The Green Fund supports student-initiated projects that improve the sustainability of campus facilities. Below you’ll find the projects we funded in the last year.
Click on the links to the right to see previous years’ projects!
Green Fund Project Archives
Green Fund Projects 2024-2025
Ultraviolet-C Lights in HVAC | Smith Residence Hall | Spring 2025 | $18,267
Students are working with Housing staff to pilot the use of germicidal UVC lights in Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system to improve energy efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and improve indoor air quality.
Thermal Curtains | D.C. Smith Greenhouse | Spring 2025
Students and staff will design and install curtains that reduce heat gain and loss in the airspace above the growing areas of the greenhouse to save an estimated 290 MMBTU in energy and $1,570 in utility costs annually.
Lighting Retrofit | Botany Greenhouse | Spring 2025
Students and staff will upgrade existing high pressure sodium lighting to LEDs, saving an estimated 32.8 MWh in energy, $3,940 in utility costs, 19.7 MTCO2e of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Bee Hotels | Lakeshore Side of Campus | Spring 2025 | $1,805
Students will design, build, and monitor homes for native pollinators and educational signage in the School of Education Native Plant Garden and Eagle Heights Community Garden.
Electrified Kitchen Pilot | Wisconsin School of Business & UW Dining | Spring 2025
A team of students will evaluate the energy, greenhouse gas emission, and cost savings and the user experience for culinary staff using the UW’s first all-electric commercial kitchen.
Energy Saving Ice Cream | Babcock Dairy Plant | Fall 2024 | $10,615
Food science, health science, and engineering students developed and tested an ice cream recipe that can be held at a higher temperature, allowing freezers to use less energy, with the hope of changing the industry standard.
Stone Reuse | East Campus Mall | Fall 2024 | $8,000
Landscape architecture students designed an outdoor gathering place on East Campus Mall reusing stone blocks from a campus construction project.
Electric Vehicle Pilot | Housing | Fall 2024 | $5,000
Students worked with Housing to purchase an electric vehicle and gather feedback and best practices to support the electrification of campus vehicles.
Outdoor Classroom Shade Structure | Allen Centennial Gardens | Fall 2024 | $1,800
Students from Engineers for a Sustainable World are designing a shade structure with an eye toward material reuse, supporting the UW’s Zero Waste efforts and Allen Centennial Garden’s outdoor education programming.
Bird-Safe Windows | Microbial Sciences | Fall 2024 | $10,000
Students from Audubon Society UW–Madison are working to install bird-safe window upgrades at Microbial Sciences, the site of the most bird collisions with glass of any campus building.
Reusable Crates | Wisconsin Union | Fall 2024 | $2,700
The Wisconsin Union purchased reusable crates from their fruit and vegetable vendor for use in place of cardboard boxes. Students anticipate this will save $54,200 in operating costs and reduce waste by 37 metric tons a year.
Have an idea that addresses the environmental footprint, social impact, and operating costs of on-campus facilities? Green Fund staff can assist with proposal development at any time. Please contact Green Fund Program Manager Ian Aley.