 
Results in Wisconsin:
In Wisconsin, campaign volunteers worked across the state to build support for real investment in clean energy. After five weeks and more than 4,000 signatures, it's clear that the people of Wisconsin are not satisfied with the amount of attention being paid to the issues of renewable energy and global climate change by candidates running for office. Nearly 200 volunteers and approximately 75 Wisconsin businesses, community organizations, student groups and other community leaders enthusiastically joined the campaign to spread the word. This highly successful effort proves that the Sierra Club can mobilize and motivate a grassroots effort to bring serious attention to major environmental issues -- not only nationally, but locally as well.
Below: good and bad energy actions in this state, as profiled in our report.
Over the years, Milwaukee has remade itself from an important center for shipping grain, to a center of manufacturing products, like tractors and motors. Following the loss of manufacturing jobs due to globalization and mechanization, another transition is now upon the city. Wisconsin companies, institutions, and municipalities are starting to lead the way into a new energy economy.
One company, Johnson Controls, pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% per dollar of revenue from 2002 to 2012. A report by the Leonardo Academy estimated that this pledge has Johnson Controls and its customers in more than 125 countries around the world collectively reducing their CO2 emissions by more than 232 million tons by the year 2026 - which represents $21 billion in combined energy savings.
Founded more than 122 years ago, Johnson Controls made its name when it created the first electric room thermostat that reduced energy use in buildings. While Johnson Controls continues to work on energy-efficient solutions, the company is a leader in developing batteries that will power both current and future generations of high efficiency vehicles.
As the demand has increased to transform buildings into more energy efficient environments, the need for service technicians has grown. Johnson Controls is addressing this training need by offering a Future Hires Program, a workforce development strategy that guarantees jobs for select students enrolled in their first year of the heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) associate degree programs at CareerConnect partner schools.
Another leading Milwaukee company, SAB Miller, helped green Milwaukee and itself by pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 18% per barrel of production from 2001 to 2006. The Milwaukee brewery purchases enough wind power from the local utility to completely run the brew house. Packaging initiatives at Miller have also lightened shipping loads enough to save more than 25,000 gallons of fuel each year.
In 2004, the city of Milwaukee commissioned a "Green Team" task force to study environmental improvements in the areas of smart energy development policies and stimulation of a green economy.
Milwaukee also signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in 2006, with officials stating that the city’s priorities are energy conservation and the good jobs that clean energy and strong environmental policies can create.
The city is also increasing energy efficiency. Switching to LED traffic lights not only saved money on electricity bills, but it also saved about 50% on maintenance expenditures. Other energy improvements in 2008 include the purchase of two hybrid SUVs to replace light trucks, along with a solar power and geothermal system being installed to provide power for the Recycling Education Center.
Over the last few years, colleges and universities have often led the way in the fight against global warming. Across the country, schools and students are setting an example by implementing a variety of measures to reduce their carbon footprint.
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (UWGB) is taking action to reduce their global warming emissions. One new classroom building is entirely solar-powered. UWGB students are also making a difference. In 2006, they voted to become the first campus in Wisconsin to purchase "green energy" through a voluntary $1.69 increase in student fees per semester.
Clearly colleges and universities can make a difference and set a wonderful example of what individuals, business and institutions can do to address the threat of global warming.
Alliant Energy continues to increase carbon emissions
Alliant Energy is a Wisconsin utility company headed in the wrong direction in terms of global warming. Choosing coal as its energy, Alliant is relying on a dirty power source bad for health and the environment. The company told its shareholders that it is projecting a 40% increase in global warming pollution.
The expansion of Alliant's Nelson Dewey power plant will approximately triple the amount of global warming pollutants the plant produces, from 1.7 million tons in 2005 to over 5.1 million tons each year. A proposed coal-fired power plant along the Mississippi in Cassville will also contribute to that increase - as well as the company's other Cassville coal-fired power plant that is operating without a permit. From 1990 to 2005, Wisconsin's global warming emissions increased by 25%. Clean energy must be a solution for the state, lest the increasing pollution and global warming continue.
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