Energy lessons children can act on
Duke Energy is setting the stage for kids to become savvy energy consumers for a lifetime. In partnership with The National Theater for Children, we’re helping schoolchildren learn about energy and how to use it wisely.
Nearly 430,000 elementary and middle-school students at more than 900 schools in North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio saw “The Energized Guyz” during the 2011-2012 school year. The live theatrical production features a super-hero and a supporting cast of energy-wise characters who fight an energy-wasting villain.
As part of the program, the students get take-home workbooks to engage their families in energy efficiency. Families who complete home energy surveys receive free starter kits with compact fluorescent light bulbs and other energy-saving tools. We distributed more than 60,000 kits in 2011-2012; the estimated energy savings from these kits could power more than 500 homes.
Two schools per state in North Carolina, South Carolina and Ohio were each awarded a $1,000 cash prize. Winning schools were those with the highest number and percentage of home energy surveys submitted.
Progress Energy programs
Progress Energy, which merged with Duke Energy in 2012, also has a legacy of investing in energy education.
In 2012, the Progress Energy Foundation awarded $350,000 in grants in the Carolinas. One went to Wayne Community College to help fund Camp Kilowatt, a summer day camp for high school and middle school students interested in alternative energy sources. Another grant gives teachers the resources they need to integrate energy education lessons into their curricula.
The Foundation also invested $500,000 in our Florida service area in 2012. This funding supported energy-related classroom projects and high school career academies, where students explore engineering, environmental science and other disciplines.