University of Wisconsin–Madison
This essay, by Lily Smogor, is one of three winners of the 2024 Sustainability Writing Awards hosted by the Office of Sustainability. You can read more about Lily here. The twin mesas rise together at the end of the road. They wear a skirt of juniper and yucca, the pinkish-orange rock peeking through only slightly until the …
The White Mesa Uranium Mill leaching radioactive waste near the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. The bustling streets of Bangladesh and the quaint, rural villages on the outskirts both deluged with pollution. A health clinic in Milwaukee inundated with patients whose conditions are exacerbated by the intense heat of climate change. These are the …
Grandma Josephine Mandamin, an elder of the Anishinabek Nation, was known as the Water Walker. According to the Great Lakes nonprofit, FLOW, Grandma Josephine dedicated her life to raising awareness about water issues through “water walks.” Since beginning the walks in 2003, she logged more than 25,000 kilometers, or over 15,534 miles, walking around Lake …
The Social Sustainability Coalition (SSC), composed of interns within the Office of Sustainability, saw a successful fall semester, hosting both the “Perspectives on Indigenous Land Acknowledgements” panel discussion and the “Access to the Environment” informational event. Both events delved into social justice and equity through expert discussion and a built learning environment. These events continued …
A deeper look into the staff who manage the 300-acre Lakeshore Nature Preserve—and the history and future of the Preserve. In May of 2023, UW–Madison published the final draft of a Master Plan for the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, the first since 2006. The plan proposes an ambitious, wide-ranging vision for the Preserve as a site …
In our In Case You Missed It series (also known as ICYMI), students working at the Office of Sustainability offer reflective reports on sustainability-related events and lectures at UW–Madison. The following entry is by Tracy Harvey. On Friday, December 11, 2020, Water@UW, in collaboration with the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, hosted a livestream event on …
Jackie Olson is a senior majoring in Landscape & Urban Studies/Environmental Studies. She hopes to incorporate her knowledge of sustainability into her future designs, as well as pursue a degree in Environmental Law. She recently received the Michael Thornton and Nora Medina Social Innovation Award—a special honor made possible by a generous endowment fund for …