Author: Elliot Mack
When the program started, I met seven eager teens ready to take on daily community outreach and an elaborate week of Energy Specialist training. The responsibilities of an Energy Specialist can seem daunting. With the responsibility of having to memorize introduction pitches, CFL wattage conversions, and keeping a professional demeanor in front of adult clients. This can make for a pretty crazy first week.
Although the Energy Specialists might have felt a little shaky going to their first Green House Call, they triumphantly came back to the site with smiles on their faces. Now, the Energy Specialists fear no grumpy client. They fear no bathroom sink aerator that is stuck on really tight. And I’m proud of that.
I can see the environmental impact we are making when the Energy Specialists teach clients new ways to be sustainable; their eyes widen with intrigue and they thank us for our installations.
Although some clients refuse to part with their incandescent bulbs for aesthetic purposes, most clients are eager to make changes to their homes and lifestyles to become more sustainable. So far, we have not had any Green House Call clients that weren’t entirely grateful to have us in their homes!
The most interesting thing that I have witnessed would have to be watching the Energy Specialists start to make friends with one another. The awkwardness that shrouded the room at the beginning of training has faded; all of the Energy Specialists are eager to get to work in the morning and they promptly start cracking jokes at 10:30. It’s great to be a LIFT because I get to see the Energy Specialist’s relationships forming!
