Sustainable Series: Student is the Teacher

That which is not sustainable will end.

Straightforward, that sentence can apply to anything really. It can mean a lot or a little depending on the person. For Jon Puglia, a 2007 Sachem Graduate currently studying Environmental Science at the University of Albany, that sentence, when it appeared on the chalkboard of his Sustainable Development class last year, meant a lot.

"That is the one thing that blew me back from that semester," Mr. Puglia said. "That sentence stuck with me. I'll never forget that professor."

Just as that professor – John Deleno – left a lasting impression on Mr. Puglia, he too is hoping to leave a lasting impression on young minds. With the aim of eventually obtaining a Masters Degree in education, Mr. Puglia is on a path to fill a needed element of the clean energy movement: teachers.

"I have a passion to educate people who are really interested in this technology," said Mr. Puglia, a  resident of Holtsville. "Getting involved got me really excited to teach kids in high school. When I was in high school I wasn't taught about sustainability, a wind turbine, or what solar power is."

He's not the only one. In the past, renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) haven't been apart of many tradition classrooms or course listings. Yet, with the clean energy movement growing substantially in recent years, universities specifically are ramping up their RE and EE curriculum. Another local media outlet reported on this this past weekend. And, in a  May 19 blog entry on the  American Solar Energy Society Website, the challenges faced by universities to find trained professionals and up-to-date curriculum was further detailed. One remedy stressed in the blog – more than just on May 19 – is the development of hands on training, something Mr. Puglia, 22, already has.

For the past two summers Mr. Puglia has interned at Eastern Energy Systems (EES) of Mattituck, a renewable energy company responsible for the largest wind turbine on Long Island. Joining 15 others last summer, Mr. Puglia was among the first crop of interns EES ever had. Returning this summer, Mr. Puglia said his days with the company were never the same. His responsibilities ran the gamut of processing paper work, providing customer service, researching policy, and giving tours and presentation of RE practices that educate the general public.

"I was taken back by [EES] because they put education first," Mr. Puglia said. "The forefront of their efforts is to teach and not just selling this stuff."

Interesting enough, Mr. Puglia graduated high school with the aim of studying linguistics. He pursued the study of language at Suffolk Community College after graduating from Sachem, but said in one semester he completely shifted his focus from linguistics to science.

"I started to hear about this green movement and I got hooked," Mr. Puglia said. "It was a new high for me."

While Mr. Puglia is at an advantage to break into the clean energy movement as a college student studying, learning, and interning in the RE field, he also serves as an example to others interested in  gaining green experience.

For one, his initiative and interest to get involved spark this article. His initiative and interest to get involved also led him to pursue the position at EES, as well as others. For example, Mr. Puglia joined the Sustainability Counsel at the University of Albany last year. Since then he has acted as a sustainability chairperson and this year is working on bringing more local and sustainable foods to the campus dining hall.

At the heart of his efforts, though, Mr. Puglia is simply doing what he hopes to in the future, introducing, informing and teaching others about the clean energy movement.

Sachem Patch Sustainable Series

No. 1: Introduction to the Series

No. 2: Towns of Islip and Brookhaven Already in the Green Game

No. 3: Becoming Efficient and Saving Money with National Energy Audits

No. 4: Supplying the Sun in Sachem

No. 5: 

No. 6: Vetter Environmental Sciences specializes in industrial cleaning solutions

No. 7: The man behind Brookhaven's energy movement

Sustainable Series Useful Terms List