Y Green

Inspired by the Californian Youth Energy Services project, the Y Green project aims to engage a range of key stakeholders to develop a residential sustainability project where young people are trained and subsequently employed to conduct home sustainability consultations in their local community. The consultations involve providing advice and information on household energy efficiency and products available to reduce energy usage.

With one fifth of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions coming from households, this project focuses on behaviour change in energy and water use in households

The young people involved in the project will participate in a nationally accredited Course in Home Sustainability Assessment delivered by the Western Sydney Institute of TAFE. This course includes not only the technical information needed to complete a residentially sustainability consultation, but also includes customer service skills, first aid and occupational health and safety.
The aims of the project include providing skill development for young people in an emerging ’green’ employment area, improving energy and water efficiency in residential households, increasing awareness of all participants of the need for, and ways to improve energy and water efficiency and encouraging local youth into further education and training.

Key Features of the project

• Engagement of youth aged between 15 and 25 years old


• Accredited training for unskilled youth


• Paid employment for Home Sustainability Advisors


• Home sustainability consultations conducted in a local neighbourhood


• Monitoring performance/change (residential consumption) over time


• Collaboration/partnership in management and implementation of the project


• Local government involvement and support

Y Green in the Baulkham Hills Shire

In Western Sydney the Y Green project is making headway to reduce household energy consumption by tapping into the skills and enthusiasm of local young people. The project was launched on August 6 2008 by the Mayor of Baulkham Hills Shire, Councillor Sonya Phillips.

Mayor Phillips said local residents want to know practical ways to be more sustainable and the Y Green project provides them with the opportunity to learn about environmentally sustainable practices around the home from trained assessors.

“I encourage residents to sign up for a free home energy assessment when the Y Green assessors come to your door.

TAFE NSW - Western Sydney Institute Relieving Institute Director, Ron Wright, said the project is an innovative solution to the current energy crisis, the benefits of which are many.

“The Y Green project shows how the community can work together to reduce household energy consumption and at the same time up-skill our youth,” Mr Wright said.

During the project up to 300 households in the Baulkham Hills Shire will be assessed. Y Green students and their University of Western Sydney mentors will provide recommendations on ways in which families can reduce their energy consumption, as well as gathering data on what changes householders say they are likely to make.

To find out if your house is in an area being targeted for the free assessments, call Steplight on 1300 139 996 or register your interest online at steplight.com.au

CONTACT: Lesley Tobin Phone - 0409 033 161

Excerpt from Mayor's Speech

...These teams of young people can now go out and conduct personalised home consultations, and teach local residents how to conserve and save on their energy usage. These changes are important – we sometimes think that as residents we can’t make a difference…..but one-fifth of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions come from households and there are 7 million households in Australia each producing more than 15 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year.

The Dusseldorp tradition for innovation carries further than simply providing young people with the educational knowledge to do this work. The Y Green project is a real collaboration – six organisations all working together to provide skill development and employment opportunity in the new Green Skills area AND save energy in the residential sector....

This project has been initiated by Dusseldorp Skills Forum and Council is very proud to be involved, together with Steplight, the Western Sydney Institute, the University of Western Sydney and The New Rouse Hill.

So you are the pioneers, the trail blazers. I hope you don’t look at the work you are going out to do, in the evenings and the weekends as simply casual employment.

Be inspired by the man who founded Lend Lease, a $7 billion company with 11,500 employees here and around the world, including Europe and the Middle East...

I look forward to hearing great stories about their successes, and about how our residents have embraced this project and invited them into their homes.

I look forward to reading the evaluation of the project being undertaken by UWS – to learn of the Green House Gas savings being made here in our shire and importantly …… I look forward to the growth of this project.

I publicly call on our counterparts in other Councils in Western Sydney to follow our lead – to not only take up the challenge to help our residents reduce their Green House Gas emissions but to give our youth the opportunity to be part of this – to gain skills in this emerging industry and lead the way forward.

Links

Steplight
http://www.steplight.com.au/

Sustainability Victoria
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1517-home-page.asp

The New Rouse Hill
http://www.ourrouse.com.au/Environmental-Toolkit/default.aspx

California Youth Energy Services
http://www.risingsunenergy.org/index.htm

Growing the Green Collar Economy Report
http://www.dsf.org.au/papers/204.htm