7:30pm, The UPO Anacostia Service Center, 1649 Good Hope Road SE 

Thursday, August 2 5:30-7:30pm (same location as July 26 meeting)

RSVP by contacting me at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .Thanks for supporting our work. You can help us build community online by following us on Facebook. 

Rev. Gary Dittman is pastor of Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Baltimore, Maryland. 

Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in East Baltimore is unlike any place I've ever experienced. 

Our congregation is located in a distressed neighborhood where unemployment hovers around 20 percent.

The median income for a family of four is $28,000, and thousands of boarded up houses permeate the landscape. Recently, we celebrated the fact that there hadn't been a shooting in more than a month. 

When it comes to transforming our community and having a lasting impact, we think holistically.

We joined with a vibrant roster of faith institutions, spanning multiple denominations, and community organizations, including CLAIM, to use our collective purchasing power to secure a discount on the electricity that we use inside our walls, and switch to clean power. 

Through these partnerships forged with the support of Groundswell and other organizing groups, we're making the place where we all live better. 

Any savings is big savings when we can touch more people in the community and have a lasting impact. 

Our congregation serves as a gathering point for a healthier neighborhood. Our ministries include a food pantry, afterschool program and summer camp for neighborhood children. 

We seek to build a community of people who care for each other and who are deeply engaged in making our neighborhood a better place. 

As with most things, it's easy to operate individually, but collaboration is powerful. We'd like to invite you to collaborate. 

What type of local community impact would you like to see the clean economy create?

Share your thoughts and ideas. Email them to:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A Rockville native, Adam is a Blog Fellow for Groundswell this summer.  

I was unsure what to expect when I attended the Three Oaks Townhome Association meeting on June 27 in Silver Spring, Maryland.

A handful of homeowners in this suburban community had decided to work together to save each month on their energy use by making simple upgrades to their homes. 

Tonight, a few of those community members had gathered to select a local energy efficiency business to perform upgrades. Although some of the homeowners they represented weren’t present, all of their needs were taken into account when making a decision. Photo credits: David Y. Lee for Groundswell.

In a nutshell, Groundswell’s Strong Homes Program brings together individual homeowners to form a buying group to choose an energy efficient business for those homes. 

The more homeowners, the more savings for each person.

Hearing exactly what these homeowners cared about when choosing a business was eye-opening. 

Quality and cost were important considerations. But they were looking for something more.

Sitting off to the side and listening to different scoring mechanisms and criteria that they were using to decide on a business, I realized that there was so much more to think about in terms of individual homes’ energy needs.

Photo credits: David Y. Lee for Groundswell.

When the contractors’ proposals came out relatively similar in terms of cost, it allowed Groundswell Lead Organizer Brett Wiley to turn the meeting's focus to the business practices of each contractor who had submitted a bid on this project.

“What do they give back to the community?” and “What are these companies’ positive business practices (wages, benefits, hiring practices)?” were two of the questions that were answered.

Purchasing energy efficiency services as a group also allows for a variety of values to be considered when reviewing each energy contractor’s respective bids for these competitive contracts. 

As one homeowner put it, “You want it cost-competitive … but I’m not sure that total ‘least cost’ should be the sole deciding factor.” Photo credits: David Y. Lee for Groundswell.

By the end, the homeowners of Three Oaks had decided on a business.  

Participating community members would see around 15 to 20 percent overall savings in their energy costs.

As our host for the evening Linda Akli pointed out, a lot of this work goes unseen, and requires a bit of education for the average consumer:

Photo credits: David Y. Lee for Groundswell.“Some of it [the upgrades] is for things you don’t see, and you have to remind people that it’s important to do it. I think people don’t like to do the things they don’t see, and also if they have a mindset that they’re fine, they will pay that money for the heating/air conditioning bills!” 

By gathering information about individual homeowner’s energy usage, the Three Oaks community hopes to expand their buying group to save even more.