UW-Madison students can reduce the environmental footprint of buildings on campus with the help of $50,000 of funding from the Office of Sustainability’s Green Fund.
The application for the first year of the UW Green Fund, which will support student-initiated projects, opened Jan. 26. Projects that seek to increase sustainability in the areas of solid waste, energy and water conservation on campus are eligible to receive up to $50,000 of funding.
The Office of Sustainability hosted the UW-Madison Student Green Fund Information Session Jan. 27 at Union South. Ian Aley, a UW-Madison graduate student and Green Fund Project coordinator, led the session.
A representative from custodial services, the campus electrical engineer, the director of campus utilities and the director of engineering explained the fund to both UW-Madison students and the general public at an information session.
After reviewing the application and past projects at other universities, the group broke into smaller groups to discuss possible project ideas. Aley said the purpose of the session was not to just hear what the Office of Sustainability had to say, but to connect potential applicants to each other.
“We really expect students to be in conversation with myself and other staff,” Aley said. “We want it to be an ongoing conversation.”
Aley said that while the Associated Students of Madison has designated money to be used toward sustainability projects in the past, the focus was on education and outreach. The Green Fund focuses on changing infrastructure to reduce the University’s footprint and reduce operation costs.
The fund relies on students to generate project ideas that will make spaces at the university more sustainable. Aley said he hopes the fund will provide students with the opportunity to gain valuable skills and feel connected to a broader movement of sustainable living.
“It’s not just about big ideas,” Aley said. “But about translating those ideas into practice.”
