What You Can Do to be a Part of the Climate Solution

Many people are concerned about adaptation to climate change impacts and searching for ways to reduce their own environmental impact. While the impacts of climate change can be overwhelming, the solutions are things that we ALL can do at home, work, or at our favorite places. See below for opportunities to address the climate crisis

Clean Energy Solutions are Now More Affordable than Ever!

Passed in 2022, Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the single largest U.S. investment. IRA is estimated to provide $369 billion in tax credits and financing for clean energy strategies and puts the U.S. on a path to reduce emissions by 40% by the year 2030.

The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change has made it easy for businesses, local governments, non-profits, and individuals to take advantage of clean energy incentives. Learn more below!

Learn more about how YOU can take advantage of IRA Funding

Resources for Individuals to Take Action

Talk about climate change! While 80% of residents in Dane County think climate change is happening, only 43% talk about it. Have discussions with your family, friends, and co-workers about climate change.
Resources to Reduce Your Emissions from the Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change. This pages has resources to help you understand your carbon footprint and provides strategies like transforming your mode of transportation or investing in clean energy sources
Climate Change & Composting: Located within Dane County Extension’s Composting & Food Waste program, this article presents a case for why composting offers a practical climate action strategy.
Focus on Energy: Focus on Energy partners with Wisconsin utilities to provide resources for Wisconsin residents who are looking to make their homes more energy efficient. Focus on Energy offers homeowners and businesses various rebates and incentives for energy-saving projects.
MadiSUN: MadiSUN is an initiative to expand solar energy for homes, businesses, and nonprofit organizations. MadiSUN connects homeowners to local contractors and answering questions along the way.

Resources for Local Governments and Schools to Take Action

Be an example to your community members. The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change has resources for local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Energy on Wisconsin: Provides resources, tools, financing, trainings to promote the transition to a clean energy economy.

Resources for Businesses to Take Action

Sustain Dane hosts Accelerate Sustainability Workshops that help launch sustainability at your business or organization
Focus on Energy offers a range of incentives and services to support the energy efficiency efforts of Wisconsin businesses.
The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change has resources to help businesses act on climate change.

Join a local organization

Get connected with other people who want to take action on climate change! Not only can it help advance climate action, but connecting with others can help process climate anxiety and connect with others to take action. There are many organizations in Dane County addressing climate change, through education, action, and advocacy. Here are a few of them:

Sustain Dane: Sustain Dane Works with teams (from businesses, organizations, neighborhoods) to accelerate climate action by hosting educational and networking sessions to help individuals share their stories about taking action for climate impact.
Dane County Youth Environmental Committee (DCYEC): The future of climate change and environmental action depends on the next generation’s ability and willingness to act. The Dane County Youth Environmental Committee brings together 49 students, representing 19 Dane County high schools, dedicated to furthering sustainability issues throughout their community.
Wisconsin EcoLatinos works to raise equity and participation in environmental conservation and take action on climate change.
Sierra Club- Four Lakes Chapter is an all volunteer organization dedicated to environmental education and conservation. The Four Lakes Group focuses on local climate action strategies and transition to renewable energy
350 Wisconsin: 350 Wisconsin works to mobilize grassroots power to change hearts and minds, laws and policies, and humanity’s massive systems to make transformational progress toward environmental justice and solving the climate crisis by 2040.
RENEW Wisconsin: RENEW Wisconsin is a nonprofit organization that promotes renewable energy development in Wisconsin. It advocates for rules, policies, and programs that will facilitate an economy-wide transition to clean energy, in order to help Wisconsin reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Wisconsin Conservation Voters: Big action often comes down to policy, and policy depends on active citizens who vote, advocate, and educate. Wisconsin Conservation voters promote climate action and lean energy at the government level.