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KEEP

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Introduction
 

The KEEP office is located on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point campus in the Learning Resources Center and can be reached at:
403 LRC, UWSP
Stevens Point, WI 54481
715.346.4770 (phone)
715.346.4698 (fax)
energy@uwsp.edu

The Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) was created to promote energy education in Wisconsin. KEEP is the product of an innovative public private partnership between educators and energy professionals. The Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) launched this effort in 1995.

KEEP receives its primary funding through Focus on Energy, Wisconsin's statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Focus on Energy works with eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost effective energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Focus information, resources, and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not be completed, or to complete projects sooner than scheduled. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in-state economic development, protect our environment and control the state's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. For information about Focus on Energy services and programs, call 800.762.7077 or visit online at Picture (269x64, 5.2Kb)www.focusonenergy.com.

The dream of KEEP began in 1993, when the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) proposed that a comprehensive guide to K-12 energy education in Wisconsin be developed. In 1995, the Energy Center of Wisconsin (ECW), a nonprofit energy-efficiency research organization based in Madison, agreed to fund the project. The Wisconsin Environmental Education Board and the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point also provided support. In 2000, the ECW worked with KEEP staff to ensure long-term financial support through Wisconsin's Public Benefits Program, Focus on Energy.

To date, KEEP has successfully reached thousands of teachers throughout the state with its graduate-level inservice course and high quality materials. These resources have helped increase the quality and quantity of energy education for hundreds of thousands of K-12 students in Wisconsin.

Mission Statement

The mission of KEEP is to initiate and facilitate the development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of energy education programs within Wisconsin schools.

The goal of the Program is to improve and increase energy literacy in Wisconsin's K-12 schools through teacher education.

The Program's vision is to be nationally recognized for creating an energy literate citizenry in Wisconsin actively engaged in energy conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy initiatives.

The need for energy education is clear when we understand that some households spend more than 20 percent of their budget on heating their homes and fueling cars. Energy issues in the news emphasize the importance of energy education. Our society needs individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will allow them to use energy resources wisely. Energy literacy is critical to Wisconsin's economic and environmental future.

Unfortunately, there is evidence that students lacked energy literacy. A 1999 KEEP Baseline Study found that:

Energy education must be an integral part of the school curriculum to produce energy literate citizens. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction recognizes the need for energy education. Their Academic Science Standards include many objectives related to energy concepts. To address these standards and improve students' energy literacy teachers need more education and resources to be able to incorporate energy into their lessons.

With KEEP, Wisconsin now has the appropriate frameworks and support systems for a sequential and comprehensive approach to energy education in schools.

2011 Advisory Committee
A Rationale for Energy Education

Ask people to talk about energy, and what will they say? Some will describe how they use energy in their lives and at their workplaces. Some will talk about the cost of energy and mention the price of gasoline or the cost of heating their homes in winter. Others will point out that widespread use of fossil fuels leads to air pollution, acid rain, and global warming; they would say that the marketplace should provide or the government should promote the use of environmentally benign energy resources.

Still others will recall the energy crisis of the 1970s, when the United States faced an oil embargo by the nations of the Middle East, and later, the subsequent sudden rise in the price of oil. They might add that our nation now imports half the oil it needs, that a disruption in its supply is still possible, and that development of domestic energy resources should be increased.

While acknowledging these issues, nearly all of these people will agree that energy is necessary for maintaining their health, their well-being, their lifestyles, and their economy. Many will even say that they often take energy for granted.

Energy is more than an individual economic, environmental, or sociopolitical issue, and it's more than a passing concern. It is the agent of change for all processes on Earth and throughout the universe. Every interaction among living and nonliving things is accompanied by the transfer and conversion of energy. Energy is the underlying currency that is necessary for everything humans do with each other whether in the workplace or in their personal lives and with the natural environment that supports them. Understanding energy in this way enables people to see how issues are interconnected, and how a solution to one issue may even lead to the solution of another. For instance, the person who buys a fuel-efficient car saves money on gasoline, reduces air emissions, and decreases our nations reliance on imported oil.

Since energy plays an essential role in people's lives, the study of energy and energy issues should be emphasized in education. Some curriculum developers and teachers in Wisconsin include energy-related activities in education curricula. However, many people believe more needs to be done if energy education is to be widely and consistently instituted throughout Wisconsin in a manner that effectively promotes lifelong learning and links students to the world around them. The creation of a K-12 energy education program has helped meet this need. This program utilizes and encourages school-to-career skills and the use of a rich set of community resources including professionals representing Wisconsin's investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative utilities, as well as businesses, environmental organizations, and institutions of higher education. KEEP, through its conceptual and activity guides, and elementary supplement, provides a path for students in Wisconsin schools to receive a logically sequenced, comprehensive energy education.

Ten Year Report

KEEP is proud to have been increasing and improving energy educationPicture (117x143, 8.9Kb) in Wisconsin's K-12 schools since 1995.  To commemorate the ten year anniversary the staff compiled this 10-Year Report. 

Read 10 Years of Empowering Energy Education in Wisconsin. (.pdf)

Statements of support for Ten Year Anniversary (.doc)

15-Year Report

KEEP is celebrating 15 years of partnerships and successes in 2011!

Download the 15-Year Report (small version) or (larger version). (.pdf)

Statements of support for 15-year Anniversary

“More than ever, energy and environmental issues continue to grab headlines and impact our everyday lives. Energy education is the key to sound energy policy decisions, helping guide new and emerging technologies, maintaining a high level of environmental protection and creating a strong economy. KEEP is a leader in energy education and has played a significant role in educating teachers, administrators and students throughout Wisconsin. KEEP is the best bang for our resource buck. KEEP up the great work!”

-Jim Jenson, Madison Gas & Electric

 

“Happy 15th Anniversary, KEEP! KEEP’s fifteenth anniversary is an important milestone for Wisconsin and our approach to energy education. Instead of investing in short-term projects that are quickly tabled and forgotten, public and private entities in Wisconsin invested in KEEP and created an enduring and effective resource for our state’s educators. As a result thousands of Wisconsin educators use KEEP resources every year to prepare students for the energy challenges of the 21st century.”

-Kathy Kuntz, Cool Choices

 

“KEEP is a long-standing leader in energy education, and Focus on Energy is proud of our 10 year partnership with such an important organization. KEEP has engaged thousands of teachers and students in the topic of energy awareness, and continues to be a valuable resource for energy education in Wisconsin. KEEP’s resources and course curriculum are designed to empower teachers to develop lesson plans that are fun, interactive, and connect students to their community through the knowledge of energy efficiency and renewable energy.”

-Rhonda Pittman, Focus on Energy

 

“WPPI Energy and its members are committed to building a better energy future for our communities, and one of the most important ways we can do so is through outreach to teachers and students. KEEP’s energy initiatives play a central role in our efforts to reach the next generation of energy users. We congratulate KEEP on 15 years of excellent education in Wisconsin schools.”

-Cheri Tessmann, WPPI Energy

 

“Over the past 15 years KEEP has implemented a systematic approach to helping increase energy literacy of Wisconsin students and citizens. This awareness and understanding is key to helping people to make good energy related decisions for both economic and environmental reasons well into the future.“

-Kelly Zagrzebski, Community Relations Leader, Wisconsin Public Service

 

“Teaching for KEEP has permitted me the privilege of bringing excellence and quality energy education to teachers all over Northeast Wisconsin.  Through KEEP, those teachers have learned how to effectively bring energy concepts to life in their classrooms for hundreds of students.  Many KEEP graduates have become energy conservation leaders in their schools—saving money for their district, and (not to be overlooked) saving energy resources from being used and pollution from reaching the air in their communities.”

-Scott Liddicoat, KEEP Adjunct Faculty and Science Teacher at Green Bay Southwest High School

 

“KEEP has been an incredibly strong resource for energy education in the State of Wisconsin.  KEEP’s outreach to teachers and students has created an educational foundation to encourage and support students in the pursuit of careers in the energy sector.  The KEEP program has attracted admiration from several other states, and increasingly is viewed nationwide as an exemplary model of effective K-12 energy education.”

-Ken Walz, KEEP Adjunct Faculty and Chemistry and Engineering Instructor at Madison Area Technical College

 

“Teachers come to us not knowing what to expect. They leave with a heightened level of confidence and they have assured me that they do, indeed, go back and teach about energy in their classrooms. With so many teachers instilling curiosity and excitement in our students concerning energy education, we should certainly see a more knowledgeable and interested citizenry in the future who will be willing and capable of taking part in the tough energy decisions that will have to be made.”

-Jeanine Gelhaus, KEEP Adjunct Faculty and Science Teacher at Medford Middle School

 

"Wisconsin's KEEP is a model for energy education programs nationally. Coming from Connecticut I have found the staff and programs to be very professional, personable and technically appropriate for K-12 teachers in the region.”

 - Beth Piggush, KEEP Adjunct Faculty and former Education Manager at Connecticut Clean Energy Fund

 

“When it comes to energy education, I have found that teachers of all grade levels readily embrace the information and classroom activities that KEEP courses provide. Not only do teachers become more confident about teaching energy concepts and practices to their students, but they also gain a better sense of how energy production and use affects their students, their schools, and their own lives. Teachers support KEEP because they want to help their students become better informed about energy and help them make sense of the events and issues that affect them.

“Which other Wisconsin education program encompasses 21st century technology, current events, environmental issues, and consumer empowerment within a common theme like energy? The KEEP program is the only one that I can think of that fits this bill. For these reasons, there is no question in my mind that continuing the KEEP program is vital for the successful education of Wisconsin’s citizens.”

-Stephen A. Knudsen, KEEP Adjunct Faculty and Physics Teacher at Newman Catholic High School in Wausau

The KEEP Timeline on Prezi

 

Follow us on the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) fan page on facebook.

Send comments and suggestions to KEEP, energy@uwsp.edu or call 715.346.4770.

Copyright 2001 KEEP

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