Tag: Recycling

Sustainability Conversations Across the Big Ten: University of Washington

The latest episode of The SustainUW Podcast miniseries, Sustainability Conversations Across the Big Ten, turns west to the University of Washington to explore how a large, multi-campus institution moves sustainability from planning to practice. Hosts John Ernst and Ren Nickel spoke with Daimon Eklund, communications manager for the University of Washington Sustainability Office, and Emily …

Navigating the Corporate World: From Zero Waste Project Assistant to Sustainability Specialist

In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former students about their experience at the Office of Sustainability (OS), particularly how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Tia Gaffney relates her conversation with Olivia Grose, a student who was involved in the Zero Waste Team within the …

What UW–Madison’s AI Recycling Assistant Is Revealing About How We Sort Waste

If you’ve been in Union South or Memorial Union lately, chances are you’ve met Oscar. Oscar Sort is UW–Madison’s new AI waste and recycling assistant, introduced by the Office of Sustainability’s Zero Waste Team to improve recycling accuracy on campus. If you hold up a waste item to Oscar Sort’s cameras, it’ll identify it and …

UW’s Zero Waste Compass: Your Guide to Sustainable Disposal on Campus

Have you ever had questions like “Does plastic cutlery go in the recycling?” or “Are greasy pizza boxes recyclable?” So have we. That’s why we created the Zero Waste Compass  — a tool to help you find the right way to dispose of common items on campus. Recycling can be confusing; the Zero Waste Compass …

Wandering Sustainably: From Zero Waste Project Assistant to Cross-Country Traveler

In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former students about their experience at the Office of Sustainability (OS), particularly how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Tia Gaffney relates her conversation with Rachel Schumacher, a student who was involved in the Zero Waste Team within the …

Post-Landfill Action Network membership offers benefits for UW–Madison community

UW–Madison is a PLAN Member until December 31st, 2024. All UW–Madison students, staff, and faculty are eligible to take advantage of the campus membership offerings. Below, you can learn more about benefits and registration details. The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) “aids college students, as well as campus faculty and staff, in tackling unsustainable infrastructure on …

UW Zero Waste Seeks Campus Feedback on its Strategic Vision

Are you interested in supporting a zero waste campus? The UW Zero Waste Team wants your feedback on the Strategic Vision for Institutional Zero Waste at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

How UW–Madison moves out sustainably

When Malorie Garbe became the Sustainability Coordinator for University Housing in July 2020, she faced a unique experience with Sustainability Move Out. Her predecessor, Breana Nehls, had developed the program to donate or recycle as many belongings as possible when first-year students departed the residence halls at the end of the spring semester. But in …

Students complete campus zero waste assessment

During the Spring 2021 semester, five UW–Madison students joined the Zero Waste Atlas Fellowship program. Students performed interviews and gathered information from a variety of campus stakeholders to complete its first zero waste assessment. Scoring UW–Madison’s zero waste efforts According to the Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN), the “Atlas Zero Waste Certification creates a high-level …

Office of Sustainability student interns partner with Texas Woman’s University team to achieve Zero Waste

Interns Catie McDonald and Riley Collins collaborated with students, staff, and faculty at Texas Woman’s University to help make the 2020 Sci-Southwest Regional Symposium a zero-waste event, which means 90% or more waste was diverted from the landfill. Read the full story here.