Adopt-a-Highway		Arbor Day
	Bike path cleanup		CNG refueling station
	Earth Day		Environmental action teams
	Environmental education support		ISO 14001-based Environmental Management System

MGE helps to preserve and protect our environment while providing affordable, reliable energy. As people who live and work in the Madison area, we take our environmental responsibility seriously. Here are some of our recent activities:

Adopt-a-Highway
We care about the beautiful area where we live. That's why we clean up a two-mile stretch of a state highway leading into Madison. Each spring, summer and fall, a crew of MGE employees volunteer to clear the roadside of debris.

Arbor Day
Each year, we support Arbor Day through tree plantings and other activities benefiting the community. Typical MGE Arbor Day projects include tree planting in a neighborhood redevelopment project, school or along the river in a Madison park.

Bike path cleanup
Each summer, MGE employees volunteer during lunch breaks to clean up the bike path that runs alongside our MGE campus.

Earth Day
MGE actively supports Earth Day, started by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 as a nationwide demonstration of environmental concern.

We initiate a wide range of activities in our communities including:

• Educational programs for adults and children.
• Displays.
• Demonstrations at schools, libraries and other community forums.
• Partnerships with local businesses to promote earth-friendly products.

Environmental action teams
MGE spearheaded the effort to develop a neighborhood-based environmental program when a popular national Eco-Teams program ended. The new program, called EnAct, encourages sustainable living and strengthens communities by creating Environmental Action Teams in neighborhoods, community organizations and workplaces.

Team members:

• Meet regularly in informal settings.
• Learn from each other.
• Work together to make changes in their daily lives.

Team actions involve:

• Reducing waste.
• Conserving energy and water.
• Protecting water quality.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

EnAct is sponsored by the Madison Area Environmental Action Campaign, a cooperative project among the following:

• City of Madison Storm Sewer Utility
• City of Madison Streets Division
• City of Madison Water Utility
• Dane County Department of Public Works
• Madison Gas and Electric
• Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
• Metro Transit

Related links
EnAct - Environmental Action Teams
EnAct Flyer [PDF - 355 KB]

Environmental education support
MGE is a significant contributor to the ReNew the Earth Institute, built and maintained by the Midwest Renewable Energy Association. It is a place where people of all ages can learn about:

• Renewable energy.
• Energy efficiency.
• Sustainable living.
• Other environmental issues.

The Institute has:

• Working renewable energy systems.
• Hands-on educational displays.
• Demonstration gardens.
• A resource library.
• A workshop/conference room.

The MGE Foundation sponsored the McNamara Environmental Chamber at Edgewood College. Within the Sonderegger Science Center, this state-of-the-art facility houses five environmentally controlled units:

• Used for precision botany and microbiology research.
• Benefiting such community issues as water quality and land use.

Related links
Edgewood College
Midwest Renewable Energy Association

ISO 14001-based Environmental Management System
MGE has upgraded its Environmental Management System to ISO 14001 standards. This company-wide system requires all operational decisions to be evaluated based on environmental criteria. Employees are required to know our policy and objectives and attend training regularly.

For more information
2004-2005 Environmental Highlights [PDF - 592 KB]