A Good Green Job:
A Day in the Life of an Ecology Action Energy Auditor
By Caroline Hawkins
In today’s economy, Green Jobs are touted as the growth sector to get in to. President Obama has even appointed the Bay Area’s own Van Jones as an advisor on Green Jobs. But what does the term Green Job mean, and what does a person who has a Green Job do? The definition is broad, encompassing anyone who works in the environmental sector, but these days there is a whole range of industries within this sector. One of these industries that is seemingly ever expanding is the up and coming field of Energy Efficiency.
Ecology Action currently employs 14 Energy Efficiency Specialists, or Auditors, through our RightLights and LodgingSavers programs. They travel throughout Northern California, working with a variety of businesses and organizations ranging from elite hotels to local school districts on how they can become more energy efficient. What exactly does an Energy Auditor do all day long? I sat down with Ecology Action’s Energy Efficiency Specialist Daniel Jones on what it is like working in the up and coming field of Energy Efficiency.
What is a typical day like for you, Daniel?
“I come into the Ecology Action Santa Cruz office early, enter information I received from clients the previous day into our energy program database and print out my report for the day. Then I go out into the field and talk to people.
My work is all about talking with people. It’s about getting to know my community. There are so many business owners searching for non-biased professional opinions to assist their business in becoming energy efficient. I go out there, make friends with business owners, and let them know what they can do to save money on their energy bill and how we can help get them there. I’m like Santa Claus. It is a fun job. In this economy, businesses are searching for any way to cut their costs.”
There are for-profit companies out there offering similar services, why do you think Ecology Action’s Energy Efficiency programs are so successful?
“What I do and the service our program offers is received very well because when I go out into the field I come to them from a nonprofit, we are not selling a product; we are there to help them. Because of that non-biased expertise and the money we can save them, word about our program spreads like wild fire. We are wanted and needed so much that people can’t wait to tell their neighbor or friend about our services. Another main reason why word spreads so quickly is that Ecology Action has a quality program. It is done right. Customers recognize this.”
Any interesting stories from the field?
“I love to meet people and enjoy getting to know the community. I’ve talked to a lot of the folks on fisherman’s wharf in Moss Landing and Monterey. Some of them are the children of the fishermen John Steinbeck wrote about in his books. They are the children of Steinbeck era. Just talking to these fishermen you get to hear a first hand account of how Steinbeck used to walk the docks and spend time with the fishermen.”
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