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Milwaukee Environmental Sciences Charter School students use watt meters in the classroom, February 2014.
SINCE THE 1960s environmental education has mainly relied on the idea that a direct relationship exists between knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral domains. Thus, incorporating awareness and knowledge of environmental issues in educational curriculum assumes environmentally desirable behaviors will follow. If this direct relationship was indeed accurate, environmental problems should clearly be on the decline.
KEEP is exploring a solution suggested by Disinger (1982) for environmental improvement, by examining the link between educational interventions and responsible behavior change.
Through a school-to-home energy education activity, targeting grades sixth - eighth, KEEP will explore the possible influence environmental education can have on energy related behaviors. This will be done through the implementation of an energy education activity using hands-on investigational tools to engage students. KEEP hopes to recruit eager educators to participate in this study during the spring of 2015. See side bar for more information.
Disinger, J. F. (1982). Environmental education research news Environmental education research notes (USA). The Environmentalist, 2(1), 19-21. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0251-1088(82)91406-1
"Adding this energy lesson to my existing sustainability unit in Foods class was really useful. In the past, I taught mainly about buying local and reducing carbon FOODprint, but I really enjoyed teaching about energy consumption and the benefits of energy star appliances in the kitchen. It is so relevant to everyday living and the students really seemed to understand and enjoy learning about it. Thank you very much to KEEP for the new refrigerator and this great lesson!" - Family and Consumer Science Teacher Kayla Correll.
A Family and Consumer Science student works on an energy lesson that compares the cost of buying and operating refrigerators.
GREENDALE FCS TEACHER, Kayla Correll, is already putting her new ENERGY STAR® certified refrigerator to good use.
By using the refrigerator as a teaching tool in her Contemporary Foods: Sustainability Unit, students were able to calculate the lifetime energy cost of their old refrigerator and compare it to that of their new ENERGY STAR® certified refrigerator. Prior to these investigations, Kayla presented information on energy efficiency and students completed pre and post surveys related to their energy knowledge.
End-of-unit student surveys showed an increased knowledge in leaking energy, the benefits of energy efficient appliances, and how to determine lifetime costs of appliances.
You Can Calculate Your Holiday Light Energy Consumption
UNDERSTANDING HOW MUCH electricity holiday lights use helps to plan which lights will work best with your home and better prepare for an increase in power bill charges.
Your display size and choice of bulbs, whether incandescent or LED, will influence your energy bill the most.
This site has some good examples of calculations for both incandescent and LED holiday lights.
LAST MONTH WE ASKED YOU to identify three objects. Below are the answers!
1. PV Spin Cell generates 20 times more electricity per cell than flat panels. Click the image for more information.
2. World's first airborne wind turbine. Click the image for more information.
Inflated solar balloon-shaped concentrators. Click the image for more information.
KEEP is excited to be working with the Mid-West Energy Research Consortium (M-WERC). We are exploring a partnership with them focused on the need to engage K-12 students in energy-related workforce opportunities. Below is M-WERC's description of what this important partnership is envisioned to look like starting next year.
M-WERC'S ROLE AS A CENTRAL HUB for research, industry, and academic organizations in the energy, power, and control (EPC) space is to help increase the impact of the successes this region has enjoyed through the EPC industry. Wisconsin's EPC industry includes nearly one thousand businesses throughout the state, all working to improve quality of life through the more efficient and economic use of energy. Learn more about M-WERC at www.m-werc.org.
Part of the mosaic that makes up our mission is education and workforce development; our member companies and academic institutions need qualified scientists, engineers, and technicians to advance their cutting edge work. KEEP is laying the foundation for Wisconsin's youth to learn about energy and the importance of energy conservation, topics that will become more and more important in the future.
The Mid-West Energy Research Consortium is a member organization that represents one of America's largest clusters of energy, power and control companies, educational and research institutions, and other key industry stakeholders. M-WERC acts as a catalyst for the growth of these companies and industries, located in the greater Mid-West Region, through technology innovation, advanced research, market development, information sharing, workforce development, and strategic collaboration.
Share Your Story With Us!
IN 2015 KEEP will celebrate 20 years of energy education in Wisconsin and we couldn't have done it without you. So, to commemorate this milestone and honor your great work, we want to share your energy education stories.
If you're willing to share your story, please complete this form which has a few questions that will help us share your experiences with other energy educators and those who support energy education in Wisconsin. Please include your successes, highlights, and obstacles as well as your work with other educators, administrators, community members and businesses.
To thank you for helping us share the remarkable stories of Wisconsin's energy educators we will send you an Energy Ball which will help you safely demonstrate closed and open circuits with your students!
To see other energy educators' stories, visit our teacher and school highlights page.
Holiday Energy-Saving Tips from your Utility
FROM LIGHTING AND ENTERTAINING to heating and winter weather safety, your Utility offers advice on how you can enjoy the holidays and cope with the cold weather while reducing energy costs.
THE 2014 NOBEL PRIZE for physics has been awarded to a trio of scientists in Japan and the US for the invention of blue light emitting diodes (LEDs). Professors Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura made the first blue LEDs in the early 1990s. This enabled a new generation of bright, energy-efficient white lamps, as well as colour LED screens. Learn more.
All courses are worth 1 graduate credit from UW-Stevens Point (some are available as Audit)
Course Fee: $100 unless otherwise noted (assumes scholarship granted)
Visit KEEP's online Professional Development Calendar
- Location: Online
- Dates: February 25, 2015 – March 29, 2015
- Location: Online
- Dates: April 9-May10
KEEP's NRES 634 School Building Energy Efficiency Education course focuses on evaluating energy use in school buildings and guiding K-12 teachers towards utilizing the school building as a learning tool for energy education. Course participants develop energy action plans to integrate energy efficiency and conservation into their curriculum to help students and staff conserve energy at their school.
Are you interested in hosting a KEEP School Building Energy Efficiency Education course in your district? If so, please complete the Course Request Form.
NRES 634 course participants conduct an informal energy audit of Oregon Middle School, August 2014.
Apply Now: WPS Scholarships
Now is the time to apply for 2015 Wisconsin Public Service Foundation scholarships. Scholarships are available for high school seniors and returning adults. Completed applications for the four-year college scholarships must be received by February 1, 2015, to be eligible.
National Energy Education Summit
Organized by the Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders (CEREL), and Energy and Climate Change Conference, the Summit is a national forum for energy educators, subject matter experts, and leaders in the field of energy education to convene and focus attention on the improvement and expansion of energy education across the nation's schools, community colleges, and universities. Registration is open for the January 26th conference in Washington, DC.
Pilot New Lessons for Facing the Future
Facing the Future develops global sustainability lessons that are engaging and effective for students and educators around the world! This is because�educators like you, have used their time and insight to provide classroom testing and feedback. If you are interested in contributing to the development of their newest curricular resources, please consider signing up to pilot lessons from one of the units below.
Piloters will be acknowledged in the published curriculum and will receive a free copy of the curriculum.
Piloting options include:
Energy Lessons for Grades 3-5
In this unit, students explore the different forms of energy, energy flow through systems such as food chains, and the supply chain of fuel. Students use art to map the various ways they use energy and design trading cards to show the natural resources used to "produce" energy. The unit culminates with a lesson about energy conservation strategies that could be used as a springboard for a classroom action project. Learn more about this pilot.
Waste Lessons for Grades 6-12
In these units, students investigate municipal solid waste trends, the history of the Superfund program, the human health and environmental impacts of hazardous waste, how bioaccumulation can impact local and long-distance ecosystems, and ethical dilemmas facing nuclear power. Lesson extensions and additional resources engage students in positive solutions to waste minimization and management. Learn more: Middle School Pilot | High School Pilot
