National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project

The National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project promotes energy education among students, educators, and civic leaders through the design and delivery of energy education programs. NEED works with energy companies, local government agencies, and community organizations to provide balanced energy programs to the nation’s schools with a focus on professional development for teachers, curriculum design, and turn-key energy education strategies.

OEP is the state coordinator for the NEED Project; information on the initiative is included within the curriculum for OEP’s Energy Education Camps for K-12 Educators. Camp attendees also learn how to participate in the NEED Youth Awards for Energy Achievement, a competition in which teachers take their energy education programs beyond the classroom and encourage students to engage in school and community outreach to share what they have learned about energy efficiency and conservation.

NEED Youth Awards in Tennessee

To participate in the NEED Youth Awards competition, schools compile their energy education activities for the year and submit an electronic scrapbook of their efforts.  Tennessee schools have been recognized nationally every year since the program’s inception.

In May, Michie Elementary was named the 2024 NEED Project Youth Awards’ National Elementary School Runner Up. At the state level, they were named the Tennessee Elementary school of the Year. Their project also received an award for Outstanding Workforce Education Project. Michie Elementary’s project “Re-energize” can be viewed here Michie-Elementary.pdf (need.org). Learn more about the NEED Project Youth Awards here.

For more information on the NEED Project and previous winners of the NEED Youth Awards, contact Angela McGee, the NEED Project Tennessee Coordinator, at angela.mcgee@tn.gov.