Date
Location
Why Renewable Natural Gas and Hydrogen?
In the face of climate change, no one sector will be able to meet all the complex energy needs of our society. Every sector needs to work to find solutions that will shift our society toward advanced grid and clean energy technologies, and renewable fuels are critical to realizing this future.
- Renewable natural gas (RNG) is methane captured from decomposition and waste treatment processes that would otherwise enter the atmosphere.
- Renewable hydrogen (RH2) is hydrogen gas that can be produced using excess unused clean electricity and injected into existing natural gas pipelines or as energy storage.
NW Natural is committed to exploring and investing in these technologies throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Both RNG and RH2 provide opportunities for phenomena and design problems from grades 3 through 12 that are entries into explorations of energy sources, human impact, society, ecology, chemistry, physics, agriculture, and career-connected learning.
A Unique Hybrid Learning Course
The course will bring educators from across Oregon and SW Washington together to explore this topic from many perspectives and design a learning project or investigation along with their fellow educators.
The course will happen in four stages over about 2 months (schedule TBD):
- Kickoff Meeting-Introduction to the topic and course structure (Sep 28th; virtual)
- Independent learning on energy topics and Renewable Natural Gas and Hydrogen (self scheduled, virtual)
- Small-group collaboration to create a grade-appropriate research project or hands-on investigation (self scheduled, virtual)
- Showcase where teams share their project and experience the projects of other educators (ideally in-person, if possible)
- Interested participants can apply to become Clean Energy Fellows in 2021 and work with a cohort of other educators to develop curriculum on RNG and RH2 topics)
What You'll Gain From This Course
- $400 stipend
- In-depth learning on innovative new energy solutions
- New educator-designed investigations and research projects on the topics
- New knowledge about our energy systems and the possibilities of engaging students in energy
- Team collaboration and planning time with other educators and energy professionals
Register with a District Team
We strongly encourage you to register with your colleagues so you can collaborate together to strategize how this topic could be incorporated into your building or district-level curriculum!
Important Note:
We seek a diverse geography of educators, so we reserve the right to prioritize tickets based upon region. If there are a large number of educators from your region, we may ask you to give up your ticket. Thanks for understanding.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible for this program you must work in a district served by NW Natural. See this map to assess your eligibility.
This course will set up a smaller cohort of educators to work collaboratively to create Renewable Natural Gas and Hydrogen curriculum in 2021 as a CE Clean Energy Fellow. See our Online Educator Library for examples of teacher-generated curriculum developed in the past.
NW Natural has been a critical part of our Northwest communities for over 160 years. We take great pride in delivering reliable, safe and affordable energy. Today’s challenge is climate change – an imperative that requires our collective action, and NW Natural has an important role to play in moving to a low carbon future by replacing natural gas with renewable natural gas over time.
