Welcome to the start of the holiday season! | |
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This month we’re excited to share information about electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are a key element of the global clean energy transition. In this issue, we include a feature article about a WCEE staffer’s experience with a first-time EV purchase, information on Clean School Bus rebates, and resources for students on careers in EVs – along with all our other regular updates about KEEP and energy education in Wisconsin.
Note: KEEP will not be publishing a December issue of KEEP Current, but we look forward to seeing you again in the New Year!
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Save the Date - Nov. 8: Energy Educator of the Year! | |
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. | |
How an EV made me a better driver and a happier traveler | |
By Matthew Brown, WCEE Communications Coordinator | |
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My wife likes to say it is a good thing we didn’t take a lot of road trips when we first started dating. Let’s just say that as a former taxi driver, my driving style can be a bit assertive for some.
Fast forward to this summer and we were in the market for a new car as our Honda was starting to show some signs of age. Like a lot of people, we were interested in EVs, but, particularly as a single car household, had some trepidations about range, cost, and viability.
I was lucky to have a work colleague, Heather, who became a bit of an EV whisperer for me. In what became a daily ritual, I would throw some concern her way and she would quietly and confidently talk me back down to reality based on her own ownership experience. She showed me which apps (A Better Route Planner, and PlugShare) she used to find chargers, and, importantly, she let me take her car for a spin.
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Even in my somewhat plodding old Civic, a fairly routine road trip would involve bombing onto the interstate and going as fast as I thought I could go without getting pulled over. This high-stakes, high-anxiety driving is of course a recipe for instant and constant stress. And while you’d be correct to note that it was a choice I was making, it was also a choice I was encouraged to make, a byproduct of a problematic, but difficult to resist form of freedom.
My EV has a different incentive structure. The range hit you take from wind resistance means you are rewarded for driving the speed limit on the interstate or avoiding the interstate all together. Taking the back roads is a cliché, but it is a cliché for a reason. Combined with the need to be a bit more deliberate about my travel day, to plan ahead and take my time, it has made travel an overall more enjoyable experience.
The limitations of EVs have become one of its strange charms. Range anxiety has given way to a form of range creativity, which, while it may not be for everybody, definitely works for me.
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Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities | |
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In-Person Offerings
On-demand Offerings
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Looking for inspiration on ways to make your school more environmentally friendly? The October issue of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards’ School News showcased examples from around the state of sustainability in practice, including an article by KEEP’s Heather Phelps highlighting several projects by last spring’s Mini-Grant recipients. | |
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Wind Kit
KEEP’s Wind Kit is newly updated with a second KidWind turbine, and several additional new resources. Whether your students are interested in the KidWind competition or just excited about generating clean energy, they can test their design skills as they build blades that allow their turbine to lift a cup full of washers, pump water, or light an LED.
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Sun Oven
Milwaukee educators can check out a new Sun Oven from Reflo! The Sun Oven must be picked up in person either at the WCEE in Stevens Point or at Reflo in Milwaukee.
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Solar Load Kit
The Solar Load Kit includes a variety of loads (appliances) that can be run off of the included solar panels. Students can experiment making simple circuits that use solar panels to run fans, lights, and water pumps. Students can further explore current flow creating circuits in parallel and series using the included loads and multimeter.
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Renew Our Schools: School Energy Action Snapshot | |
Wendy Stelzer, KEEP's Youth and Community Engagement Specialist and Renew Our Schools (ROS) lead, had a busy October with lots and lots of ROS site visits. Below is her account of a visit with Lourdes Academy third graders as they toured the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh biogas system, as part of a ROS school energy action. | |
We were treated like food/yard waste and were weighed in. We added up to a whopping 5,540 lbs. Multiply that by 8 and that is about the average truck load of food/yard waste that is delivered here several times a day.
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Safety first! We started the tour by reviewing the safety protocol before entering. They provided us with ear protection as we walked through. It was loud!
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We walked into the mixing warehouse next. This is where the trucks drop off their loads and the dry yard waste and the more wet food scraps are mixed together. Opposite the piles of waste, were 4 huge doors that housed the biodigesters. They are cleaned out and re-loaded, one at a time, on a revolving monthly basis.
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Next it was upstairs to check out the giant balloon that housed the collected gas from the digester. Then back downstairs to get a closer look at the combustion engine building where the collected gas is burned and electricity is produced.
The students had endless questions!
Where does the energy go?
What happens to bugs in the digester?
Is methane what is in cow farts?
What happens to the stuff that you scrape out of the digester?
They had more questions than there was time in the tour! I am always delighted in elementary students' inquisitiveness and willingness to ask many, many questions. I had such a fantastic morning with these students!
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Wisconsin Climate Education Hub | |
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Missed the launch of Wisconsin Climate Education Hub? You can watch the recording here.
The hub is a great resource focused on advancing climate education in Wisconsin, and currently features 11 KEEP lessons with updated climate change components.
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Have visual learners in your class? Want to share meaningful graphs and data with your students? Visualizing Energy, developed by the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability, is full of data stories, maps, and interactive visualizations relating to energy. Some examples include:
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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.
| Reminder: GHS Survey is open now! | |
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Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin is asking schools to submit a survey to share what your school has been doing to become greener and healthier, in order 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! The final survey deadline for all schools is December 1.
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Electric School Bus Rebate Program | The EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program is open from now until January 31, 2024. School districts can apply to replace older diesel buses with battery-electric, compressed natural gas, or propane buses. | |  |
Careers in Electric Vehicles | |
Continuing our series spotlighting clean energy careers, give your students a chance to learn about the roles of a fleet superintendent and a fleet technician youth apprentice with a video, lesson slideshow, and student sheet.
Or check out the entire series, plus additional resources, here.
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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 MGE's Green View, a video series about what MGE is doing to advance cleaner energy, such as the three new electric buses serving the City of Madison’s Metro Transit.
As you prepare for the holiday season, also take a look at MGE’s suggestions about safe and energy-efficient holiday lighting.
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Did someone forward you this email? | |
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. | | | | |
