Earth Science, Environmental Policy, and Technology

Introduction

Imagine it is the year 2035. The Global Environmental Council has selected your team of environmental consultants to help a rapidly growing city transition away from fossil fuels. The city’s energy grid is currently 85% dependent on coal and natural gas, causing severe air pollution and rising electricity costs.

Your mission is to research renewable energy sources, analyze their pros and cons based on geography and climate, and present a comprehensive 10-Year Renewable Energy Action Plan to the City Council. The city's future clean energy grid rests in your hands!

Task

Working in groups of four, your team will take on specialized roles to create a 10-Year Clean Energy Action Plan for the city.

Your final deliverables will include:

  1. A Group Presentation (Slide Deck) detailing your recommended energy mix (Solar, Wind, Hydro, or Geothermal).
  2. An Individual Role Report written from the perspective of your assigned role.
  3. A Budget & Feasibility Summary explaining why your plan is realistic and effective.

Process

You will complete this project in 4 Steps:

Step 1: Assign Roles

Divide your group of four into the following roles:

  • 🔬 Environmental Scientist: Focuses on ecological impact, carbon footprint reduction, and environmental risks.
  • 💼 Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Focuses on setup costs, maintenance expenses, and long-term economic savings.
  • ⚡ Energy Grid Engineer: Focuses on technological feasibility, energy storage, grid stability, and geographical requirements.
  • 🏛️ Community Advocate: Focuses on public opinion, job creation, land use, and how energy changes affect local residents.

Step 2: Individual Research & Notes

Use the links provided in the Resources section to gather data for your role. Focus on:

  • How does your chosen renewable energy work?
  • What are the main benefits and drawbacks?
  • What geography or climate conditions are necessary?

Step 3: Group Collaboration & Plan Building

Reconvene with your team to negotiate the best Energy Mix for your city. You must select at least 2 different renewable energy sources to ensure grid reliability.

Step 4: Final Presentation Creation

Assemble your findings into a 10-slide presentation that covers:

  • Title & Team Roles
  • Current City Energy Problems
  • Proposed Renewable Energy Mix (with percentage breakdown)
  • Environmental & Economic Impact Analysis
  • Community & Engineering Considerations
  • 10-Year Implementation Timeline

4. Resources

General Renewable Energy Overview

Solar Energy Resources

Wind Energy Resources

Hydroelectric & Geothermal Energy

Evaluation

Criteria Exceptional (4) Proficient (3) Developing (2) Needs Improvement (1)
Research & Content Comprehensive data from all sources; accurate role-specific details. Relevant details included for all roles; minor gaps in research. Missing key facts or role perspective unclear. Minimal research; incorrect or incomplete facts.
Energy Action Plan Proposed energy mix is realistic, well-supported, and balanced. Proposed energy mix is logical with reasonable justification. Plan is somewhat realistic but lacks strong justification. Plan is unrealistic or relies on a single unsuitable source.
Group Presentation Highly engaging slides, clear structure, visually professional. Clear slides with good structure and minimal errors. Slides are disorganized or overloaded with text. Incomplete slides or major formatting errors.
Collaboration All team members contributed equally and integrated perspectives. All team members contributed to the final project. Contribution was uneven among group members. Group failed to collaborate effectively.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully completed your mission as environmental consultants. Through this WebQuest, you have learned how renewable energy technologies function, evaluated the trade-offs involved in energy infrastructure decisions, and experienced how scientists, engineers, economists, and communities work together to solve real-world sustainability challenges.

Reflection Questions for Your Final Journal Entry:

  1. What was the hardest trade-off your team had to make when selecting energy sources?
  2. How did seeing the problem from your specific role change your perspective on renewable energy?

Next Steps to Publish Online:

  1. Go to CreateWebQuest Registration and set up a free account.
  2. Click Create WebQuest.
  3. Copy each section above into its respective tab (Introduction, Task, Process, Resources, Evaluation, Conclusion).
  4. Save and publish your WebQuest, then copy the generated link to submit to your instructor!

Credits

  • Author / Developer: Created for the Mission Earth: The Renewable Energy Transition Teacher Workshop.
  • Instructional Framework: Designed following the WebQuest model developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March (San Diego State University).
  • Hosted Platform: Created and formatted for publication on CreateWebQuest.com.

External Learning Resources & Media

General Renewable Energy

  • National Geographic: Renewable Energy Explained — nationalgeographic.com
  • U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): Energy Kids Educational Portal — eia.gov/kids
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): Clean Energy Research & Data — nrel.gov

Solar Energy

  • Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA): About Solar Energy — seia.org
  • NASA Climate Kids: How Solar Panels Work — climatekids.nasa.gov

Wind Energy

  • U.S. Department of Energy (Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy): How Does a Wind Turbine Work? — energy.gov/eere/wind
  • Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC): Global Wind Industry Reports & Data — gwec.net

Hydroelectric & Geothermal Energy

  • U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Science School: Hydroelectric Power Information — usgs.gov
  • U.S. Department of Energy: Geothermal Energy Basics — energy.gov/eere/geothermal

Target Audience & Standards Alignment

  • Grade Levels: 7–10 (Middle School / High School)
  • Subject Areas: Earth Science, Environmental Studies, Social Studies, Public Policy
  • Pedagogical Goal: Inquiry-based group learning, critical thinking, role-based negotiation, and multi-disciplinary problem solving.

Teacher Page

 Teacher Page: Mission Earth – The Renewable Energy Transition

Overview & Purpose

This WebQuest is an inquiry-based, multi-disciplinary learning activity designed to guide students through the complex technical, economic, environmental, and social trade-offs of transitioning to renewable energy. Rather than simply researching facts, students adopt specialized roles to negotiate and design a balanced 10-Year Renewable Energy Action Plan for a hypothetical city.

 Target Learners & Grade Level

  • Target Audience: Grades 7–10 (Middle School / Early High School)
  • Subjects: Earth & Environmental Science, Physical Science, Social Studies / Civics, Public Policy
  • Group Size: 4 students per group (can accommodate groups of 3 by combining the CFO and Energy Grid Engineer roles)
  • Estimated Time: 3 to 5 class periods (45–50 minutes each)

 Educational Standards Alignment

  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
    • MS-ESS3-3 / HS-ESS3-2: Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
    • MS-ETS1-2: Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
  • Common Core State Standards (CCSS - ELA / Literacy):
    • RST.6-8.7 / RST.9-10.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).
    • WHST.6-8.2 / WHST.9-10.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
    • SL.8.1 / SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-appropriate topics.

Suggested Implementation Schedule

Day Focus Class Activities
Day 1 Hook & Orientation Introduce the scenario, present the city's energy crisis, assign group roles, and explore the Introduction and Task pages.
Day 2 Role Research Students work individually using the Resources section to gather data, complete their role notes, and answer role-specific questions.
Day 3 Group Negotiation Teams reconvene to share individual findings, debate trade-offs, select their energy mix, and map out their 10-Year Action Plan.
Day 4 Deliverable Creation Groups build their slide decks and final reports using the provided structure and review against the Evaluation Rubric.
Day 5 City Council Presentations Groups present their action plans to the class ("The City Council"). Peer evaluation and final journal reflections.

 Teacher Tips & Differentiation

  • Scaffolding for Struggling Learners: Provide graphic organizers or fill-in-the-blank templates for Step 2 (Individual Research) to help students extract key data points from the resource links.
  • Extension for Advanced Learners: Ask advanced groups to calculate the estimated megawatt (MW) output required for a population of 500,000 residents, or incorporate energy storage technologies (e.g., lithium-ion batteries vs. pumped hydro).
  • Role Management: Ensure each student understands that no single energy source is perfect. Emphasize that the goal is compromise based on their city's geographical and economic constraints.

 Answer Key & Assessment Guidance

There is no single "correct" energy mix for this WebQuest. Successful completion should be evaluated based on:

  1. Logical Justification: Did the team select energy sources compatible with geographical requirements (e.g., solar in sunny regions, geothermal near tectonic activity)?
  2. Diversification: Did the team select at least 2 renewable sources to maintain grid stability during off-peak times?
  3. Balanced Perspectives: Did the team address environmental, financial, technological, and community needs equally?