This Tiny Model Town Shows How We Could Achieve 100% Clean Energy
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Science, Social Studies
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Grist
What it is
- This video from Grist shows a model of a fictional town called Renew-a-ville that demonstrates how we can make our cities and towns operate without burning fossil fuels.
- The video highlights the complexity of this problem and the fact that there is no single solution. We must use a mixture of solutions that will need to be evaluated and implemented differently in various locations.
- Students will understand direct emissions from buildings and vehicles, the fossil fuels used to power the electricity grid, converting to wind, solar, and hydrogen power, and using batteries and some distributed solar to achieve 100% clean energy.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video demonstrates that cities and towns can be powered without fossil fuels if the utilities are involved in the transition to wind and solar energy.
- The video highlights the need for individual action: changing out appliances to electric ones.
Prerequisites
- There may be a commercial before the video.
- The video doesn't address many solutions that could help cities and towns with this transition, so you can provide information about these other solutions, such as passive solar design for lighting, hot water, and temperature regulation in buildings; insulating buildings; reducing energy waste; switching to more efficient appliances and electronics; using vegetation and deciduous trees to passively cool urban areas in summer and provide solar exposure in winter; maximizing distributed solar and battery storage; and using hydropower, geothermal, and kinetic energy production where appropriate.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Social studies and civics classes can use this resource to demonstrate the importance of local laws and city planning/zoning when addressing climate change.
- Science and social studies classes can use this resource when discussing the health effects of fossil fuel pollution and the benefits of wind and solar energy for air quality, water quality, and soil quality.
- Teachers can also use this video about climate change solutions that could realistically happen.
From the scientist review
This video resource does not have any science to verify. However, it does offer an example of how a town could go nearly 100% carbon emission free using only the currently available technology. It highlights what it would take and some of the limitations. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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