The Office of Sustainability is thrilled to announce its most recent round of Green Fund recipients, as well as a February 9 information session where you can learn more about how to apply. The most recent recipients include Iffat Bhuiyan, who will work with the Memorial Union to reduce the solid waste produced at the Terrace, and Johnny Uelmen, who will work with UW Housing to reduce the water usage of Tripp Residence Hall.
Bhuiyan’s Green Fund project builds on solid waste reduction efforts she supported at Union South. She will work with the Memorial Union to introduce compost bins to the Terrace and install visual cues to support proper waste sorting into recycling, compost, and landfill bins. “We want to help people make the connection between what they purchase and where that waste goes,” says Bhuiyan. The Union will couple these efforts with staff training and reusable or compostable packaging, all working toward the goal of sending as little waste to the landfill as possible.
Uelmen is a PhD student focusing on public health and climate change. He knew that water has a major carbon impact because of his academic interests. “I wanted to do something [about water] for a while,” he related. “When I found the Green Fund, I thought, ‘this is perfect!’”
His project will replace older toilets in Tripp Residence Hall that use 3.5 gallons per flush with units that only use 1.6 gallons per flush. His preliminary calculations estimate that this retrofit could save UW Housing about 7.5 million gallons of water, $45,000 in utility bills, and 23.4 metric tons of CO2 annually.
The Office of Sustainability welcomes Green Fund applications from any UW student with an idea for how to reduce the environmental impact of buildings on campus. Come to the information session on Friday, February 9, from 1:00 – 2:30pm to learn more, or visit the Green Fund website.