They have the rarest of summer jobs. Along with a paycheck, they get to learn - and educate others - about conservation. Their clients gain an awareness of what they consume at home, as well as tips and tools for consuming less.
Best of all, the state-funded program is free to homeowners and renters in Marin.
"Our main goal É is to educate the community," said Rick Vidrio of California Youth Energy Services of Berkeley, which is conducting audits throughout the Bay Area. "It's a starting point for them to make that change for themselves."
This summer, the nonprofit agency has trained about 40 young people in Marin as "energy auditors" who travel in pairs to homes and apartment buildings throughout the county. The state Public Utilities Commission is funding most of the $320,000 program cost in Marin. Some of the supplies, such as shower heads and water fixtures, are donated by local water districts.
Narayan Khalsa, a student at Bard College who's home in Terra Linda for the summer, said the job, which pays up to $10 an hour, is making him keenly aware of how water and energy are used.
"When I'm walking around outside work, I notice things that can be changed," said Khalsa, 19.
On a recent visit to a Terra Linda home, Khalsa and two fellow auditors
Starting in the bathroom, they took flow measurements from the shower head, toilet and sink. Upon discovering a high-flow sink, Khalsa replaced it with a new aerator. The old ones were labeled to be sent off to the Marin Municipal Water District, which is collecting data on water conservation in the county.
The auditors also found and replaced a 60-watt incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb that provides the same light at 14 watts.
"You have to do it one person at a time, one home at a time," said 17-year-old Will Silva, who will be a senior at Terra Linda High School in San Rafael this fall.
Clients save money on their bills - and there are less greenhouse gases "spewing into the atmosphere," Silva said.
It was the nature of the work and chance to make an impact that attracted Silva to the job.
This is the second summer that California Youth Energy Services has set up shop in Marin County. From a rented office at the Marin Youth Center in San Rafael, nine young people have audited about 120 residences. Other sites have been set up in the Canal area, at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley and at the youth center in Novato.
Audits will continue through Aug. 15 and the group plans to return to Marin next summer.
"There are so many benefits (to the program)," said Dan Carney, water conservation manager at the Marin Municipal Water District. "It just multiplies in the community as people talk to their neighbors."
To Schedule an audit
Energy audit appointments in Marin are available in Novato, San Rafael, Fairfax, Marin City, Mill Valley and Larkspur from Aug. 13 through 15. To schedule an audit, call Rick Vidrio at 559-8443 or e-mail cyessanrafael@gmail.com.
Read more San Rafael stories at the IJ's San Rafael page.
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