KEEP : Newsletter – Energy Action Month Preview!

New website is now live!

Update your bookmarks to uwsp.edu/wcee/keep, or use the keepprogram.org url to explore the new layout.

You can also check out our special newsletter for quick overview video to help you find your way around.

We hope this new website will make it easier than ever to find all the resources KEEP has available for you!

Energy Action Month is right around the corner!

As cooler weather arrives we have a chance to pay attention to the important role of energy in our lives as we heat our work and living spaces.KEEP can’t wait to share all the events you and your students can participate in during Energy Action Month in October! Read on for ways for you and your students to get involved!

Student Energy Engagement!

KEEP has a variety of ways for students to learn about and save energy this fall.

Renew Our Schools

Win money for your school by saving energy! Schools that participate get an eGauge installed on their school electric meter. This tool shows live data on how much electricity their school building is consuming.

Then, schools compete in a five-week challenge to see who can conserve the most energy and complete the most energy education activities. The school with the most points will win $2,500 to make permanent energy efficient updates within their school. The best part is that once the eGauge is installed, it is yours to keep and use in your curriculum.

Resource Central, a non-profit based out of Colorado, runs the competition and KEEP and FOCUS ON ENERGY® are here to support Wisconsin schools throughout the competition. Enrollment fee and eGauge installation are reimbursed by FOCUS ON ENERGY® so there is no cost to Wisconsin schools to participate. Sign up now to compete Spring 2024!

Green Team Mini-Grants

Support your students’ sustainability ideas! Do you have students in your school who would like to reduce the carbon footprint of your school, but need funding to get their project off the ground? Suggest they apply for one of KEEP’s Green Team Mini-Grants.

To learn more about the program, invite them to join a free informational Zoom meeting October 9 or 18 at 4 pm. Teachers are welcome to join too!

Once students have a basic project concept, they’ll share that idea with KEEP via our Idea Form by October 27, then meet with KEEP staff to help refine their project. With those suggestions and baseline energy data for their schools, they’ll develop a full grant proposal, due December 8. Schools which are awarded grants will receive their funds in early January and have until May to work on their projects. A second round of grants will open spring 2024 for shorter-scale projects.

Learn More!

KidWind

Challenge your students’ engineering skills! See Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities below for our KidWind Educator Workshops, then put together a team to compete in Madison on March 2, 2024.

Student teams design and build small-scale wind turbines at home or school and bring them to competitions to measure their power output and present them in front of expert judges. The Wisconsin KidWind Challenge is open to 4-12th grade students and educators across the state. High scoring teams are invited to enter the National KidWind Competition.

Learn More!

1st Annual High School Energy Fair

Inspire your students with new energy technologies! Bring up to 25 students from your school to Osseo-Fairchild on October 11 for a full day of interactive experiences.

Students and staff can learn about solar energy, wind, battery storage, hydrogen fuel cells, EVs, and more. Register by September 22nd.

Energy Education Resources

Energy Scavenger Hunt

Looking for a fun activity to help your students start thinking about their energy usage? Check out KEEP’s updated Energy Scavenger Hunt!

Send students to investigate energy usage in their homes to learn ways to save energy and then explore additional information online about their utilities and Wisconsin’s power generation.

Energy Auditing and Home Performance Careers Video

With Energy Action Month reminding all of us to pay attention to our energy usage, it’s more important than ever to have people available who know how to audit the energy usage of a home and give clear guidance on the most cost-effective ways to save energy.

Help your students learn more about careers in energy auditing and home performance with a video, lesson slides how, and student sheet.

Or, check out any of KEEP’s other Clean Energy Careers Videos during Careers in Energy Week.

Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities

Online Offerings

October 11th, Zoom - Discovering Energy in Nature, part of the DPI's Fall Climate Series

In-Person Offerings

October 19th, Fennimore - Energy Efficiency Education: Your School Building as a Teaching Tool Workshop

October 19th, Fennimore - Renewable Energy Education: Solar Energy Lessons (includes field trip)

October 20th, Platteville - Renewable Energy Education: KidWind Educator Workshop

October 24th, Milwaukee - Renewable Energy Education: KidWind Educator Workshop

November 3rd, Onalaska - Midwest Environmental Education Conference (MEEC) KEEP is co-hosting a roundtable discussion titled Climate Change - Development of a Statewide Infrastructure

On-demand Offerings

Energy Education: Concepts and Practices - Online Module

Solar Energy Potential: Dashboard Technology as a Teaching Tool for Inquiry - Online Module

Visit KEEP's PD List

Utility Spotlight

KEEP is funded by six utilities in Wisconsin - Alliant Energy, Madison Gas & Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy and Xcel Energy.

We’ll be sharing updates about their work throughout the year. This month, we’d like to highlight Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), and their recent article, Put energy efficiency on your back-to-school list.

Also check out WPS’ curriculum-based games and teacher’s guides about electricity and natural gas at e-SMART Kids.

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The KEEP program is funded with generous support by Alliant Energy, Madison Gas and Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy.

Published September 2023