Energy! How can we ensure sustainable energy for all?
Energy! is a freely available community research guide developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) in partnership with the InterAcademy Partnership as part of the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project. These Smithsonian Science for Global Goals community research guides use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to focus on sustainable actions that are defined and implemented by students.
Energy! is the new community research guide from the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project for students aged 11 to 18. In the guide, young people explore the question “How can we ensure sustainable energy for all?” Energy! aims to help young people explore how their communities can create a more sustainable future by using sustainable energy sources, adopting sustainable energy practices, and increasing energy access and equity both locally and globally.
This guide is a response to the UN SDG 7: “Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”. While using the guide young people will become action researchers to identify and help solve problems in their community. Energy! includes research, activities, and perspectives from subject matter experts across a range of energy topics including sustainable sources of energy and sustainable practices in cooking, heating and cooling, transportation, personal energy use, and industrial energy use. It integrates inquiry-based science education with social and emotional learning and civic engagement. Students generate customized solutions for the challenges in their community and contribute to a more sustainable planet.
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Help us measure impact! By providing us with this basic information, you are ensuring that we can document the reach of the Energy module and helping the Smithsonian Science Education Center to understand how to best support educators and parents as they undertake this module with their learners.
Energy! is also available in Spanish!
Generous funding for the Spanish translation of the Energy! Guide was provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
Click below to download the PDF files for each part of the community research guide. Follow the instructions in the research guide for each task.
DOWNLOAD ENERGY! GETTING STARTED
Task 1: What is a sustainable energy future? In this task young people will develop a personal identity map, survey their community, and create a futures mood board.
Task 2: How does my community use energy now? In this task young people will conduct a community energy observation and evaluate positive and negative effects of energy in their community.
Task 1: What do I know about energy sources on Earth? In this task young people will make energy source cards, create a perspectives chart, and decide what is most important about energy sources in their community.
Task 2: Which energy sources could help my community create a sustainable energy future? In this task young people will research benefits and concerns of energy sources and evaluate what sources of energy would be best at meeting the needs of their community.
Task 1: How do we use energy to cook food in our community? In this task young people will explore food and meals that are important to them, carry out an investigation into effects of cooking, and examine perspectives and concerns about cooking in their community.
Task 2: How can we use sustainable energy to cook in the future? In this task young people will survey to assess their communities priorities in cooking and build a model of biofuel pellets and a solar stove.
Task 1: How is energy used in the spaces in our community? In this task young people will identify spaces that help them meet their needs, use interviews and investigations to explore energy use and equity, and create an energy use map.
Task 2: How can we use sustainable energy in our community? In this task young people will examine energy use data, carry out investigation on how to incorporate sustainable energy into their community, and brainstorm actions to reduce energy use.
Task 1: How is energy used for transportation in our community? In this task young people will explore how they use transportation, conduct investigations into transportation and access in their community, and create a list of what they want to change about transportation in their community
Task 2: How can we make transportation more sustainable? In this task young people use the Avoid, Shift, Improve framework to investigate how to make transportation more sustainable in their community.
Task 1: How do we use energy to power things in our daily life? In this task young people will reflect on their personal energy use, investigate energy efficiency and conservation, and calculate the cost of energy use in their daily lives.
Task 2: How can we make industry more sustainable? In this task young people will examine greenhouse gas emissions, investigate industry in their community, and identify actions they want to take.
Task 1: How will I help create a sustainable energy future? In this task young people will decide what action to take and implement their action plans.
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