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, …
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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, …
The Metal Grown in her Nursery
This story, by Devin Guthrie, is one of three winners of the 2025 Sustainability Writing Awards hosted by the Office of Sustainability. You can read more about Devin here. Octavia removed the last piece of Estelle from …
Partnering Towards a Renewable Future
One of UW–Madison’s five institutional sustainability goals, first announced by Chancellor Mnookin in February 2024, is to reach net-zero emissions by 2048. Campus leadership set an interim target of 100% renewable electricity by 2030 as …
What UW–Madison’s AI Recycling Assistant Is Revealing About How We Sort Waste
If you’ve been in Union South or Memorial Union lately, chances are you’ve met Oscar. Oscar Sort is UW–Madison’s new AI waste and recycling assistant, introduced by the Office of Sustainability’s Zero Waste Team to …
Can energy storage and generation be made more efficient? Mark Anderson hopes to find out
Dr. Mark Anderson and the thermal hydraulics laboratory leverage heat transfer and fluid dynamics to develop engineering solutions that make energy production systems more efficient. Systems of energy production primarily rely on first generating heat and subsequently harnessing this heat to drive processes that range from powering an electrical grid to driving a car. Heat generation necessarily consumes natural resources so minimizing waste generated during energy production is essential to making energy accessible, affordable, and enduring.
Can health opportunities arise from climate change? Jonathan Patz thinks so
Jonathan Patz studies the ways that climate change and related policies directly and indirectly affect human health. While his research on climate change initially addressed detrimental impacts on human health, he and his group now focus on the potential near-term health benefits that will arise from climate change mitigation policies. Through his work, he hopes to influence decision-making by highlighting such health opportunities, e.g. improved air quality or enhanced safe alternative transportation, as options for climate action are considered.
5 Ways to Have a Sustainable Game Day
Wisconsin Football games are in full swing, and with Homecoming weekend ahead, we want to make sure Badger fans have all the information and resources they need to be “green” on game day. From getting …
Badgers Celebrate UW–Madison’s 12th annual Sustain-a-Bash
Despite a rainy start, Sustain-a-Bash 2025 was a huge success. Sustain-a-Bash is an annual week-long celebration of sustainability on campus, co-hosted with University Housing. This year, Sustain-a-Bash consisted of a native planting party, Green Fund …
Sustainability at UW–Madison: 2024–25 Highlights
In February 2024, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin announced a university-wide environmental sustainability initiative centered around five goals: launching the Sustainability Research Hub to accelerate interdisciplinary research and external collaboration; attaining STARS Gold as a framework to drive cross-campus …