PEAK Energy Education Program
What is PEAK? The Energy Coalition’s PEAK program is a free, comprehensive standards-based educational program designed to empower elementary and middle school students with the knowledge to manage energy use in their homes, schools and communities. Through hands-on learning, students are inspired to take action to create a more sustainable world and to educate others about how to use energy wisely.
Benefits of Participation: The PEAK program is designed to cultivate a generation of motivated individuals equipped to pursue green careers and to take control of our energy future. PEAK’s standards-based curriculum is easily incorporated into 3rd-7th grade classrooms. Through participation, teachers receive professional development, a resource guidebook containing the curriculum, a toolkit of lab
materials, educational posters and on-going support from the PEAK staff. All benefits are provided FREE to the teacher, school, or district.
How Does PEAK Work? During a day-long teacher training, new PEAK teachers are guided through the program’s purpose, curriculum, and hands-on activities. After the training, PEAK staff provide on-going support through planning meetings, lab assistance, classroom visits and educational assemblies.
To inspire students to take action, PEAK focuses on the following “4 PEAK Student Energy Actions”:
- Shifting Energy Use off Peak Hours;
- Shrinking Energy Use through Cutting Waste;
- Exploring Renewable Energy; and
- Plugging into New Technology.
lessons and events. PEAK’s interactive website includes engaging contests, games, and activities for students and on-line access to PEAK graphics, the curriculum and additional resources for teachers.
Where is PEAK Taught? The PEAK program reaches approximately 20,000 students each year in counties throughout California. PEAK is currently available to schools in Southern California, San Diego, and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, PEAK reached approximately 6,000 students in Northern Illinois for a three year program period, and continues to reach approximately
4,000 students each year in Nacka and Göteborg, Sweden – reinforcing the importance of smart energy management in the global context.
What Makes PEAK Unique? PEAK recognizes that in order to truly empower students to manage energy use, students must understand the entire energy equation from the science of how energy is created to the environmental ramifications of electrical generation and the financial costs to the family.
Using action-based learning as a framework, PEAK provides teachers with
extension activities that enable students to apply what they learn in the classroom. In addition, PEAK provides sustained support through sponsored activities, special events and classroom demonstrations, all while meeting state and national educational standards across multiple disciplines.
Who Supports PEAK?
PEAK is a program of The Energy Coalition funded by California utility ratepayers and administered by Pacific Gas & Electric Company under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.
How Do We Enroll in PEAK?
To submit an application, contact: JChoe@energycoalition.org or (510) 444-5060, ext. 15. To learn more about the program, visit the website at: www.peakstudents.org.