University of Wisconsin–Madison
Consider your average Monday morning: maybe you pick up a coffee on your way into campus. Later, you swing by College Library to pick up a book, and on your way out the door you take your final sip and then toss your cup in the bin—but which one? Sustainability professionals constantly wrestle with how …
For about two weeks in the middle of May, you can find University Housing Sustainability Coordinator Breana Nehls behind the wheel of an F-250 pickup truck, rumbling through narrow service driveways and parking alongside Move Out collection points at residence halls across campus. At each stop, she hops out to greet her volunteers, inspect their …
Over the past nine months, the Office of Sustainability (OS) has hired several new staff members and student employees to work on a variety of sustainability initiatives and programming at UW–Madison. Learn more about these fine folks below! Ally Burg What is your role at the Office of Sustainability? Currently, I am the Student Programs …
On January 16th, Facilities Planning & Management hosted a Mid-Winter Celebration for the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor and Facility Planning & Delivery. Campus Planning & Landscape Architecture’s Aaron Williams led the charge in “greening” this event, in cooperation with the Office of Sustainability. In addition, Lakeshore Nature Preserve staff Bryn Scriver, Adam Gundlach, …
At UW–Madison, heating and cooling is all about water. Libraries, offices, dorms, dining halls, hospitals, and other campus locations must be kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Meanwhile, sensitive spaces like operating rooms and research labs require precise, steady temperatures. None of this would be possible without a constant flow of …
When you think of sustainability, what actions come quickly to mind? The definition of sustainability has expanded significantly in recent years, so that its well-worn associations—waste management and conservation, most prominently—are now complemented by a host of additional subjects. Equity, environmental justice, carbon neutrality, climate change, resilience, even straws: the list is long and …
On a chilly, windy afternoon in late September, a total of 28 student orgs, campus offices and units, and community partners set up tables in a grand circle on Gordon lawn to share their respective approaches to sustainability. Organized by University Housing, Sustain-a-Bash’s purpose is to inform, inspire, provide resources, and cultivate a sustainability …
Reusable water bottles are more and more visible on the UW–Madison campus. They peek out from backpacks and balance on Terrace tables. They bear scrapes, scuffs, and stickers from all over the world. And with the proliferation of upgraded water fountains in university buildings, it’s easier than ever to refill one’s bottle with cold, filtered …
This guest article was written by Jason Gallup, former Student Programs Director at the Office of Sustainability. The window for avoiding the catastrophic effects of environmental degradation is small. As a society, we are now well aware that without major reductions in our carbon emissions, we soon will face irreversible changes to our planet that …
“Zero waste”—it’s an idea that can feel slightly naïve in our consumerist culture. Nearly everything we do produces waste of some kind. And when large groups of people gather for an all-day event—say, hundreds of attendees at the 2018 Earth Day Conference, hosted by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and held at Monona Terrace—the …