Energy Literacy + Community Planning = A Clean Energy Future
REAP’s Holistic Energy Education and Engagement in Southeast Alaska Fosters Community Planning for a Renewable Energy Future
This summer marked an exciting milestone for REAP as we took the next step in combining our energy education and other community engagement efforts in Southeast Alaska. In Sitka, we combined our popular summer camp programming and work with local partners to engage community members of all ages in growing energy literacy and conducting energy planning. And in Juneau, we combined that successful summer camp model with our longstanding outreach initiatives in preparation for even greater clean energy collaborations to come.
Fostering Energy Literacy: 2024 Southeast Alaska Renewable Energy Camp
For 5 days in July, REAP Energy Educator and Regional Energy Catalyst for the Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP), Clay Good, collaborated with Sitka Parks and Recreation and the City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department to host the second annual Southeast Alaska Renewable Energy Camp.
This year’s camp, designed for participants aged 9 to 11, focused on various aspects of energy production, transmission, distribution, use, and efficiency. Through hands-on activities, classroom lessons on wind and solar power, and educational tours, the young campers enjoyed an introduction to, and appreciation for, Sitka’s renewable energy systems. One of the camp’s highlights included a tour of the Blue Lake hydroelectric dam and powerhouse where the campers witnessed how hydroelectricity fully powers Sitka’s energy grid.
Another particularly popular activity for campers involved designing and constructing model tiny homes out of cardboard complete with solar panels, wind turbines, and functional LED lights. This activity allowed the participants to apply the information they learned at camp as they designed and built innovative and energy efficient homes.
The camp’s finale included a special culminating event – the Tiny Solar Home Showcase held at Blatchley Middle School – where campers proudly presented their model homes to their parents and the public. The event not only showcased the campers’ hard work and creativity, but also highlighted the importance of sustainable and energy-efficient design in future home building. Each home was inspected and participants were awarded a personalized Certificate of Sustainability, signed and presented by Bri Gabel, Sitka’s Sustainability Coordinator.
After the showcase, campers took their clever creations home for play or display. Either way, their tiny houses will serve as a frequent reminder of the possibilities of renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Campers locating their homes on a utility map. (Clay Good / REAP)Campers learning how electricity demand and supply are monitored. (Clay Good / REAP)
Holistic Community Engagement Through Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP)
Sitka community members gather at Harbor Mountain Brewing to discuss Sitka’s Energy Today. (Haleigh Reed / REAP)
Working with partners through the Sustainable Southeast Partnership (SSP) to host educational summer camps is not the only way REAP has been engaging in Sitka and collaborating with Ms. Gabel. REAP has worked alongside the City and Borough of Sitka (CBS) through the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) since 2021, and since 2023 we’ve been assisting the community in developing the Sitka Community Renewable Energy Strategy (SCRES), a shared vision of Sitka’s energy future that will guide the community’s energy-related decisions.
REAP and CBS’s efforts to host a community gathering at Harbor Mountain Brewing during the same week as the 2024 Southeast Alaska Renewable Energy Camp show how energy education and community engagement are integral components of this energy strategy. By bringing these efforts together in the form of a community-wide “Renewable Energy Week,” we were able to provide multiple platforms for residents to discuss Sitka’s electrical grid and energy use, fostering a deeper understanding of the unique characteristics of Sitka’s energy infrastructure.
As we launch into fall, REAP’s ETIPP team and CBS will continue to foster community conversations about Sitka’s energy infrastructure through a webinar series and a radio series on KCAW 104.7 FM titled “Let’s Connect _ to Sitka’s Grid.” Folks interested in the webinar series can learn more and register to attend via the SCRES webpage, and those interested in listening to the radio series can find out when to tune in via the KCAW Radio Series flyer.
By combining our Energy Education, SSP, and ETIPP efforts in hosting these events and activities, we are working to enhance community understanding of what makes Sitka’s energy system unique. We also hope to provide a venue where community members can engage in meaningful discussions about renewable energy.
Bringing It All Together To Support Southeast Alaska Communities
Having seen the benefits of combining these efforts in Sitka, our team is thrilled to now build on Mr. Good’s longstanding efforts across Southeast Alaska and bring similar collaborations to communities throughout the region.
In Juneau, for example, Mr. Good’s efforts in K-12 energy education and as the Regional Energy Catalyst for SSP build on the foundation he’s helped to lay by supporting energy planning efforts in his hometown through his service on both the board of Renewable Juneau and the Greens Creek Community Advisory Committee. This summer, Mr. Good led the Nature of Energy summer camp in Juneau, hosted by Discovery Southeast and modeled after Sitka’s 2023 Southeast Renewable Energy Camp. Like the energy camps in Sitka, the Juneau camp featured energy efficient model home design, classroom lessons on wind and solar power, and field trips to local hydropower sites like Salmon Creek Dam. As highlighted in this KTOO article, campers also learned about ways to conserve electricity with things like energy efficient appliances or rooftop gardens – known as green roofs — which can reduce flood risk, clean up air pollution and insulate buildings to reduce energy demand for heating and cooling.
We are incredibly grateful to Discovery Southeast for their invitation to bring this summer camp model to Juneau and to Alaska Electric Light & Power for generously providing their building as the venue for this week-long event. REAP’s work is built on collaborations like these, which serve to generate excitement among community members of all ages about local energy systems in Southeast and pathways towards developing more local renewable energy and energy efficiency. Those collaborations have borne fruit with Juneau’s recent acceptance into the newest cohort of ETIPP communities. We look forward to working alongside community members with REAP’s combined Energy Education, SSP, and ETIPP efforts to support Juneau in their pursuit of deploying heat pumps and enhancing electric vehicle charging infrastructure to further reduce the city’s reliance on fossil fuels and improve their energy resilience.
Mr. Good shows camper how to connect wires from her solar panel. (Ryan Morse / Sitka Conservation Society)
Scaling The Model for Success
The Southeast Renewable Energy Camp, Nature of Energy summer camp, our engagement through the Sitka Community Renewable Energy Strategy, and our additional collaboration with the city of Juneau through the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project exemplify REAP’s commitment to fostering knowledgeable and engaged communities. Through education and community involvement, we strive to empower residents across Southeast Alaska to take an active role in shaping their energy landscape, ensuring a sustainable and resilient future for all.
