The igreen program is a joint initiative of Steplight and Dusseldorp Skills Forum. Last year saw the implementation of the first round of igreen programs (in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania).
Watch the video below for a brief summary of the program.
What is igreen?
Quotes from the igreen video:
It’s a program for those kids that are going to be looking for a job when they complete school… They actually have to go out into their community: introduce themselves to their community and do house assessments. It gives them a realisation that they can go further with it, to gain further accreditation.
- Maggie MacFie (Central Coast Youth Connections)
The igreen program starts with students and young people assessing exactly how they impact on the environment and by having young people then showing this concern and going out into the community. It’s spreading the message. It’s really a powerful message for people to take in – that they, in their own homes make a significant difference to the overall environmental resources in this country and across the world.
We wanted to have the igreen program at Gorokan High School for a number of reasons but I suppose a primary one is the environmental factor.
- Les Clark (Principal, Gorokan High School)
I think it’s the sort of program that will help me in the future because I’ve got the credentials and know what needs to be done and I’ve got the certificates to show it. It might get me a job in home sustainability.
- Student
The Training
For the training that we did, we had three different [types] of training: some in the classroom where we worked out of a booklet [...] And then we learnt how to use the software on the internet [...] And we also went out on day trips to practice using the information.
- Student
When students are taking up the issues of the environment and they’re going out and meeting members of the community and going into their homes to help those people assess their energy use, it’s a significant thing for students, and it really does build up their confidence.
- Les Clark
The Benefits
I’d tell other people to do this because it’s fun and it’s a real hands-on course where you get to go out and learn stuff on the job.
- Student
I think a lot of schools would benefit from taking on this program. It has the capacity to engage students and it is a significant program in terms of our environmental responsibilities for the future, for future students and their families.
- Les Clark
I’d recommend this program because it’s really educational and it can help in future life as well.
- Student
It puts these young people in quite a unique position where they actually will be providing advice and giving information to people that are much older than themselves. So they have to come across as credible. [These are] really good skills to learn for the future work force.
Green skills are important. They are the skills of the future.
- Maggie MacFie
To find out more please visit the igreen website or send us an enquiry about igreen.
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For some appliances, power usage changes over time, so consumption cannot be calculated using the above method. This is the case for a refrigerator that turns on and off throughout the day, or a washing machine where the power used will depend on what cycle is running. You can use the power meter to work out the usage over time, and the cost, using the following steps:
19 teachers from four states have commenced the igreen train-the-trainer at Steplight this morning. The training event, made possible by Dusseldorp Skills Forum and Integral Energy is an opportunity for secondary school teachers to complete a 
