Student-Led Solar Revolution

Lexington, Kentucky, USA
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Project Summary

Redwood Cooperative School’s middle school in Lexington, Kentucky spent the 2023-2024 school year on a year-long renewable energy study built from TCI’s Renewable Energy Learning Lab, examining energy through environmental, economic, and cultural lenses via novels, field trips (including UK’s Center for Applied Energy Research and Portal 31 coal mine), and cross-curricular projects. They even secured $1,500 to install solar panels for charging their Chromebooks and launched a sustainable fashion initiative.

Detailed Story

After a semester-long study of TCI’s Renewable Energy Learning Lab, students chose and ran four community action projects: installing solar panels to power their Chromebook cart, launching a “S.E.E.D.” local food initiative, hosting a used-clothing drive to address fast fashion’s carbon footprint, and producing educational videos on energy use. The project also included a collaboration with a Ghanaian high school comparing local energy resources (coal vs. charcoal) and their community impacts. , Lexington middle schoolers took charge of their school’s energy future.

100% of students reported that they were more knowledgeable about energy at the end of the year than at the beginning.

When asked if they felt they could make an impact on their community regarding energy consumption, policy, or conservation:

  • 73% responded “Yes”
  • 27% responded “No”

This represents a strong sense of personal agency among the majority of students, with comments like:

“That we need to do something about it. LIKE SOON.”

Impact Statement

Students secured $1,500 in funding for solar panel installation, reducing the school’s carbon footprint while establishing a clothing drive and thrift shop to combat fast fashion waste.

“
  • "The most interesting thing I've learned about energy this year is probably fast fashion and how much that adds to your carbon footprint. I didn't realize how much energy it took to make a single shirt or pair of pants. I found this very surprising because I didn't think about fashion whenever someone mentioned energy, but now I do."
  • "The fast fashion project not only was interesting, but also inspired me to shop for more second hand clothing, because it's better for the environment and can help save more energy than buying a new clothing item."
  • "I learned that renewable energy sources are much better for the environment because they can keep being used, so they won't ever run out. They also release less toxins, therefore contributing to keeping the environment healthy in the future."
  • "I learned that coal mining has a huge impact on the economy, in both good and bad ways. A good way that coal mining impacts the economy is that it creates jobs for many people, especially in the Appalachian region. This also creates more income for the economy. A negative way that it impacts the economy is that the machines for coal mining cost a lot of money, and we could be using other resources that are less expensive, and better for the environment."
  • "I learned about how things I do everyday like turning off the lights or opening the fridge will affect the world and our energy use as a whole."
 

Student Voices

Students

Kentucky, Lexington