By Taylor Templer
A Winter Workshop full of excitement and energy, attended by 11 students and teachers from the YES! teams at New London-Spicer, occurred at St. John’s University on February 26th. This “Spare A Watt, Save A Lot” workshop allowed students to connect with experts and gain information to position them for success as they excel in team-based projects this school year.
Tom McDougal, a retired architect, shared his expertise on all things energy. This presentation included an overview of how energy is generated, the different sources of energy, and energy saving tips. Tom’s presentation concluded with an interactive hand crank to show the amount of energy needed to power a LED light bulb vs. an incandescent light bulb. The students took turns using the hand crank and were very excited to see that the LED bulb was easier to light up!
Megan Van Loh from Climate Generation was also invited to offer her expertise on how energy relates to climate change. The students took part in a variety of hands-on activities that included brainstorming, answering questions, and critical thinking. It also included an energy audit of the room that the students were-something they can try in their own schools.
The day concluded with a guided tour of Blattner Energy’s LEED Certified corporate building in Avon. On the tour the students were able to learn about Blattner Energy’s renewable energy construction projects, potential career paths, and the history of the company. The tour included seeing what practices allowed the Blattner Corporate building to become Platinum Certified. These practices include geothermal heating, storm water design, on-site renewable energy, and much more! The New London-Spicer students were more than impressed by the building and the day’s activities.
