National Grid Energy Explorer Site Enhanced to Provide Energy Education and Ethics Resources

WALTHAM, MA (11/16/2010)(readMedia)-- As part of its Engineering Our Future program to encourage students of all ages to study science, technology, engineering and math, National Grid provides "Energy Explorer," an educational Web site with free curriculum-based resources for teachers and students. National Grid's employees are piloting a series of in-class presentations with the materials aimed at schools across the company's service area in New York and New England.

"Energy Explorer is one of the key components of our Corporate Citizenship program and ongoing school outreach efforts to inspire young people to be interested in science, technology, engineering and math," said Marcy Reed, National Grid Senior Vice President for U.S. Public Affairs. "We depend on engineers to design and build our systems to deliver energy to our customers safely and reliably and we need to encourage school children to help shape the future of energy. "

The Energy Explorer Web site provides free curriculum-based educational resources for elementary and middle school students and educators. The Web site has been enhanced with new materials, including a special ethics-based section, "Do the Right Thing." Students can learn about electricity, natural gas, energy conservation and safety through interactive games, experiments and stories. Teachers can obtain e-books, supplemental teaching guides and printable activities for younger students.

The educational information is divided into four areas of focus including the new Ethics content:

• Electrical and Natural Gas Safety – Teaching students how to avoid hazards and respond to risky situations so they can protect themselves, their families, and their neighborhoods.

• Energy Efficiency – Allowing students to learn how to help the environment and save money through responsible energy use at home and at school.

• Energy and Your Environment – Encouraging students to explore how we can all help make our world a cleaner, greener place through smart energy use choices every day.

• Ethics – Emphasizing "Doing the Right Thing."

"The decision to offer Ethics as a program focus was a natural complement to the existing programs offered through Energy Explorer. Whether it's a decision about energy efficiency or how to handle a tough ethical situation, it was important for us to provide tools for students to make the right choices, Reed added.

National Grid's NewNet Employee Resource Group (ERG), which aims to support the company's new hires, is piloting a series of in-class presentations with the materials. The NewNet ERG presentations focus on the Energy and Your Environment content and includes a safety message and interactive science experiment. At the end of the presentation each student receives an Energy Explorer certificate.

"National Grid is proud of its NewNet Employee Resource Group for taking the lead in bringing these materials to life in the classroom and using the power of action to engage young children."

To download the Energy Explorer materials visit the site at www.nationalgrid.com

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.

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