KEEP : Newsletter – It's Energy Action Month!

Energy Action Month is Here!

Energy Action Month is a national campaign to raise awareness of the prevalence of energy in all parts of society – homes, schools, healthcare, food, transportation, and natural habitats.

It's a great chance to pay closer attention to the important role of energy in our lives.

KEEP looks forward to seeing you at the energy trainings and events this month! And we look forward to hearing more about all the amazing things Wisconsin educators are doing to take Energy Action!

New Staff: Welcome Laureanna to KEEP

What is your role at KEEP?

I've been teaching energy education courses, workshops, and trainings with KEEP as an ad hoc instructor since 2013. In my new role as Education Outreach Specialist, I will still be teaching and hope to expand our offerings across the state. I will also be updating our curriculum and finding new ways to bring energy education to teachers and students in Wisconsin!

What got you interested in energy education?

I took my first KEEP class in the early 2000s during my graduate work at UWSP. I remember being fascinated by the wide range of ways that energy is woven into every aspect of our lives, and the effects that our energy extraction and use has on the planet. When the opportunity came up to introduce these concepts to others, I was happy to come on board.

What’s your favorite thing to do outdoors?

Given a choice, hiking is my go-to outdoor activity. I happily hike the woods in Wisconsin, but also love the High Sierras in California. Don't come along with me if you're looking to cover serious miles in a day though - I'm a "stop-and-enjoy-everything" hiker!

Read Laureanna's Bio

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

Save the Date - Nov. 8: Energy Educator of the Year!

We will be recognizing our 2023 Energy Educator of the Year recipients during the Wisconsin Association of Environmental Education's virtual Celebration of Excellence event the evening of Wednesday, Nov 8!

KEEP's Energy Educator of the Year Award recognizes and rewards exemplary energy educators in the state of Wisconsin. The award highlights individuals who have made energy education a priority in their teaching in order to help demonstrate the importance of energy education.

GHS Survey

The Green and Healthy Schools Survey is open now! Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin connects, catalyzes, and celebrates schools to nurture healthy kids and sustainable communities.

Submit a survey to share what your school has been doing to become greener and healthier, and to create a comprehensive overview of the status of sustainability in schools in the state. Particularly strong schools can be recognized as U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools.

Preview the survey to plan your responses about what your school did last year to be greener and healthier! If you think you might be a candidate, please apply by November 1. The final survey deadline for all schools is December 1.

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 4:00 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.

Sketchbox Training

Grow students' understanding of sustainable building practices with a virtual on-demand workshop on Sketchbox’s energy modeling tool. This powerful and free energy modeling tool can help students understand and analyze the impacts of energy efficiency technologies in buildings. Whether you're teaching courses related to construction, HVAC, sustainability, math, physics, science, or computer science, Sketchbox can enhance your teaching toolkit with a real example of how building designers use energy modeling to plan better, more sustainable buildings.

Check it out

Youth Climate Conference

The 3rd Annual Dane County High School Climate Conference is happening November 11 in Madison. This free conference is open this year to students - from 8th grade through college - and accompanying teachers across the entire state. This is a great opportunity to connect with other students who are passionate about climate change, while learning new skills to take action. Student groups will have opportunities to showcase everything they’ve already accomplished, while also sharing their plans for future climate action projects.

Learn More and Register

Energy Education Resources

Wisconsin Climate Education Hub

The Wisconsin Climate Education Hub launched last week. This is a great resource, currently featuring 11 KEEP lessons with updated climate change components.

The climate hub initiative is focused on advancing climate education in Wisconsin. Through this initiative, the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education and our partners at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and Milwaukee Public Schools aim to equip Wisconsin educators with credible, free resources that enable them to seamlessly integrate climate education into their classrooms.

Energy Distribution Careers Video

This Energy Action Month, let’s not forget all the people hard at work to transport our energy from where it’s produced to where we want to use it. Teach your students about the careers of an electric superintendent and a lineworker with a video, lesson slideshow, and student sheet.

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 Alliant Energy, which just announced plans to construct a new energy storage system involving compressed CO2, the first of its kind in the country.

Also check out The Power Chronicles, Alliant’s new STEM adventure series for 5-8 graders. The first two episodes are available now in PDF or video.

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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 October 2023