University of Wisconsin–Madison
This essay, by Veronica Goveas, is one of three winners of the 2024 Sustainability Writing Awards hosted by the Office of Sustainability. You can read more about Veronica here. I grew up in a village in Wisconsin, where summer heat was mild and fleeting. We measured storms by the inches they left on the sidewalk, not by …
The White Mesa Uranium Mill leaching radioactive waste near the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. The bustling streets of Bangladesh and the quaint, rural villages on the outskirts both deluged with pollution. A health clinic in Milwaukee inundated with patients whose conditions are exacerbated by the intense heat of climate change. These are the …
“The experience of disability is wide, and deep, and sprawling, and can look like a lot of different things … it’s important for us to have that space to share with the community,” said Rebekah Taussig, the author of “Sitting Pretty: The View from my Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body,” which was the 2024 Go Big …
The sustainability certificate at UW–Madison empowers undergraduate students to address sustainability challenges by integrating knowledge across diverse fields, from business and engineering to public policy and social sciences. This interdisciplinary approach helps students develop a broad skill set to create positive impacts in academic, professional, and community settings. Whether you’re pursuing the sustainability certificate or …
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, “edible food waste and scraps are the largest contributors to Wisconsin landfills.” While UW–Madison has set a goal to achieve zero waste on campus by 2040, there are many individual actions you can take to reduce your waste. To prevent food from going into the landfill, here …
As a University of Wisconsin–Madison student, fall semester is always exciting, with classes beginning, colors changing, and Madison becoming more lively than ever. Throughout the fall, UW–Madison as well as non-UW organizations host many fun outdoor activities and events before the infamous Wisconsin winter. As an intern at the Office of Sustainability, I’d like to …
By Chandler Wells In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former interns about their experience at the Office of Sustainability, particularly how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Chandler Wells relates her conversation with Nina Delgadillo. During the Water @ UW Conference in the Spring of …
Indoor green spaces play a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of students, faculty, and staff on college campuses by reducing stress and anxiety and promoting a sense of calm and connection. Indoor plants purify the air, increase oxygen levels, improve cognitive ability, and reduce the risk of respiratory issues. The following indoor …
With a plethora of dining halls, badger markets, restaurants, and catered events, surplus food is a common occurrence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. However, rather than reaching food-insecure students, this excess often finds its way into the trash. Enter the UW–Madison Chapter of Food Recovery Network (FRN), an organization whose mission is to minimize food …
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 a zero-waste campus by 2040, achieve STARS Gold by 2025 through cross-campus involvement, foster sustainability education, and catalyze sustainability research. …