UW-Extension, State Energy Office Join Forces to Improve Wisconsin’s Energy Future

Madison, Wis.– Wisconsin was one of only three states recently awarded a State Energy Extension Partnership (SEEP) grant by the US Department of Energy. The $240,000 grant (spent over the next two years) will formalize the collaboration between Wisconsin’s State Energy Office and Cooperative Extension, a division of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, to engage the public, businesses, farms, tribes and youth in additional energy efficiency, renewable energy and bio-energy education and projects.

The SEEP program will help local governments and communities, including those who have participated in the Energy Independent Communities program, carry out their plans to reduce energy use and produce energy locally. Providing educational events for local community leaders will help them advance renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives in buildings, fleets and infrastructure. This grant will facilitate the expansion of the technical assistance, education and networking of the EI Communities program to other communities, tribes and school districts.

SEEP also includes a bioenergy component, tapping into Wisconsin’s agricultural and manufacturing resources to support the growing bio-economy. [ Read the full article ]

To learn more about the work of Cooperative Extension, which is celebrating 100 years of working for Wisconsin in 2012, go to http://www.uwex.edu/shwec. For more information on the State Energy Office, visit http://www.energyindependence.wi.gov/