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igreen: green skills for the future workforce

Published 10 February 2011 igreen , Steplight Leave a Comment
Tags: dusseldorp skills forum, environmental education, Gorokan High School, green skills, high school, Les Clark, Maggie MacFie, Youth Connections

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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Watts Clever? Using a plug-in mains power meter

Published 22 August 2010 igreen , Steplight , Y Green Leave a Comment
Tags: appliances, climate change, consumption, electric power, electricity consumption, energy, energy conservation, environment, kilowatt hour, mains electricity, meters, physics, power consumption, power meter, standby power, Watts Clever

Plug-in power meters allow you to measure the electricity consumption of appliances around your home or workplace. A range of energy saving options can often be identified, and if nothing else, the devices will help you understand which appliances are using the most energy. The usage guide shown below is for this plug-in mains power meter available from Steplight.

Measuring Standby Loads

These are the steps to measure the standby power consumption of an appliance:

Plug the appliance into the power meter.
Turn the appliance back on to ‘stand by’ (eg, so the remote can be used on a television).
Press ‘FUNC’ on the power meter twice to display the power consumption in Watts.
This is how much power the appliance is using in standby mode.

So how much can be saved by turning all these appliances off at the wall?

Measure the standby power (in Watts) of an individual or group of appliances.
To work out the cost, find how much you pay per kWh on your electricity bill (often around $0.25/kWh), and multiply this by the hours in standby per day (an example of 20 hours per day is shown below).
To calculate the approximate total savings (the power meter can do a similar calculation to this automatically if you have already entered your electricity tariff):

Measuring Appliance Electricity Consumption

There are two ways to measure appliance consumption. If you know how often an appliance is used then measure the Watts of the appliance and multiply this by the number of hours:

power meter calculation 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:

Plug the appliance into the power meter
Set the cost of electricity on the power meter to what you pay (see manual)
Leave the appliance plugged into the power meter for the desired measurement time (24 hours, one washing machine load, etc.)
Come back after the specified time and press the ‘FUNC’ button until you come to ‘kWh’ for consumption or ‘Total Price’ for cost.

Download your FREE guide from Steplight

You can download an up-to-date PDF which contains the above content here: Measuring and Monitoring Energy Consumption – A Practical Guide

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Understanding temperature to save energy

Published 13 August 2010 igreen , Steplight , Y Green 1 Comment
Tags: air conditioners, appliance energy, appliances, climate change, energy efficiency, engineering, heat pumps, heating, physics, refrigerator, save energy, temperature, thermal comfort, thermodynamics, waste energy, waste heat

Energy Efficiency

Temperature can be a rough indicator of appliance energy efficiency. Most electrical appliances produce ‘waste heat’ when switched on. This is because all the components inside them are not 100% efficient and the wasted energy is typically converted to heat. As such, inefficient appliances usually produce more waste heat than efficient ones (think of hot halogen down-lights, poorly insulated ovens, and so on). Do you have wasteful appliances which could be used less or replaced with energy efficient alternatives?

Thermal Comfort

Radiant temperature, in particular, is an important aspect of thermal comfort. You can use a non-contact thermometer to find what parts of your building are letting in too much heat in summer or sucking it all out in winter. Measure the surface temperature of a window and compare it to an internal wall. Can action be taken to better manage heat loss or heat gain through the window?

Air Conditioners

As a rule of thumb, a one degree adjustment can save around 10% off your heating and/or cooling costs. Most people find a temperature of 24-26 degrees to be pleasant in summer and 18-20 degrees suitable in winter. If you use an air conditioner or ducted heating, these are good guidelines to follow. Setting an air conditioner lower in summer typically does not make it work any faster. It will just use more electricity because the compressor will stay on for longer.

Refrigerators

Fridges and freezers often remain on their over-spec factory settings. To measure the fridge or freezer temperature, place a thermometer inside and leave it there for 30 minutes. Four degrees is recommended for your fridge and as ‘warm’ as -12 degrees is suitable for the freezer. Adjust the settings on your unit as appropriate. A freezer set at -12 will safely store foods for relatively ‘short’ periods (2-3 months). The factory settings of around -18 degrees can store food for longer periods, but this is unnecessary in most cases.

Download your FREE guide from Steplight

You can download an up-to-date PDF which contains the above content here: Measuring and Monitoring Energy Consumption – A Practical Guide

Steplight’s infra-red thermometer will measure the surface temperature of an object it is pointed at. To use it, simply hold down the ‘measure’ button. For more accurate readings press the button for a longer period as it displays an average reading over this time once the button is released.

Steplight’s temperature gauge measures air temperature just like a normal thermometer, but it has a helpful guide printed down the side. It is a great tool to promote energy-efficient behaviour in your home or office.

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Green jobs or greener jobs?

Published 7 July 2010 igreen , Steplight , Y Green Leave a Comment
Tags: dusseldorp skills forum, green collar, green jobs, green skills, green training, home sustainability assessment, igreen program, Ross Gittins, Sydney Morning Herald, y green program

In today’s Sydney Morning Herald, Ross Gittins poses the questions: what is a green job? and, why are we aiming to create them anyway? He makes the point that simply putting the focus on creating ‘green jobs’ could do little to meet the goal of a low-carbon economy.

He goes on to outline the conundrums surrounding defining what a green job might be:

If, for instance, a job maintaining a wind turbine is a green job, what about a job in the business that makes the turbines?

And if it’s green to manufacture steel turbines, what about the jobs of the people who mine the iron ore and coking coal needed to make the steel? But if it’s not green to be a miner, would it be better for us to import all the turbines we need so the sin of being non-green was on someone else’s head?

We tend to agree – there probably won’t ever be a suitable description of a green job. Here at Steplight our focus is on delivering quality educational outcomes to those we work with, so we’re not too caught up in defining ‘green jobs.’ The outcome we are aiming for is more informed people who are empowered and equipped to take action in reducing their ecological footprint. This can take many shapes: from helping a business complete a review of their energy consumption, delivering sustainability training to a community, or supporting the delivery of home sustainability assessment programs.

Two of our programs, which are a joint initiative of Steplight and Dusseldorp Skills Forum, go one step further by including practical experience and employment opportunities for young people. The Y Green program is a home sustainability project where young people are trained and then employed to conduct sustainability assessments in their local community (see video below). The igreen program, on the other hand, involves high school students completing accredited training and then going on to complete a number of home sustainability assessments in their local community as practical experience.

In reality, very few of the participants in these programs will actually end up being full-time home sustainability assessors. But that’s not the point. By completing a course in sustainability and then applying this knowledge in their community, participants in these programs gain valuable experience not just in sustainability, but also customer service, workplace safety, and so on. Whatever field they go on to work in we hope they’ll be making more informed decisions about the broader environmental impact of their every-day actions.

So maybe it’s time we put the focus on greener jobs and creating valuable green skills. Then everyone’s job can be a ‘green job.’

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igreen train-the-trainer in Home Sustainability Assessment underway

Published 21 June 2010 igreen , Steplight 1 Comment
Tags: 21854VIC, home sustainability assessment, igreen program, Sustainability Training, Sustainability Victoria

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 nationally recognised Course in Home Sustainability Assessment (21854VIC). This is the course that forms part of the igreen program.

igreen is a secondary school program which assists households in becoming more sustainable and creates opportunities for the development of green skills in young people. It involves students completing a nationally recognised training program and then going on to complete a number of home sustainability assessments in their local community. The assessments involve providing advice and information on household energy and water efficiency.

Upon completion of the train-the-trainer course this week, participants will be qualified to teach this course (under auspicing arrangements) to secondary school students in Years 9, 10 and 11.

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FREE Sustainability Training for Secondary School Teachers

Published 8 April 2010 igreen , Steplight Leave a Comment
Tags: Bankstown City Council, Blacktown City Council, blue mountains city council, Camden Council, Campbelltown City Council, City of Ryde, Evans Shire Council, Fairfield City Council, green skills, Hawkesbury City Council, Holroyd City Council, Hornsby Shire Council, igreen program, Kiama Municipal Council, Lithgow City Council, liverpool city council, Parramatta City Council, penrith city council, Rylstone Shire Council, Shellharbour City Council, Shoalhaven City Council, The Hills Shire Council, vocational training, Wingecarribee Shire Council, Wollondilly Shire Council, Wollongong City Council, youth

Dusseldorp Skills Forum, in partnership with Integral Energy, is offering 15 Secondary School Teachers an opportunity to complete a Nationally Accredited Course in Home Sustainability Assessment (21854VIC). This is the course that forms part of the igreen program:

igreen is a secondary school program which assists households in becoming more sustainable and creates opportunities for the development of green skills in young people. It involves students completing an accredited training program and then going on to complete a number of home sustainability assessments in their local community. The assessments involve providing advice and information on household energy and water efficiency.

The course runs over five days and will take place in Sydney from Monday 21st to Friday 25th June. Some travel and accommodation costs will be covered and some teacher relief may also be available.

Upon completion, the participants will be qualified to teach this course (under auspicing arrangements) to secondary school students in Years 9, 10 and 11.

The requirements for teacher participation:

All participants need to have completed a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
The school must implement the igreen program within 12 months of completing the training
The school must be prepared to approach local government and/or other local sponsors to support the implementation of the igreen project.
The area where the school is located must be serviced by the Integral network. This includes the following local government areas: Bankstown, Baulkham Hills, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Camden, Campbelltown, Evans, Fairfield, Hawkesbury, Holroyd, Hornsby, Kiama, Greater Lithgow, Liverpool, Parramatta, Penrith, Ryde, Rylstone, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Wollongong

Why participate?

By 2011, ‘mandatory disclosure’ of household sustainability is likely to be in place. This means all houses sold and leased in Australia will be required to provide some form of energy efficiency certification.

This will provide you, as the teacher, with a vocational opportunity in the burgeoning sustainability industry. Importantly, it will also provide your students with a distinct vocational advantage, particularly those interested in property services and the building and construction industry.

Sign up now:

To register your interest, or if you have any further queries, please e-mail Lesley Tobin on lesley [at] dsf.org.au or on mobile number 0409 033 161.

Applications are due 14th May 2010.

Steplight logo with footprint

The igreen and Y Green projects – potential benefits from project expansion

Published 16 February 2010 igreen , Y Green 1 Comment
Tags: Homesglen TAFE, igreen program, monash university, skills training, y green program, youth training

igreen y Green monash report switch off graphic A widespread roll-out of the igreen and Y Green initiatives could see greenhouse gas emissions reduced by half a million tonnes each year – the equivalent to taking 100,000+ cars off Australian roads permanently – according to a report from Monash University.

Working with local communities and secondary schools to train young people aged 15 – 25 in delivering home sustainability assessments, the Y Green program provides skills training, accreditation and paid-employment as well as national recognition for participants in the program. Following an 80-hour short course in Home Sustainability Assessment developed by Homesglen TAFE in Victoria, participants in the program are required to complete a minimum of ten household consultations providing energy and water efficiency advice, and information on products available to reduce energy and water usage in the home. An action plan is developed in consultation with the resident for each household, and then followed up six months later to check on progress.

Through Y Green more than 900 household assessments took place in NSW last year, with a further 1500 planned across NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania this year. In the pilot program, fifty-eight percent of recommended actions were reported as implemented by participating householders with an estimated saving of 1,900kg of carbon emissions per participating household per year.

Click here to download the full report (PDF)

Free Y Green and igreen workshop for trainers

Published 1 October 2009 igreen , Steplight , Y Green Leave a Comment
Tags: home sustainability assessment, igreen program, train the trainer, training, y green program

igreen green-collar sustainability training photos Are you considering running an igreen or Y Green project in 2010? You are invited to attend a workshop to help you deliver the 21854VIC Course in Home Sustainability Assessment, developed by Holmesglen for Sustainability Victoria.

The workshop is designed as a support mechanism for trainers and will include:

Overview of Y Green and igreen
Differences between Y Green, igreen and Green Loans
RTO requirements for delivery, evaluation and reporting
overview of course document and supporting resources
Guest speakers covering the key areas of household sustainability

Please note: this training is being run by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum. The focus will be on engaging with Registered Training Organisations, however, some spaces may be available for organisations looking to fund programs (local councils, schools, etc).

Location – Medina on Crown, 359 Crown Street, Surry Hills 2010

Date & Time – Thursday 22nd October 2009, 9.30am – 4:00pm

RSVP – By COB 19th October 2009 to lesley [at] dsf.org.au

What’s the difference between igreen, Y Green and Green Loans?

Published 29 September 2009 igreen , Steplight , Y Green Leave a Comment
Tags: green loans, igreen program, Steplight, y green program

Green Loans is a federal government program which commenced in July this year with the aim to provide 75,000 households with loans to make energy and water efficiency upgrades in their homes. The provision of this service has prompted some questions about how Y Green and igreen programs fit in with Green Loans.

In summary, the aim of Green Loans is to provide households with loans for big ticket items. There is no real focus on local community involvement, upskilling of youth or a long term focus on the data gathered, as there is with igreen and Y Green. We hope the summary table we have developed clarifies the differences in detail, please contact us if you have any further questions.

	Y Green	igreen	Green Loans
Payment	Employment model – paid by host organisation	In school experience – no payment to students	Paid by Fed Govt
Training	21854VIC Course in Home Sustainability Assessment	21854VIC Course in Home Sustainability Assessment	ABSA Training run by Fed Govt and partners
Qualification	National recognition – 80 hr short course – Statement of Attainment	National recognition – 80 hr short course – Statement of Attainment	No qualification – employment requirement
Focus of Assessment	Holistic approach with an emphasis on behaviour change and resident education (assessment is interactive)	Holistic approach with an emphasis on behaviour change and resident education (assessment is interactive)	Data gathering focus and geared towards major product purchase, less knowledge transfer to resident
Recruitment of Households	Local community door knocking, Captain Y Green, local advertising	Families and friends of the school	Federal Govt advertising
Data collection	Direct computer input	Online input	Paper based assessment followed by online input
Number of assessors	Teams of two assessors	Teams of two assessors	One assessor
Reporting	Reporting customised by locality and State – includes links to all relevant rebates	Reporting customised by locality and State – includes links to all relevant rebates	National Action Plan
Report to Householder	Energy and Water Action Plan to resident within 3 weeks of assessment	Energy and Water Action Plan to resident within 3 weeks of assessment	Report to resident up to 8 weeks after assessment
Follow up	Follow up contact with resident 3-6 months after initial assessment (to track changes)	Follow up contact with resident 3-6 months after initial assessment (to track changes)	None
Access to data	Access to community profile reporting for sponsors and local partners	Access to community profile reporting for sponsors and local partners	Data held by Federal Govt
Duration of Program	Ongoing	Ongoing	Approximately 2 years

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Archive for the 'igreen' Category