University of Wisconsin–Madison
Michelle Gullickson has always been curious about the role of sustainability in education, first as an educator, then as a graduate assistant at the UW–Stevens Point Office of Sustainability, and now as Green Fund coordinator at the UW–Madison Office of Sustainability. The UW–Madison Green Fund offers financial support for student-led environmental initiatives and, just as …
An Office of Sustainability program supports student-initiated environmental projects. By Abigail Bures x’27
This article is a contribution by Kim Wahl, who is a lecturer for the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Office of Sustainability. As part of University of Wisconsin–Madison’s comprehensive environmental sustainability initiative and goals, sustainability opportunities have continued to grow across campus. These opportunities include a sustainability internship program, a corporate sustainability internship program, …
This fall, UW–Madison is launching an organic landscape management pilot project that will transition four prominent campus areas—Library Mall, Henry Mall, Ogg Residence Hall, and the Divine Nine Plaza—to organic landscaping methods. Over the next three years, students, Grounds, and faculty experts will work together to test and refine the management process, with the goal …
After years of collaboration with the Green Fund, several student organizations, and other local partners, the UW Arboretum celebrated the installation of a new solar array this spring. The event, "EmPOWERing Youth for a Brighter Future," brought together more than fifty high school and college students to discuss climate change and create community.
In 2020, the UW–Madison Physical Plant allocated $3.2 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to be spent in fiscal year 2021. Ellen Agnew, the Building & Grounds Superintendent, had recently purchased battery-powered hedgers and blowers, and wanted to replace a majority of her aging mower fleet. “The mowers weren’t unusable,” she said, “but …
In 2017, University of Wisconsin–Madison graduate student Johnny Uelmen applied for the Green Fund—a program of the Office of Sustainability that awards money to student-developed projects that reduce the environmental impact and operating costs of campus buildings. Uelman was awarded close to $6,000 to support the installation of low-flow toilets in the University Housing Tripp …
As spring returns to campus, UW–Madison has another reason to look forward to sunny weather. Following a year of research, project development, partnership building, and coordination, the Gordon Dining & Event Center now features a solar array on its roof that is projected to produce 42,800 kWh of electricity a year, or the energy use …
Johnny Uelmen was one of the first applicants to the UW–Madison Green Fund, a program that supports student-initiated projects that reduce the environmental footprint and operating costs of on-campus facilities. Uelemen, a former graduate student at the UW, worked from an office in an older building on campus and noticed that the men’s bathroom on …
Listen to the full conversation on Soundcloud here! A new Green Fund project that helps campus offices and buildings to collect their food waste aims to advance composting across campus, and you can hear the full story from the students behind it. Listen to the podcast above, or read the transcript and check out the …