Read original article at Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has named Clearloop and Jackson-Madison County School System (JMCSS) as the recipients of the 2026 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for Environmental Education and Outreach. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards which honors individuals, businesses, and other organizations for their commitment to preserving the state’s natural resources.
The award for Environmental Education and Outreach recognizes outstanding initiatives that inspire environmental stewardship, increase public awareness, and lead to meaningful environmental protection.
Clearloop and JMCSS, in partnership with Silicon Ranch and the national nonprofit KidWind, launched Energize STEM, an innovative, teacher-centered program that connects renewable energy infrastructure directly to classroom learning. The initiative equips Tennessee educators with standards-aligned training, hands-on materials, and real-world energy data transforming a local solar facility into a living learning laboratory for students across rural and historically underserved communities. During the 2024–2025 school year, trained educators reached more than 2,500 students, embedding renewable energy instruction into required coursework.
Energize STEM’s impact is grounded in measurable environmental data from the 1 MW Silicon Ranch Jackson II solar project, giving students tangible insight into how clean energy works and what it means for their own communities.
Within its first year, Energize STEM expanded from Jackson to Haywood County Schools in Brownsville, training an additional 28 teachers. As of 2026, the program has engaged 80 teachers across 23 schools, with expansion underway in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Two schools supported by Energize STEM have advanced toward Tennessee’s State STEM School Designation, demonstrating the program’s systemic impact.
