If you had to guess the consumer material that causes the biggest sustainability headaches, what would you pick? For most, the answer would probably be plastic, and for good reason. Plastic is literally everywhere: on …
Recycling
University Housing Sustainability Coordinator Makes Green Living a “Common Practice”
For about two weeks in the middle of May, you can find University Housing Sustainability Coordinator Breana Nehls behind the wheel of an F-250 pickup truck, rumbling through narrow service driveways and parking alongside Move …
Student Intern Column: “National Sword: How China has Changed the Global Recycling Market”
Elisa Guerrero a senior studying Community and Environmental Sociology with a certificate in Environmental Studies. She began interning at the Office of Sustainability during the summer of 2018 and has worked with the Green Office …
How Do You #RecycleRight?
When you think of sustainability, what actions come quickly to mind? The definition of sustainability has expanded significantly in recent years, so that its well-worn associations—waste management and conservation, most prominently—are now complemented by …
Meet the Green Greeks!
The Greek community is a prominent feature of the UW-Madison campus. Over 4,000 students belong to the dozens of fraternity and sorority organizations, and many more participate in Greek life social events. These same events, …
Sharing Sustainability Achievements and Insights at the 2018 AASHE Conference
In October, staff and students from the Office of Sustainability joined University Housing sustainability coordinator Breana Nehls and a large contingent from sustainability programs at several UW System schools to attend the 2018 Association for …
Teaching Fellow Teachers About UW’s “Living Model for Sustainability”
“The University of Wisconsin–Madison will be a living model for sustainability, exemplifying values and actions that demonstrate our commitment to stewardship of resources, respect for place and the health and well-being of the broader community, …
Top-Down versus Bottom-Up: Two Approaches to Sustainability
This guest article was written by Jason Gallup, Student Programs Director at the Office of Sustainability. The window for avoiding the catastrophic effects of environmental degradation is small. As a society, we are now well …
Several Hundred People, 11 Pounds of Trash: A Successful Zero Waste Pilot on Earth Day
“Zero waste”—it’s an idea that can feel slightly naïve in our consumerist culture. Nearly everything we do produces waste of some kind. And when large groups of people gather for an all-day event—say, hundreds of …
From Copenhagen to Madison: The Progress of Sustainability
This marks a new series of newsletter articles penned by our own Office of Sustainability interns. Our first article is by Carolyn Hamburg, who is a rising senior studying political science and environmental studies with …