AM Conservation recognizes the critical role education plays in advancing energy efficiency and sustainability. Our K-12 education programs are designed to equip utilities with the tools they need to engage their communities, foster energy conservation, and inspire the next generation of energy-conscious leaders. In this blog, we dive into the implementation and outreach side of successful education programs. Join us for a fun and informative chat with Josh Levig, Director of Program Management, as he shares his wisdom and stories from the world of energy efficiency education.
Interviewee Spotlight
Interviewer: Let’s get started! Josh, where are you located?
Josh: I currently live in Reno, Nevada.
Interviewer: How long have you worked on education programs?
Josh: I’ve been with AM Conservation working on education programs for almost four years. Before that, I worked in program evaluation and had evaluated education programs across the country for an additional nine years.
Interviewer: Sounds like you’ve had great experience with programs. What inspired you to get involved with the K-12 education programs?
Josh: I've always been fascinated by the complexity of large commercial and industrial projects in demand side management. But what really drew me in was the impact our education programs have on families and communities. As a father of three and the husband of a former teacher, K-12 schools and the communities built around them are of huge importance in my own life. Knowing that our programs benefit teachers, students, families, and our utility clients keeps me engaged and motivated to lead the team that is creating world-class education programs.
Interviewer: When you’re not working, what do you like to do?
Josh: You will likely find me chasing around my three kids (6, 8, and 10). I love to coach their sports teams. I have coached basketball, soccer, flag football, but I am most passionate about coaching their baseball and softball teams. When not coaching sports, I like to volunteer with our school’s robotics competition teams which my older two kids participate in. When I have some rare personal time, I like to spend it golfing or playing slow-pitch softball. Last but not least, I love to cook. I happily prepare our family dinners each night and love to cook for friends as well.
Implementation
Interviewer: Let’s move into the implementation side of things. How do you begin setting up a program’s structure with a client, and what typically happens during the kickoff meetings?
Josh: Sure! We like to start with a kick-off meeting. In this meeting we will discuss all the program specifics. First, we discuss program goals. Typically, there a certain combination of kWh, therms, and/or gallons of water that need to be achieved for the program. We also discuss the target audience for the program. Is there certain grade level that should be targeted? State or local education standards help us determine which grade would be the best fit. We can also work to target certain demographics within a service territory, such as low/moderate income communities. Once we have weighed all these goals, we work to determine the appropriate measure mix and program size to achieve those goals.
From there, we determine if there are any specialized educational needs for your community. This could be a focus on safety, heat pumps, electric vehicles, hydrogen blending in natural gas, or even wasteful outdoor irrigation. Once the educational needs are determined, curriculum is customized based on the products and topics desired. At this point, the program is ready to launch.
Interviewer: That sounds like a well-oiled machine! Can you walk us through the initial steps after a program is launched?
Josh: Once a program plan is set, our program management team coordinates across departments to ensure everything runs smoothly. They begin with procurement and operations to ensure that the materials are ordered and that the warehouse is ready to build and fulfill program materials. At the same time, they will work with our design team to ensure that all program materials (boxes or bags, student and teach books, informational inserts, etc.) are polished and professional. From there, our program services team will finalize our outreach plan. This starts with finalizing our target audience or school list. Then, the team plans out our direct mail, email, social media, and phone campaigns. We also look for opportunities to engage with our teachers at in-person events such as science teacher conferences. After all of this is ready, we launch our engagement campaigns and monitor their progress and adjust as necessary. Our program management team holds regular status update meetings with our clients for progress reports and to discuss additional collaborative opportunities as they come up.
Outreach
Interviewer: What are some common methods of effective outreach to engage teachers?
Josh: We employ a wide variety of outreach methods to engage our teachers. Some teachers are highly receptive to emails, while others have inboxes so full that we could not expect to get their attention. Our most common tools are direct mail, social media, email, phone, and fax. Additionally, we offer text message communication once a teacher elects to do so. We also offer informational webinars. Last but not least, we look for opportunities for in-person engagement with our schools, such as teacher conferences or professional development days.
Interviewer: Those are great strategies! How do you gauge effectiveness of outreach efforts?
Josh: We track timing and method of all enrollments. This helps us to determine which methods are most effective, but we also seek qualitative information by asking teachers how they first heard about us.
Ready to empower your community through education? Let us guide you in creating impactful energy education programs!