Classrooms play an important role in shaping students’ understanding of energy use. Today, teachers are using simple, hands-on activities to help students connect to bigger conversations about energy conservation, electricity savings and environmental impacts. These classroom-level efforts are becoming an important part of how schools build a culture of energy awareness — benefiting students, school staff, and the surrounding community.
One program bringing all these pieces together is Renew Our Schools, a six-week energy conservation competition supported by Focus on Energy and KEEP — Wisconsin's K–12 Energy Education Program. The competition involves the whole school, but most of the learning happens in the classroom. Students use tools and resources, such as an eGauge energy meter, to understand how their school uses energy and to identify opportunities to conserve. The competition also encourages students to apply what they learn in class at home and find opportunities to save energy beyond the school building.
Renew Our Schools not only helps reduce energy use during the competition period, but also inspires ongoing efforts to build on these habits throughout the year. Teachers, students and staff work together toward a shared goal of responsible energy use. Over the years, several schools across the We Energies service area have participated in the challenge, with a local school winning cash prizes:
Classroom-based learning has become a powerful tool as schools continue to explore ways to manage energy costs and support sustainability. By giving students the knowledge and confidence to understand energy use, schools are nurturing the next generation of energy champions.