Looking for a fun hands-on volunteer opportunity in Asheville and Buncombe County to make a real impact in your community? Help us lower the energy cost burden of limited-income families while reducing energy consumption countywide in the fight against climate change. You can learn new energy efficiency skills and enjoy meeting new people while increasing your “happiness” factor by doing some good hands-on work.
Weatherize Client Homes
Worksite volunteers perform energy-saving upgrades in groups Tuesday-Friday for clients in and around Buncombe County. In addition to connecting with great people and helping to restore the climate you will learn helpful energy-saving measures like changing lightbulbs, weatherstripping doors, and insulating water heaters. And most importantly, you will be helping to alleviate the energy cost burden of our most vulnerable populations in WNC, your very own neighbors who typically have much higher energy costs in relation to their income (typically 10x greater).
Windows Workshop
One of the measures we provide our clients is custom measured and built interior storm windows. Many clients, especially in mobile homes, have leaky single-pane windows without a storm window. Our solution fits in the window frame next to the existing window can cut drafts and reduce heat loss out of a window by more than 50%. Our on-site teams identify opportunities for this solution and then we schedule window workdays where a separate group of people get together and build the windows. It’s a lot of fun! Look for window workshops email announcements on our online calendar. This event happens only one-time monthly from 7-9pm usually on a Thursday.
Canvassing/Tabling
There are thousands of families in WNC in need of energy assistance and/or education. Our client recruitment volunteers help us connect with area residents/organizations by putting up pull tab fliers in residential communities and speaking with groups that might pass our information out to clients in need. We also do tabling events throughout the year to education the public about energy efficiency and climate. We especially need Spanish-speaking volunteers who can assist with reaching out to spanish speaking neighborhoods. You can work on your own time in the evenings (preferred) or weekends for 1-2 hrs weekly/monthly.
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to our ESN Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@greenbuilt.org or 828-585-4492 x2.
Volunteer Requirements
- Sign a Volunteer Waiver form online (will be sent from AdobeSign).
- Read our Volunteer Preparation & Client Communication page on what to expect, what to bring and wear, and communication protocols.
- Watch our 10-minute Training Video below.