In February 2024, Chancellor Mnookin announced a groundbreaking commitment to sustainability. Mnookin laid out five goals across fields of sustainability that will guide UW–Madison over the next two decades: achieve net-zero emissions by 2048, create …
Education
“To instill the spirit of conservation”: A decade with the Office of Sustainability
On the Office of Sustainability’s 11th birthday, looking back to the first decade—and forward to the next. By Marek Makowski Fifteen years ago, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus was covered in statistics about recycled tons …
Campus labs offered opportunity to participate in globally-recognized lab sustainability certification program
UW–Madison campus laboratories can apply to participate in the Lab Certification Program from My Green Lab, a globally recognized leader in laboratory sustainability. The program will be offered for free to the first 10 labs …
Project Round-Up: The Students Behind Green Fund Lighting Initiatives
When we mention sustainability, we often reference the large-scale solutions that our climate catastrophe necessitates: global recycling systems, wind farms, solar power, electric cars, even ambitions to relocate our refuse to the moon. Not many …
Resilience Spotlight: Applying advanced climate models to future-proof building specification
Today’s building specifications are designed for local weather conditions based on historical data. As future weather conditions vary significantly from historic trends due to human-induced climate change, building specifications must be recalibrated away from the …
Urban planning students develop green recommendations for UW-Madison fleet
Students in Urban and Regional Planning 551 didn’t have to travel far last spring to put their knowledge of sustainable transportation to work. With guidance from the Office of Sustainability and Transportation Services, eighteen undergraduate …
UW–Madison designated as a Fair Trade University
On October 7, 2021, UW–Madison was designated as a Fair Trade University, making it just the second school in the Big Ten to attain this status, as well as the third within the UW System. …
Where Are They Now? Julia Tuttle interviews Suzie Kazar
In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former interns about their experience at the Office of Sustainability, and in particular how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following …
In Case You Missed It: The UW Now Livestream, “Climate Trends and Impact”
In our In Case You Missed It series (also known as ICYMI), student interns from the Office of Sustainability offer reflective reports on sustainability-related events and lectures at UW–Madison. The following entry is by Julia …
Resilience Spotlight: La Follette Faculty and Students Conduct Living Lab Cost-Benefit Analysis of 100% Renewable Energy Options
This hands-on, real-world research will inform the Office of Sustainability about available options for improving campus sustainability and resilience.