Governmental Offices and Agencies

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Clean Energy Basics

Web Address: www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/

The NREL Clean Energy Basics website provides background information on a spectrum of renewable energy technologies with targeted information for electricity providers, homeowners, farmers, ranchers, small business owner, students, and teachers.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Junior Solar Sprint Video

Topic:  Solar Power

Source:  Sold by Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), produced by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Web Address:  www.nesea.org/education/edmaterials/jssvideo.html

Grade Level:  MS

Learning Strategies:  NA

Frameworks:  NA

Cost:  $10 per video

"A compilation of four Junior Solar Sprint video clips including a very fun 8 minute introduction suitable for students and teachers alike, 17 minutes of interviews with teachers, a view of the Long Island JSS event, and a 4 minute promotional piece from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory."

The Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) program, sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy, is an educational program for middle school students in which they construct model solar-powered cars and race them in interscholastic competitions.  This video can be used to show middle school students that learning about energy can be fun, and to spark interest in participating in the program. 

Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA)   

Web Address: www.state.ma.us/envir

This website provides an overview of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs with information on multiple programs. The State Sustainability Program administers the EOEA Climate Change Initiative. The Initiative's site describes efforts in Massachusetts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in partnership with the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative

Web Address: www.masstech.org

Education and Public Awareness Program:

  • Sponsors Renewable Energy Community Days in 5 or 6 communities across Massachusetts between June and October.
  • Funds five Renewable Energy Content Institutes at 3 to 5 locations. Information about the Institutes is available in the Education and Public Awareness section of the web site.
  • Provides access to production data from sites utilizing renewable energy resources. This project will be funded later this year.

Green Schools Initiative Program:

  • Provides information and funding for the study, design, and implementation of renewable energy technologies in public schools.
  • Provides education activities associated with the renewable energy technologies utilized in public schools.
  • Provides a list of schools participating in the Green Schools Initiative on the website.

Other MTC programs include Community Outreach and Siting, Public Policy, Green Buildings, Green Power, Solar -to-Market, and Industry Support.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Portal

Web Address: www.eere.energy.gov

This website provides access to hundreds of web sites and thousands of online documents on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and global warming.

The site's education section provides energy education and training resources through information for teachers, parents, students, school administrators, energy professionals, and homeowners.

Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies, EERE

Web Address: www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/general_info.html?print

This website provides fact sheets and booklets in PDF format on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. It also provides descriptions of VHS videos and DVDs as well as links to other informational web sites.

The Minnesota Interactive Directory of
Environmental Education Resources (SEEK)

Web Address: www.seek.state.mn.us/eelinks.cfm

This website provides a compendium of sites organized into the following categories: business, environmental education, environmental databases, federal government, state and local government, international organizations, national organizations, residential learning centers, and schools.

The Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Web Address: www.osti.gov/index.html

This website offers an "Information Bridge" feature to help teachers and students gain access to every document generated at the U.S. Department of Energy since 1995. Documents are in PDF format. Bibliographic citations are provided for all DOE documents produced since 1948.

By selecting the "easy search" menu item and entering a phrase in double quotes (e.g. ""renewable energy"" or ""global warming""), readers can access information and abstracts for full documents. These documents can be used for research by both students and teachers.

The Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM)

Web Address: www.thegateway.org

The GEM Gateway is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. This website provides educators with access to resources offered through federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial internet sites. Internet searches can be done by subject, keywords, title, or grade level.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Web Address: www.epa.gov

Availability: The Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands Toolkit can be obtained free of charge and mailing costs by calling the EPA at (800) 490-9198

The EPA offers a Climate Change, Wildlife, and Wildlands: A Toolkit to educators, instructors and park rangers. This kit includes a video, a CD-ROM, a global warming wheel for calculating household greenhouse gas emissions, and a set of twelve trail cards that highlight the potential effects of climate change on wildlife and ecosystems.

While the Toolkit was originally designed for park rangers and guides to help them evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on national parks, other educators can use the Toolkit in designing activities focused on renewable energy technologies and climate change.

The CR-ROM includes the following resources:

  • A set of 26 basic and advanced fact sheets
  • Case studies and visual aids for national parks in four areas of the United States
  • Interactive activities and a slide show
  • Directions for ordering free educational resources from the EPA including Climate Change and Massachusetts, Climate Change and Cold Water Fish, Cool Facts About Global Warming, and Saving Florida's Vanishing Shores
  • The EPA's National Publications Catalog (CD-ROM or hardcopy)

The Alternative Fuels Data Center of the
U.S. Department of Energy

Web Address: www.afdc.doe.gov

This website provides information about Student Vehicles Competitions. Links are provided to many additional sites that provide curriculum materials and informational resources. A resources and documents menu also provides access to many periodicals and documents describing alternative fuels for vehicles.

National Science Resources Center

Topic:  Middle School Science

Web Address:  www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/rtmss/index.html

Grade Level:  MS

Learning Strategies:  NA

Frameworks Connections:  NA

Cost:  $25, but can read nearly entire book online for free.

This guide lists hundreds of texts, guides and activity books organized by topic for various middle school lessons. Actual content is not provided through the site; rather, its purpose is to provide extensive annotated bibliographies of printed middle school curricula in physical science, life science, environmental science, earth and space science, and multidisciplinary and applied science. The number of listed materials that are related to renewable energy and global warming is small.

For each of these core areas, the guide offers lists of core materials, supplementary units, and science activity books.  All curriculum materials listed in the guide were found to be in line with the National Science Education Standards (NSES), and address important characteristics such as inquiry, science content, pedagogy, age-appropriateness, and assessment.