Winding down and gearing up

Howdy and Happy Holidays to all those out in Blog-land!

Well, it is that time of year to wrap up all of our projects and start laying the foundation for next year’s work.  2012 will no doubt bring challenges, both seen and unseen, as well as opportunities, expected and unexpected.  One of the joys of working with an amazing group of people like the Rising Sun staff is knowing that, no matter what may come, we have the agility, devotion, energy and creativity to stay one step ahead of the game.

We have made some amazing strides in 2011 including a complete rebranding of the GETS curriculum (which, believe me, was no small feat), bringing on a GETS Case Manager (Melvin, you rock!) and vastly expanding our employer network (over 1,000 contacts and counting).  But all of that is just groundwork.  The real job lies ahead:  solving global climate destabilization by putting people back to work.  All of our accomplishments are for naught if we aren’t able to make a real impact on the greatest problem to ever face our species.  And that’s the rub:  we have to be more convincing, more focused, more creative and bring a greater sense of urgency to the work we do to inspire more people in more areas and inspire to move beyond the status quo.  We can do better – we have to.

So enjoy the holidays.  Use this as a time to relax and recharge for the work that lies ahead in 2012.  I know I will.

With warm holiday wishes,

George

I’ll tell you what keeps me going….

Occasionally, I get to see the benefits of all of the hard work of Rising Sun Energy Center.  Today was one of those days.  Allow me to explain….

As a BPI Certified Building Analyst, one of my responsibilities here at Rising Sun Energy Center is to perform energy assessments on homes enrolled in our GETS Energy Services program.  Today, I got to meet one of our customers and perform a post-weatherization energy assessment (known as a “test-out” in the industry lingo).  This is where I get to measure how much of a positive impact all of our crew’s hard work had on the home.  While my fancy gauges told me how much less drafty the home will be this winter, the home owner told me how she is already more comfortable in her home because of the additional insulation.  A mother of three, she also told me how she wants to tell all of her friends, relatives and neighbors about this program so they can reap the same benefits.  This got me to thinking about all of the impacts a program like GETS Energy Services has that can’t be measured by my fancy gauges:

• This customer’s family will be more comfortable this winter.  They will use less energy to heat the home this winter but, also, her children will have better chances to avoid getting sick (improved indoor air quality from the vapor barrier, properly ventilation and increased thermal performance, etc.).
• In reaching out to her community to spread the word about this program, this customer will strengthen her community.  The people she touches will hopefully go on to enroll and then they can spread the word to their friends and family.
• Lowered utility bills can be measured but how do you measure decreased financial strain?
• By enrolling in this program, she gave our GETS Energy Services crew valuable opportunities to gain more experience and skills – the kinds of things employers are looking for.

Will this one happy customer change the world?  Well, to be honest, yes.  Maybe not in a huge and immediately measurable way but, yes – I like to think we are changing the world one home at a time.  I heard a great quote the other day:

“You know that inch-by-inch ground you are gaining?  That’s called winning.”

And that’s what keeps me going.

George

East Bay Green Job Corps to Begin Fall Cohort

Rising Sun Energy Center has partnered with Solar Richmond and Berkeley City College to offer a new and expanded version of our East Bay Green Job Corps (EBGJC) program.

East Bay Green Job Corps (EBGJC) is a free training and education program designed to help youth and young adults (ages 18-24) get the skills they need to enter green careers.

Over the course of 18 months in 2010 and 2011, the EBGJC program ran six eight-week cohorts – two in Oakland, two in Richmond, and two in Berkeley. Graduates of the program went on to participate in further education and training programs like GETS, Richmond BUILD, and Solar Richmond.  Some also worked as CYES Energy Specialists and solar marketing interns at Solar Richmond.

With support from the City of Oakland, we were able to re-launch the EBGJC program with some key improvements.  East Bay Green Job Corps is now a 16-week bridge program that combines classroom and fieldwork experience.  Participants will:

• Learn job readiness and leadership skills
• Build eco-literacy and civic engagement
• Improve your math and English skills
• Earn 13 units of college credit
• Participate in paid energy efficiency and solar internships

Participants will spend each morning taking academic and life skills classes at Berkeley City College, and then work in energy efficiency and solar marketing internships in the afternoon.  East Bay Green Job Corps staff will work with each participant to develop an individual plan and help them reach their educational and career goals.  After completing the program, East Bay Green Job Corps participants may continue on to community college, vocational training programs, union apprenticeships, or employment.

The fall EBGJC cohort begins September 6 and Runs through December.  A second cohort will take place beginning in February and running through May 2012.

Best,
Elena
GETS & EBGJC Program Director

LIFT Week 7: Closing Out Strong!

Richmond: Greetings from Richmond, California! This week Richmond Energy Specialists have been on top of it, as this past week has been our busiest week yet. Each team has as many as 5 appointments a day, which almost seems like its not enough, as they power through them, looking for more. Our newest member Laura has been scheduling appointments like crazy, calling the Spanish speakers on the wait list and we are all very impressed with the rapid growth of her professionalism and the professionalism of her teammates.  Some of our Energy Specialists have been working hard on and off the job, already having other jobs lined up that pay $12.00/hr!  It feels amazing to be able to make people smile and to help the community with passion. Alex also did a wonderful job substituting for me as I was out for a family funeral. That’s the great news from Richmond, California!!!!-Louis

Oakland: With the final week of Green House Calls comes a lot of emotions. We all feel so proud and impressed when we look at our body of work through the summer. Some of our goals we greatly exceeded and with others, we came so close. But overall, this summer has affected all of us. The youth learned more than they could have imagined about professionalism, energy efficiency and most importantly, about themselves. I’m so proud of all of them! I know I will never forget my summer in the Oakland community. Thank you everyone!-Chris

Fremont: As the concept of CYES coming to an end finally sinks in, I have realized that this program has taught me much more than light bulbs, recycling methods and elevator pitches, but also a few life skills I will be sure to remember throughout my life. I have learned that sometimes you have to accept people and things the way they are instead of trying to mold them into what you wish they would be. Sometimes the situations you find yourself in are going to suck, although it is within your power to choose how you are going to act upon them. I have realized that I am not always going to have that perfect partner with whom I can constantly agree with, laugh with, and bond with. Will Rich is not always going to take on the day alongside me. And I have learned to accept that.

I don’t like to think of this as a bittersweet ending, but as another completed chapter. So without further ado, thank you Darren Kumar for your leadership and compassion, thank you Christeen Davis, for your wisdom and friendship, thank you Arbaz Quraishi, for allowing me to express myself on this blog, and thank you California Youth Energy Services, for another unforgettable summer. -Until next time, Energy Specialist, Erica Andrada

What a great summer!  My site provided an excellent service to more than two hundred and sixty San Leandro residents and we all enjoyed doing so.  We ended up near the top in terms of how many homes we served, but that is only part of what made our site so wonderful.  Throughout the summer, I bragged about how cool our site was.  I am so proud of how San Leandro developed into the close team we became.  With friendly drive-by’s and cute pranks on each others’ cars, I think our site’s ES’s likely had more fun than most teenagers in a typical summer.

San Leandro: I am so happy to have worked with each one of you Energy Specialists and my fantastic managers.  I felt like you all brought something different to the table, whether it be knowledge of a second language or simply compassion for others, and for that, I will be forever grateful to all of you.  Thank you to the HQ staff for all the behind-the-scenes work that makes our program possible.  Thank you to my managers for guiding the site and mentoring me with all your worldly wisdom.  And lastly, thank you to all our ES’s who made our site such a great group of people to work with.  I wish you all the best!  So long from San Leandro!-Will

Wow – what a summer!

George here at the Employment and Training Manager desk.  Things are getting a little hectic around here:  in the last two days, I have had 10 job openings come across my desk!  That’s pretty huge.  It’s funny – I see all of these news reports that the economy is still on shaky ground and there aren’t any jobs out there but, from my perspective, I have never been busier!  The jobs are there – especially the green jobs – and I see more and more openings every day.

It is my humble opinion but I think we are starting to witness a shift from our old carbon based economy to a more sustainable one.  As with any transition, there will be “growing pains” and things that make us uncomfortable or unsure of the next step.  Another – more exciting – way to look at this is to say we get to forge a new path.  Every generation has its challenges – this is our challenge.  And I think the ney-sayers will be surprised by what we do.  Allow me to rephrase:  “They should be impressed by what we are doing.”

Gotta go.  I have jobs that need filling.

George

LIFT Week 6: Racing to the Finish

Pleasanton: Wow, we have had such a successful week! People are so interested in getting a free torchiere and a Green House Call. In the last two weeks we have had so much success in booking appointments. We had a booth at the Wednesday Night Street Fair of Pleasanton, and we were able to book the rest of our open appointments. We have serviced several big homes, beating our mark of 15 watt flood lights by an large amount. Things have been a little crazy at the office but everyone is working hard to try and get things done. After our torchiere swap, we have accumulated another torchiere graveyard! But I can’t complain. In two days with a man down we were able to service 74 apartment units in just two days, even with everything else going on. Things are definitely looking pleasant in Pleasanton. TTFN-Jazz from Pleasanton

Livermore: It’s been a smooth week in Livermore.  We’re getting the work done and not having any problems.  We changed up the teams just to give everyone a chance to work with a variety of people.  The managers and I just decided that it would be better for the Energy Specialists to have the experience and the switch hasn’t appeared to slow us down.  We got a chance to clean the site, which is great because the site is always active doing house calls and canvassing, which makes cleaning not generally our top priority.  A lot of the Energy Specialists have been playing basketball after work and it just shows how close we’re coming together as a site.  We’re especially excited to play some basketball at the barbeque.  It’s been a bit of a slow week for house calls but we’re pushing on and working hard.  Hope all of you are doing great!-Drew

Berkeley: This week in Berkeley we had another strong week of GHCs and team building!  First off, on Tuesday, Autumn, Ross, Corey, and Waleena attended the Derby Street Farmer’s market, where they got 20 sign-ups, all of which we hope will turn into GHCs and fill up the rest of our summer.  Then on Wednesday and Thursday, we serviced two more Cal Co-ops, Hoyte and Hillegas-Parker (the third largest Cal Co-op)!  And finally on Friday, along with conducting our final professional development session about how to write resumes and cover letters, we serviced a 6-unit apartment complex! Meanwhile, we also serviced 25 more single family dwelling GHCs this week, which puts us right on track to reach our goal of servicing 250 Berkeley homes this summer!  Everyone is keeping their eyes on the prize (the end of the program BBQ awards ceremony) as we go into our last week of GHCs!!  Please enjoy the pictures of various ESs performing installs as well as our visitor from the GETS program, Melvin!-John

San Leandro: With the finish line in sight, San Leandro is pressing on harder than ever.  We surpassed two hundred green house calls this week and our site office appears much roomier than before with the depleted inventory.  After our Friday professional development workshop, we enjoyed a gourmet potluck.  I heard our potluck was better than anything HQ could do, so hopefully Natesha took careful notes (Just kidding!).  I am excited to see how this last week of green house calls plays out.  Our Energy Specialists did an amazing job representing Rising Sun and promoting environmental stewardship this summer, but more impressive was their ability to come together as a team and remain passionate each and every hour they spent on the job.  I hope you all enjoy your last week of green house calls and look forward to seeing the entire CYES team at the barbeque.  Go San Leandro!-Will

Oakland: Our team has really come together in the past week! I see everyone working very closely and forming close friendships. One of our ES’s was having a tough day so the entire team site sat down talked through his problems and everyone helped. Other youth also shared their problems and it was a bonding moment for all of us! I see the youth growing before my very eyes. Only one week left!-Chris

Fremont: As the CYES program slowly comes to an end, Fremont is working harder than ever, booking 16-20 Green House Calls a day, in order to meet our site goal of 250. This week a portion of our team participated in National Night Out, which consisted of riding in cars and party buses alongside volunteer police officers, Target Team Members and Regi-Rec, the Raccoon, Fremont’s Recreational Mascot. Courtesy of The City of Fremont, we rode to a number of block parties and had the pleasure of socializing with residents in their extravagant homes. Not only did we get a ton of reliable sign-ups, but we also picked up a few shrimp cocktails as well. This week Arbaz shared with us our last Professional Development lecture of the summer, along with some milk and doughnuts. Together we watched “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch, which was about a man diagnosed with pancreatic cancer who still maintained a positive outlook on life. This video taught us to be grateful with the life we live, to be compassionate to everyone because each person has his or her own personal story and to never be afraid to fail. “You don’t need to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer to start enjoying life,” shares Energy Specialist, Mihir Jain. All in all, we have had another productive and successful week in Fremont.-Cordially, Energy Specialist, Erica Andrada

LIFT Week 5: On Track for Success!

Berkeley: This week in Berkeley we had another awesome week!  Once again we serviced 3 more Berkeley Co-ops (Cloyne, Wilde, and Davis) as well as two 15-room apartment complexes.  Additionally, we serviced 20 more single family residence units.  Meanwhile, on Thursday, our outreach manager, Ross, along with Keisha, Tyler, and Corey, canvassed at the Rose Street Farmer’s market in Berkeley, where we shared a table with PG&E Energy Partners! Also on Thursday, BET came to film one of our ESes, Waleena Griffin, for one of their upcoming television programs that is scheduled to air in September! Finally, this Friday we had a great Professional Development lesson wherein we learned all about Personal Health and Nutrition.  Please enjoy the pictures of our ESes servicing various Co-ops and also Keisha’s 20th birthday celebration (which happened last Friday)! -John
San Leandro: Another awesome week at the San Leandro site!  We worked the Farmer’s Market again, earning enough sign-ups to fill up a bunch of sign-up sheets.  This last Thursday was the busiest day of the summer, with eighteen Green House Calls, but everyone stayed upbeat and enthusiastic throughout the long day.  The San Leandro site is also excited to welcome one more Energy Specialist to our wonderful team.  All the ESes are super close by now and did an excellent job welcoming our newest member.  Lastly, for lunch next Friday, our site is planning a multicultural potluck after our professional development lesson.  Any HQ staff are welcome to attend.  Go San Leandro!-Will

Livermore: It’s been a successful week in the Livermore site. We’ve been booking more appointments than ever and are on track for meeting all of our goals!  We had an Energy Specialist get really sick so I had to step up and take his place.  It was a good experience getting to work as an ES again.  We were able to step up and get just as much done as if the ES had been at work. Although I will say, we’re glad to have him back.  This week has been great for getting sign-ups too and we have our last week booked and this next week is looking pretty good as well.  Not much else to report from the site. We’re just getting our work done and having a blast.  Hope everyone else is doing well!-Drew

Pleasanton: The office is doing extremely well! We have changed over 500 15w flood lights! We have beat our goal by 200%! We are halfway to our GHC goal of 250 with 2 weeks to go. So far one of our teams has changed 93 light bulbs in one home! The Energy Specialists are still in competition for changing the most light bulbs and getting the most referrals. A little competition is never a bad thing! This was the first week of pipe insulation and our team is almost out. I am so impressed with how smart they are and how quickly they grasped the pipe insulation concepts. Everyone is really giving it their best. As the end of the summer gets closer our waitlist gets longer and longer. I am looking forward to the BBQ and having some fun with the other teams and eating some really good food! TTFN-Jasmin

Richmond: The Richmond Office is on FIRE!!! Despite being moved into a tiny office (our other one is being painted) we’re still pulling through and servicing those homes! We’ve been changing up the teams and increased each team’s load to four GHCs per day. This week we’ve also increased the ESes responsibilities and had them call and schedule appointments. They’re definitely learning a lot and looking and sounding incredibly professional. You should have seen the hustle-O-meter yesterday at the Point Richmond Farmer’s Market as each team stopped by, talked to the community, and scheduled tons of appointments! We also had a very successful torchiere swap, which seemed to attract a lot of potential customers. The Richmond Team is growing very close, and we’re very sad that there are only 2 weeks left =( We can’t wait for the BBQ though! Louis has been gone for a few days so I’ve been doing both house calls and outreach, which has been a new, fun and interesting experience. – Alex Acuna, Energy Specialist

Fremont: It is week five in Fremont, a.k.a. Torchiere City, and we have received almost $100 from a local recycling facility just by dropping off all of the halogen floor lamps we swapped out! “Darren and I had to drive on a scale,” says Energy Specialist Gianni. “We had to wear hard hats, too.” This week, Fremont has taken recycling to a new level. Thanks to our site manager, Darren, and me, Arbaz, we have constructed a fort out of torchiere packaging. We use our clever invention as a colossal recycling bin for all our paper and empty CFL boxes, in hopes of gaining a little incentive money with it as well. This week was pretty tough for our team, however we have been doing an amazing job overcoming challenging obstacles. From six-bedroom houses to dealing with difficult clients, I feel our team can stand strong and take on any situation they find themselves in.-Arbaz

Emeryville/Albany: This exceptionally long week in Emeryville/Albany was interesting. We struggled to get Green House Calls for the entire week and pulled through strong. We had to move sites on Friday July 29, 2011. It will be a hard transition but I believe we will manage greatly. The space is smaller, so maybe there will be a lot more team building! I’m excited for the new site, as it will not change our Green House Call success rate! =) Lets Get Some! Go Team Go!-Ilana

Hayward: This week in Hayward has been our best yet. We were able to score a whole apartment complex and working on another one. We also recycled only 19 torchieres and made $50! Were so excited to use the money to celebrate all the hard work the ESes have been doing. We cant wait to see who wins the the most referrals from all the teams in our site! It’s a sweet and sour feeling that we’re in the fifth week, but we’re trying to meet our site goals to the fullest and enjoy the time we have together!-Isabela

San Mateo: Hey there! Week four of Green House Calls has now come to a close, and things are getting pretty exciting around here.  This week we matched our previous high for Green House Calls with 57.  At the beginning of the week, there were plenty of openings in our schedule, but Marissa did a fantastic job of tabling, canvassing and scheduling referrals to fill us up.
It is easy to say that this was our most diverse week in terms of homes we are serving.  We had one bedroom homes, an eight bedroom home, and everything in between.  In addition, we are serving more and more Spanish speaking members of the community, which is fantastic.
Professional development for this week was resume writing.  This lesson lasted the entire hour and a half, and appeared to be super helpful for each and every Energy Specialist.  This position is the first employment that some of the youth have had, so this development was especially valuable to them.
Only two weeks remain for the California Youth Energy Services program, and there are not too many Green House Calls that stand in the way of meeting our goal to complete 300 for the summer.  Our Energy Specialists and managers alike are confident that we can keep the same pace and meet this mark in the next two weeks.-Daniel