Center for Energy & Environmental Education records

Collection

Identifier: 15/07/04

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Center for Energy & Environmental Education (CEEE) records, dating from 1977 to 2022, reflects some of the work performed by the CEEE during the represented years.

The bulk of the collection relates to the management, promotion, and existence of the Iowa Electrathon program. The Electrathon series contains a variety of administrative records, such as waivers; grants; reports; board materials (minutes, agendas, financial information); and manuals with information about Electrathon rules, schedules, inspections, etc. This series also includes materials from specific years throughout the Electrathon program, consisting of yearly reports made up of publicity materials, event information, and more from each given year. The series also is comprised of clippings, photographs, and a small amount of audiovisusal materials. Additional audivisual content is found elsewhere in the collection and contains files relevant to this series. Finally, there are a handful of posters promoting the Electrathon. Some of the files in this series are restricted due to personally identifiable information and other sensitive materials. These files will be open for public access 70 years following the date of their creation.

The CEEE collection additionally contains records and documentation from the Rebuild Iowa project, with which CEEE staff was involved. Included are energy audits from commercial buildings, private homeowners, churches, and schools; project minutes; promotional materials; correspondence; financial information; and more.

General files in the collection document other work undertaken by the CEEE and its staff. Projects and activities represented include the Iowa Energy Poster Contest and Solar Sprint, and material types include administrative records, budget / financial records, correspondence, and publicity materials. Included with this materials is sampling of posters created by elementary school students for the Energy Poster Contest, as well as a few posters related to the Solar Sprint. Additional content recorded on various media formats is found elsewhere in the collection and contains files relevant to this series.

These records also contain a wide range of media and born digital records produced and recorded on various formats, namely VHS, DVD, CD, and mini digital video cassettes. The CDs and DVDs include documents, photographs, moving image files, audio files, and more. Topics include the Iowa Electrathon, Solar Sprint, CEEE presentations, the Iowa Energy Poster Contest, among others. The inventory goes into greater detail for each media format. Please note that these materials require special playback equipment for access and use.

Finally, the collection includes an archived version of the CEEE website, captured using the web archiving tool, Archive-IT.

Dates

1977 - 2022

Creator

University of Northern Iowa. Center for Energy and Environmental Education (Organization)

Language of Materials

Materials entirely in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Most materials are open for research. Materials related to the confidentiality of personnel, student, medical, and other legally protected records are CLOSED to researchers for 70 years from the date of creation. Consult the archivist with any questions or concerns.

Technical Access

Some content is recorded on DVD, VHS, CD, and mini digital video cassettes and requires special playback equipment for access and use. SC&UA staff will determine use options on a case by case basis.

This collection also contains web content captured using the web archiving tool, Archive-It. To view this content, please visit the Center for Energy & Environmental Education web archive.

General Use, Reproduction, and Copyright Policies

Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the library cannot grant permission or licensing. Materials currently under copyright are usually still available for research and limited reproduction under Fair Use laws. However, it is the sole responsibility of the patron to determine whether or not their use of a given material falls within Fair Use guidelines and to obtain permission for said use from the rightful copyright owner. If you are unsure where to begin, please consult the Copyright LibGuide. Please note that it is not the library's responsibility to locate or contact copyright holders for a patron, and neither the library nor library employees are responsible for copyright violations of the materials to which they facilitate research access.

Please see our full General Use and Service Policies for more information.

Sensitive Materials Statement

Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy or similar laws, and the Iowa Open Records Law (see Iowa Code § 22.7). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Northern Iowa assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

The Center for Energy & Environmental Education (CEEE) was created and built with funding from the United States Department of Energy. It opened in 1994 as an energy efficient building, through the use of energy efficient materials and "extensive use" of daylight, among other features. The CEEE's overall mission upon opening was to provide environmental literacy and ethical information for its users and the public. The CEEE allows members of the UNI community to work with others in the region to move towards such initiatives as energy conservation, renewable energy, and community-based agriculture.

The CEEE's programming reaches a variety of Iowans, including K-12 students, homeowners, businesses, farmers, and teachers. Projects and initiatives the CEEE has either led or collaborated on include the Alliant Energy Electrathon, the Rebuild Cedar Falls / Conservation City Program, and the Cedar Valley Commuting Initiative. Additionally, it encompasses the Green Iowa AmeriCorps, Community Energy & Climate Action, UNI Local Food Program, and Improving Community Environmental Health programs.

The Iowa Electrathon, which is heavily represented in this collection, is an electrical car educational program for high school students. The students design, fund, build, and test electric cars and race them in an endurance competition evluating the car's design and driver skills. The first Iowa Electrathon race was held in Cedar Falls on May 17, 1997. The national Electrathon program began in the United States in 1989, following its creation in Australia in the early 1980s.

The collection also contains documentation and records from the Rebuild Iowa program, which was part of the broader Rebuild America program, and overseen by the United States Department of Energy. The program's goal was to assist communities and regional partnerships in moving towards greater energy efficiency in commercial and multifamily buildings. The partnership represented in this collection was called "Rebuild Cedar Valley / Conservation City." Organizations involved throughout the Cedar Valley included the University of Northern Iowa, Waverly Light and Power, and Cedar Falls Utilities. Rebuild Cedar Valley's goals included decreasing energy consumption in small commercial and residential buildings; install photovoltaic modules; and education Cedar Valley residents about both the economic and the environmental impacts and rewards derived from improved energy efficiency.

Extent

16.47 Linear Feet (29 boxes)

10.75 Linear Feet (3 oversize folders)

Additional Description

Arrangement

The CEEE records are organized into the following series:

Series 1: Electrathon
Series 2: Rebuild Iowa
Series 3: CEEE general files
Series 4: VHS
Series 5: CD / DVD
Series 6: Digital video cassettes
Series 7: Oversize

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The majority of this collection was transferred by Patricia Higby, Energy Education and Outreach Coordinator, to SC&UA in 2016, 2017, and 2020. The materials in Box 31 were transferred to the library in July 2021 by the Department of Health, Recreation and Community Services.

Bibliography

“UNI to officially dedicate Center for Energy and Environmental Education.” Northern Iowan, September 13, 1994. "https://indexuni.library.uni.edu/articles/76018".
“Welcome to the CEEE!” Center for Energy & Environmental Education. Accessed August 2020. https://ceee.uni.edu/.

Processing Information

Finding aid created by Library Associate Dave Hoing, August 2017. Updated by Dave Hoing, January 2018 and April 2018 and Archival Processor Tessa Wakefield, August 2020; March 2021; October 2021. Collection reprocessed and new materials added by Archival Processor Tessa Wakefield, August 2023 and February 2024.

Deaccessions

Dozens of Energy Contest posters created by Iowa elementary school students (SC&UA retained a representative sampling of posters in the collection); oversize CEEE banners; 1 craft kit; 1 CEEE magnet sign -- large; and mass-produced videocassette tapes.