Education and Outreach
OEP engages in public education and outreach to promote awareness of energy efficiency, energy management, renewable energy, energy security, grid resilience, and sustainable transportation options for individuals and organizations throughout the state.
For more information on OEP's education and outreach activities, please contact Communications Officer Audrey Jackson at Audrey.Jackson@tn.gov or 615-917-6683
OEP has a long history of supporting K-12 Energy Education through professional development and student learning opportunities. OEP’s offerings include Energy Education Camps for K-12 educators, Energy Education Workshops for both educators and students, Outreach Events, and continued support of the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project. These offerings connect the broad topic of energy to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and provide educators and students with the knowledge and resources necessary to teach energy concepts.
OEP curates and distributes two monthly newsletters, the Energy Edition and the Transportation Edition. The newsletters highlight timely news items, upcoming events, funding opportunities, and new resources. OEP also accepts story ideas from its stakeholders, to feature in future newsletters or to circulate via one-off email blasts, as appropriate.
OEP is the state coordinator for the NEED Project. NEED 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 curates energy- and transportation-related resources on a variety of topics, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainable transportation, building and/or system energy management, energy security, and more. Visit this page to view a collection of related case studies, user guides, links to funding opportunities and/or financial assistance, and links to other educational tools.