San Diego State students forego traditional spring break to serve South Lake Tahoe

Fifteen students from San Diego State University will forego the typical spring break of beaches and relaxation to teach thousands of children in a small mountain community how to save energy and save the environment.

Members of the student organization CALPIRG Energy Service Corps will travel to South Lake Tahoe, Calif., from March 31 through April 5 to spread the word on energy savings.

The focus of the week is to engage 2,000 children throughout Lake Tahoe Unified School District about energy as a precious commodity while highlighting simple steps students can take to improve their environment by becoming more energy efficient.

SDSU students will teach interactive lessons using games, like energy jeopardy, and thought-provoking simulations to emphasize simple steps that students can take to reduce energy waste in their own homes.

“Educating children about energy and the environment is one of the most important ways we can reach out to communities,” said Ashley Henry, a student AmeriCorps member with CALPIRG Energy Service Corps. “We’re teaching kids all of the easy, simple ways they can save energy with hopes they can take what they’ve learned back to their friends and families.”

Student members even will do some simple tasks such as installing weather stripping, switching out inefficient lightbulbs, and giving energy saving tips to hundreds of homeowners. Best of all, the service is free to residents of South Lake Tahoe.

“This trip is an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability as a campus and for students to challenge themselves to engage other communities in a dialogue on energy savings,” said SDSU CALPIRG Campus Organizer and South Tahoe High Alum, Aaron Hussmann.

CALPIRG Energy Service Corps, a campus-based student organization, is a partnership between CALPIRG and AmeriCorps. The program at San Diego State joins scores of other students from across the state embarking on Alternative Energy Spring Break Trips with a common goal of educating over 10,000 K-12 students during spring break alone.

“This year’s Spring Break trips are some of the biggest and farthest reaching trips in the history of the program,” said Sean Foran, Program Director for CALPIRG Energy Service Corps. “On these trips college students are positive role models to future generations to show what it means to live more efficiently and protect our resources.”

Following Spring Break, CALPIRG Energy Service Corps will continue teaching young students across San Diego throughout the semester, in addition to educating the community about energy efficiency through workshops and performing free home energy assessments and weatherizations.
For more information or to request a lesson contact aaron@energyservicecorps.org or visit www.energyservicecorps.org.

About CALPIRG Energy Service Corps 
CALPIRG Energy Service Corps is a joint program of the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) and AmeriCorps based on fourteen college campuses across the state. The program’s mission is to mobilize college students to increase energy efficiency in their local community through service and education projects. Fifteen campuses across California are currently running a CALPIRG Energy Service Corps program. This year they will teach 30,000 students about energy efficiency, give 7,500 residents personalized tips on how they can save energy and money at home, and engage hundreds of college students as AmeriCorps members and volunteers.
About CALPIRG Student Chapters
The California Public Interest Research Group is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan student advocacy groups that work on public interest issues pertaining to the environment, consumer protection and government reform.

About the Corporation for National and Community Service
The Corporation for National and Community Service is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Social Innovation Fund, and Volunteer Generation Fund programs, and leads President's national call to service initiative, United We Serve. For more information, visit NationalService.gov

Location