School Energy Policy and Education Plans : A Case Study of Plan Development in Three Wisconsin School Communities
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Date
2011-06Author
Rickert, Melissa L.
Publisher
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, College of Natural Resources
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
America’s schools are spending more than $6 billion annually on energy (Orth,
2009). With rising utility costs and smaller operating budgets, schools need a
plan to manage their energy use wisely. In addition, schools need a plan to
improve the energy literacy of all building occupants, including staff, students,
and administrators. Three Wisconsin school communities received grant funding
through the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP) to develop a
School Energy Policy and Education Plan (SEP&EP). Each school community
spent between nine and eighteen months developing a plan that included energy
management policies as well as an energy education plan for integrating energy
concepts into the district-wide curriculum.
Using a case study research design, the researcher examined why SEP&EPs
were developed and how a template, created by KEEP, was used in three
different school districts. Data collection methods included observations of
SEP&EP development meetings, interviews with primary participants,
questionnaires for primary and secondary participants, and the review of
supplementary documents (meeting notes, energy audit reports, School Board
meeting minutes, etc.). The results show that the leading reasons individuals
chose to be involved in this process included educating others, a desire to
improve the school, and a general interest in the environment or ‘being green’.
Although each of the school districts went through a similar process to develop
their SEP&EP, there were many differences among districts. Even with different
approaches, each district successfully completed its plan which is an indicator
that this SEP&EP development process can be replicated in other Wisconsin
school communities.