Sustain-a-Bash

Join University Housing and the Office of Sustainability from September 23-28, 2024 for a week-long celebration of sustainability and campus life! Pedal fast on the blender bike or cycle through the Sustainability Showcase. Pick up a meal at the Green Fund Kickoff or drop off clothes at the all-campus swap. Whether you’re a first-year resident or a returning Badger, Sustain-a-Bash invites students to come together, have fun, and learn how #BadgersLiveSustainably. Follow us on Instagram for live event coverage, photos, and updates!

Psychedelic Pasts, Presents, and Futures | 3:30–5 P.M. | Allen Centennial Garden
Through a series of lectures, workshops, roundtables, public engagement activities, and opportunities for graduate student professionalization, this Borghesi-Mellon workshop will foster inquiry around the following questions: Is it possible to reconcile psychedelics as medicines, sacraments, and dangerous drugs? Who do the compounds and plants benefit? Who has access? How are they being commodified? And what are the political and societal stakes of consciousness-shifting? This project contextualizes sociocultural and biomedical developments in psychedelic science and medicine and aims to bridge gaps between the humanities and the health sciences. Learn more here.

Our Shared Waters: Heex Huu Hoik’oros (Ho-Chunk Cottonwood Dugout Canoe) | 12–2 P.M.
From 12 to 1 P.M. at the Outdoor Classroom in Alumni Park, join a public talk titled “Tee Waksikhominak Canoe Conundrum” by Bill “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush, tribal historic preservation officer of the Ho-Chunk Nation, and Amy Rosebrough, state archaeologist. They will discuss Ho-Chunk dugout canoes and share insights about water, food, language, and ecology. From 1 to 2 P.M. at the Hoofer Outing Club Boathouse, participants will have the opportunity to paddle alongside a Ho-Chunk dugout canoe on Lake Mendota during a special canoe flotilla experience. Learn more here.

Archipelago Grand Opening | 4–6 P.M. | Allen Centennial Garden
Celebrate the new Archipelago art exhibit at Allen Centennial Garden with food, music, and fun. Meet the artist and the researchers behind the exhibit as you learn more about the boat sculptures and the plants in them (Kernza, Teosinte, and Silphium). Plus, learn more about recent sustainability upgrades at Allen Centennial Garden made by UW students. Learn more here.

Sustainability Walking Tour: West Campus | 5:30–7 P.M. | Dejope Residence Hall, Lobby
This Office of Sustainability intern-led walking tour explores exciting sustainability initiatives on the West side of campus. The tour visits significant sustainability sites, including the Lakeshore Path and Leopold Residence Hall, highlighting LEED certification, rain gardens, and other innovative sustainability efforts, including student-initiated Green Fund projects. RSVPs are appreciated but not required.

Food Recovery Network x UW Zero Waste Dinner | 6:30–7:30 P.M. | The Crossing
The Food Recovery Network at UW-Madison is an organization of student volunteers who work to increase food sustainability and equity by recovering surplus foods from UW dining halls and delivering it to organizations in need. Join us for a community meal and to learn more about UW–Madison’s goal of becoming a zero waste campus by 2040. This event is open to UW students, faculty and staff.

Re-Wear It Clothing Swap | 3:30–5:30 P.M. | Memorial Union
Join us for the Re-Wear It clothing swap, where you can donate clothes you no longer need or take home new-to-you items, all for free! This event promotes sustainable consumerism by encouraging the reuse of clothing, helping to reduce waste. Whether you’re looking to refresh your wardrobe or declutter your closet, Re-Wear It is a fun and eco-friendly way to engage in more sustainable fashion practices.

WEI Open House: Climate Solutions on Campus | 5:30 P.M. | Wisconsin Energy Institute, 1115
During this event, participants will work together to identify climate solutions and test their impacts on global temperature using a cutting-edge computer simulation called En-ROADS. Through evidence-based modeling and engaging conversation, we’ll create our own future climate scenario of success. Incoming students will meet current UW students who have been able to pursue their passion while working towards climate justice and learn how to get involved in sustainable actions on campus. Participants will also learn about some of the climate solutions being researched at WEI and have the opportunity to tour the building. Pizza provided! Learn more here.

Our Shared Waters: Wiigwaasi-Jiimaan (Ojibwe Birchbark Canoe) | 12–2 P.M.
From 12 to 1 P.M. at the Outdoor Classroom in Alumni Park, participate in “Bringing Back Anishinaabe Birchbark Canoe Culture,” a public talk by canoe builder Mino-giizhig (Wayne Valliere) and Tom DuBois, Halls-Bascom Professor of Scandinavian Folklore, Folklore, and Religious Studies. The discussion will focus on Ojibwe birchbark canoes and traditional knowledge of water, food, language, and ecology. From 1 to 2 P.M. at the Hoofer Outing Club Boathouse, participants will have the chance to paddle alongside an Ojibwe birchbark canoe on Lake Mendota during a canoe flotilla experience. Learn more here.

Farm Open House | 3–4:30 P.M. | Eagle Heights Farm
Explore the vibrant colors and shapes of sustainable farming at the University Housing and Dining Farm and The People’s Farm. This tour will take you through these community-driven spaces at the Eagle Heights Community Gardens, showcasing the sustainable agricultural practices that support local food production and environmental stewardship.

Green Fund Fall Kickoff and Picnic | 5:30–7 P.M. | Dejope Lawn
Come eat tasty food, meet other students, enjoy a campfire, and share ideas for how to make the UW campus more sustainable! Tour past Green Fund projects at Dejope. Celebrate a recent project that makes windows safer for birds! Please RSVP here.

Sustainability Walking Tour: East Campus | 1–2:30 P.M. | 21 N Park St, Lobby
This Office of Sustainability intern-led walking tour explores sustainability initiatives on the East side of campus. Highlights of this tour include innovative student-led Green Fund projects such as bird strike mitigation at Ogg Residence Hall, solar bus stations, and green initiatives at Gordon Dining and Event Center. At the end of the tour, meet up with Bucky and the UW Marching Band to “slide” to the Sustainability Showcase! RSVPs are appreciated but not required.

Click to view map.

Bucky’s Slide to Sustain-a-Bash | 2:45–3 P.M. | Library Mall
Slide to Sustain-a-Bash in style with Bucky Badger and the UW Marching Band! The festivities will commence at 2:45 pm at the intersection of Library Mall and East Campus Mall. It will end at Gordon Lawn, where the band will give a short performance and students can check out the Sustain-a-Bash Sustainability Showcase.

Sustain-a-Bash Showcase | 3–5 P.M. | Gordon Lawn
Join the Office of Sustainability and Housing Sustainability for the 11th annual Sustain-a-Bash Showcase! Play games, enjoy sustainably-produced food, and enter to win prizes while learning from sustainability organizations at this celebration of campus sustainability.

Harvest Folk Festival | 12-8 P.M. | Allen Centennial Garden
Allen Centennial Garden’s Harvest Festival features live music, storytelling, and dance performances from cultures around the world as we celebrate the harvest. Drop in any time to check out projects from students and student groups, contribute to a community quilt, and enjoy fall with all of your senses! Learn more here.

The Campus Sustainability Scavenger Hunt invites participants to explore the Campus Sustainability Map, which highlights over 300 sustainability initiatives at UW–Madison. Participants can take a self-guided tour of sustainability features on campus and capture their experiences through photos.
The Scavenger Hunt is open from September 23 to September 26 at 11:59pm. Participants can submit their photos via upload to the submission form. Winners will be announced at the Sustain-a-Bash Showcase on Friday, September 27.

Previous Years

Sustain-a-Bash 2022

In its ninth year, Sustain-a-Bash returned to East Campus Mall, featuring time-tested crowd favorites: the blender bike and a five-foot tall inflatable globe.

A student pedals the blender bike at Sustain-a-Bash

Sustain-a-Bash 2021

Sustain-a-Bash shifted again in 2021 to a weeklong hybrid event with both virtual and in-person activities, including tabling by orgs and groups, a spikeball tournament, a raffle, and locally-sourced snacks from Dining & Culinary Services.

Morgan barlin wearing a blue shirt and white mask, pouring fruit into a blender cup in front of a grassy background

Sustain-a-Bash 2020

Presented virtually over the course of a week, Sustain-a-Bash 2020 focused on the topics of social sustainability, sustainability 101, food, water and energy, and conscious consumerism.

Graphic surrounded by images of people holding signs and an inflatable earth

Sustain-a-Bash 2019

Twenty groups and orgs, from Slow Food UW to the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, invited students to learn and interact during Sustain-a-Bash 2019.

UW-Madison graduate student Audrey Stanton holds up an inflatable earth during Sustain-a-Bash 2019.

Sustain-a-Bash 2018

From seed bombs to blender bikes, Badgers braved the cold for a great afternoon of activities.

Sustain-a-Bash 2017

"Sustain-A-Bash gives a well-rounded, holistic look at sustainability. It showcases a variety of ways that students can get involved on campus and by volunteering in the greater Madison community."

Students stand on a grassy lawn with tall buildings in the background