Ask people to talk about energy, and what will they say? Some will describe how they use energy in their lives and at their workplaces. Some will talk about the cost of energy and mention the price of gasoline or the cost of heating their homes in winter. Others will point out that widespread use of fossil fuels leads to air pollution, acid rain, and global warming; they would say that the marketplace should provide or the government should promote the use of environmentally benign energy resources.

Still others will recall the energy crisis of the 1970s, when the United States faced an oil embargo by the nations of the Middle East, and later, the subsequent sudden rise in the price of oil. They might add that our nation now imports half the oil it needs, that a disruption in its supply is still possible, and that development of domestic energy resources should be increased.

While acknowledging these issues, nearly all of these people will agree that energy is necessary for maintaining their health, their well-being, their lifestyles, and their economy. Many will even say that they often take energy for granted.

Energy is more than an individual economic, environmental, or sociopolitical issue, and its more than a passing concern. It is the agent of change for all processes on Earth and throughout the universe. Every interaction among living and nonliving things is accompanied by the transfer and conversion of energy. Energy is the underlying "currency" that is necessary for everything humans do with each other - whether in the workplace or in their personal lives - and with the natural environment that supports them. Understanding energy in this way enables people to see how issues are interconnected, and how a solution to one issue may even lead to the solution of another. For instance, the person who buys a fuel-efficient car saves money on gasoline, reduces air emissions, and decreases our nations reliance on imported oil.

Since energy plays an essential role in peoples lives, the study of energy and energy issues should be emphasized in education. Some curriculum developers and teachers in Wisconsin include energy-related activities in education curricula. However, many people believe more needs to be done if energy education is to be widely and consistently instituted throughout Wisconsin in a manner that effectively promotes lifelong learning and links students to the world around them. The creation of a K-12 energy education program has helped meet this need. This program utilizes and encourages school-to-career skills and the use of a rich set of community resources including professionals representing Wisconsin's investor-owned, municipal, and cooperative utilities, as well as businesses, environmental organizations, and institutions of higher education. KEEP, through its conceptual framework and activity guides, and elementary supplement, provides a path for students in Wisconsin schools to receive a logically sequenced, comprehensive energy education.