Department of Economic and Community Development, Office of Energy Policy

Contact: Chyrall Dawson

Tel: (615) 741-6671

Email: Chyrall.Dawson@tn.gov

The Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) sponsors Tennessee’s K-12 Energy Education Program. The program, entitled Tennessee Energy Education Network (TEEN), provides training and resources to classroom teachers and other educators, incorporating NEED as a cornerstone resource for comprehensive, curriculum-based energy education in schools and for student-led community outreach activities promoting energy efficiency and conservation.

The 2010-2011 school year built on the success of the previous year with a partnership with the University of Tennessee to continue the “Energizing Tennessee 4H” project. This project involved counties across the state with the NEED curriculum designed especially for 4H programs. TEEN conducted workshops to train 4H professionals who are participating in the project. Each participating county received funding to purchase the four NEED 4H Energy kits, which teach the science of heat energy, light energy, mechanical energy, and chemical energy along with the energy resources that fall under each of these forms of energy. “Energizing Tennessee 4H” has made a positive impact on thousands of students.

The 4H-ers conduct community outreach events reaching people with energy-saving tips and other information. They collect EnergyStar Change-the-World pledges with most of the pledge signers receiving a CFL bulb to take home.

In addition to the 4H program, TEEN developed, with the assistance of a team of classroom teachers, curriculum kits for grades 2 and 7 that address state science standards that teach about energy resources. These kits are being distributed via teacher in-services. TEEN continues to promote participation in energy education by classroom teachers and is offering three NEED Camps for Teachers during the summer of 2011. These camps provide training and resources to conduct comprehensive energy education programs in their schools using the NEED curriculum. NEED and ECD hosted School Energy Management Workshops for schools and school districts across Tennessee. As schools seek ways to reduce budgets, saving energy is often a quick and cost-free way to do it. Other projects include a collaborative effort with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the TN Department of Education, and the TN Department of Environment and Conservation to conduct a statewide art contest to design art projects that will be distributed throughout the state to encourage conservation of resources.

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.

Robert E. Lee Elementary School

Tullahoma, TN

Project Title:  Practicing the Three R’s-Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Project Advisors:  Kathy Hagler and Sherry Roepke

The Robert E. Lee Energy Team of 2010-2011 has had an exciting year learning and teaching about ways to conserve energy and resources. We learned about energy through speakers, energy-based magazines, and books.

Our Energy Team met at city hall to perform a skit for The Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Our skit taught people about kinds of energy, and we even stumped our mayor with some of the thought-provoking questions! We were broadcast on a local television channel, so we taught people who weren’t even there! We also performed the skit at the Tullahoma Rotary Club.

At our school, we had a “Bottle Battle”. In all we collected over 17,000 plastic bottles! We also recycle paper and plastic bottles regularly.

Our team created solar ovens from pizza boxes. We made s’mores and they were delicious! They took a long time, but they sure did taste good!

We adopted a mile near our school, which means we picked up trash to help keep the environment clean. Our valuable accomplishments will keep us dedicated to conserving energy, conserving our planet, and have taught us the importance of alternative forms of energy.

NATIONAL ELEMENTARY LEVEL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST

White Pine School

White Pine, TN

Project Title: Conserve Energy: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Project Adviser: Audrey Hughes

The team set up energy booths at the Jefferson County Fair and Tunes & Balloons Festival, encouraging people to take the ENERGY STAR Pledge and conduct home energy audits. At Open House, we hosted an Energy Fair in conjunction with our local utility company, Appalachian Electric Cooperative.

We hosted and sponsored Go Out & Play Day/Energy Conservation Day. Tennessee Valley Authority provided a grant that allowed the team to purchase promotional items. The ENERGY STAR Pledge was made by 210 people and 207 people conducted home energy evaluations.

We traveled the Southeast to learn about conservation and new innovations in clean energy. The team helped implement recommendations from an energy audit which resulted in a reduction of energy use at our school. The team met with community groups and political leaders at the local, state, and national level to lobby for our cause.

We began a Trash Hunger Campaign for a food pantry, hosted performances of “Energized Guyz”, taught lessons, recycled jeans for the homeless, recycled hair and hosiery to help out in the Gulf after the Oil Spill, and composted to help the Senior Center. We used NEED resources to guide us in projects and lessons and all elementary team members increased their scores on the Elementary Energy Poll.

At the end of the year, we had accomplished our primary goal: to educate others to conserve energy through reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Unicoi County Middle School

Erwin, TN

Project Title: Energizing Unicoi County

Project Adviser: Crystal Robertson

I pledge… my head to energy education, My heart to conserving resources,

My hands to discovering new methods, And my health to reducing pollution,

For my club, my community, my country, and my world.

As 4-H’ers, we pledge to clearer thinking, greater loyalty, and larger service.

As NEED Project students, our gaze has a finer focus: reducing energy usage in Tennessee.

We understand that knowing about energy is not enough. We must educate our fellow citizens so that we may act as one to save energy and conserve our nonrenewable resources.

We chose to present energy lessons to all sixth and seventh grade students. We learned about the economics behind coal mining, how to insulate our homes, and toured the world using the Mystery World Tour to understand how energy resources are used in other countries.

The 4-H NEED Club decided to take our energy-saving methods to the larger public. We requested the three-dimensional ENERGY STAR booth to display at the Kingsport Home Builder’s Association’s Home Show. With the help of ENERGY STAR, the Club worked for three days to educate the general public on ways to save energy and obtain ENERGY STAR pledges.

We took our energy know-how to the media, and recorded public service announcements on energy-saving tips for the local radio station. They were reinforced with an article in the newspaper as well.

We feel we have truly ENERGIZED Unicoi County. We teach people the NEED to conserve!

Franklin County High School

Winchester, TN

Project Title: Heal the World

Project Adviser: CM Sat. Everett Smith

The Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Energy Team made an impact locally and globally through recycling. The projects were: Teens for Jeans, Wind Farm Visit, Recycling Paper, Composting, and Switching to Bio-degradable Golf Tees.

We learned about renewable energy and visited Tennessee Valley Authority’s Wind Farm and Morgan County’s Vocational Center. We bought and assembled mulching barrels for our Agriculture Department. Our cafeteria gives vegetable trimmings for composting used on the garden. Keep Coffee County Beautiful supplied us with bio-degradable tees that the golf team is using.

Our team recycled jeans for homeless teens. One out of three homeless people is 18 or younger. This took some planning. Collection boxes were at the cafeteria, businesses, churches, and industries like Nissan. We went on radio talk shows, recorded a public service announcement, and had newspaper coverage.

When the earthquake hit Japan we wanted to help. We made 1,060 origami cranes out of recycled paper. The Bezos Family Foundation donated $2.00 for every crane we made to rebuild Japan.

In the end we collected 3,692 jeans, more than any school in the country. Aeropostale is donating $5,000 to our school and throwing a school-wide party. From recycled paper we raised $2,120 to help rebuild Japan. We really can heal the world.

NATIONAL SPECIAL CATEGORY FINALIST

Sumner County 4-H

Gallatin, TN

Project Title: Sumner County 4-H “Keeping it Green, Energizing Youth”

Project Advisers: Bridget Garrison, Gwen Groves, and Clint Parker

Sumner County 4-H’ers enjoyed teaching their peers energy education through fun-filled activities. Youth experimented with sodium polyacrylate, made glasses sing, “phoned home” using homemade telephones, experimented with salt and pepper, and checked out radiant energy using solar glasses, solar beads, radiometers, and mini-solar panels. The energy ball and the putt-putt steamboat are still the class favorites!

By promoting ENERGY STAR, 550 families filled out the “Change the World with ENERGY STAR” surveys where they pledged to change 4,867 incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents, which will save them a total of $213,268 over the life of the bulbs! We partnered with the Cumberland Electric Membership Corporation who sponsored eleven 4-H’ers to attend 4-H Electric Camp and also provided us with monetary prizes, backpacks, and educational materials. Our 4-H’ers latest project is recycling used cell phones to Hope Line Crisis Center for victims of domestic violence.

We look forward to continuing our service to our community and making people aware of the cool ENERGY STAR products that are available and need for energy conservation. Even though we are kids, we know we are making a difference in the world. Keep it Green!