University of Wisconsin–Madison
Re-Wear It, a registered student organization, promotes conscious consumerism and sustainable fashion in the Madison community. They host bi-weekly clothing swaps for campus community members to donate unwanted clothing and pick up a new piece for their closet. By promoting conscious consumerism and creating a circular waste economy, they advance UW–Madison’s zero waste by 2040 …
Rising tides, solarpunk cities, ghosts that haunt us. This year’s winners of the Sustainability Writing Awards looked beyond the now to imagine what the places we love might look like in a world shaped by unchecked climate catastrophe. The winning essays, all written by students at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, explore the tension between hope …
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 …
Make your move in more sustainable with these tips! Whether you are living in one of our on-campus residence halls or off-campus, these tips will help you reduce waste and move in sustainably. 1. Plan ahead Plan ahead to avoid bringing extra or unnecessary items! Coordinate with your roommates to see if they’re already bringing …
Imagine a meal from your favorite restaurant. Now imagine one-third of it sitting in a truck, heading to a waste facility. This is the reality for most eating establishments. A large quantity of a restaurant’s most ordered food is prepared at the beginning of the day, and the portions that are not sold are wasted. …
When Paul Robbins, dean of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, arrived at UW–Madison 12 years ago, “the idea that we would’ve had a sustainability symposium, net-zero goals, a zero-waste commitment, graduates working at major sustainability firms around the United States,” was “hard to imagine.” “I was bombarded my first day on the job, …
Brad Herrick, who has been selected as the new director of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, wants to change perceptions about the Preserve. Herrick, who will begin his new role in October, most recently served as the Research Program Manager at the UW–Madison Arboretum. While many of us have walked the Howard Temin Lakeshore Path, wandered …
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 …
In our In Case You Missed It series (also known as ICYMI), student interns from the Office of Sustainability offer reflective reports on sustainability-related events and lectures at UW–Madison. The following entry is by a special guest, Anna Silverman, who is the Sustainability Co-Coordinator for the ASM Sustainability Committee. On October 12th and 13th, students, …
In our “Where Are They Now?” series, current student interns interview former interns about their experience at the Office of Sustainability, and in particular how that experience has helped them since graduation. In the following entry, Winston Thompson expands on this model by interviewing the former Director of Sustainability Education and Research at UW–Madison, Dr. …