Phillip began his journey at MHYC-SFR as a Land Conservation Leader in 2021, crew leading both trail and saw crews. He returned in 2022 as a Senior Crew Leader, furthering his technical skills and providing the opportunity to help train this year’s cohort of crew leaders. Peers have noted that Phillip excels at inclusivity, empowerment, and mentorship. He fundamentally understands MHYC’s goals and is passionate about youth development.
Much of the program’s success in 2022 can be attributed to Phillip’s versatility and willingness to support every crew. He volunteered to join crews in the field when they were short-staffed, often with little or no notice and sometimes for several days in a row. Phil assisted in trail trainings and was an evaluator for the S-212 Wildland Fire Chain Saws training. Over time, he built skills to manage conflict within and between crews while applying a growth mindset to each challenge. Phillip is invested in the work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and created thoughtful Land Acknowledgements with associated discussion questions for every unique project location. He continues to find ways to improve the functionality of the warehouse space, improve trainings, and involve the greater community in the program.
In November 2020, MHYC’s Energy & Water Conservation crew worked with the City of Westminster to retrofit income-qualified multi-family complexes across Westminster. The first project completed by the Energy & Water team in Westminster is the Orchard Crossing, a 90 unit subsidized, low-rent apartment complex. The crew assessed and retrofitted low-flow water fixtures in 73 apartments at Orchard Crossing. A total of 83 Ultra-High Efficiency toilets, and 116 low flow fixtures were installed over 5 days on the service site. It is estimated that these installs will save each apartment an average of 37,000 gallons of water per year as well as $205 in heating and water costs per year.
This project is also projected to save over 2 Million lbs of Co2 over the lifetime of all installed materials.
Since 2021, MHYC has partnered with Denver’s Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR) office to support preparing young people for the green workforce and fulltime, quality employment. With CASR funding, the Energy and Water Conservation program will increase their Corpsmember enrollment annually over three years.
The partnership helps support outreach and recruitment for young people living in under-resourced and opportunity neighborhoods to expand equitable access to good jobs in the green economy. Corpsmembers receive certifications in Department of Energy and Department of Labor recognized training including Building Science Principles.
This partnership provides a suite of career exposure and exploration activities including guest speakers, job site visits, job shadows and networking opportunities in green industries.
