State and Local Climate and Energy Program
Mpower ChaMpions: A Pioneering Clean Energy Campaign
Madison, Wisconsin
Federal Funding: $499,496
Project Timeline: February 2011 – February 2014
Latest Update
The City of Madison and Sustain Dane continue to work with local businesses and schools to reduce greenhouse gases. Sustain Dane has kicked off the 2012 Mpower Business ChaMpions Program, and has helped businesses collect baseline energy use data and create profiles in EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. The 18 businesses in the 2012 program have started receiving one-on-one energy support from their utility or Campos Comprehensive Engineering. The City also held three “Lunch and Learns” about “Understanding your Energy Use,” “Waste Reduction,” and “Alternative Transportation” for the businesses participating in the 2012 program. Additionally, the City continued to assist and support the Energy Champion program by training middle and high school Champions and supporting student education on energy efficiency. Upcoming activities include hosting additional “Lunch and Learns,” recruiting for the 2013 Business ChaMpion program, selecting schools for the School ChaMpions Program, and communicating the programs with the broader community.
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Project Summary
Mobilizing the Business Community and the School District to Reduce Greenhouse Gases
Madison launched Mpower ChaMpions in 2007 to raise community awareness and mobilize the commercial sector to join the City in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Mpower ChaMpions was developed to help businesses negotiate the multitude of free resources available to them, to take precise measurements of their baseline emissions, increase their energy efficiency, use renewable energy, mobilize their employees to make changes at work and at home, and track their overall progress. With the Climate Showcase Communities grant, Madison is:
- Expanding the program to reach 106 businesses over three years
- Mobilizing the Madison Metropolitan School District to join the program
- Creating a Sustainable Business Network
- Increasing sustainability and commercial economic competitiveness
- Documenting and publicizing the program
Energy Advocates work one-on-one with ChaMpion businesses. Additional staff have been hired to accommodate the new ChaMpions, and Madison is seeking efficiencies that will allow each Energy Advocate to work with more businesses. To further improve efficiency and encourage program replication, Madison is developing standardized toolkits for tracking data. Madison is also working with the Madison Metropolitan School District to launch the Mpower ChaMpions Schools Program. The goal of this program is to engage 50 percent of Madison elementary, middle, and high school students in hands-on lessons about sustainability and energy efficiency over three years.
The Sustainable Business Network will provide a forum for businesses and schools who have completed the Mpower program to share best practices and unexpected benefits. This network will also help to inspire and engage the broader community, help recruit new ChaMpions, and feed into an ongoing greenhouse gas reduction effort in the Madison area. Madison will also work with the Dane County Clean Air Coalition to focus on reducing vehicle miles travelled and establish a partnership with the Madison Water Utility.
Finally, Madison will share program case studies via print products, television and online media, public outreach, and networking events. This outreach will support growth of the program, and encourage other communities to replicate it.
The program will have many co-benefits, including:
- greenhouse gas reductions
- reduction of other pollutants like VOCs, NOx, and particulate matter
- improved public health
- economic and competitive benefits including decreased expenses, money savings, green and sustainable alignment, increased employee retention, and improved employee health
- increased awareness and use of alternative transportation
- increased awareness and consumption of organic, local food options
- increased recycling efforts, and
- decreased water use.
Community Characteristics
| Population: | 229,051 |
|---|---|
| Area: | 68 square miles |
| Government Type: | City |
| Community Type: | Urban |
| Median Household Income: | $51,288 |
Program Results/Estimated Results
| Expected GHG Reductions: | 27,024 metric tons CO2e annually |
|---|---|
| Expected Economic Savings: | $7,309,741 annually |
| Expected Additional Businesses: | 106 |
| Expected Student Engagement: | 50% |
Project Websites
- Energy Stewards Project Group Dashboard
- Sustain Dane website
- Sustain Dane Facebook page
- Sustain Dane’s Sustainable Business Network Facebook page
- People.Power.Planet Campaign website
- Successes of the 2011 Mpower Business ChaMpions presentation