A conversation with Anthony Star, Community Enery Co-op Guru

by Joel Haskard

The Community Energy Cooperative in Chicago is one of the nation’s leaders in providing energy conservation services and products to urban neighborhoods. CEC’s Assistant Manager, Anthony Star, was in the Phillips community in mid-November, 2002, to speak at the Green Institute’s Annual Meeting.

Is this your first time to the Phillips Community in South Minneapolis?

No. My mother-in-law lives in Corcoran, about a mile from the Green Institute. In the past I’ve always tried to visit the Reuse Center when I come to town.

What are some basic things people in urban areas need to know about energy conservation?

Old refrigerators waste huge amounts of electricity. If your refrigerator is more then about ten years old, replace it with a new model, it will pay for itself very quickly. With winter coming up, take a few simple steps to tighten up your home, seal windows, doors, etc. Otherwise you are just heating the outdoors and throwing away money.

Basically, think of energy conservation as a way to save money. If you use energy inefficiently you are paying for energy you don’t otherwise need to use.

Who benefits from energy conservation? 

With a properly implemented energy conservation program, everybody benefits. The recipient benefits from reducing costs, the environment benefits from less pollution from energy production, and even the utilities benefit from programs that target energy that isn’t efficient for them to produce and distribute.

How long has your organization existed?  

Our parent organization, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, has been around for 25 years, quite an accomplishment for a community-based environmental non-profit. We started the Community Energy Cooperative in the spring of 2000. 

What are some of the energy conservation programs that your organization has implemented?

I’m most proud of some large scale (over 5,600!) window air conditioner replacement programs we have conducted. We’ve also done a variety of other programs including refrigerator rebates, a price protection plan for natural gas costs, and ongoing educational offerings.

What is the best thing about your job? What is the worst thing?

I don’t get out of the office as much as I would like. When I get to interact with our members and see the impact our programs have had on them its very exciting. I also love telling people about the organization and programs that we have built (such as on my trip to visit the Green Institute), but sometimes it is frustrating that making significant changes in a big system like the energy industry can take a very long time.

Are there similarities between Phillips Neighborhood and the communities that you work in?

I think Phillips has some strong similarities to the Pilsen community in Chicago. Pilsen is a port-of-entry community for the Mexican population of Chicago. Therefore there are a lot of renters, and a lot of turn-over. On the plus side there is a strong network of organizations to help provide support to residents. In terms of the housing stock, Phillips feels similar to some of the downtown parts of Elgin, an older industrial city about 30 miles northwest of Chicago.

Do you have any words of advice for the newly-formed Phillips Community Energy Cooperative?

Good Luck! I was impressed with the plans that the Phillips Community Energy Cooperative has developed and the enthusiastic and energetic board. Be patient with new ideas and technologies, they always take longer then you expect to come to fruition.