Michelle Gullickson Joins the Green Fund at a Moment of Growth

Michelle Gullickson has always been curious about the role of sustainability in education, first as an educator, then as a graduate assistant at the UW–Stevens Point Office of Sustainability, and now as Green Fund coordinator at the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability.   The UW–Madison Green Fund offers financial support for student-led environmental initiatives and, just as …

Redefining Fashion: Student Organization Advances Zero Waste Goals

Re-Wear It, a registered student organization, promotes conscious consumerism and sustainable fashion in the Madison community. They host bi-weekly clothing swaps for campus community members to donate unwanted clothing and pick up a new piece for their closet. By promoting conscious consumerism and creating a circular waste economy, they advance UW–Madison’s zero waste by 2040 …

The Seeds of My Success: The Resident Sustainability Ambassador Experience

Written by Tia Gaffney, UW–Madison undergraduate & Zero Waste Project Assistant  As an eager incoming freshman obsessed with all things sustainability, I regularly scoured the Office of Sustainability Instagram for a taste of the opportunities coming my way. One day, I came across a post about a program dedicated to freshmen living in the residence halls. “Serve as …

Where Are They Now? Former OS Intern Eliza Lindley

In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former students about their experience at the Office of Sustainability (OS), particularly how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Stephanie Wells relates her conversation with Eliza Lindley, who was formerly a Campus Sustainability Intern with the OS. From leading …

Sustainable Study Abroad at UW–Madison

When it comes to study abroad options, UW–Madison has plenty! In 2025, UW–Madison ranked #6 among all U.S. public universities and colleges for total students studying abroad. With more than 300 programs exploring 80+ countries, there is no shortage of opportunities.  Study abroad programs can be educational and transformative experiences; however, they may also carry …

The Living Lab on Lake Monona’s Shore

On warm days along Lake Monona, walkers and cyclists pass a steady stream of traffic on John Nolen Drive. Every so often, they also pass something unexpected: UW–Madison students carrying bright green Menards buckets and collecting water from the lake. The story behind these buckets starts in August of 2023, when the City of Madison …

Sustainability Conversations Across the Big Ten: University of Minnesota Twin Cities

In the fourth episode of the SustainUW Podcast’s new miniseries, Sustainability Conversations Across the Big Ten, hosts Ren Nickel and Nate Dancer meet with Kate Nelson, John Gardner, Ahnika Seifert, Carley Rice, and Hannah Lauber, representing multiple areas of sustainability from the University of Minnesota, to discuss their zero-waste initiatives, composting, and more. SustainUW members …

Sustainability Conversations Across the Big Ten: University of Washington

The latest episode of The SustainUW Podcast miniseries, Sustainability Conversations Across the Big Ten, turns west to the University of Washington to explore how a large, multi-campus institution moves sustainability from planning to practice. Hosts John Ernst and Ren Nickel spoke with Daimon Eklund, communications manager for the University of Washington Sustainability Office, and Emily …

The Northwoods Research Ecosystem Protecting Our Lakes

If you’re outside the orbit of the Center for Limnology, you might not have heard of TLS. In the Northwoods, though, it’s an established, and popular, part of the landscape. And yet, many on campus don’t know that UW–Madison operates a field station conducting long-term research on Wisconsin’s lakes far from the shores most students …

Navigating the Corporate World: From Zero Waste Project Assistant to Sustainability Specialist

In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former students about their experience at the Office of Sustainability (OS), particularly how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Tia Gaffney relates her conversation with Olivia Grose, a student who was involved in the Zero Waste Team within the …