University of Wisconsin–Madison
Rising tides, solarpunk cities, ghosts that haunt us. This year’s winners of the Sustainability Writing Awards looked beyond the now to imagine what the places we love might look like in a world shaped by unchecked climate catastrophe. The winning essays, all written by students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, explore the tension between hope …
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 her hair, placing it into the bag upon her shoulders. Her overgrown braids finally laid bare after eight years of …
This story, by Ross O’Donnell, is one of three winners of the 2025 Sustainability Writing Awards hosted by the Office of Sustainability. You can read more about Ross here. The city barely looks like a city from overhead. The generations who first paved its overgrown streets and erected its shored-up high-rises would struggle to recognize their old …
This story, by Lily Smogor, is one of three winners of the 2025 Sustainability Writing Awards hosted by the Office of Sustainability. You can read more about Lily here. Josey knew it was over three weeks before the government did. She’d woken to birdsong, a cardinal perched on her windowsill opposite the fraying screen, its flat black-marble …
For students looking to get involved with sustainability efforts on campus, it may be difficult to figure out where to start. Internships or a certificate may seem like a big step, but finding sustainability clubs can be a great way to involve yourself in a small community and explore a personal passion! Here, we list …
Applications are now open for UW–Madison’s Corporate Sustainability Internship Program, a summer-long internship that provides students with real-world sustainability experience in corporate environments. Rooted in the Wisconsin Idea, the program connects undergraduate and graduate students with Midwest companies seeking support on sustainability initiatives. Businesses bring forward specific project needs, and program staff match them with candidates whose skills and interests align. …
Twice a week, the UW–Madison community comes together to share a warm meal. At the front of the room sits a buffet with dishes from cornbread to curry, while chatter-filled tables span the remaining space. Even better, it’s completely free! The Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a UW–Madison student organization that is responsible for …
At UW–Madison’s six dining market locations, staff work hard to feed students by preparing buffet-style meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To meet the expected demand and decrease food waste, dining market staff use data from annual food waste audits and Leanpath technology to carefully adjust recipe quantities. Though these efforts have been effective at …
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 an important step on the path to this ambitious goal. Through a strategy that includes working with electric utilities, supporting …
The fourth-annual Sustainability Symposium opened with Paul Robbins, Dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, crediting students for the strides UW–Madison has made in sustainability, saying it was because they “would not leave this alone.” He noted that alongside the university’s net-zero goal, zero waste commitment, and RISE–EARTH initiative, UW–Madison recently earned its first …