Watch Live: National Science Bowl - Starting At 9:30 AM ET

Ginny Simmons
May 02, 2011
10:05 AM EST

Ed. note: This was cross-posted on the Department of Energy blog.

Throughout the weekend, 110 regional championship science bowl teams have competed round robin and double elimination matches to determine the top 2 middle school  and top  3 high school teams in the country.

Start watching the livestream below at 9:30 AM today to see the final championship matches of America's best science students in 2011 National Science Bowl.

A little after 12:30 PM, U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu will speak at the award ceremony.

UPDATE: This event has now concluded.

Ginny Simmons is a new media specialist with the Department of Energy.

Related Topics: Education, Energy and Environment
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What You Missed: Open for Questions on Energy and the Environment with Nancy Sutley and Heather Zichal

Posted by Sahar Wali on April 22, 2011 at 10:38 AM EST
Download Video: mp4 (283MB) | mp3 (27MB)

In recognition of Earth Day 2011, Nancy Sutley, White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair, and Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, answered your questions on the environment and energy policy in a live chat from the South Lawn of the White House. See what they talked about with the American people, from what everyday folks can do to go green, to what the federal government is doing to make a clean energy economy a reality.

And be sure to check out the Federal agency Sustainability and Energy Scorecard results on the CEQ website,  which enable agencies to target and track the best opportunities to lead by example in clean energy; and to meet a range of energy, water, pollution, and waste reduction targets.

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Winning the Future for Our Communities, Investing in Our Earth for Their Future

Posted by Nancy Sutley on April 21, 2011 at 02:12 PM EST
Nancy Sutley Announcing Energy-Efficiency Grants

Chair Sutley joins LA Department of Water and Power General Manager Ron Nichols, LA District 1 City Council Member Ed Reyes, and LA District 13 City Council Member Eric Garcetti in announcing energy efficiency grants to local non-profit organizations.

This week, people all around the globe will come together to honor and appreciate our environment.  Since its establishment over 40 years ago, Earth Day in America has given us the opportunity to renew our commitment to protecting and preserving the natural treasures and resources vital to our health and prosperity.  The investments that make the water we drink and the air we breathe clean and healthy, and protect the health of the lands on which we work, farm, live, and play will continue to pay immeasurable dividends for generations to come.

As I travel across the country visiting communities, students, educators, businesses and innovators building the path to winning the future, I am reminded of how interconnected a robust economy and a thriving natural environment are.  Our clean energy economy will harness and protect the power of the sun, the wind, our waters, our resources, and our Earth. To ensure their success we must also play our part.

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We're in the Global Clean Energy Race to Win: Federal Investment in California Solar Energy Plant

Secretary Steven Chu
Secretary Steven Chu
April 18, 2011
03:57 PM EST

I have good news. Today, the Department of Energy offered a $2.1 billion conditional commitment  loan guarantee to support a concentrating solar thermal power plant near Blythe, California. This is the largest amount ever offered to a solar project through our the Department's Loan Programs Office.

The loan will support two units of the Blythe Solar Power Project that will have a combined 484 megawatt generating capacity. These units are part of a larger project, sponsored by Solar Trust of America, that when completed will generate 1,000 megawatts of solar power, enough to power 95,000 homes a year.

The project is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs and is estimated to avoid more than 710,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from more than 123,000 vehicles.

Related Topics: Economy, Energy and Environment, California

Training Workers of Today for the Clean Energy Jobs of Tomorrow

Posted by Jon Boggiano on April 14, 2011 at 04:54 PM EST

This past Friday, I attended the White House Champions of Change roundtable. This roundtable impressed upon me breadth and vitality of the growing clean energy/energy efficient economy. In attendance were local government and private sector business leaders (the Champions of Change) as well as White House and Department of Energy officials (also Champions of Change). I enjoyed hearing participants share their accomplishments which included retooling a decades old manufacturer, implementing local government sustainability projects, and developing a thriving home energy retrofit business.

I shared the success that we have had at Everblue by training tens of thousands of students from small businesses through Fortune 500 companies. I firmly believe that quality education and clean energy are both essential American security issues. As a veteran owned business, our focus is on providing practical and valuable education that helps grow America’s sustainable workforce. Many of our students have gone from unemployed to employed, successfully started small businesses and grown existing ones, changed careers, developed new products, and implemented large scale corporate social responsibility programs. Every day, we see the private sectors commitment to sustainability and I was excited to hear how the administration plans to leverage the private sector as a partner to rapidly grow America’s green economy.

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JocCole "JC" Burton

JC Burton has more than 15 years of development, program management and construction experience. She has managed more than $750 million in new construction projects. JC Burton has successfully assisted clients in the development and implementation of program specifications for budget preparation and procurement through all components of construction implementation and building management training facilitation. Other program management accomplishments include preparing development financial program/pro-formas, facilitation of various professional consultants, including land planners, architectural teams, civil engineers, and contractor management.

JC Burton has established pre-construction methodology cost estimating procedures, quality control standards and strategic partnering assessments; effectively delivering projects on time and within budget. This specialized skill set has lead to more than a dozen industry awards and honors.  JC Burton has penned several published articles, most relating to sustainability.  

JC Burton holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from University of California, Berkley, and a Certificate in Finance from Georgia State University.

Jon Boggiano

Boggiano and his brother, Chris, a co-founder (along with Grant McGregor) are both veterans hoping to make the U.S. more energy independent, and to prepare the domestic workforce to remain technologically competitive. The duo also worked in the field of test-prep, helping business school hopefuls get ready for the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) prior to founding Everblue.

Everblue's proprietary curriculum, superior instruction, and the outstanding success of our students has earned us a reputation in our industry that is second to none.As a veteran owned organization, we specialize in providing intense green jobs training for federal, state and local governments, contractors, owners, operators, architects, and engineers. Everblue is a Portfolio Education Provider for the US Green Building Council, and the largest LEED/BPI training provider in the world, offering training in 74 cities nationwide and 7 international locations. Our curriculum, available for licensing, includes BPI Certification, RESNET HERS Rater, LEED Accredited Professional, Solar & Wind Professional, Carbon Accounting Manager, and more

Chris Simpson

Chris Simpson serves as Pella Corporation’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales. His responsibilities include leading the corporate efforts of marketing and customer satisfaction and all national and international sales efforts, including retail, replacement, trade, commercial, and national accounts. Sales are achieved through Pella’s Direct Sales Network (PDSN), company-owned sales branches, big-box retailers, and nationwide and regional accounts.

Chris joined Pella Corporation in October of 1997 as Vice President, Direct Sales,and has held several different positions of increasing responsibilities since then. Prior to his current role, he served as Senior Group Vice President and had responsibility for all aspects of Pella’s Architect Series® and Designer Series® wood product lines, as well as the Entry Systems Division.

Prior to joining Pella, Chris was with Whirlpool Corporation in Benton Harbor, Michigan for 13 years where he served in many areas of increasing responsibility in various Whirlpool divisions and locations. His last position was the General Manager of the Whirlpool Brand, where as a Corporate Officer, he was responsible for the strategic direction and all the marketing activities of the company’s largest brand. Chris earned his B.S. from Michigan State University in East Lansing in 1982 and his M.B.A. with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Michigan in 1984. Chris and his wife Judy, have four children and they reside in Pella, Iowa.

Kimberly Lewis

As the Vice President of Conferences & Events at USGBC for over seven years, Kimberly Lewis manages the direction of the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building. As a direct testament to the department's success, Greenbuild has received the IMEX responsible meeting award and Trade Show Week's Fastest 50 conference award four times.

Along with the annual conference, the Conferences & Events team coordinates more than 100 committee meetings, summits, roundtables and special events throughout the year. With 12 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Kimberly is a leading speaker for her peers, educating audiences on coordinating sustainably responsible meetings and conferences.

Prior to joining USGBC, Kimberly served as the Senior Meeting & Events Manager of Incentive and Recognition at WorldCom Inc. where she planned both domestic and international sales roll-outs and incentive and recognition contests and events.

Kimberly serves on the advisory boards of convention and visitors bureaus in three cities – Denver, Atlanta and New Orleans – as well as on the advisory board of Starwood Hotels Inc. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and Political Science from Hood College in Frederick, Md. She is a professional member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), and the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC).

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is using a portion of its EECBG grant, to change out over 50,000 traffic bulbs with energy-efficient LED bulbs and save $1 million per year in energy savings.

Katherine Gajewski is the Director of Sustainability in the City of Philadelphia where she is responsible for the implementation of Greenworks Philadelphia, the city’s sustainability framework unveiled by Mayor Nutter in April 2009. The framework sets goals in five areas — energy, environment, equity, economy and engagement — and encompasses more than 150 achievable, measurable initiatives. Implementation of these initiatives will reduce the city’s vulnerability to rising energy prices, limit its environmental footprint, and reposition its workforce and job development strategies to build upon Philadelphia’s competitive advantages in the emerging green economy.

Clarena Tolson is the Commissioner in the City of Philadelphia for the Department of Streets, which is the agency in charge of implementation for the City's LED program.

Steve Buckley is the Deputy Commissioner in the City of Philadelphia for the Department of Streets, and was the project manager for the City's LED program.