Explore Option 1

Clean Green Power Project

Explore Option 1
Visit a Clean Energy Site

EXPLORE

For all age levels

Step 1:
Arrange to Visit a Clean Energy Destination Site

Over 100 families and businesses in Massachusetts that use or produce clean and green energy have offered to host youth groups and be interviewed by kids and teenagers.

Adult leaders and/or parents must make arrangements for a visit with site hosts and hostesses and must accompany youths on the visit. Adults should review the Tips for Adult Mentors.

You can find a site near you by visiting the Destination Sites pages on this web site. If you are starting from the home page, Clean Energy for a Clean Environment, click on the "Destination Sites" picture. The sites are organized by county and then listed alphabetically by town. Start by clicking on your county or a county you wish to visit.

Tips for Finding Sites and Making Arrangements

Check sites in the nearby counties in addition to your own.
If you are willing to travel, feel free to choose any site in the state.
Browse sites all over the state to get a sense of the diversity of clean energy alternatives in use.
If you know someone who has a clean energy site you'd like to visit that is not on our list, feel free to go and interview that person and let us know if they are open to others interviewing them as well. (Email sreyes@nesea.org)
Consider including a fun side visit while you are on the road. Pair up the clean energy site visit with an ice cream stand stop, some other refreshments and some other local fun opportunity. Our host sites have offered suggestions.
Arrange a schedule for the visit, or at least a time estimate-it helps to be clear about time expectations.
Contact your local news media and you might fulfill the publicity requirement for the certification by having them join you or write about your visit.

Step 2:

Prepare for Your Interview

Before you go to the site, you should prepare some interview questions and write them down.

Interview question tips

One very helpful first question is to ask why the host or hostess decided to use alternative sources of energy and how they learned to use clean power. Here's how you might ask: "Could you tell me the story of how you got involved in using clean power?"

You may come up with more questions by looking at how your household uses energy. Consider how you heat your home and hot water, and how you light your house. Try to identify everywhere you need energy, and where it is coming from with as much detail as you can. One place to find useful information is on utility bills, such as your family's electric bill.

The interview is a good opportunity to ask what some unfamiliar terms mean. Do not hesitate to ask and ask over again if needed.

Especially for teenagers, to get the most out of your interview and site visit, explore the web sites listed in the "Glossaries" on this web site and research the clean energy topic(s) you will encounter at your site visit. This will help you come up with smart questions ahead of time.

Here are a few more general sample questions - be sure to check out the site you are going to and create questions that fit:

What makes your power source "clean?"

Why is it renewable?

How does it work?

How long have you been using this system?

Were there any people, books, organizations, web sites, people, stores, etc. that influenced your decisions, or that you recommend?

Site Visit Tips

Plan to bring paper to the interview and be prepared to jot down new questions to ask, or possibly to follow-up on later. Bring a notebook or clipboard.

Consider bringing a tape recorder, camera, or video camera to the interview as a way to record of your visit. Just be sure to ask the host or hostess ahead of time if its OK to record images or voices and let them know how the information will be used.

Step 3:

The Interview and Visit

This is the fun part. Make sure to ask lots of questions and take lots of notes. The people who have opened up their homes for this program have done so because they have ideas and experiences to share and want to hear your ideas as well.

Make sure you leave with the host's or hostess's address, they would be thrilled to receive individual or group thank you notes that mention what was meaningful during the visit as well as drawings or photocopies of artwork you may make for the certificate project.

This is the time to enjoy your interview, learn a lot, and get ideas to use in your project.

Remember, all visits must be led by a youth group leader, adult mentor, or parent.

Developed by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Funded by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Renewable Energy Trust.
Organized by:	Sponsored by: