RUNT greenhouse the many programs oriented to the black community. “If you meet a black person and they know you work at KBOO, they light up," she says. Future goals for the station are simply to survive in the hard times ahead "as a cultural resource and a political lifeline" and, after that, to reach more people. The second goal will require finding the capital with which to upgrade the antenna and tower, allowing use of a higher- powered signal. KBOO has permission to increase its power from the present 12,500 watts to 30,000; only the money is lacking. Listeners interested in becoming members can do so by calling or writing the station. Volunteers are always welcome. Eliot Energy House Responsible Urban Neighborhood Technology 3116 N. Williams Portland, OR 97227 503/284-RUNT What can you do with a drafty house in the wintertime short of burning it for warmth? You can tighten it up to hold its warmth like a thermos bottle. The folks at Responsible Urban Neighborhood Technology (RUNT) are transforming an old run-down house into a model of energy self-reliance "to communicate more directly how low-cost weatherization can be incorporated into an existing urban dwelling," according to RUNT spokesperson Judith Chambliss. A core group coalesced.in spring 1978 and purchased the house in December 1979 with help from the Portland Development Commission. Standing committees take responsibility for construction, publicity and other concerns. Grants, cash and materials donations, membership fees and grassroots benefits provide operating revenue. The inspiration and model for this demonstration project was Berkeley's Integral Urban House. The difference is that Portland's Eliot Energy House demonstrates the process as well as the product. Volunteers have done all the work—everything from gutting the house to rewiring it, installing insulation and replacing part of the south-facing pitched roof with an attic greenhouse. About 150 volunteers have participated over the last two years. Saturday morning workshops have covered all phases of home remodeling and energy conservation. Skilled and unskilled people work side by side. Volunteers gain hands-on experience and learn skills they can apply in their own homes. Outreach to low-income people in the community has been another priority. RUNT's VISTA volunteers have organized a food-buying club in the Eliot neighborhood and initiated the Community Energy Project—a series of workshops on low-cost weatherization techniques offered throughout Portland's east side. About thirty families participate in the urban gardening project, growing food organically in a vacant lot across the street from the house. When the house is completed in spring 1982, it will become a resource center providing information, a tool bank, workshops and consultation on energy conservation. RUNT's board of directors is currently brainstorming
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