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 …
Recycling
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 …
Earth Week Celebrations Return to the UW
The Office of Sustainability is celebrating the 48th annual Earth Day with a dynamic week of events. And they aren’t doing it alone: several organizations on campus are working together, including the Sustainability Committee of …
Badgers Use Sustainability to Empower Women in Costa Rica
When Maria Castillio, a 2017 graduate of UW-Madison and former Office of Sustainability intern, scored the opportunity to take a Semester at Sea (SAS) in 2015, she built a lasting relationship with Nicol Chinchilla from …
Volunteers needed for Housing move-out recycling
As the end of the semester quickly approaches, the UW–Madison Division of University Housing is asking for volunteers to help residents and their families properly recycle and donate unwanted items. With more than 7,400 students …