CWC Volunteer Spotlight: Jerry Steinberg, 2021
How did you first learn about the CWC and what inspires you to give so much of your time to the org?
I first heard about CWC before it had the name. A fellow church member was part of the church committee that was promoting and supporting the need to help lower income folks save money on utilities. He invited me to attend an organizing meeting at the GRU building. He said it was a lunch meeting and a good lunch seemed like it was worth my time to attend. Little did I know it was BYOL! But I attended and could see that this was a very worthy effort and there were several people there who I believed had the time and talent to make such an organization work. So, I stayed and continued to attend regular meetings for quite a while.
I am inspired by CWC because I believe in the goals and successes of CWC and I know it is worth the time I spend.
Tell us about your past involvement – I know you’ve been a consistent trainer for us. Is there anything else we should know?
You already know how I became involved. The next step was attending training conducted by GRU personnel who were conducting energy/utility audits for some GRU customers. It was quite involved but it became a springboard for some of us to adapt the more elaborate GRU process to one suited to volunteers and to limited amounts of equipment.
We adopted a checklist to guide the process, but it soon became apparent the checklist was a bit cobbled together and difficult for new auditors (now energy coaches) to follow. I volunteered to rework the checklist and worked both on its content and format. [The checklist has been refined by others several times since and it is now much more useful than ever before.]
What do you love the most or enjoy about your time volunteering with the CWC?
I really enjoy the training most because I enjoy being part of the learning process. While not every trainee has become a long-term energy coach, I know that every one of them has learned a lot and that will benefit them.
Along the same lines, the best part of conducting a tune up for me it to see newer energy coaches and residents learning new aspects of energy use and conservation.
Also, I really enjoy the energy of many new energy coaches. They often show an understanding of the needs many people in the community have and they offer a sincere willingness to help.
Have you learned anything or been surprised by anything throughout your CWC experiences?
I have learned a lot over the years. During most every training I learn some new fact about saving electricity or lowering water use as one of the other trainers speaks or answers a question. In a similar manner, there have been many times when, during a tune up, my partner or the resident asks a question that causes me to have to rethink or reapply something I thought I already knew to provide an answer.
There have been surprises during my involvement with CWC; however, it might be more nearly accurate to say I have been amazed time and again. I am always amazed at how well the CWC office personnel pull together training events and publicity events. They seem to know how to do a lot with a little.
Perhaps the most amazing thing is how successful CWC has become. It is hard to believe how much impact the organization has had, especially with tune up numbers and documented utility bill savings. Plus, the CWC has become a recognized and respected member of the Gainesville helping community. And finally, I am so amazed about the geographic reach of CWC. Thanks to the office folks and a few volunteers, CWC has become known in many other locales and has become a guiding influence to others in other communities. While I personally have had little to do directly with the expansion, I feel connected to it because the support and influence being shown to other organizations is so very similar to the formative days in those meeting at GRU, even before CWC had it name.
Thank you so much for all of your time over the years, and amazing contributions to help make the CWC what it is today, Jerry!
