Pleasanton Interns Uncover $1.6 mil in Potential Taxpayer Savings

The Go Green Initiative just released the final report for its 2019 Summer Internship program. Thirty-three (33) Pleasanton high school and college students used the U.S. EPA’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool to benchmark energy usage for all buildings owned by the City of Pleasanton and Pleasanton Unified School District, totaling nearly 1.7 million square feet of building space. Students identified data-driven recommendations that could save Pleasanton taxpayers over $1.6 million in annual energy costs while reducing the City’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 3,000 metric tons.

On August 27, students presented their findings to the PUSD Board of Trustees, and on October 1, they presented their findings to the City Council.

Seventeen (17) interns were Pleasanton high school students, and sixteen (16) were Pleasanton college interns, representing eleven (11) universities. College majors spanned from English to electrical engineering to a grad student pursuing a master’s degree in public health.

“This was a workforce development program, and our interns now have a marketable skill to add to their resume,” says Jill Buck, founder & CEO, Go Green Initiative. “They learned how to use the U.S.’s industry-standard energy benchmarking tool, and could go right to work helping commercial real estate comply with California’s mandatory energy benchmarking regulations.”

“I learned so much about Pleasanton, and I think that will make me a much better citizen of the town than I have lived in for the past 19 years,” says Claire Armstrong, 2019 Summer Intern. “I also feel that I now have access valuable resources and connections that l can use to deepen my understanding of my community in the future.”

###

About Go Green Initiative

The Go Green Initiative, headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, is the global leader in fully comprehensive environmental action plans for schools. By promoting environmental stewardship on campuses from preschools through universities, the GGI works to involve families, businesses and local governments in the common goal of protecting human health through environmental stewardship. Since its inception in July 2002, the Go Green Initiative has been endorsed by the National School Boards Association, National Recycling Coalition, adopted by nine State PTA Boards, implemented in all 50 U.S. states and in 73 countries. There are currently over 2.5 million students and teachers in registered Go Green schools.

More information is available at www.GoGreenInitiative.org