Happy New Year!

Welcome back to KEEP Current! We’re excited to welcome you to 2024 with lots of exciting information and some great stories of this past fall – including the winners of Renew Our Schools and Heather’s trip to attend the global climate conference in the United Arab Emirates.

A Reflection on COP28

By Heather Phelps, WCEE Resource Specialist

Every year, leaders from around the world gather to debate what actions should be taken to combat climate change. Previous years resulted in agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement. I was privileged to attend this year’s conference, known as COP28, held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates this past December.

Arriving in Dubai, what I was most immediately struck by was the size – from the tallest building in the world to the largest single-site solar plant, the UAE is known for over-the-top extravagance, and this conference was no different. At final count, over 85,000 delegates descended on Expo City Dubai, a complex of buildings, conference rooms, food halls, and meeting spaces spread out over almost a mile. Just walking from one session to another might require a 10 minute walk, albeit a very pleasant walk in sunny, 85 degree weather along elegant, shaded paths. It was a daunting size to deal with, and yet also immensely inspiring to see so many people from every corner of the planet coming together with the conviction that climate change is an urgent issue and the determination to do something about it.

The week I was there went by in a whirlwind: each of the too-few days jam-packed with UN sessions and side events hosted by countries and multinational organizations. Everywhere I looked was another session. 

It was truly inspiring to see so many young people involved from around the world. Some spoke of the challenges of facing droughts in areas in which famines encourage families to marry their daughters off at young ages. An 11-year-old girl explained how she had already started two non-profits and organized the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees in her region of India. Meanwhile the President of Slovenia spoke about how she had implemented curriculum about climate change in all levels of education in Slovenia.

There were so many incredible people to hear from, and my single regret was that I didn’t have enough hours in a day to hear from all of them.

As the conference went into overtime, a consensus was finally reached. A consensus by omission, unfortunately – the document was ratified too quickly for the Alliance of Small Island States to even make it into the room to present their official objection: that it didn’t go far enough to save their islands from inundation – but still a document that was long overdue.

Specifically, the decision “calls on Parties to contribute to the following global efforts,” including “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner, accelerating action in this critical decade, so as to achieve net zero by 2050 in keeping with the science.” Such a simple statement to have taken until 2023 to agree upon at a global level!

UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said in his closing remarks, “Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end.”

The challenge of this decision is that “calls upon” is a very different verb than “requires.” There is no enforcement mechanism for this decision. Whether or not the United States achieves this goal, and benchmarks such as tripling renewable energy and doubling annual energy efficiency improvements by 2030, will depend on our actions, including whether we advocate for increased renewable energy and energy efficiency in our own communities and across the state.

At KEEP, our vision is communities making informed energy decisions now and for a sustainable future, and we’re proud to have all of you involved in educating the young people of Wisconsin in energy literacy to help them make those energy decisions in a way that moves us towards, rather than away from, a sustainable future. At COP28, the countries of the world came together to craft a vision of what it will take to reach that sustainable future, so let’s work together to make that happen!

Renew Our Schools Fall 2023 winners

Three Wisconsin schools won money for energy efficiency upgrades for their school buildings in the Fall 2023 Renew Our Schools energy conservation competition. Eight Wisconsin schools competed in the STAR competition and three schools competed in the Alumni competition.

Luke Heath’s team at Mauston High School did a fantastic job on their school energy audit. Their school needed to improve on turning off lights and devices when not in use and unplugging devices that carry phantom loads. Mauston students were able to reduce their school’s electricity consumption by 5.6% or 53,322 kWh during the last two weeks of the competition, saving their school money and reducing their school’s carbon footprint. This savings in electricity is equivalent to powering 4.8 households for a year!

Chris Ball and his Energy Green Team students at Mount Horeb High School took on the Renew Our Schools challenge with the goal of energy education and reduced electricity consumption. They educated students and staff through presentations and posters, and reduced electricity consumption by 2.6% or 6,144 kWH. This savings in electricity is equivalent to charging over 500,000 cellphones!

Becky Piechowski and her third grade students at Lourdes Academy in Oshkosh won the Alumni competition. Her school is accomplishing the energy goals it set in the competition: reducing electricity consumption by 5%, decreasing temperature differences throughout the school, and continuing to remind students and staff of ways to reduce lighting and plug load. Lourdes students were able to reduce their school's electricity consumption by 5.6% or 7,753 kWh. This savings is equivalent to 1.2 gasoline-powered cars driven for one year!

Professional Development Opportunities

1/15 DEADLINE: Sign up for the KidWind Challenge

Sign up for the Kidwind Challenge to test small-scale wind turbines or solar devices in a hands-on renewable energy competition. Any group of students in grades 3-12 with a coach is eligible to compete, with the challenge happening March 2 in Madison. Make sure to register by January 15!

Remember to reserve your kits!

Don’t forget that KEEP resources include hands-on energy kits that can be checked out for free to use with students across Wisconsin! Put in your requests now for kits during the spring and summer. Our most popular kits get reserved quickly, so make sure to plan ahead and make your requests as soon as you know when you’ll need a kit!

Kits ship for free to Wisconsin educators during the 2023-2024 school year! Kits can be checked out for up to four weeks at a time, and reserved up to a year in advance.

Electric School Bus Rebate Program

The EPA’s 2023 Clean School Bus Rebate Program is open until January 31, 2024. School districts can apply to replace older diesel buses with battery-electric, compressed natural gas, or propane buses.

Per Renew Wisconsin: "The EPA is prioritizing applications from high-need, rural, and Tribal school districts. There are nearly 100 Wisconsin school districts on the priority list. School Districts are eligible to receive rebates of up to $345,000 per school bus, up to 25 buses per district. These funds are also intended to cover the cost of charging infrastructure."

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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 January 2024