Fox Cities Unplugged

Fox Cities Unplugged is designed to grow into a region-wide catalyst for residential energy efficiency and conservation. 

Currently, the focus is on a school-based pilot of a residential energy challenge.  Individual households involved with the challenge take measures to save energy during a specific period of time, and measure that energy use against the same period in the prior year.   Individual households join together in teams - in the pilot phase, each team is associated with a specific school: Appleton Career Academy, The Academy, and Fox River Academy - and an average energy savings for the team is identified.  The team with the largest percentage reduction in energy use wins.  A second award goes to the school-based team that captures the involvement of the largest percentage of eligible households (student and staff households).

A second initiative of Fox Cities Unplugged is a residential and small business energy expo being planned for September 10, 2011.  The expo will offer a series of workshops and demonstrations designed to teach home- and small business owners ways to improve their energy efficiency.

Fox Cities Unplugged Partners:  Sustainable Fox Valley, UW-Cooperative Extension, WE Energies, Kaukauna Utilities, Menasha Utilities, City of Appleton- Neighborhood Revitalization Program, Sustain Greenville, Appleton Career Academy, Fox River Academy, The Academy.

Funding:  Supported by House by House, Block by Block project grant of $10,000 from the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

Columbus School/Arbutus Park Neighborhood Revitalization and Sustainability Project

This project is designed with long-term revitalization and sustainability impact in an economically and culturally diverse core city neighborhood of Appleton.  Implications for urban sprawl, local economic development, citizen engagement, urban environmental awareness, and a strengthened social fabric are intertwined in this small geographic area.  The project is meant to be a model, replicable in other core city neighborhoods throughout the Fox Valley. 

The project thus far has involved:

2009: Comprehensive door-to-door survey and community engagement process to identify neighborhood assets and challenges, and develop relevant projects.

2010: Focus on Arbutus Park, with social events and native landscape community gardening to increase the community's engagement with, and ownership of, their neighborhood park

2011: Expansion of Arbutus Park project to focus on engagement of neighborhood children and youth in gardening activity.   New project to install a large mosaic in the park incorporation butterfly images drawn by children from nearby Columbus School.  New project to establish a database and active network of people in the neighborhood seeking to borrow and/or agreeing to share tools, services, etc.

This project has thus far generated more than $16,000 in in-kind investment by neighborhood individuals and businesses.

Project partners include:  Sustainable Fox Valley, Appleton Neighborhood Voice residents group, City of Appleton-Neighborhood Revitalization Program and Parks Department, Wild Ones- Fox Valley Chapter, Gardens of the Fox Cities.  Lawrence University Office of Engaged Learning is a proposed partner in 2011.

Funding:  $20,250 from the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region's Project Grants Committee, Environmental Stewardship Committee, and Community Arts Fund.

LISA:  Leaders in Sustainability Action

The goal of this project is to establish a replicable model of "cascade learning" involving children and youth in sustainability actions.  Emphasis is on leadership development and skill-building, as well as growing knowledge of the principles and practices of sustainability.  Small-scale, concrete projects

Two Lawrence University students are mentoring a group of 10 students at the Appleton Career Academy as they take on a slate of sustainability projects that include:

·         Elimination of Styrofoam from the Appleton North cafeteria

·         Incorporation of food waste composting into Appleton North cafeteria operations

·         A carbon audit of the Appleton North Facility

·         Development of a community garden or orchard on the Appleton North campus

·         The development of a curriculum that these students will deliver to children and youths in other schools.  The curriculum will include sustainability principles and practices, as well as concrete projects that help all involved children and youth develop leadership and practical skills around sustainability actions.

Project partners:  Sustainable Fox Valley, Lawrence University Office of Engaged Learning, Appleton Career Academy