As the world prepares to celebrate Earth Day and Earth Month, I am personally inspired by next-generation innovators and activists who are working to educate their peers and challenge world leaders to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change. Education plays a critical role in solving the world’s most pressing challenges. At Itron, our mission and purpose were founded on the idea that we can’t manage what we don’t measure. Investing in education, infrastructure and technology that can help us better measure and manage precious resources is key to creating a more sustainable future. Itron is actively engaging with communities to improve energy-water literacy, encourage conservation and inspire future innovators to shape a more resourceful world.

Energy and water form the foundation of a healthy and prosperous society, and Itron is working to ensure both are available today and tomorrow. To help promote our mission of resourcefulness and inspire the next generation of innovators to join us on our journey, we’ve developed several educational partnerships and programs through our investments in corporate social responsibility. Below are examples of four popular programs and initiatives that we are extremely proud to be part of. Millions of citizens, students and educators worldwide have already taken advantage of these resources, and we hope that our investments in education will continue to empower citizens and students to create more resourceful communities for generations to come.

• Conservation Station: Creating a More Resourceful World. Itron and Discovery Education partnered to create a standards-aligned program and two virtual field trips – one on smart cities innovations and the other on the internet of things. This program aims to encourage educators and middle school students to explore the relationship between water and energy and discover how technologies are empowering consumers, making cities smarter, and moving us toward a more energy-efficient future.
• Smart Energy Education. CPS Energy in San Antonio, Texas, and Itron are collaborating to provide a collection of educational programs, resources, experiences and STEM based student scholarships to boost energy and water literacy and create positive economic impact in the local community.
• Resourcefulness STEM App. Itron partnered with University of Texas at Austin professor Michael E. Webber to create the Resourcefulness App: an interactive, digital online curriculum that teaches key STEM concepts about energy and water for K-12 students, colleges, industry, and the general public.
• Power Over Energy is a global online initiative focused on educating and motivating humankind to make more resourceful decisions around energy and water.

Investing in education is investing in our planet’s future. Educators and students worldwide can utilize these free resources to supplement their curriculum and inspire a lifelong passion for conservation and sustainability. As a leader of educational programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives, I am optimistic that if we work together, with the help future generations and smart innovations, we can solve tomorrow’s challenges, starting today.