Austin Energy Helps Train Teachers in Environmental Justice and Sustainable Transportation

December 20, 2023

K–12 classroom teachers joined Austin Energy and program partner EcoRise in December 2023 for a training session to launch the “EVs for Schools 2.0 Sustainable Transportation” curriculum. This unique workshop provided teachers with a range of opportunities and experiences to explore environmental justice topics through the lens of access to sustainable transportation.

The training focused on supporting teachers in delivering the latest eco-literacy updates to “EVs for Schools” lessons, which originally launched in Austin ISD Title I schools in 2018. The program now includes more than 150 schools across central Texas and beyond!

This engaging and interactive workshop included:

• Exploration of the ecosystem of electric mobility and clean transportation.
• Activities to build students' understanding of these topics to help them build context and knowledge to create sustainable, just solutions in their community.
• A mini-field experience at Austin Energy that includes a VR experience and an EV Demo/Show and Tell.

Please watch a Fun Highlights video on our YouTube Channel

A few words from the teachers who participated:

"[The workshop was] the best thing since sliced bread to get us started thinking and acting in the right direction as it relates to the environment and transportation."

"I enjoyed the way the activities were strung together in a purposeful and engaging way. The facilitation was seamless, providing a balance between background knowledge building, community building, making connections with our own lives and experiences, and building our capacity through resources and networking. Thank you for the high-quality materials, conservation, and creation of a space for important topics."

About EcoRise
EcoRise mobilizes a new generation of leaders to design healthy, just, and thriving communities for all. The national non-profit organization elevates student voices and advances student-led solutions to real-world challenges with programs focused on K–12 environmental literacy, climate justice, and equitable access to green career pathways. EcoRise is currently supporting more than 10,000 teachers and 560,000 students through a range of curricula, programs, and project grants. EcoRise has been activating students as sustainability leaders since 2008 in Texas and across the U.S. To learn more about EcoRise, visit EcoRise.org.

About Austin Energy
Customer Driven. Community Focused.
Austin Energy, the City of Austin’s electric utility, serves more than 500,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents in Greater Austin. The utility’s mission — to safely deliver clean, affordable, reliable energy and excellent customer service — has guided Austin Energy in powering the community and supporting the region’s growth since 1895. For more information about Austin Energy, visit austinenergy.com.