October Spotlight- WindowDressers
When the world feels overwhelming, it’s easy to forget how much good is happening close to home. People Helping People is our way of spotlighting the Portlanders who are showing up, making a difference, and reminding us that we all have something to offer. Hope isn’t something we wait for, it’s something we build together, and all across the city, you will find examples of people reminding us that the most powerful force for change is the simple, human act of people helping people.
"We need more help from passionate people looking to make this work possible."
-Elissa Armstrong
WindowDressers
Fifteen years ago, a small Maine church had an energy audit done and learned that much of their heat was escaping through the windows. When the quotes to fix the problem came back far too high, they turned to their own congregation for ideas. A few engineers offered to build something themselves and the WindowDressers window inserts were born!
Before too long, word started to spread and Volunteer Community Builds were organized to bring neighbors together to build the window inserts and meet the growing demand. Since this project began, volunteers have worked together to assemble and build over 70,000 custom window inserts, saving over 3 million cumulative gallons of heating oil in the process. OEO spoke with the Volunteer Shift Leader of Portland’s Community Build, Elissa Armstrong, about WindowDressers and how more people in the community can support their work.
How does the WindowDressers process work?
The process starts with trained volunteers visiting peoples homes and measuring each window individually to ensure a perfect fit. Those measurements are entered into a computer program that sends the measurements to a woodshop in Searsport, where the wood is cut, labeled, and prepared for each order. A volunteer then drives a U-haul up to gather all of the wood, plastic, foam, and tape and other materials and transports it to the site of the Community Build. Then we set up the space and community volunteers come together to assemble the window inserts by building the frames and sealing them with plastic and foam. Once this build is complete, all these jigs will move to the SPACE Gallery, where they’re going to make 50 of them for their building!
What brought you to WindowDressers?
I was a member of the Portland Climate Action Team, as was Allen (co-shift leader), and another man named Sam Sulton, who lived on Peaks Island, where they had been doing these builds for a while, and he told us about it. Sam suggested we host a build in Portland and I said “okay let’s give it a shot!” For years, we held community builds out of the Irish Heritage Center, which was a great location, and then a few more years at the community room at Allagash. By the time that COVID hit, the workshops had grown so much that the organization was able to use the year off to reorganize and figure out where to go next.
After COVID, I took a break from being the coordinator for a few years, but after this past election I thought: I need to do something that’s really concrete. I stand out in the street with signs and am glad to do that, but I needed to do something that makes a difference for people. Also it builds community which I really like!
What’s something you hope for through your work?
It would be really wonderful if there could be 3 or 4 workshops in Portland each year. If we had four that were each doing 200 inserts, it wouldn't be quite as intense. So I would like to see that. I would also love to see every window in the City of Portland with window inserts.
What’s the biggest barrier to your ability to expand?
Finding free space that is available to host the community builds is one of the biggest needs. We also need more help from passionate people looking to make this work possible.
Volunteer Tips
What advice would you give to those interested in volunteering or wanting to help give back/ support the community right now?
Anybody can do these tasks. Everyone is welcome and all the tasks are easy and fun to do. It’s fun to work together and you get to meet new people. If you prefer to be alone, you can do the same tasks in the corner and not be disturbed. There’s something to do for everyone!
If you’re interested in contributing to the work of WindowDressers, there are multiple ways to get involved, including:
Volunteering at a community build
Donating lunch or space for a build event
Donate money to help provide window inserts to those who need them at no cost
Interested in volunteering?
Visit https://windowdressers.org/volunteer/
We hope these stories help you remember that no matter who you are or what you care about, there’s a role for everyone in building this community. Reach out to us with your story of #PeopleHelpingPeople or let us know how you’d like to help, and we can help connect you with an opportunity that is right for you!