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Are you working/wanting to work on the campus energy transition?Join the 2025 UMACS Adventures in Energy series! These facilitated meetings are an opportunity to share best practices, resources and struggles with your regional peers. Sign up for the topics of interest and/or value to you, and invite others from your campus and in your community to join the discussion.
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2025 Adventures in Energy Series
Upcoming Sessions:
Thursday, March 12th 9-10 am CST: Engaging Students with EVs-
Hear from faculty (Kim Pierson, UW-Eau Claire and Carey McAndrews, UW-Madison) who have used evaluations of electric vehicles and campus fleets as assignments to deepen students’ understanding of disciplinary and sustainability concepts. Assignments range from physics problem sets to campus-as-lab fleet transition projects. This session is ideal for faculty interested in similar work and sustainability staff supporting applied learning initiatives. Evaluating and planning for EVs introduces key electricity concepts and opens conversations about complex campus fleet transitions.Register Here!
Past Sessions
January 7: Saving Money through Energy Conservation: a Successful Case Study - Universities are being asked to balance budgets, plan for energy rate increases, and achieve sustainability goals. Why not do all three? In this session, Brad Spanbauer, MS, Sustainability Director from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will cover the university's Strategic Utility Management program born out of addressing structural deficit, while also integrating internal and external units to help the institution live out its values of sustainability through energy conservation measures. In the end, UW Oshkosh saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single fiscal year.
November 18: "Ask a Colleague!" Our hosts Troy Goodnough (UMN Morris), Lily Strehlow (UW Eau Claire) and Rob Hanson (Carleton College) will answer any question you have about energy transitions. Join us for a safe conversation with colleagues about everything you don't know about energy transitions!
September 16: Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) - Discover how Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) can help campuses fund energy upgrades through future utility savings, eliminating the need for upfront capital. Join Lily Strehlow, Sustainability Coordinator at UW Eau Claire, and Thomas Huberty, Strategic Energy Solutions Executive at Trane Technologies, as they explain how ESPCs work, when to use them, and share examples from UW–Stout, Northern Illinois University, and UW–Eau Claire – Barron County.
July 15: Exploring Thermal Batteries - Why are campuses discussing thermal energy batteries as a decarbonization strategy? Led by Lily Strehlow, Rob Hanson, and Troy Goodnough.
June 17: Heating & Cooling Using Ground Source Heat Pumps - Geothermal energy (technically known in the Midwest as ground source heat pumps) can greatly reduce energy use on college campuses. Carleton College will share their experience of installing and using a geothermal system, along with future expansion plans.
May 20: Different Approaches to Solar - Sustainability staff at University of Minnesota Morris and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire discussed different types of solar benefiting their campuses including Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), onsite solar, and community solar investments. Missed this one? Check out these slides on UWEC's offsite PPA with Xcel Energy & their new all electric building!
November 18: "Ask a Colleague!" Our hosts Troy Goodnough (UMN Morris), Lily Strehlow (UW Eau Claire) and Rob Hanson (Carleton College) will answer any question you have about energy transitions. Join us for a safe conversation with colleagues about everything you don't know about energy transitions!
September 16: Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) - Discover how Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) can help campuses fund energy upgrades through future utility savings, eliminating the need for upfront capital. Join Lily Strehlow, Sustainability Coordinator at UW Eau Claire, and Thomas Huberty, Strategic Energy Solutions Executive at Trane Technologies, as they explain how ESPCs work, when to use them, and share examples from UW–Stout, Northern Illinois University, and UW–Eau Claire – Barron County.
July 15: Exploring Thermal Batteries - Why are campuses discussing thermal energy batteries as a decarbonization strategy? Led by Lily Strehlow, Rob Hanson, and Troy Goodnough.
June 17: Heating & Cooling Using Ground Source Heat Pumps - Geothermal energy (technically known in the Midwest as ground source heat pumps) can greatly reduce energy use on college campuses. Carleton College will share their experience of installing and using a geothermal system, along with future expansion plans.
May 20: Different Approaches to Solar - Sustainability staff at University of Minnesota Morris and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire discussed different types of solar benefiting their campuses including Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), onsite solar, and community solar investments. Missed this one? Check out these slides on UWEC's offsite PPA with Xcel Energy & their new all electric building!