Campuses’ search for mechanisms to be more sustainable does not come without difficulty.
However, collaboration among UW System schools provides a hopeful beginning for future campus initiatives, according to Associated Students of Madison Sustainability Chair Katie Piel.
She attended a sustainability conference in early November, which was held to spark collaboration between system universities to workshop new, sustainable ideas as well as share efforts on their own campuses is the purpose of the conference.
The conference lasted two days — the first dedicated to professionals in the workforce, the second to students and faculty throughout the UW System.
UW-Madison did not go underrepresented. In Piel’s first year attending the conference, merely eight individuals came along. This year — her third — more than 20 people supported the flagship university, representing nearly half the conference.
“I felt like when I went that first year, we were just so behind,” Piel said. “That sparked me getting more involved with bringing those things onto our campus.”
Three years ago, UW campuses were pursuing green funds, renewable energy and bikeshare programs. For Piel, it was a time for her to converse and listen, instead of lead the way. Not only is UW-Madison the largest school of the UW System, but it is also located adjacent to the state capitol.
“I think a lot of times we do operate thinking that we know best and that everyone else can only learn from us,” Piel said. “This conference is a humbling experience, seeing that sustainability might be a field where we still have a lot of room to grow.”
Seeing this advocacy encouraged UW-Madison to get their own green fund, leading to “an energy-efficient greenhouse cooling system, a water-efficient toilet retrofit, a compost collection pilot program and mobile water bottle refilling stations.”
While UW-Madison is keen on banning straws throughout campus dining halls, other campuses are looking for administrative support, starting with sustainability management positions and shared governance committees.
“The last few years, we’ve been learning a lot,” Piel said, “And now, hopefully, we can teach a lot, because we do have significantly more resources, money [and] people power to put behind this and to accelerate sustainability initiatives faster than other schools do.”
With hiring Melissa Negard, the new Sustainability, Facilities Planning & Management director, UW-Madison has been working to earn their spot among six other UW campuses to receive a rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System.
The STARS report, lead by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, requires campuses to provide a transparent analysis of their sustainability performance. After those reports are looked over, the school receives a gold, silver or bronze rating.
All three circles of sustainability — economic, environmental and social — were essential to crafting a full report. This includes coverage ranging from carbon emissions to campus sustainability offices.
Throughout this year, Negard has made extensive efforts to ensure UW-Madison participates in the rating system, following other UW System universities’’ involvement.
What is holding the university back? Bureaucracy, Piel said.
“Although I do say that we have more money and people resources, we do have tighter red tape than other schools do,” Piel said.
In her first semester as chair, Piel is forwarding initiatives on campus, including banning straws and terracycling. Two of the programs are still in the early development phase, as she looks to other chairs within ASM to finalize her proposals.
The first program starts with initiating “meatless mondays” in campus dining halls to increase vegetarian options. In a combined effort with ASM Equity and Inclusion Chair Agalia Ardyasa, Piel hopes to provide inclusive meal options within the limits of the meal plan introduced last year.
The second is working to promote off-campus recycling efforts, both from renter and landlords perspectives. This will ensure renters know how to recycle properly and landlords are providing proper instructions along with recycling bins. To develop a plan including city ordinances, Piel is working in tandem with ASM Legislative Affairs Chair Laura Downer.
Throughout the remainder of the year, Piel is hopeful she will make her mark as chair. But, that cannot be done without the help of students in the committee as well as the staff at UW-Madison’s Office of Sustainability.
“Although the Office of Sustainability started almost a decade ago now, we are still in the beginning of our journey at UW-Madison,” Piel said.
