Operations
Here, you can learn about campus operations and the results of efforts to decrease the environmental impact, including UW–Madison’s energy footprint, how people get around campus, how much waste is diverted from landfills, and how much water the campus uses.
Operations Data
What are the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with main campus operations?
This section includes data on total campus GHG emissions by scope (presented in metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, MTCO2e) and the rate of GHG emissions per person on campus.
The Office of Sustainability reports emissions annually via the Sustainability Indicator Management & Analysis Platform (SIMAP). Learn more about this reporting process, including the campus organizational boundary, at this link: GHG Inventory Details.
- Scope 1 includes direct emissions, primarily fuels burned at campus heating and cooling plants and the university’s vehicle fleet, plus emissions associated with refrigerants, chemicals, and animal agriculture across campus.
- Scope 2 includes purchased electricity emissions associated with the way that the local grid generates electricity.
Additional information on air pollutant management in and around the UW–Madison campus can be found through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Air Management Data Viewer.
The below dashboard shows GHG emissions per person and Campus Population over time. Campus Population is determined by full time equivalent (FTE) calculations that provide a single value with a meaningful combination of full-time and part-time students, faculty, and staff.
The table below presents these data over time, including GHG emissions by scope and in total, emissions per person and per square foot of building space, and campus population and building square footage by fiscal year.
What is the total energy use on campus?
This section includes data on how much electrical and thermal energy is used on campus, presented in Million British Thermal Units (MMBtu). The thermal energy load on campus is sourced from natural gas with occasional fuel oil in times of increased demand.
- Read more about our campus heating and cooling systems here.
- Explore a fact sheet about campus district energy systems here.
For the main campus, the majority of electricity is provided by MGE and more information on their sustainability efforts can be found here.
The below dashboard shows Energy Use Intensity and Campus Gross Square Footage (GSF) over time. Energy Use Intensity, presented in kBtu/GSF per Fiscal Year, is calculated by summing the total energy use on campus (both electrical and thermal) and dividing by total square feet of building space.
Please note that kBtu in the below dashboard approximates MBtu (each are 1,000 Btu) whereas the previous dashboard uses MMBtu (1,000,000 Btu). Industry standard energy reporting often uses ft^2, which approximates to GSF used here.
The table below presents these data over time, including electrical and thermal energy over time and in total, energy use intensity and total GSF, and energy per Person on Campus and Campus Population.
How much and what types of renewable electricity powers our campus?
This section includes data on renewable electricity for UW–Madison, including the percent of total electricity used that is renewable and the source type of that renewable electricity. Information on total campus energy use (thermal and electric) can be found in the Total Energy Tab. For additional information, see the Energy Use in State Facilities Report.
You can learn more about renewable energy programs here and how we compare to other institutions through our participation in the EPA Green Power Partnership via our partner profile page on the EPA site.
The below dashboard shows how much of total campus electricity use is renewable and non-renewable, with the percent that is renewable out of the total campus electricity use.
The below dashboard shows the technology source used to generate the renewable electricity that powers campus. Click a legend entry (icons and text below the title) to isolate labels for that source.
The table below presents these data over time, including totals for each renewable electricity source, the total renewable electricity, the total campus electricity use, and the percent of campus electricity that was sourced from renewables.
How much water does campus use?
This section includes data on how much water is used by buildings and people on campus.
- Potable water is water that is fit for consumption and sourced from the Madison Water Utility.
- Nonpotable water is water that is not fit for consumption; on campus, this includes water coming from lake water intakes that is used in campus heating and cooling plants.
Read more about lake water use in campus plants here.
The Persons on Campus figure, sometimes also referred to as Campus Population within the Office of Sustainability dashboard, is determined by full time equivalent (FTE) calculations that provide a single value with a meaningful combination of full-time and part-time students, faculty, and staff.
The table below presents these data over time, including totals for potable, non-potable, and total water use, plus the total Persons on Campus figure and the Total Gallons Used per Person on Campus figure.
How much campus waste is generated on campus? How much of campus waste is diverted from the landfill?
This section includes data on the amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) that is generated on campus and how much of it is diverted from the landfill.
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) includes everyday items we use and then throw away, such as:
- product packaging
- grass clippings
- furniture
- clothing
- bottles
- food scraps
- newspapers
- appliances
- paint
- batteries
The below dashboard shows how much total waste is generated on campus and provides a rate of how much waste is generated per Person on Campus.
The Persons on Campus figure, sometimes also referred to as Campus Population on Office of Sustainability dashboards, is determined by full time equivalent (FTE) calculations that provide a single value with a meaningful combination of full-time and part-time students, faculty, and staff.
The following dashboard shows the same rate (total MSW generated per Person on Campus) alongside how Campus Population has changed over time.
The below dashboard shows how much of campus waste arrives at the landfill or is recycled, reused, or composted. The Diversion Rate shows the percentage of the total waste that is diverted from the landfill.
The table below presents these data over time, including the tons sent to landfill, recycled, reused, and composted. The table also shows the total waste generated, the diversion rate (%), and the total Persons on Campus and Waste per Person figures.
How much waste is generated from construction and demolition processes, and how is it handled?
Waste generated during construction and demolition is more uniform and easily recycled. This section and the below dashboard includes data on the construction and demolition waste diverted from landfills.
Data will be updated as it is received. Large capital projects that produce construction and demolition waste occur in varying schedules and timelines. Because of this, some fiscal years may not appear to have construction and demolition waste depending on when multi-year projects officially finish and the waste is tallied.
The table below presents these data over time, including the total tons and the tons sent to landfill, recycled, and reused. The table also shows the diversion rate, defined as the percent of total waste that is diverted out of the landfill.
What are the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with how people get to campus?
This section includes estimated greenhouse gas emissions data that reflects the commuting choices of students and employees. The Commuter Solutions team offers many commuting options.
Transportation data presented below are the result of a model developed by the Office of Sustainability that utilizes the results of the biennial Transportation Services Survey Report, which is conducted to obtain broad transportation and commuting characteristics of students and employees.
Data will be updated following the release of the biennial Transportation Services Survey Report. Visualizations do not include emissions reflecting the walking and bicycling trips as they are assumed to be zero. For more information regarding how many students and employees walk or bike to campus, as compared to the other commuting options, please see the full report linked above.
For questions about the data or associated dashboard elements, please reach out to info@sustainability.wisc.edu.