University of Wisconsin–Madison
When we mention sustainability, we often reference the large-scale solutions that our climate catastrophe necessitates: global recycling systems, wind farms, solar power, electric cars, even ambitions to relocate our refuse to the moon. Not many of us speak of lighting retrofits. There is no poetry to staring at the ceilings of tired buildings and replacing …
Last year, Natalie Tinsen represented UW–Madison at the Midwest Climate Summit, a collaboration amongst “higher education, non-profit, corporate, and government leaders” to find ways to hasten climate action in the region. At the virtual event, Tinsen, who was then the Sustainability Chair for Associated Students of Madison, met Maddie Miller, who held the same position …
Today’s building specifications are designed for local weather conditions based on historical data. As future weather conditions vary significantly from historic trends due to human-induced climate change, building specifications must be recalibrated away from the weather of the past and towards the weather of the future. Graduate student Gesangyangji is using advanced computer models to …
The University of Wisconsin–Madison, in joint leadership with more than 15 partners across the region, will launch the Midwest Climate Collaborative (MCC) at a virtual gathering on January 28, 2022. The MCC is a cross-sector network of organizations committed to accelerating climate action in the Midwest by leveraging science and research, shaping public understanding and …
Although it manages arrival times, bus stops, repairs, signage, parking lots, road closures, permits, citations, and special event parking—all the tedious necessary aspects of public transit— Transportation Services also creates experiences. It may seem unusual to consider standing at a bus stop an experience: waiting, pacing, thumbing one’s smartphone, looking for the next ride. But …
When she was young, Gesangyangji would stare at the peaks on the mountains surrounding Lhasa, her birthplace in the Tibetan Plateau. They were covered in snow. But as she grew up she noticed the snow disappearing, the white lines chased up the mountain by gray and green rock. “I was wondering,” she said, “Why is …
On October 7, 2021, UW–Madison was designated as a Fair Trade University, making it just the second school in the Big Ten to attain this status, as well as the third within the UW System. The Fair Trade designation is administered by Fair Trade Campaigns (FTC), a grassroots organization that began in the U.K. by …
In our In Case You Missed It series (also known as ICYMI), student interns from the Office of Sustainability offer reflective reports on sustainability-related events and lectures at UW–Madison. The following entry is by Julia Tuttle. The UW Now Livestream Series brings experts from the UW–Madison community to talk about new and exciting research being …
During Black History Month, Social Sustainability Coalition members created a social media campaign to highlight prominent Black leaders in the field of environmentalism and sustainability. These leaders and their contributions were featured on the Office of Sustainability’s Instagram account each business day. This campaign was designed to recenter the historical and present-day contributions of Black …
This hands-on, real-world research will inform the Office of Sustainability about available options for improving campus sustainability and resilience.