Madison College solar array

Sustainability Dashboard

The Office of Sustainability uses a transparent and collaborative process to assess and document university sustainability progress. This dashboard tracks progress using metrics included in the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS) assessment.

The dashboard is organized around the four main categories of the STARS framework: academics, engagement, operations, and planning and administration. You can click on these categories below to explore data on a wide variety of campus sustainability efforts or you can jump to specific data tracking progress against the Chancellor’s Sustainability Goals here.

Certifications and Awards

Click on the logos below to learn more about how UW–Madison has been recognized for its sustainability efforts.

Dashboard Categories

Academics

Which courses at UW–Madison explore the concept of sustainability? Which UW–Madison researchers contribute to the study of sustainability?

Cathy Middlecamp, professor in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaches during her Environmental Studies 126 - Principles of Environmental Science lecture course in the Chemistry Building.

Engagement

How do our Office of Sustainability Green Certification teams help laboratories, offices, Greek chapters, and event planners work toward sustainability?

Five people standing in front of a line of shrubs and a buildling.

Operations

Which types of energy do we use to run campus? How do people get around campus? How much waste on campus is diverted from landfills? How much water does campus use?

Planning and Administration

How does UW–Madison advance diversity among students, faculty, and staff? How many students graduate without debt and how much financial need is met?

Bascom Hall

STARS Results Details

Below, you can view a summary of the results of the most recent STARS Report (full report available here and 2018 report available here). Sustainability efforts across campus are divided into four categories: Planning & Administration, Academics, Operations, and Engagement. Each category includes secondary and tertiary categories for which sustainability efforts are measured and points are accrued.

Sustainability Progress, Table View

Academics

Subcategory: Curriculum
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Academic Courses 6.57 14
Learning Outcomes 1.89 8
Undergraduate Program 3 3
Graduate Program 3 3
Immersive Experience 2 2
Sustainability Literacy Assessment 2 4
Incentives for Developing Courses 0 2
Campus as a Living Laboratory 4 4
Subcategory: Research
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Research and Scholarship 9.70 12
Support for Research 2 4
Open Access to Research 1.33 2

Engagement

Subcategory: Campus Engagement
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Student Educators Program 0.34 4
Student Orientation 2 2
Student Life 2 2
Outreach Materials and Publications 1.60 2
Outreach Campaign 4 4
Assessing Sustainability Culture 0.25 1
Employee Educators Program 1.53 3
Employee Orientation 0.01 1
Staff Professional Development 0 2
Subcategory: Public Engagement
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Community Partnerships 3 3
Inter-Campus Collaboration 3 3
Continuing Education 2.81 5
Community Service 2.35 5
Participation in Public Policy 2.00 2
Trademark Licensing 2 2

Operations

Subcategory: Air & Climate
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Emissions Inventory and Disclosure 3 3
Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2.41 8
Subcategory: Buildings
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Building Design and Construction 1.25 3
Building Operations and Maintenance 0.16 5
Subcategory: Energy
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Building Energy Efficiency 3.46 6
Clean and Renewable Energy 0 4
Subcategory: Food & Dining
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Food and Beverage Purchasing 0.57 6
Sustainable Dining 2.00 2
Subcategory: Grounds
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Landscape Management 1.03 2
Biodiversity 1 2
Subcategory: Purchasing
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Sustainable Procurement 1.75 3
Electronics Purchasing 0.24 1
Cleaning and Janitorial Purchasing 0.02 1
Office Paper Purchasing 0.48 1
Subcategory: Transportation
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Campus Fleet 0.05 1
Commute Modal Split 3.54 5
Support for Sustainable Transportation 1 1
Subcategory: Waste
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Waste Minimization and Diversion 4.42 8
Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion 0.93 1
Hazardous Waste Management 1 1
Subcategory: Water
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Water Use 4.42 5
Rainwater Management 1 2

Planning & Administration

Subcategory: Coordination & Planning
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Sustainability Coordination 1 1
Sustainability Planning 3.5 4
Inclusive and Participatory Governance 2.12 3
Reporting Assurance 1 1
Subcategory: Diversity & Affordability
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Diversity & Equity Coordination 1.44 2
Assessing Diversity & Equity 1 1
Support for Underrepresented Groups 1.92 3
Affordability and Access 3.19 4
Subcategory: Investment & Finance
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Committee on Investor Responsibility 0 2
Sustainable Investment 0 4
Investment Disclosure 0 1
Subcategory: Wellbeing & Work
Credit TitlePoints EarnedPoints Possible
Employee Compensation 0.2 3
Assessing Employee Satisfaction 0.22 1
Wellness Program 0.75 1
Workplace Health & Safety 0.98 2

FAQs

To learn how to use the dashboards, click here. This contains instructions on how to navigate, filter, downloading the data, and other useful tips.

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

How was this dashboard created?

Staff from the Office of Sustainability compiled university-wide data to support STARS reporting. This dashboard offers the opportunity for students, staff, faculty, and other stakeholders to better understand the sustainability impact of UW–Madison through the lens of this university-wide data.

How often will this dashboard be updated?

Information will be updated as new data is available. You can find the frequency of updates and the date of last update in each individual section of the dashboard.

I'm an instructor. How can I use this data in my class?

All data is available for download for individual analysis. See the video above for details on how to interact with and download the data. Please direct any questions on the data to Alex Frank (alex.frank@wisc.edu).

I have an idea of something to add to the dashboard. Who can I talk to?

Please reach out to Alex Frank (alex.frank@wisc.edu) with any suggestions for the dashboard.

I have a question about the data or a dashboard element. Who can I talk to?

Please reach out to Alex Frank (alex.frank@wisc.edu) with any questions about the data or dashboard elements.

I have an idea of how to improve our sustainability performance. Who can I talk to?

Send your idea to the Office of Sustainability through the Collaborate With Us form.

What is a "Weighted Campus User"

As defined in the Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System guidance, a weighted campus user “is a measurement of an institution’s population that is adjusted to accommodate how intensively certain community members use the campus.” The weighted campus user is calculated as:

Weighted campus users = (A + B + C) + 0.75 [ (D – A) + (E – B) – F ]

A = Number of students resident on-site
B = Number of employees resident on-site
C = Number of other individuals resident on-site
D = Total full-time equivalent student enrollment
E = Full-time equivalent of employees
F = Full-time equivalent of students enrolled exclusively in distance education

What facilities are included in these data?

Unless otherwise noted, the data in this dashboard represents the functions of the main campus including the adjacent Lake Shore Nature Preserve and UW-Madison Arboretum.