University of Wisconsin–Madison
This fall, UW–Madison earned its first STARS Gold rating in a broad sustainability assessment. This milestone marks progress toward Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin’s five environmental sustainability goals announced in February 2024. STARS reporting is a point-based system used by colleges and universities to measure campus sustainability efforts and compare them with those of peer institutions. As the …
In February 2024, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin announced a university-wide environmental sustainability initiative centered around five goals: launching the Sustainability Research Hub to accelerate interdisciplinary research and external collaboration; attaining STARS Gold as a framework to drive cross-campus involvement; creating widely accessible sustainability educational experiences for all interested students; becoming a zero waste campus through improved systems, engagement, and materials management; and …
This fall, UW–Madison is launching an organic landscape management pilot project that will transition four prominent campus areas—Library Mall, Henry Mall, Ogg Residence Hall, and the Divine Nine Plaza—to organic landscaping methods. Over the next three years, students, Grounds, and faculty experts will work together to test and refine the management process, with the goal …
A look into the “amazing,” “exciting,” and “hopeful” cross-campus collaboration leading to Bee Campus
In February 2024, Chancellor Mnookin announced a groundbreaking commitment to sustainability. Mnookin laid out five goals across fields of sustainability that will guide UW–Madison over the next two decades: achieve net-zero emissions by 2048, create a zero-waste campus by 2040, achieve STARS Gold by 2025 through cross-campus involvement, foster sustainability education, and catalyze sustainability research. …
On February 8th, 2024, Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced the most comprehensive environmental sustainability initiative in UW–Madison’s history.
The UW–Madison Office of Sustainability has created an interactive dashboard where users can explore trends, engage with sustainability data, and track the university’s progress. The dashboard incorporates topics such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, affordability, sustainability research, and campus engagement. The goal of the Sustainability Dashboard is to display data that has been collected …
At the inaugural UW-Madison Sustainability Symposium, Josh Arnold presented a major pilot project that could allow UW–Madison to generate more renewable energy. “Our students, staff, faculty, and alumni—including many in this room—are demanding bold climate action now,” said Arnold, the Campus Energy Advisor for the Office of Sustainability. “Producing electricity using renewable energy such as …
The University of Wisconsin–Madison has completed its second comprehensive sustainability report through the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS), which is administered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). UW–Madison earned a Silver rating for its efforts to steward resources and advance sustainability education and research. The updated STARS …
In October of 2020, the Sustainability Advisory Council (SAC) began the task of developing recommendations for the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration (VCFA) on how to advance sustainability and resilience at UW–Madison. At the same time, the UW–Madison community was invited to join in a first round of listening sessions to inform …