Team:
Coach:
Chuck Palosaari
Project Description
New Power Tour, Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to increasing the use of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies, launched the winterization project last fall. They sought help from a student team at Michigan Tech-the Efficiency Through Engineering and Construction Enterprise. Project partners at Michigan Tech and in the community now include the University's Youth Programs; New Power Tour, Inc.; Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly; Martineau & Morris Contracting; ThermoAnalytics, Inc.; and newly established High School Enterprise teams.
The project harnesses the energy, enthusiasm and talents of community residents from multiple generations: elderly folks who are often isolated and living on severely limited incomes, college students who are not always connected to the world beyond campus, and at-risk high school students who are already confronting challenges and obstacles that can make college or post-secondary education seem out of reach. It aims to strengthen the foundations of a sustainable community, defined as one where residents are responsive to needs of those less fortunate and understand that their community is no stronger than the most vulnerable among them.