BRING TAKE CHARGE TO YOUR SCHOOL!

WHAT IS TAKE CHARGE!?

A youth outreach and education project funded through the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s State Energy Sector Partnership.

BOOK A FREE TAKE CHARGE! ASSEMBLY

Email Stephanie@GroundworkColorado.org  or call 303-455-5600

ABOUT TAKE CHARGE! SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES

Take Charge! has outreach representatives throughout the entire state of Colorado.  These Take Charge! staff members give educational and  interactive presentations on energy efficiency, renewable  energy, green jobs and service learning to Take Charge!

QUESTIONS THAT WE WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR STUDENTS IN OUR PRESENTATION

Why is the green jobs industry growing?

What types of skills are required to get a green job?

What green jobs are available in Colorado?

What are our renewable energy sources?

How is energy generated and transmitted?

What does Colorado’s energy consumption look like?

How do we use energy in our homes and schools?

How can we Take Charge! in our communities?

How much energy do we waste?

How can we save energy?

What is wind power?

What is solar power?

What is geothermal power?

What is biomass power?

What is a green job?

WHAT THE HECK IS THE TAKE CHARGE! CANVASS DAY ABOUT?

First, Take Charge! targets communities geographically distributed throughout Colorado, and in need of energy conservation / cost saving services. 

Then, Take Charge! works with schools, local weatherization agencies, local government, utility companies and other service based organizations. In the months prior to the canvass, Take Charge! project staff will collect literature regarding the local low- to no- cost energy efficiency services for distribution on the day of the canvass. Take Charge! also organizes the contributions of CFL bulbs that will be distributed on the day of the canvass. 

Next, Take Charge! works with teams of high school and college students through a service learning model, allowing the youth to reach out to members of their own communities during a day of service. 

In preparation for a canvass, students receive a one hour Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Green Jobs Training that has been approved by the Colorado Department of Labor. Groundwork Colorado's Take Charge staff conducts the presentation prior the canvass date, or on the morning of the canvass.

Groundwork Colorado's Take Charge staff also conducts a Porch Bulb Canvass Training as an orientation on the day of service. During this presentation, students learn important canvassing skills (maintaining eye contact, don't go into yards with dogs, smile, how to install a porch bulb, etc). Then, students receive training on the local resources that can benefit the residents they will be talking to. Take Charge distributes information regarding the local weatherization assistance program, tip sheets for being energy efficient in your own home, and information on any other local resources identifying during the months before the canvass. 

After the trainings, students pair up with other students, and are accompanied by an adult as they go out to organize their community. They are given a script, a clipboard with a data tracking sheet, a map and addresses to visit, all the literature they will need for the day and a bag filled with CFL light bulbs.

Students always come back with smiles and their faces, and a feeling of a job well done!

Because of the community service conducted by the students, Take Charge! reaches several members of the community, connecting them with energy conservation resources that will make their homes more comfortable, and their utility bills more manageable.

TAKE CHARGE! COLORADO RESULTS

As of July 14, 2011, Groundwork Colorado has engaged over 319 Student Energy Ambassadors to reach out to over 10,000 residents of Colorado. Here are our Take Charge! Ambassadors partnering with Fulbright Scholars (and regular volunteer Mick Trujillo) talking to residents in the Baker Neighborhood.


Bulbs swapped: 2047

Energy saved: 140,366 kWh per year

CO2 emissions prevented: 123 tons per year

Energy costs saved: $12,633 per year



SO, WHAT IS GROUNDWORK COLORADO?

You can always go to http://www.groundworkcolorado.org/ to see what we are up to as an organization. We have several projects we work on in Colorado, aside from Take Charge!

Our various projects include transforming brownfields, providing energy audits and weatherization services, eliminating lead poisoning, promoting the use of alternative transportation, and many more!

The mission of Groundwork Colorado(GWC) is to bring about the sustained improvement of the physical environment and promote health and well-being through community-based partnerships and action. Our goals include:

To create collaborations among community and non-profit organizations, local government, businesses, and residents to improve the physical environment, while enhancing neighborhood assets and fostering community involvement and leadership.

To foster environmental justice by providing expertise and education on environmental health issues, providing opportunities for residents to develop environmental leadership and job skills, and improving the physical environment in low-income communities.

HOME-GROWN PROJECT GOES STATEWIDE

The cost of energy is going up, while our natural resources are diminishing – we need to TakeCharge! This is the message that Student Energy Ambassadors from across the state will be disseminating to Colorado residents over the next two years.

The primary objective of Take Charge! is for students to create change in the way Colorado residents think about and use energy, and get students thinking about "green" sector careers. High-school and college students will receive training and deliver information about energy efficiency, renewable energy and green jobs. Take Charge! will equip them with the skills and knowledge required to become Student Energy Ambassadors reaching out to thousands of adults and other students through presentations, social events and door-to-door canvasses in their communities. Students are excited about the opportunity to work amongst themselves to create change. "Having to work independently on this project in Pueblo has given me a great deal of responsibility, as well as accountability," says Lauren Chapman, a Student Energy Ambassador at CSU Pueblo. "I am looking forward to experiencing the changes in Pueblo. The process for being more energy efficient is simple and really effective."

Groundwork Colorado engages communities to create positive environmental impacts. Initially, Groundwork Denver is taking its mission statewide starting in Thornton, Englewood, Pueblo, Fort Collins, Golden, Greeley, Loveland and Colorado Springs, but there are over 30 communities in Colorado that have been identified where Take Charge! could be implemented in 2011 and 2012. Already, Student Energy Ambassadors from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning, Rocky Top Middle School, Upward Bound at Pueblo Community College, Colorado State University Students, Fort Lewis College Staff in Durango, and Connections Academy Statewide Online K-12 School will be working in their communities and with Groundwork Denver to Take Charge!

Take Charge! incorporates Groundwork Colorado's Porch Bulb Project, which is community outreach that engages volunteers and residents in the door-to-door activity of switching incandescent front porch light bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs – the energy efficient solution – for free. This simple and effective action is an impactful energy conservation measure. Porch Bulb Project results to date are: bulbs swapped = 6,348; energy saved = 435,291 kilowatt hours per year; CO2 emissions prevented = 380 tons per year; energy costs saved = $39,176 per year; neighborhoods impacted = 26; and volunteers engaged = 1,539.

In addition to the measurable savings resulting from the porch bulb swap, the straightforward action of changing a porch bulb opens the door to a more in-depth conversation about energy savings in the home. The neighbor-to-neighbor, door-to-door approach allows Student Energy Ambassadors to engage residents who are often hard to reach through more typical communication methods, like fliers or advertisements.

This is just one of Groundwork Colorado's projects involving youth and impacting communities. In fact, Ms. Chapman and others find themselves working on multiple projects with Groundwork Colorado. "My favorite thing about working with Groundwork Colorado is that there is always a project to be worked on, and different ways to be involved," she says. "Everyone on staff is passionate about his or her own work and determined to make a difference."

Groundwork Colorado's funding for the "Colorado Student Energy Awareness and Outreach Project" is provided with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 grant funds awarded by the U. S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. Currently, the majority of the total cost of this project is financed with Federal money, and there are $330,000 in Federal funds for this project. This initiative is sponsored by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, the Colorado Workforce Development Council, and the Colorado State Energy Partnership Coalition.

To learn more or get involved, contact us at TakeCharge@GroundworkColorado.org.