Travis Blomberg, the campus resource coordinator for the Office of Sustainability (O.S.), won the Nelson Institute’s Rising Star Alumni Award for 2023. We sat down with Travis to speak about his experience at the Nelson Institute, his journey through multiple educational disciplines and jobs, his most significant initiatives at the O.S., and how students passionate about sustainability might find inspiration in his career.
Students
Celebrating solar panels, collaboration, and community at the UW Arboretum
After years of collaboration with the Green Fund, several student organizations, and other local partners, the UW Arboretum celebrated the installation of a new solar array this spring. The event, “EmPOWERing Youth for a Brighter Future,” brought together more than fifty high school and college students to discuss climate change and create community.
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 …
“To instill the spirit of conservation”: A decade with the Office of Sustainability
On the Office of Sustainability’s 11th birthday, looking back to the first decade—and forward to the next. By Marek Makowski Fifteen years ago, the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus was covered in statistics about recycled tons …
Post-Landfill Action Network membership offers benefits for UW–Madison community
UW–Madison is a PLAN Member until December 31st, 2023. 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. …
A sustainability “showcase”: Sustainability offices come together at the annual UW System Sustainability Meeting
Fifteen years ago, Kate Nelson was hired as the first full-time chief sustainability officer at UW–Milwaukee. At the time, Nelson had few colleagues at other universities with whom to collaborate, plan, and talk through challenges. …
Where Are They Now? Kylie Thomasen interviews Jackie Millonzi
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 …
Chalk It Up to Earth Day
Project Round-Up: The Students Behind Green Fund Lighting Initiatives
When we mention sustainability, we often reference the large-scale solutions that our climate catastrophe necessitates: global recycling systems, wind farms, solar power, electric cars, even ambitions to relocate our refuse to the moon. Not many …
Resilience Spotlight: Applying advanced climate models to future-proof building specification
Today’s building specifications are designed for local weather conditions based on historical data. As future weather conditions vary significantly from historic trends due to human-induced climate change, building specifications must be recalibrated away from the …