Welcome back to a new school year!

We look forward to another great year of sharing powerful professional development, engaging energy lessons, and helpful hands-on resources to support every student making informed energy choices, now and for a sustainable future.

Meet the Team

Wondering who makes the magic happen at KEEP? Meet the team that makes it all possible! We asked everyone:

What’s your role in KEEP?

What’s a climate action you take?

What pets do you have?

Samara

I coordinate the KEEP staff so that we can provide our outreach services to as many locations as possible throughout Wisconsin. I also exhibit and present at conferences and seek funding so that we can continue to update, develop, and deliver energy education resources.

I extend my knack for coordination to my personal life. Whenever there is a group of folks from various households traveling by car, I jump at the chance to help us carpool so that we are minimizing the number of cars on the road.

Our family has five laying hens and two goldfish.

Wendy

 I work with youth and the community at large, highlighting climate-conscious and renewable energy sources and energy conservation strategies. I am the point person for Renew Our Schools and the Energy Educator of the Year Awards.

My favorite local climate action is at home, where simple habits like switching off lights, washing with cold water, and using fans instead of air conditioning help lower my carbon footprint and energy bill.

I have two dogs. Jasper – a nine-year-old brown shaggy Australian shepherd/Labrador/poodle mix who most definitely does not believe in food waste. Freya – a two-year-old foxy lady, origins unknown, who is a prime example of renewable energy.

Laureanna

  I am lucky to work with Wisconsin educators and college education students to deliver energy-focused professional development trainings. 

On these hot summer days, I try to use as little air conditioning as possible by setting our home thermostat to 78 degrees, not idling my car, and switching to ceiling fans whenever I can.

We travel often so we are a cat family! Our fur babies are named Meatball and Noodle.

Heather

I create and manage KEEP’s hands-on kits, and I award mini-grants to student teams to do climate and energy projects at their schools.

I serve on my city’s Sustainability Commission, which looks for ways the city could reduce carbon emissions. It’s really exciting to see how much the city has already been doing!

I just got two new kittens – Dawn and Dusk! They’re absolutely adorable balls of fluff, but very hard to keep in one place long enough for a picture.

Gina

I create and update KEEP’s energy lessons and activities, finding ways to incorporate energy-related topics into a variety of content areas across a range of grade levels.

I purchase produce at local farmers’ markets and grow vegetables in my garden to reduce my food miles. I also try to minimize food waste – I plan meals carefully, utilize leftover food for lunches and compost what cannot be eaten.

We love dogs, especially labs, but are waiting until the time is right to welcome the next one into our home.

Matthew

I manage KEEP’s communications strategy and also get hands-on with the newsletter, website, marketing materials, and social media.

Transportation is an area where I try to be really climate conscious. We are a two-person, single EV household, and are lucky enough to be able to have mostly car-free commutes. 

We live with a senior cat, Hazel, who is THE BEST!

Jamie

My role is largely behind the scenes. I support our statewide outreach by coordinating registrations, logistics, evaluations, and financial operations.

Our family participates in a CSA (community supported agriculture) program that provides us with a weekly box of organic food. Supporting local farmers reduces emissions for food transportation. We also compost our food waste.

We have a 6-year old yellow Labrador retriever. Penny is a sweet, water-loving beast.

Stop and say hello

Going to the Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee's Green and Healthy Schools Conference this Friday? Stop by and say hi! We hope you'll be able to join us for our session From Conservation to Clean Energy: Hands-On Sustainability Learning, from 2:30-3:30 pm.  

Professional Development Opportunities!

KidWind Educator Workshops - $150 stipend!

A KEEP Energy Education training event in partnership with Wisconsin Energy Institute - recommended for educators of grades 4-12.

8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Wednesday, August 19, 2026

MSOE STEM Center | Milwaukee, WI, or

8 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Saturday, October 10, 2026

Midwest Renewable Energy Association | Custer, WI

Learn how to explore the power of wind with your students! In this workshop you will review energy and electricity basics, design and test blades in a wind tunnel, explore related KEEP energy education resources, and preview ready-to-use renewable energy curriculum.

Incentives include: $150 stipend, KidWind Kit for your classroom (over $170 value), classroom-ready lesson plans, hands-on learning, interesting energy-related tours. 

Bioblitz at Lemonweir Solar Farm - rescheduled

Due to rain 7/31-8/1, this event has been postponed to our scheduled rain date of 8/22!

What plants and wildlife live around the solar panels at Mauston’s Lemonweir solar farm? Join KEEP, the Wisconsin Energy Institute, Wisconsin Sea Grant, and OneEnergy Renewables for an exploration in the array. We’ll meet at Mauston High School for a brief orientation and then head into the 18-acre 3 MW solar array to document all the species we can observe.

Date and time: 8:30 a.m, Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

Location: Mauston High School and Lemonweir Solar Farm, Mauston, WI

Upcoming Clean Energy Career Fairs

The energy industry is experiencing rapid growth and there is a rising demand for people with expertise in energy-related fields.

Slipstream is inviting educators in WPS service territory to register for a free Energy Career Fair, Friday, September 18, 2026, at the STEM Innovation Center at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

The event allows your students to explore careers from electric power distribution to energy efficiency through a series of exciting hands-on demonstrations and stations, including a KEEP station!

To view all upcoming Career Fair events visit Slipstream's Clean Energy Career Fairs page.

Renew Our Schools Fall Registration Closing Soon!

The competition to save energy, save money, and win big is back for another year! KEEP is excited to once again offer the Renew Our Schools competition to both new and returning schools. 

Over the course of six weeks, teams compete to reduce their school's electricity usage, tracking their efforts with an eGauge – a real-time data-logger installed on the school's electric meter. The winning schools receive a cash prize. Interested in joining the fun? Sign up soon to ensure installation is complete before the competition begins.  

Green Team Mini-Grant Info Session

Join KEEP staff to explore our Green Team Mini-Grant program and learn about students who have already launched projects to catalyze change at their schools.

4 – 5 p.m. on Zoom | Thursday, October 22, 2026, or

4 – 5 p.m. on Zoom | Monday, October 26, 2026

Fund your energy projects! Wisconsin K-12 student groups can apply to receive $300 to $700 for a project to reduce the carbon footprint of their school community.

Día de Fútbol 2026

MGE's 10th annual Día de Fútbol celebration will be held Saturday, Oct. 3. Join MGE and KEEP as we celebrate a decade of community energy! Take part in free soccer clinics, interactive activities, and valuable resources for the whole family.

11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026

Aldo Leopold Elementary School, Madison, WI

Wisconsin Science Fest

KEEP is looking forward to another year of the Wisconsin Science Festival! Together with LEAF, we'll be leading sessions on exploring climate solutions around the state. Mark your calendars for October 15-25, and keep an eye on the events list for all the awesome science-related events happening in every corner of Wisconsin.

Energy Educator of the Year

Do you know an educator who inspires others to learn about energy? KEEP is now seeking nominations for its Energy Educator of the Year Award!

We encourage nominations of both formal educators (classroom teachers, administrators, and school staff) and non-formal educators (nature center staff, community educators, nonprofit professionals, utility educators, and others who teach outside traditional classrooms).

Nominate a deserving colleague, mentor, or even yourself to recognize outstanding contributions to energy education and celebrate the impact of innovative learning experiences across Wisconsin.

New and improved website, lessons, and kit requests

As we mentioned at the end of last school year, we've recently transitioned to a new website platform. While the move involved consolidating some content, everything you rely on is still available.

We've also been updating lessons to improve screen reader accessibility. As part of this effort, some PDF resources have been converted to Google Docs and some existing Google Docs have been refreshed. Whenever updates were necessary, we've worked to improve the content as well.

Another recent change involves the kit reservation process. Previously, borrowers needed to check kit calendars to determine availability before submitting a reservation. Now, the reservation system automatically blocks unavailable dates, making it much easier to see when a kit can be reserved and simplifying the process overall.

And finally, kit shipping will once again be waived for the 2026-27 school year. Borrowers may still choose to be invoiced for shipping costs, but we've also added a new option to make a direct credit card donation to help support kit shipping statewide. Unlike an invoice, which reflects the actual cost of shipping your kit, donations can be made in any amount and are open to anyone, whether you've borrowed a kit or not. Thank you for supporting WCEE's mission to provide equitable access to high-quality, hands-on educational resources across Wisconsin.


If you have any trouble finding or using any of our resources, please let us know at keep@uwsp.edu and we will happily assist you.

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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 August 2026