Energy Politics and Advocacy
Faculty Advisor: Victor Donnay
Field site: Clean Air Council
Field Supervisor: Russell Zerbo
Course Description:
This course will explore how to approach real-world sustainability problems with a critical eye. It will develop both professional and analytical skills in building off of the fieldwork component in the classroom. The classroom setting will provide a space to connect concrete examples to theoretical questions – Are energy companies making use of the resources available to them? How can nonprofits and private institutions push change in the face of a national government that remains resistant to change? How do expertise and politics interact in complex and risky issue areas such as environmental and energy regulation?
Praxis Projects and Reflection:
Sarah created a fact sheet about Energy Efficiency that reflects key components of her Praxis work.
EE_FactsheetPlease click here to access a PDF version of the fact sheet.
Moreover, Sarah helped create content for the Clear Air Council website that guides supporters through the complex process of commenting on the PA Public Utility Commission’s Phase IV of their energy efficiency program. Take a look here!
Lastly, Sarah is sharing reflections about her Praxis experience in the document below.
PIS_Reflection_Golobish2Please click here to access a PDF version of the document.
Hi Sarah,
This is an amazing presentation of your Praxis experience! I remember meeting your field supervisor at the Meet-Up and he shared with me how impressed he was with the quality of your work at the Clean Air Council. It is obvious that this Praxis experience fit well with your academic, career and civic interests.
I just read through your FACT SHEET and am now going to go to my electric bill to see how PECO uses the smart metering data it collects AND to see if I am taking full advantage of energy savings strategies available to me. Your FACT SHEET is very professionally written and accessible. As a fellow supporter of the Clean Air Council and a user of electricity in Philadelphia, THANK YOU!
Nell
Hi Sarah,
Your fact sheet is excellent! And I also really like that you did a reflective piece as well. Your analytic thinking and communication skills come shining through your work here. I’m glad that your time with the Clean Air Council helped to inform your next steps for life after BMC!
Lise
Hi Sarah,
I really enjoyed reading about your Praxis experience with the Clean Air Council. I found the content you created on the Clean Air Council’s web page guiding citizens through the process of sharing their voices with the PA Public Utility Commission really useful. I think lots of people have strong opinions and helpful insights but are discouraged from sharing them when the process to do so is too confusing or difficult. Your clear instructions encourage civic engagement in such a wonderful way.
It has been great knowing you during your time at Bryn Mawr and seeing both your leadership and your commitment to sustainability develop and evolve. Best of luck with all you do in the future!
–Ellie
Sarah, it’s wonderful that you are still engaging with sustainability and envision a possible career in this work. I loved your very polished Energy Efficiency fact sheet along with report on what you did for the Clean Air Council. How cool that your text is guiding Pennsylvanians to support “Time-of-Use” pricing to the PUC! It is too bad that even though PA’s smart meters were installed years ago, unlike CA, we haven’t figured out how to use to data to decrease energy usage. Hopefully, your work will make a difference. I wish you well on the bright future ahead of you!
Hi Sarah, I really enjoyed reading through your presentation! The facts sheet was really well done, you have a good eye for graphic design. It sounds like you were doing really important work with the Clear Air Council. I know from taking PoliSci classes with you just how passionate you are about environmentalism and this sounds like it was a fantastic experience. Congratulations!!