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 OS.
Former undergraduate student Rachel Schumacher charts her life to the map of sustainability as she follows her passions to achieve her dreams.
Her interest in the environment was sparked in childhood in the southern countryside of Wisconsin. Growing up in a log home and spending her days playing outside, Rachel says “it only felt natural to me to keep my environment clean.” As Rachel learned about sustainability and met others who cared about the environment as much as her, she “felt a sense of obligation to work in the field of sustainability and environmentalism.”
Rachel graduated from UW-Madison in 2024 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and People-Environment Geography. During her time as an undergraduate at UW-Madison, Rachel was a member of the Zero Waste Team, a group within the Office of Sustainability that works toward the university-wide Zero Waste by 2040 goal. As an intern for the Zero Waste Team, Rachel partnered with Post Landfill Action Network (PLAN) to develop a Strategic Vision and Zero Waste Action Plan for the university, with a focus on creating sustainable systems at Surplus with a Purpose (SWAP) and the Waste and Recycling facility. Additionally, Rachel worked on a pilot project with Busch Systems to reduce contamination in our waste streams, in which she tested waste bin sensors as well as types of bins, lid openings, colors and signage.
Most of all, Rachel enjoyed completing waste audits at the Waste and Recycling Facility. Although, she says, “it wasn’t necessarily fun to see, or smell, all the things that were being thrown away,” it was “fun to get off campus andsee how the university’s waste affects the local community and environment as a whole.”
Rachel was a member of the Zero Waste Team for two years. Her experience put into perspective the value of interconnections within institutions and companies. Rachel concluded that “sustainability goals need to align with business and community goals to be successful.”
Now, Rachel wears many sustainability “hats” in her life and career. She is a Indoor Environmental Health Sales Associate for Frequency Spaces in which she assists clients within the real estate and HVAC industries in finding products that best fit their needs. Aside from this, Rachel is a “nomadic traveler, pet sitter, and content creator”. Before “settling down with a full-time job, home, and children,” Rachel and her fiancé are fulfilling their dreams of traveling the country.
For Rachel, “nomadic traveling and pet sitting is a barter system” where she cares for people’s homes and pets in exchange for free lodging; this is one of the ways Rachel and her fiancé are funding their country-wide travels. To further fund her travels, this past summer Rachel worked for Nature’s Touch in Janesville, WI as Garden Center Associate and Activity Center Team Lead. In this position, Rachel helped manage a team of co-workers and delegate dailytasks to maintain the grounds for safety, cleanliness, and accessibility.
Soon after “hitting the road” on her travels Rachel created Wandering Sustainably to show others how to travel and live in a sustainable and frugal manner. By creating content on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, Rachel aims to “inspire others to live an imperfectly sustainable lifestyle and travel life.” From vegan recipes to pet sitting vlogs, Rachel highlights sustainability tips for food, health, lifestyle, travel and more.
Rachel encourages current students working in sustainability to “keep trying.” She emphasizes working with others that have different perspectives and “finding a middle ground.” Rachel stresses that “we need to work with others in order to move forward and make changes.”
In the future, Rachel hopes to continue to “inspire others to become more sustainable via social media” and someday, manage a sustainability department or work as a sustainability consultant.