Educating young people about energy issues is the best way to create an energy independent future for Sitka.  To kickstart energy discussions in classrooms, the Sitka Conservation Society spearheaded a campaign of visiting schools.  Our discussion topics included Sitka’s current energy consumption, Sitka's potential for energy conservation, fossil fuels in Alaska, home weatherization, and home and building energy audits.  The program also included tours of the Blue and Green Lake hydroelectric dams. SCS is no longer running our Kids' Energy Awareness campagin, but we remain committed to providing youth education opportunities through our 4-H, science mentorship, and Fish to Schools programs

Weatherization 101 is a six part series produced by the Sitka Conservation Society and the City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department to help Sitkans increase their energy awareness, conserve electricity, and save money. Links to all six videos are below.

The State of Alaska has set a goal of achieving a 15% increase in energy efficiency per capita by 2020. This effort is especially important in Sitka because the demand for electricity exceeds supply. This effort is also important because the community has set goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In an effort to help Sitkans take steps to reducing their energy use and save money on energy costs, SCS has teamed up with local partners to create a series of "how-to" videos. The partners in the project include the City of Sitka Electric Department, Sitka Girl Scout Troop 4140, and local contractor Marcel LaPerriere.

Weatherization 101: Programming your Heater

You can save up to 10% of your space heating bill by turning your heater 3 degrees lower for only 8 hours a day. This video demonstrate how to use a programmable thermostat on a Toyo Heater.

 

Weatherization 101: Lightbulbs

Weatherization 101: Hot Water Heater

Weatherization 101: Choosing the Right Type of Caulking for SE Alaska

Weatherization 101: Caulking with Troop 4140

Weatherization 101: Home Breaker Panels

Video by Andre Lewis.

 

Energy education classes in Blatchley Middle School are back by popular demand. Sixth grade social studies teacher, Tom Henshaw, welcomed a lesson on hydroelectricity and Sitka's energy thresholds last semester and was so pleased with it, he requested another lesson focusing on energy this semester.

The lesson that all 115 students received was Weatherization 101. In this lesson, students learned a variety of ways to weatherize their homes for projects both small and large. Some of the weatherization projects examined were as simple as upgrading to energy efficient lighting. In this portion, students participated in class discussions that gave them an in-depth look at the difference between incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs. One of the more tedious and costly weatherization upgrades the students learned about was adding and identifying energy efficient insulation. Students were briefed on the four main types of insulation and given pros and cons for each. After analyzing the various insulation types, students broke off into groups and used their knowledge of insulation to rank four different samples of insulation from least to most efficient. Many of the groups were able to properly rank the insulation.

By the end of the lesson, students were aware of several ways to weatherize their homes and were encouraged to try some of the methods discussed in class with their families. Despite packed schedules at the end of this school year, several other teachers made it a priority to make Weatherization 101 available to their classes as well. One third grade class was taught this lesson last week and a fourth grade class is scheduled to receive it in the beginning of May.

As a conclusion to the energy education these classes have received over the course of this year, each of the classes plans to take a field trip in May to experience Sitka's energy first-hand. With the help and support of the Electric Department, the students will be able to tour the diesel generators the town uses when hydroelectricity alone cannot support electric needs. The tour will be led my engineer, Andy Eggen, and show students just how much diesel fuel is needed to run the diesel generators. When in full swing, the diesel generation plant uses eight truckloads of fuel in a single day! The students will also get a tour of the Blue Lake Powerhouse led by Senior Operator, Frank Rogers. During this part of the tour, students will look at how the City controls the hydroelectricity produced by the dams and will allow them to see the infrastructure that allows Sitka to have this renewable energy. By the end of this year, the hope is that some of Sitka's youth will have the knowledge necessary to make wise choices regarding energy conservation and lead their generation towards an energy independent Sitka.

Saturday, March 31st was a day to remember for the girls in troop #4140. In order to earn the final award in the Get Moving Journey, the Innovate Award, the troop had planned an event that would allow them to showcase everything they learned about energy over the last seven months. The troop decided to combine the presentation of their work with an existing event promoted by Girl Scouts: Earth Hour.

Through the Forever Greencampaign, Girl Scouts hopes to bring communities together across a global effort to improve the environment and protect natural resources. As part of this broad mission, Girl Scouts designated March 31st as Earth Hour; an hour on this day in which everyone is asked to show their support of energy conservation by encouraging sustainable behavior change, reducing CO2 footprint, and saving energy by turning off every light in the building. The girls in troop #4140 felt that this existing event's mission fit in well with their conclusions of the energy journey. The scouts made Earth Hour open to the entire community and held it at their school, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary. They also invited participants to support energy awareness by attending this event, lit entirely by candlelight.

In order to get as many Girl Scouts involved at Earth Hour as possible, troop #4140 also invited every scout in Sitka to the event with the option to share how they have become more energy efficient this year. Several troops showcased their energy efficiency improvements, including a troop that turned old t shirts into reusable grocery bags. Junior troop #4140 gave those in attendance an in-depth look at exactly what they did to complete the journey. Some of the activities they did during the journey include learning about renewable energy and fossil fuels, doing informal energy audits at home, taking an energy tour of their school, and writing a letter of suggested weatherization improvements to the school board based on their findings. In fact, the girls were so inspired by energy conservation, they decided to record weatherization videos as an additional project outside of the journey. In these videos, the troop showed how to properly caulk windows and doors as well as how to make the lighting in your home energy efficient. The troop finished the presentation of the journey by informing community members that they want to see energy education for youth and energy efficiency in school and other public buildings. They even encouraged attendees to try their hand in a little home weatherization saying, "if we can do it, so can you!"

The support the Girl Scouts received at this event from both a community and statewide level was truly astounding. Over 75 community members and 27 Girl Scouts joined the event to show their support for Earth Hour and the troop's mission to promote energy awareness. Of the participants, two community members acted as guest speakers giving the audience a more broad perspective of energy conservation in Sitka. Utility Director, Chris Brewton, was present at the event to give a special thanks to the girls for their conservation efforts which decrease Sitka's dependence of diesel fuel. Sitka School District Board Member, Tim Fulton, also spoke at the event on energy use in the schools. In addition, he thanked the girls for the weatherization recommendations to the board and discussed the board's tentative energy audit of Keet Gooshi Heen as a response. Melissa Edwards, Girl Scout Southern Tongass Membership and Program Specialist who collaborated with SCS on the "Green Girls Grow" event, also congratulated the girls in troop #4140 for their achievement. Just last week, Senator Stedman himself sent a letter of recognition to the troop for their work and gave them each a forget-me-not pin, the Alaska state flower, to show his appreciation of their efforts to become more energy efficient. It is easy to see through the broad array of those who recognized the girls, that the impact of their work is of great importance to a sustainable future.

 

Girl Scout Troop 4140 has been learning all about energy during their Get Moving Energy Journey project as they work towards completing the requirements for their badge. Part of their project was to share what they learn with the community. In this video, join Girl Scouts from troop 4140 as they demonstrate the proper techniques for chalking your home.

Weatherization 101: Caulking from Sitka Conservation Society on Vimeo.

Weatherization 101 is a six part series produced by the Sitka Conservation Society and the City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department to help Sitkans increase their energy awareness, conserve electricity, and save money.

Video by Andre Lewis.

Girl Scout Troop 4140 has been learning all about energy during their Get Moving Journey, which focuses on energy. The journey consists of three prestigious Girl Scout awards, each containing several projects within itself. In addition to the regular Journey requirements, Junior troop 4140 took an additional task of recording weatherization videos to promote energy efficiency. Join Girl Scouts from troop 4140 in this video to learn about light(two word)bulbs and how to choose more efficient lighting..

Weatherization 101 is a six part series produced by the Sitka Conservation Society and the City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department to help Sitkans increase their energy awareness, conserve electricity, and save money.

Video by Andre Lewis.

The second biggest user of energy in your home is the hot water heater. Adjusting your hot water heater to the correct temperature can save a great deal of energy in your home. In this video, local contractor Marcel Laperierre shows us how to adjust the hot water heater temperature for energy savings.

 

Weatherization 101 is a six part series produced by the Sitka Conservation Society and the City and Borough of Sitka Electric Department to help Sitkans increase their energy awareness, conserve electricity, and save money.

Video by Andre Lewis.

Green Girls Grow is an event that toured three communities in Southeast Alaska to bring Girl Scouts a new way to look at renewable energy and conservation. Bitty Balducci, SCS AmeriCorps member, and Melissa Edwards, Girl Scout Southern Tongass Membership and Program Specialist, developed the energy-themed curriculum and made plans to tour Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Sitka in early March. The event reached over 75 girls in the three communities and gave them a look at renewable energy in Southeast as well as fundamental concepts of conservation.

The event ran two days in each community: the first for Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts, the second for Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts. The activities on each day reflected the different badges and awards offered through the Forever Green campaign promoted by Girl Scouts as a long-term effort to increase energy efficiency awareness and encourage conservation in the community. The girls learned about the effects of fossil fuels on the environment, wind energy, hydroelectricity, solar power energy, and more through hands-on activities that modeled each type of renewable energy!

Ketchikan and Sitka had the privilege of hosting experts in energy efficiency for the event in their communities Gregory Fast, an engineer from Ketchikan Public Utility, showed the girls how much energy a household could save by switching to energy efficient lighting. An incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulb were connected to a meter reader and the girls observed as the dials spun much more rapidly with the incandescent, thus, using a significant amount more energy to power. University of Alaska Southeast Assistant Professor of Construction, Greg Reynolds, made a model specifically for this event to demonstrate conduction and convection in the home.He showed the girls how inadequate insulation can cause mildew, and eventually molding in walls of homes and the weatherization updates necessary to stop the cycle.

Green Girls Grow received praise from each of the hosted communities from parents, troop leaders, scouts, and professionals in the community. In fact, the event was so successful that future plans to integrate energy education into Girl Scout events across Southeast are underway. Melissa Edwards views the event as a "huge achievement towards the mission of Forever Green" and "hopes to continue the partnership between the Sitka Conservation Society and Girl Scouts of Southeast."

Last Friday, Girl Scout troop #4140 continued the Innovate Award for the Get Moving Energy Journey. As part of the journey, the girls went on an energy tour of their school, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary. Sitka School District Maintenance Supervisor, Bill Steinbaugh, volunteered to lead the girls on the tour in order to help them better understand the energy in the building they use almost 40 hours every week. He showed the scouts the backup diesel supply, the boiler room, the various air ducts throughout the school, the attic and contributed his expertise of the energy system in each location.

This detailed tour gave the girls an in-depth look at the school's energy systems and procedures. Some questions the girls asked include what kind of heating system is used, its efficiency, and any weatherization updates made to the building since it was erected in 1989. The scouts were surprised to learn that no notable weatherization improvements have been made since it was built over 20 years ago. Another shock came when the troop learned that the school spends an average of $4,600 a month on utilities during the school year!

The next step for troop #4140 is to submit the information they gained from the tour to an online database where they can compare their school's efficiency to other schools in the region as well as throughout the country. After reviewing the information they found and discussing what they experienced, they will propose various weatherization improvement options to the school board to make the building more energy efficient. Through their work, the troop hopes to encourage the Sitka School District to think of long-term energy efficiency since 5 of the top 25 top electric users in 2010 were school buildings.

As Junior Girl Scout Troop 4140 continues to press on with the Get Moving Energy Journey, the scouts learn the value of good insulation in homes and buildings. The troop had the opportunity to see four different types of common insulation and test their knowledge of R Value. The results surprised the girls as they learned appearance does not always reveal which insulation will be most energy efficient.

After examining insulation in buildings, they focused on every day types of insulation such as wool, aluminum foil, cotton, and plastic. Following their predictions on which material would be the most energy efficient, the scouts took turns taking the temperature of the water inside the experiment jars. As most scouts predicted, the wool worked best followed by the aluminum foil - it turns out these girls can't be fooled by appearances anymore.

The skills the girls learned in this activity are just a fractional of the material in the overall journey that will teach them how to live more energy efficient lives. This Friday, troop 4140 will go on a tour of their school, Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary, led by a member of the maintenance staff to learn the ins and outs of the energy in the building. Proceeding the tour, the girls will make a list of recommendations to the school board regarding potential upgrades that could make the school more energy efficient based on the things they have learned during the journey.