Mobile Workshop #1. Teejop (Four Lakes) Walking Tour
Indigenous history, cultural context, and the natural world hold vital lessons from the past that can help us move forward on climate. See Madison and the University of Wisconsin campus in a new light as you learn about the 12,000+ years of human history along the shores of Lake Mendota. This walking tour of UW campus buildings, historical markers, and archaeological sites will discuss historic and contemporary relationships with the First Nations of Wisconsin as we explore the area known as Teejop (Four Lakes).
Mobile Workshop #2. Sustainable Operations & Outreach
Explore the Madison Children’s Museum (MCM) and Henry Vilas Zoo to see firsthand how each institution incorporates sustainability into their operations and outreach. With a goal to share resources and inspire creativity in solving the climate crisis, this mobile workshop will appeal to educators and anyone interested in communicating with the public in uplifting ways. Participants will take a bus to each location and tour the zoo and museum on foot, with periods of standing and sitting.
The Madison Children’s Museum takes climate leadership seriously in three key ways: climate-focused educational programs, its sustainable exhibit design practices, and its national leadership leading a coalition of children’s museums in collective action and educational material development for caregivers of young children. MCM staff will showcase their decades of experience modeling sustainability for people of all ages in joyful, engaging and impactful ways.
Henry Vilas Zoo is one of only a few free zoos to be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, with a mission to connect local action to global conservation while remaining accessible to all in the community. With iconic animals such as polar bears and red pandas, the zoo aims to inspire around 700,000 guests annually to take action on behalf of people and wildlife everywhere, as well as model sustainable practices from renewable energy to composting.
Mobile Workshop #3. Net Zero Energy Public Buildings
Tour two new Madison-area public buildings to learn how IRA clean energy tax credits are helping small communities do big things on climate. With 1,700 solar panels and 90 geothermal wells, Forest Edge Elementary in Fitchburg is the first net-zero energy school in WI and one of the largest “all-electric” buildings in North America. It’s also the community school for the Terravessa neighborhood, which aims to establish a new model for greenfield development that prioritizes bike and pedestrian access, green infrastructure, and a sense of community. Similarly, the McFarland Public Safety Center completed in 2023 is designed to minimize energy demand and maximize occupant health and comfort with features like solar and geothermal energy, heat pumps, and radiant floor heating. Participants will take a bus to each location and tour the facilities on foot, with periods of standing and sitting.
Mobile Workshop #4. Green Infrastructure Up Close Bike Tour
See Madison by bike and learn how the city has incorporated sustainable development practices like alternative transportation facilities and green stormwater infrastructure into recent redevelopment projects. The tour will cover roughly 6 miles of paved bike paths and bike lanes at a slow-roll pace appropriate for both beginner and advanced bicyclists, including minimal hills, low traffic stress, and several stops along the way. Bicycles will be provided for all attendees. In addition, participants may also have the option to bus back to Memorial Union on one of Madison’s new Bus Rapid Transit routes.
Mobile Workshop #5. Agrivoltaics
Like all Midwestern states, Wisconsin has a long history of diverse and robust agricultural production. Tour two facilities that are using renewable energy technologies to take this cornerstone of Midwestern culture and economic activity into a more sustainable future.
Troy Farm is a program of Rooted that focuses on providing land access and support to beginning and BIPOC farmers and other community organizations, growing organic produce for low income communities on the Northside, and hosting public events for the community. Troy Farm’s two solar arrays generate an average of 13,100 kW hours per year, providing for all of Troy Farm’s electricity needs, contributing energy back to the municipal electrical grid, and providing power to other partners that Rooted shares this site with. The system also includes lithium backup batteries to maintain operations during power outages.
Madison Gas & Electric’s Tyto Solar is home to Dane County’s first solar grazing operation. A flock of sheep from nearby Wiscovery Farm help control groundcover at the 31-acre, 6-megawatt site to keep vegetation from shading the panels while avoiding the use of fossil fuels for mowing.
Mobile Workshop #6. Sustainable Transportation/Government Fleets
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the multiple layers of sustainable activities quietly taking place every day at the Dane County Sanitary Landfill and the City of Madison Fleet Services Building. The landfill tour will begin with a visit to the mobile Dane County Trash Lab exhibit, after which participants will board a tour vehicle to drive around the facility grounds to view sites such as the Clean Sweep facility, Construction & Demolition Recycling Facility, Renewable Natural Gas plant, and active landfill. At the LEED Gold certified Fleet Services Building, participants will see how the City consolidated four public works facilities into one, incorporating features like solar panels, a solar heating wall, CNG truck repair bays, electric vehicle chargers, and natural lighting. They will also learn about the City’s many sustainable fleet initiatives, including biodiesel and propane fueling programs, solar charging, and the first EV fire truck in North America. Participants will take a bus to each location and tour the facilities on foot, with periods of standing and sitting.