Energy Conservation Resources for Elementary School

The food (and drinks) consumed each day is students' most immediate relationship with energy. It's all around us, and it's inside us, and knowing how much energy we eat is one small part of the overall energy consumption.

While British thermal units (Btus) and kilowatt-hours (kWh) are common units of energy in the energy industry, the unit of energy most common in everyday life is the calorie.

Weather is an important factor in human comfort. Who has wanted to trade a 100-degree, full sun scorcher for an overcast 75-degree day with a breeze for an outdoor sports tournament? Or hoping for a warm, sunny day at the beach instead of a thunderstorm?

Before the advent of modern air conditioning, snow and ice were the main ways to keep cool on hot days. In the summer and in warmer climates, ice was a luxury used to cool drinks and cool bodies in the same way refrigeration and air conditioning are used today.

Texas summers may feel like they last forever, but many schools still need heating for the coldest days of the year. Central heating is common in most buildings today, either built into the original design or retrofitted through past renovations. However, central heating was not always an essential part of building design.

Did you know it takes energy to run water? Water is a precious resource and wasting it not only wastes water but energy too. Reducing water waste saves water, energy, and money.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines food deserts as areas of the country without any fresh fruit, vegetables, or other whole foods. For the past several decades, the middle class migrated to the suburbs from city centers taking their grocery stores with them, leaving only convenience stores.

Wind is a renewable resource, which means that the resource replenishes itself faster than humans can use it. As long as the sun is still shining, wind will always be blowing somewhere on Earth.

Grocery stores don’t think the ugly produce sells, so they don’t buy it, meaning farmers have to get rid of it. Approximately 20% of all U.S. produce never enters the market but ends up left in the field or transported to landfills.

Wind is a renewable resource, which means that the resource replenishes itself faster than humans can use it. As long as the sun is still shining, wind will always be blowing somewhere on Earth.

The water cycle is a global, natural example of the energy-water nexus, the integral relationship between the two resources. But you don’t need the whole world to see an example of this continually moving cycle.

The Sun drives one of the most important global processes: the water cycle. In this activity, students will work together to investigate different forms of water, how it moves through the cycle, and the ultimate source of energy for all of the different phases.