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Meeting Energy Challenges Of The Future

“If America is going to have strong energy leaders in the future, they will need to be trained now. Education is our best strategy for meeting the complex energy challenges of the future.”

That is the belief of Stephen Lamb, Executive Director of the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago. Taking a pro-active stance toward community education, MCA Chicago teamed up with educator Gerard Katz to offer Student Leadership Training Conferences on energy to area high school students. These regional workshops took place in November at Lyons Township High School, LaGrange, IL, and Perspectives/IIT Math & Science Academy.

The conferences were underwritten by MCA of Chicago. “We were happy to lend our support to these conferences,” Lamb said. “Like Gerard, we see great importance in educating today’s young people about energy.”

Created by the National Foundation for Energy Education, these educational events were held in preparation for The Great American Energy Debate, a March 2010 national event.

“Student representatives from 21 Chicago area high schools attended the conferences,” said Katz. He added that dozens of similar conferences will take place nationwide before The Great American Energy Debate, which will kick off a ten-year effort to educate high school students about the energy issues facing our country.

Conference organizers wanted to determine how much students knew about energy issues, so participants were asked how “energy educated,” on a scale of 0 to a high score of 10, they considered themselves to be. The average student score was 6.1, while teachers rated themselves at 8.8.

Average student responses to other 0-to-10 rated questions included:

• In favor of coal power: 3.4

• In favor of nuclear power: 4.9

• Rating themselves as energy conservers: 5.1

• In favor of tax incentives for renewable energy and conservation: 7.1

• In favor of solar and wind power: 8.2

When asked how much of the nation’s total energy is currently supplied by renewable sources, students estimated the amount at 38 percent. The correct answer is actually 8 percent. Participants optimistically predicted that renewable sources would supply 62 percent of America’s energy by 2030.

“People usually overestimate how much energy comes from renewables,” Katz said. “The world isn’t as green as they think it is. These students learned that there is still a lot more work to be done.”

During the conferences, students attended English, math, social studies, and science classes enriched with energy information. “What made the Conference workshops unique was that students conducted most of the educational sessions,” Katz added.

What does it mean to be truly “energy educated”? Student participants were asked to complete the sentence, “An energy educated America means...” and here are some of their responses:

• “...using more renewable and energy efficient products. It also means recycling and conserving energy.” - Julia Condotti, St. Cletus School.

• “...people being able to make wise decisions to improve the lifestyle of Americans now and in the future making sure we are aware how we treat our environment.” - Matt Bernickus, Immaculate Conception

• “...every house can support at least 20 percent of its own energy.” - Josh Mollema, Southwest Oak Lawn.

Lamb believes that these energy education sessions will encourage students to consider careers in the construction industry, which deals extensively with energy issues.

“Young people often overlook careers in construction,” Lamb said, “because they may think it is all menial or ‘dirty’ work. But in fact, the construction industry needs a variety of talents, including designers, engineers and more.”

The biggest outcome of the conferences, according to Katz, was that many students were so inspired by what they learned, they are now planning on holding these workshops at their own schools.

“These students now realize that planning America’s energy future involves a lot more than just putting up a few more windmills or solar panels,” Katz said. “Many conference participants are continuing to learn about energy and getting more kids, relatives and members of the community involved.”

For more information, or to get involved with The Great American Energy Debate, visit www.thegreatamericanenergydebate.org.

For more information on MCA of Chicago, visit www.mca.org.

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