Students investigate how much energy their school uses, the main sources of that energy, and ways to implement energy-saving strategies.
Below is a collection of resources that support PLT’s GreenSchools Energy Investigation.
To get the investigation, register as a PLT GreenSchool, or purchase a print copy.
Discover ways to green your home - and save money - with these questions and tips. This Green Your Home checklist will help children and their families decide together what they might do to improve their environment at home.
Every month we carefully select new tools and resources that enhance PLT’s lessons. These include educational apps, videos, posters, interactive websites, careers information, and teacher-generated materials. Browse a chronological listing below:
Developed by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, EnergyKids provides a wide range of articles and resources about energy. Students can explore energy sources, ways to use and save energy and the history of energy with games and activities that promote learning. Challenge your students with energy-related Suduko, puzzles, crossword puzzles, and word searches!
Learn more about the life of a field forester and more in this booklet Find Your Path from the Oregon Forest Resources Institute. Joe Newton, once a professional football player for the Seattle Seahawks, now works for Lone Rock Timber in Roseburg, Oregon as a Field Forester. He collaborates with tree-planters, helicopter pilots, and other company staff to maintain the health and improvement of tree plantations. This booklet provides other forest-sector employee profiles – forest manager, natural resource ecologist, research economist, logging crew, millwright – offering advice, short job-descriptions, and the various curves they took on their career path.
Imagine If is a podcast on climate resilience. Developed by the National Association for Environmental Education and National Geographic, Imagine If interviews change-makers affecting positive change on the world. Imagine If features high school students designing solutions to environmental issues in their communities. Listen with your students and inspire them to become change-makers in their community!
Did you know that nature works to power the things you depend on every day such as your smartphone, refrigerator, and more! Thanks to energy from the earth we can power all these things. This 5-minute video from PBS Learning Media, Nature Works – To Make Clean Energy discusses sustainable energy sources. It also explains how sustainable energy sources support the environment and minimize harm. Learn more about the benefits of renewable technologies of energy with this video.
As the demand for energy increases throughout the globe it is sourced through a variety of cycles connecting the sun to our food chain to electricity and beyond. Yet, if energy is neither created nor destroyed, where does it come from? TED-Ed Original lessons feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. In this TED-Ed lesson, A Guide to the Energy of the Earth, educator Joshua M. Sneideman examines the many ways in which the energy all around us is captured and sourced. This 5-minute video is also supported with 10 assessment questions.
The NOAA Planet Stewards Education Project (PSEP) provides formal and informal educators working with elementary through university age students with sustained professional development, collaborative tools, and support to build a climate-literate public actively engaged in climate stewardship. PSEP also provides support for educators to develop and execute climate stewardship projects with students to increase understanding of climate science and take practical actions to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Have you thought about trying crowdfunding to help get a GreenSchools project off the ground? Or reaching out to your community to find advocates and volunteers? The ioby (in our back yards) crowd-resourcing platform can connect you with funding and support. Whether it’s updating your school garden, adding a cafeteria composting program, or teaching students about renewables, crowdfunding can be an effective tool for getting more parents and neighbors invested in your green school work. Anyone with a great idea for their community can collect tax-deductible donations, find volunteers, and access one-on-one customized fundraising coaching on ioby.org. This national nonprofit crowdfunding platform is designed for projects that make schools and neighborhoods more sustainable, healthy, connected and livable.
Help students understand the science of electricity with this animated infographic from SaveOnEnergy.com. It includes the basics of electricity all the way to how we harness this power to fuel homes, schools, hospitals and more.
Looking for a way to incorporate more technology into your teaching? TED-Ed produces original animated videos and pairs them with questions and resources for teachers to create their own interactive lessons. Once you create a free account, simply search the topic you want to develop a lesson around and use the TED-Ed platform to build a customized lesson around any TED-Ed Original, TED Talk, or other educational video. Check out the example below.
TED-Ed: Guide to Energy on Earth The global demand for energy continues to increase. But where does energy come from, and where does it go? These are just some of the questions that you can help your students answer with this Guide to the Energy of the Earth by TED-Ed. The online lesson guide includes a short video, questions for discussion, and additional resources to explore the topic further.
Looking for ways to bring sustainability projects to your school? Use the Sustainability in Schools Game with your middle and high school students to explore the cost-benefits. The game includes 45 cards covering a range of sustainability projects that could be implemented in your own school, along with video instructions and critical thinking questions to get your students thinking.
Stamford University and KQED public media have created digital textbooks for high school students and lifelong learners. Offering a broad introduction to the topic of energy, these multimedia e-books— Energy: The Basics and Energy: Use and Efficiency— feature animations, in-depth articles, and a glossary of energy terms, along with videos exploring topics such as geothermal energy, the solar power industry, and the diverse careers in the renewable energy field. Access the e-Books and a companion iTunes University course.
Investing in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate protection programs is an important way for state and local governments to provide a variety of benefits to low-income communities, including energy cost savings, job creation, improved air quality, and healthier homes. EPA’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Low-Income Communities guide helps state and local staff connect with local and national initiatives that can assist them in expanding or developing their own EE and climate initiatives in ways that benefit low-income communities.
A “Green Jobs” curriculum and activity guide funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Job Corps Office, and the Conservation Education Program.
The U.S. Forest Service’s whimsical character, Woodsy Owl, tells students to “Lend a Hand – Care for the Land!” and provides suggestions for participating in conservation efforts. Check out Woodsy Owl on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Engaging case studies from the U.S. Global Change Research Program show how climate change is affecting our nation’s wildlife and public lands and how everyone, even kids, can become “climate stewards.”
These resources from the U.S. Global Change Research Program range from climate and energy literacy to wildlife and wildlands connections.
These article in the science education journal Natural Inquirer, aimed at middle school students. Don’t Be So Fuelish: How Much Fuel is Saved When Cars Are Parked in the Shade? reveals the importance of choosing the right parking spot as scientists compare how much fuel is released from a car in a shady parking spot with one in a sunny spot. Moving On Up: The Possible Impact of Climate Change on Forest Habitats analyzes the possible effect of climate change on forest habitats. What Do the World’s Forests Have To Do with Climate Change? provides background information, research, future actions, and scientific charts and graphs on climate change and describes the role of forests in the Earth’s carbon cycle. Finally, North of the Border: Are Nonnative Species Moving Northward as the Climate Changes? describes how scientists answer pressing questions about climate change such as: Are naturalized species’ latitudinal ranges the same as, larger, or smaller than their native ranges?
This booklet was developed by formal and informal educators, along with a range of U.S. agencies, and reflects a broad and current effort to define climate literacy.
This webcast from ClimateChangeLIVE features a climate change assembly from the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE) and includes videos of youth discussing the impacts of climate change in the areas where they live. Also, you can tap into ClimateChangeLIVE’s variety of resources with interactive activities and lessons for students in grades K–12.
This U.S. Department of Energy guide provides detailed information for developing and implementing a districtwide or schoolwide operations and maintenance program that focuses on energy efficiency.
This ENERGY STAR website provides guidelines for energy management, online training sessions, and an online tool to evaluate and track your school’s energy performance.
The website of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers provides guidelines and approaches for achieving advanced levels of energy savings.
This U.S. Department of Energy website provides links to animations, videos, and audio files on energy sources, with a focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy. Energy Guides for Schools, Advanced Energy Design Guide for K–12 School Buildings, The website of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers provides guidelines and approaches for achieving advanced levels of energy savings.
National Energy Foundation is a nonprofit educational organization that develops and disseminates supplementary energy and natural resources education materials.
This guide, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, presents energy concepts that can help individuals and communities make informed decisions about energy.
This government website provides insight and tips on the benefits of utilizing a programmable thermostat and how they can help reduce energy cost in your home.
This website provides helpful information related to solar panels on homes.
The Home Energy Saver website provides an online home energy audit with tips, ideas, and tools to calculate your energy usage and emissions levels.
The U.S. EPA website provides specific information on the use and the proper disposal of fluorescent light bulbs. Fluorescent light bulbs must be properly disposed of because they contain very small amounts of mercury. This website also includes information on comparing and choosing light bulbs.
The Illuminating Engineering Society website provides information on lighting standards, types of lighting, and energy-efficient lighting.
The Alliance to Save Energy’s Energy Hog campaign is educating teachers, kids and parents about energy efficiency. Why? Saving energy lessens our dependence on foreign oil, improves our air and water quality, and reduces our energy bills. To help spread energy efficiency in the classroom, print out Student and Teacher Guides or explore the rest of the site, including the interactive Hog and Seek game.
Designed for upper elementary and middle school students, a free iPad app teaches about electricity generation and delivery thorough visits to a solar-powered house, a hydroelectric power plant, and a wind farm. With clickable, interactive structures and informational graphics and photos, students discover what is meant by “the power grid.”
In profiles of women working in various roles at the Department of Energy, women share what inspired them to work in a STEM field, what excites them about their work, and what ideas they have for getting more underrepresented groups engaged in STEM fields. The website is useful for middle and high school students interested in learning about STEM careers.
Energy is an abstract and important concept that concerns all things on earth and plays a role in many natural and social science processes. Uncover the power of understanding energy by watching the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Seven Principles of Energy Literacy video series. This series breaks down key information about energy’s functions including flow, amount, and quality, in addition to looking at how quality of life, economics, politics, and environment are affected by how we create and utilize energy.
The Energy Zones Mapping Tool is a free online database that allows users to map existing and potential energy resources in the 39 easternmost states. Users can run site-suitability analyses for a variety of renewable energy sources, including biomass, solar, water, wind, natural gas, geothermal, and nuclear power. Regional, custom maps of existing energy resources and environmental characteristics that impact energy development can also be created using overlapping and interactive layers. This tool is hosted by the Eastern Interconnection States’ Planning Council (EISPC), among other project partners.
The Alternative Fuel Foundation provides grants of $250-500 to forward-thinking schools with projects that use alternative fuels and promote sustainability. Those that encourage parent involvement and build community spirit are preferred. Nonprofit public and private K-12 schools and their associated parent groups are eligible.
Are you looking for support in investigating fracking and other energy issues with high school students? Russell Gold, senior energy reporter for the Wall Street Journal, chronicles the history and rise of the fracking industry in his 2014 book, The Boom. This informational text delves into the pros and cons of the controversial energy extraction technique while offering various perspectives on the subject. An accompanying Classroom Guide offers critical thinking questions that are an essential learning tool for students.
Have you ever wondered what keeps the massive propellers of today’s wind turbines in motion? Check out this animated infographic from SaveOnEnergy to learn how wind turbines work. While the science behind wind powered turbines may seem modern day, the concept has been around for millennia. Its predecessor, the simple windmill, can be traced as far back as 200 B.C. when it was used for farm work, such as grinding grain and drawing water.
Use this Rooted in Math infographic from NEEF to make some quick calculations, such as the number of gallons of water you use every time you take a shower, or the pounds of CO2 emissions by a lightbulb.
Imagine this. Students, teachers, and administrators working together to achieve a common goal – improving the environmental quality and sustainability of school campuses. Now imagine …
Get learners excited about sustainability with Earth Science Week activities you can try with your classroom, complete with recommended grade levels and relevant science standards!
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