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04/26/2017 08:30 AMEnvironmental concerns and renewable energy solutions are topics that have become more prominent in recent years, and Alysse Rodrigues is hoping that events and activities she organizes will help people understand just how important those topics are.
Originally from Connecticut, Alysse graduated from Purdue University with a degree in human services and a minor in organizational leadership and supervision. After working for a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and inspiring girls, she decided that she wanted to grow professionally, but still wanted to work with children and the public.
With the help of a friend, she began working at Energize Connecticut’s center, located at 122 Universal Drive, and has been the outreach coordinator since July of last year.
Wanting to get more people into the center to learn about energy conservation, Alysse and others decided to organize monthly events, gearing them towards children and families. The first event was a showing of the Disney movie Wall-E in January.
“It ties in really well to the center and what we do here, with energy efficiency and conservation, how we really need to lower our carbon footprint, and do a better job of taking care of our planet,” Alysse says. “It was really fun for me to actually look further into movies and find out the deeper meaning behind them.”
She gave an example of Monsters, Inc., another movie she is looking to put on at the center. She said that the monsters get energy from children’s screams at first, but then get them through laughter.
Alysse relates the screams to non-renewable energy, saying that it’s not an effective way of getting energy and not the right solution, with laughter being the more effective “renewable energy” source.
The events that Alysse is organizing are geared toward children and families. Alysse says that kids are the next generation, and by starting to educate children about energy and environmental concerns at a young age, they can make changes as they get older.
The feedback has been positive so far. Alysse says that some children have had such a good time at these events that they’ve come up and hugged her.
“I’ve had kids say to me, ‘I don’t want to leave!’” she says, “So I think that shows you that we’re doing something well and making an impact on them.”
A big event that the center has planned is its third annual Earth Day event on Saturday, April 29. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the center, and will be free to the public. The event will be fun and educational, as vendors and entertainment will be on hand.
The Connecticut STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy will give a science show, First Robotics will show off robots that its students built, and Alysse said there will be many more groups and attendees with tons of things to do.
In fact, more than 60 children and parents attended the first STEM night the center held on Feb. 28. The children got to play with Ozobot, a robot that is controlled with a tablet.
“It’s similar to BB-8 from the new Star Wars,” said Alysse.
While children are the main focus, Alysse says people of any age can find something to learn from these events. She says that parents and teachers have come up to her saying that they’ve learned so much, and they try to focus on every demographic.
“We’ve had tours with senior citizens over the past few months and we’ll continue to have more,” Alysse says, “And they too have left saying, ‘I’ve learned so much.’”
Alysse says she feels a sense of accomplishment with the positive reactions she has heard about these events. She says it feels like she’s doing something right, and that inspires her to do more.
“The fact that people are so excited about it and are going to spread the word about it—that is just an awesome feeling,” she says.
Energize Connecticut is a partnership between United Illuminating, Eversource, the Connecticut Green Bank, and Department Energy and Environmental Protection. For more information about the center and its events, visit www.energizect.com.