Eight Years with NEED

July 7, 2017

My name is Chloe Weiss and I have been involved with NEED for eight years now! Eight years ago when I was in fourth grade, my science teacher approached me and asked me what I thought about energy conservation. To be honest I had no idea what she even meant. Living in Texas you don’t hear much about solar power, hydropower, wind power, etc. Instead we learn about oil, coal, and natural gas. Being in fourth grade you develop a curiosity about everything. From that moment on I made it a mission to learn and educate others in my school about renewable energy sources and how to conserve energy. We did so many projects, including having a solar panel at our own school. Having an amazing science teacher who was so passionate about energy conservation helped encourage me to deepen my horizon on the subject as well. After we learned so much about energy we felt the need to share it with more than just our school and community, so we took it to NEED!

Once I started coming to the Youth Energy Conference and Awards I was so amazed! There was still so much to learn and NEED helped accomplish that. After four years coming as a student I saw how much fun the youth staff have and decided to apply. Not only was it fun but also I liked the idea of becoming a leader and sharing my knowledge with other students. Every year I look forward to this weekend. I look forward to seeing my friends who live in different states, I look forward to seeing all the full time staff that coordinates it all, and most of I look forward to all the fun the weekend has in store! I think the Youth Energy Conference and Awards are important for kids because it shows how smart and intelligent they are becoming as students. We as kids are the future. It is important to learn in order to succeed later on in life, and help society keep improving. Youth Awards isn’t all about hard work; it’s super fun too! You get to tour our nation’s capital with your friends, go on a cool cruise ride down the Potomac River, and trade your states treasures and trinkets with other students! NEED has changed my life and I hope I can continue to be involved with for another eight years!

Chloe Weiss and friends