National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project

The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project promotes energy education among students, educators, and civic leaders through the design and delivery of energy education programs. NEED works with energy companies, local government agencies, and community organizations to provide balanced energy programs to the nation’s schools with a focus on professional development for teachers, curriculum design, and turn-key energy education strategies.

OEP is the state coordinator for the NEED Project; information on the initiative is included within the curriculum for OEP’s Energy Education Camps for K-12 Educators. Camp attendees also learn how to participate in the NEED Youth Awards for Energy Achievement, a competition in which teachers take their energy education programs beyond the classroom and encourage students to engage in school and community outreach to share what they have learned about energy efficiency and conservation.

NEED Youth Awards in Tennessee

To participate in the NEED Youth Awards competition, schools compile their energy education activities for the year and submit an electronic scrapbook of their efforts.  Tennessee schools have been recognized nationally every year since the program’s inception.

In June, Ivy Academy was named a NEED Project Youth Awards’ National Finalist. At the state level, they were named Tennessee School of the Year. Ivy Academy’s project “The NGSL Solar Backpack Project: Providing Sustainable Power and Hope” can be viewed here Ivy-Academy-TN.pdf. Learn more about the NEED Project Youth Awards here https://youthawards.need.org/about-the-need-youth-awards/.

For more information on the NEED Project and previous winners of the NEED Youth Awards, contact Angela McGee, the NEED Project Tennessee Coordinator, at Angela.Mcgee@tn.gov.