University of Wisconsin–Madison
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 the highest mountains, in the deepest ocean trenches, in the atmosphere, even in your table salt. And because of the …
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 Out collection points at residence halls across campus. At each stop, she hops out to greet her volunteers, inspect their …
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 team to provide sustainability training for offices on campus. She is interested in the intersection between social justice and environmental …
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 a host of additional subjects. Equity, environmental justice, carbon neutrality, climate change, resilience, even straws: the list is long and …
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, however, are notorious for producing a lot of waste, particularly the ubiquitous SOLO cups and aluminum cans (formerly filled, no …
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 the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) conference in Pittsburgh, PA. AASHE, which was established in 2005, bills itself …
“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, now and for the future.” UW–Madison Sustainability Initiative Task Force Final Report (2010) Of the guiding lights for sustainability at …
This guest article was written by Jason Gallup, former 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 aware that without major reductions in our carbon emissions, we soon will face irreversible changes to our planet that …
“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 attendees at the 2018 Earth Day Conference, hosted by the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and held at Monona Terrace—the …
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 a certificate in education policy. During Summer and Fall 2017, she worked as an Office of Sustainability intern, and will be …