Connecting Students and Communities through Climate Change Support Internships

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1 + Helping Communities Embrace a Sustainable Future Connecting Students and Communities through Climate Change Support Internships Stephen Miller Deputy Director Strategic Energy Innovations

2 + Framework! Colleges and universities serve as sustainability leaders for the community! In addition, they are one of the largest energy consumers! Municipalities are stretched for staff and resources, while often beholden to climate mandates! Students and recent graduates are prime community greening agents

3 + Climate Corps Bay Area: Mission! 30 students and young professionals address real community need: climate change mitigation! Climate Corps Members: Yearlong, paid internships (salary + scholarship)! Trained and placed alongside Bay Area municipal and community staff! Focus on serving: Implementing climate protection (greenhouse gas emission reduction) strategies! Raise awareness and increase civic participation in community energy and climate efforts

4 + Need/Opportunity! Bay Area municipalities: Mandated to take action! Goal: 80% reduction of 1990s levels by 2050! But these governments also face challenges Research Policy Approval!! Implement/ Action Diffusion! Environmental consulting = competitive sector! CCBA provides young professionals invaluable skills and experience

5 + Program Member Tasks! Businesses! Governments! Residents! Schools! Energy Efficiency! Organics Disposal! Networking with Green Businesses! Transportation Initiatives! Waste Reduction! Energy Efficiency! Climate Action Plans! Weatherization! Energy Efficiency! Sustainable Lifestyles! Education! Public (PACE) financing programs! Transportation! Eco-Campuses! K-12 Green Teams! Honor Sustainable Schools! Walking School Bus! Curriculum Development

6 + Our Implementation Partners! Strategic Energy Innovations! Bay Area Community Partners (BACR)! Northern California AmeriCorps provider! 30 years of experience working in communities of need! California Volunteers! Supporting the partnership as we seek funding (beyond 2011)

7 + Mechanism of Action Diffuse behavior change into community Placement Partners (local governments, non-profits) Climate Corps Members Climate Corps Bay Area Support System

8 + Program Management Goal: 30% GHG emission reductions compared to prior year! Requires solid support structure to quantify and evaluate progress! Calculated, documented GHG reductions! Supervised technical support! Ongoing member trainings and peer support network! Quarterly evaluations! Member performance! Program satisfaction and progress

9 + Current Status! 30 members! Highly diverse backgrounds! Most with recent undergraduate and graduate degrees! 19 partner agencies! 6 - County Governments/ Programs! 8 - Local Governments! 5- Non-Profits! Waiting list of partners beyond 2011

10 + Expected Outcomes 1. New tools and resources for local governments! Templates for measuring behavior change, GHG reduction! Events, campaigns that can be replicated 2. Long-term relationships! Climate Corps members an integral part of implementation process! We expect that these experiences will provide for some fulltime positions Diverse Scalable Replicable Effective

11 + Sustainable Cities Initiative! Cross-disciplinary: Creating a sustainable city cannot happen within any single discipline.! Connects community climate program/policy needs with university faculty and students! City develops scope and funds services of faculty and students! Recent engagements: Cities of Salem and Gresham

12 + Dominican University Sustainability Practices Certificate What is it? A 15-unit certificate that provides students and professionals a credible foundation in sustainability concepts, current issues and related best practices. What are the course requirements? Core = Foundation courses Sustainability and/or Applied Professions Courses meet five times, usually on Saturdays Assignments include readings, personal project, and a team (capstone) project Students choose electives from courses offered by host of area institutions Is there an experiential component? Yes. SEI staff actively consult with certificate program candidates to identify and structure a 3-unit capstone project or internship. "Participating in the Sustainable Practices Certificate Program has been like the Big Bang in terms of!exponentially!expanding my personal understanding of the breadth and interrelationships surrounding sustainability issues. Bob Brown, Community Development Director, City of San Rafael

13 + Green Demo Program: Campus Housing Energy Efficiency Retrofits (CHEER)! SEI partnered with area engineering consulting company (QuEST )! Delivery of campus energy efficiency assessments and retrofits! Students recruited and trained to serve as campus energy auditors! Audits of residential and dining spaces! Students reported findings (became part of campus engineering report) and performed basic lighting upgrades

14 + CHEER Program Core Elements Training: Leverage utility/technical partners and campus facilities staff. Conduct Audits: Students reach out to campus building staff to identify/ access candidate sites for audits. Perform Basic Lighting Upgrades: Students change out incandescent bulbs in common areas and student housing. Compile/Present Findings: SEI and QuEST verify student audit results before students present findings back to campus.

15 + Common Threads! Students as a resource! Leverage campus assets and institutional expertise! Importance of establishing strategic community partners! Effectively engaging students requires intentional planning and supports

16 + Thank you Stephen Miller