Energy Resources for Our Future

The theme for Earth Science Week 2025, “Energy Resources for Our Future,” invites you to explore the complex decisions we face in powering our homes, businesses, transportation, and communities. These choices have significant environmental, social, and economic impacts, making it essential to understand the resources that provide our energy and how different energy sources work.

Celebrate Earth Science Week (ESW) and discover how earth science informs our energy choices and promotes sustainable energy solutions now and in the future.

Table of Contents:

• Earth Science Week Poster
• Geologic Map Day Poster: The Cooperative National Geologic Map
• Geologic Map Day Poster: Harnessing Energy on Hawaii
• 2025-2026 ESW Calendar Activities
• Other ESW 2025 Resources
• Get Involved in Earth Science Week

2025 Earth Science Week Poster

Learning Activities

1. Discuss what makes an energy source renewable or nonrenewable. Then, have students categorize the types of energy sources shown on the poster front into renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.
2. For each energy source on the poster front, explore how it is converted into usable energy, including electricity and/or fuel that powers vehicles. To further the discussion, ask students to name the forms of energy and energy transformations involved with using each energy source.
3. Investigate the types of energy sources used in your local community, and explore how these energy sources interact with Earth’s systems.
4. Research and analyze the progress toward Target 7.2 of SDG 7, which focuses on increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. Consider other targets, too, such as Target 7.3, which focuses on energy efficiency.
5. Play Energy Bingo Games developed by The NEED Project.

Geologic Map Day Poster: The Cooperative National Geologic Map

Learning Activities

1. Study the Cooperative National Geologic Map and the corresponding key. Consider how you might divide up the country into regions based on the geology. Explain your reasoning.
2. View and explore the Cooperative National Geologic Map online. Navigate to your location or an area of interest and learn more about the geology there.
3. Consider how the geology of an area relates to the energy resources that could be found there.
   • Read about and view a map created by the U.S. Geological Survey that shows prospective locations of geologic hydrogen resources in the U.S.. Compare this map to the geologic map of the U.S. How might the geology of an area be related to whether geologic hydrogen could be found there?
   • What energy resources can be found in your community or region? Given how the geology of where you live compares to locations across the U.S., where else might you find similar energy resources?
4. Learn more about the costs and benefits of geologic mapping in the United States through these infographics or by reading the full cost-benefit report.

Geologic Map Day Poster: Harnessing Energy on Hawaii

Learning Activities

1. Learn more about the energy resources discussed on the poster by using an interactive map and graphs of energy consumption and production in Hawaii.
2. Interact with the USGS map of Kīlauea, and learn about the most recent eruption.
3. Learn more about volcanoes by going through the NPS Volcano Guide, which includes background information, activities, and handouts on volcanic processes, as well as how humans interact with volcanoes.
4. Look through a curated collection of resources on Kīlauea to learn how the volcano relates to geoheritage values: scientific, educational, cultural, economic, and aesthetic.

2025-2026 ESW Calendar Activities

• The Potential of Energy Reservoirs and Deposits
• Soil Has a Charge!
• Geothermal Features in National Parks
• Solar Desalination
• Minerals’ Role in Sustainable Energy Sources
• Geothermal Exchange
• Toasty Wind
• Solution Mining for Uranium
• More Power to You!
• Your School’s Energy Use
• Locating Subsurface Energy Resources
• Energy Consumption and CO2: Analyzing Trends

See the complete 2025-2026 ESW Calendar on the ESW Online Toolkit!

Additional ESW Resources

Get Involved in Earth Science Week

How can you get involved? Explore the links below and others on the Earth Science Week website to find a host of tools designed to make planning and attending events easy, fun, and rewarding! We have many resources to help you work with local geoscience professionals to engage young people and others in events that help everyone to consider their role in Earth science, innovation, and sustainability.

• Plan an Earth Science Week event
• Participate in Earth Science Week contests
• Watch the Earth Science Week webinar series
• Participate in focus days
• Learn more about how others have promoted events in the Earth Science Week Highlights Reports

Do you have resources you would like to share with the K-12 community related to the 2025 Earth Science Week theme Energy Resources for Our Future? Please email us with “ESW 2025 Website Addition” as the subject line outreach@americangeosciences.org