Contact: Debbie Fitton

Tel: (508) 375-6703

Email:dfitton@capelightcompact.org

Contact: Todd Rogers

Tel: (315) 655-3507

Email: trogers@need.org

NEED programs are strong in Massachusetts thanks to the support of the Cape Light Compact, NSTAR and Dominion. The Compact loans NEED kits and curriculum to classrooms, provides teacher training, and hosts many community education events throughout the year. The Solarize Our Schools program provided a school in each town with a solar installation and the associated curriculum materials and data system to learn more about the electricity generated with solar power. NSTAR provides teacher training and curriculum related to energy efficiency and renewable energy to schools in the NSTAR service area. In 2011, the new NEED Science of Energy Efficiency module launched with NSTAR teachers to assist students in understanding the science of insulation, building envelope, and smart design for buildings. Also in 2011, Dominion’s support of energy education workshops nationwide brings additional teacher training to communities near Dominion generating plants.

Teachers can access NEED curriculum online. As resources are available, teacher workshops and hands-on kits are available. Individual state curriculum correlations are available here.

Eastham Elementary School

Eastham, MA

Project Title: Green Energy Army Project

Project Adviser: Maggie Brown

We call ourselves the Green Energy Army and our mission is to educate others about energy conservation, usage, and sources.

We started out by joining Cape Light Compact and the Change a Light Campaign. We sold over 500 bulbs, and we had two community members turn in refrigerators and get rebates for the school.

The next step was to research all the types of renewable and nonrenewable sources. We each chose a renewable or nonrenewable resource and created a sustainability hero or villain. We created posters and listed their “special powers”, attributes of each renewable or nonrenewable resource. We had so much fun doing that we created comics where our heroes and villains battled each other to save the day. We also made puppets for the NEED play “Bath Man” and put on the play for the entire school, parents, and community.

For science class we made complex machines and then presented them to the school during our Energy Fair. Our Energy Fair was presented to the school and community by our group and several experts from the Cape Light Compact. Lastly, we started a No Idle Zone for our school.

NATIONAL SENIOR LEVEL ROOKIE SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST

Boston Latin School

Boston, MA

Project Title: Modeling Energy Efficiency for Schools and Educators in Massachusetts

Project Adviser: Cate Arnold

As the nation’s oldest public school, Boston Latin is often viewed as an example for other schools. That, along with the Youth CAN’s network of 20 member groups, provides us the perfect forum for promoting green initiatives among other youth. However, our first energy audit, and building rating of 59, was nothing to brag about, so we set out to improve and develop a replicable model for greening schools along the way. We launched facilities improvements, sustainability training for teachers, a curriculum pilot, educational events, community partnerships, and a shared green roof proposal featuring PVs, wind turbines, greenhouse, and outdoor classrooms. At BLS, we updated auditorium lighting, saving 33,000 kWh annually. We turned off vending machine lights and reduced domestic hot water temps. A second assessment suggests further savings, in addition to a proposed $75,000 lighting retrofit ($50,000 pledged by NSTAR; $7,400 we raised). When implemented, our student-led group will have affected a significant reduction in energy consumption (200,000 kWh/year). Our 2011 summer youth program will result in other teens forming energy action teams and doing audits at their schools and community centers. That’s what matters most: we’re furthering efficiency and conservation, and also leading our peers to greener consciousness.

Cape Cod Academy

Osterville, MA

Project Title: 2011 Cape Cod Academy Energy Fair

Project Adviser: Christopher Kelly

Cape Cod Academy in consultation with Cape Light Compact decided to present a one-day Energy Fair for all its students (K through 12th Grade). The Conceptual Physics class of seven students was chosen as the student resource for this event. These students worked, prior to the fair, with Cape Light Compact personnel who provided six different energy kits to be used in the exhibits of the fair. In addition, the Conceptual Physics students worked with eight lower school students as their assistants in a mentoring relationship.

The Energy Fair itself was presented on February 18, 2011 at the Lower School Gym of Cape Cod Academy. Each of the three divisions (lower, middle, and upper) had their own 45 minute block of time for the event. There were 12 stations of exhibits and demonstrations, split evenly between Cape Light Compact personnel and the Conceptual Physics students and their Lower School helpers. The general consensus of the school population was the event ran smoothly and was highly successful.

Students and staff worked together to design the District’s interactive sustainability outdoor laboratory and construction is under way! Next year we will be working with teachers and students to create curriculum to be used with the outdoor laboratory.

Nauset Regional High School

North Eastham, MA

Project Title: Energizing Nauset!

Project Adviser: Valerie Bell

The Nauset Green Club is a youth organized after-school program made up of students ages 14 through 18. Our goal is to promote sustainability and energy awareness through both education and action both at school and in the community.

This year the group focused on five projects, intent on making the youth of our community aware of what it takes to be sustainable. Considering that many of the members of the Nauset Green Club will be graduating Seniors in the Class of 2011, it was vital for us to get as many students excited about sustainability and be as active as possible in order to ensure even greater success in the future for the group. Thus, our five projects focused on reaching out to local elementary schools to educate youth as well as the underclassmen at our high school. For our first project, we went to a local elementary school to participate in an Energy Fair where we interacted with enthused children. Our second project found us having discussions with Nauset Disposal, a local waste management company, to reform our school’s recycling program to be more efficient. Our third, fourth, and fifth projects involved us teaching different parts of our community about our new single stream recycling program through presentations, skits, and a film.

NATIONAL SPECIAL PROJECT OF THE YEAR

Harwich Community Learning Center

Harwich Port, MA

Project Title: Adventures in Energy

Project Adviser: Sally Andreola

The Adventure Seekers Energy Club is based out of Harwich, Massachusetts. We are a group of middle school students that enjoy helping the community in ways that are energy related. We particularly enjoy teaching students who are either our own age or younger, because you can never start energy awareness too soon!

Through our many activities in the past year, our Energy Club members have learned a lot about energy science and conservation issues; and we are spreading our knowledge and enthusiasm throughout our town. We sold compact fluorescent light bulbs in order for people to start using more efficient lights. This resulted in replacing close to 1,000 inefficient incandescent bulbs, reducing both energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. We taught over 300 younger kids in grades one, two, and three, by putting on an Energy Carnival at Harwich Elementary School that consisted of making an apple battery, Energy Bingo, and much more! In March our club visited a local power plant that burns garbage to create electrical energy. This experience has fueled our determination to begin a recycling program at our school. The Adventure Seekers Energy Club continues to educate our community about energy every day!