Read about Bill Pedersen’s description of his daily activities as an Energy Corps member:
In my previous blogs I examined my term of service on a macro scale. I discussed my larger projects and attempted to articulate their importance to the Philadelphia community. However, I want to focus this blog on the micro. This piece will focus on the day to day work that makes up these larger projects and take you inside the day of an Energy Corps member.
Every day begins with the mundane tasks of opening any business. The lights need to be switched on, the doors need to be unlocked, the building needs to be cleaned, and the printers and heaters need to be turned on. After the ECA Green Jobs Training Center is up and running, I have a brief window to check my emails before the arrival of students marks the beginning of the next part of my day. The students need to be buzzed into the building, helped with registration paperwork, and physical assessment to ensure that they are physically capable of participating in our training programs.
After the students are registered and assessed, courses begin. Most days I function as a teacher’s assistant. As a TA, I support teachers however I can. TA tasks vary from setting up for and cleaning up after tests, to printing course textbooks (that we own the rights to), to carrying equipment from storage to classrooms, to tutoring students, to guest lecturing, to any other way I can assist the instructors.
In spare moments or days when we do not have courses, I work on the larger projects I have mentioned in previous blogs. These ventures include recreating the Training Center’s Website, rewriting Training documents, supporting grants, assisting with Energy Audits, designing curriculum and creating marketing materials.
My days often end by presenting at energy education workshops. These energy presentations allow ECA employees such as myself to talk at community centers throughout the city about the benefits of energy conservation and ways to lower one’s utility bills. After talking through my 60 slides, I give out weatherization materials such as tube caulk, caulk guns, door kits, rope caulk and window insulation. These materials are free to workshop attendees due to a generous grant from PGW that supports weatherization and energy efficiency in Philadelphia. After handing out the materials to the workshops twenty to fifty attendees; a long, productive day comes to an end.
Bill Pedersen, a native of Wellesley, Massachusetts, Bill attended Hamilton College in Clinton, New York graduating in May 2013. As an undergraduate Bill majored in Environmental Studies with a focus in American Studies, and minored in History. Bill has previous internship experiences with the Appalachian Mountain Club and a Boston based solar development company. Outside of work, Bill is an avid outdoors man who enjoys hiking, fishing, biking, and boating. Bill is serving as an energy auditing intern with the Energy Coordinating Agency of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bill is very excited about serving with the Energy Corps and making a difference in Philadelphia communities.
