Sustainability

UW Sustainability Annual Meeting 2024

Agenda

* = will have virtual component

UW SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY MEETING 2023

The 2023 UW System Sustainability Retreat will be hosted by UW-La Crosse on October 12 & 13, 2023. Please click here to register for the retreat. Registration ends October 1st 11:59pm.

AGENDA

MEETING AGENDA

DAY 1: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10

DAY 2: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Schedule and Session Descriptions

UW SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY 101

Join UW-Stevens Point Sustainability Coordinator, Dave Barbier, and UW-Whitewater Sustainability Coordinator, Wesley Enterline, as they revisit the beginnings and explore the current state of UW System’s collaborative sustainability efforts. This presentation is great for those interested in learning more about who we are as professionals, what we do together, and how you can get involved.

WORKING GROUPS UPDATES

During this time we’ll get updates from the chairs of the 2021 UW System Sustainability Working Groups to learn more about what was accomplished and what is still left to accomplish in 2021. This may include successes and struggles over the last year and recommendations for how this working group should continue or dissolve in 2022.

WORKING GROUPS DISCUSSION

All participants will have an opportunity to visit with current Working Group chairs in areas of interest to discuss their presentation and learn more or contribute to the work of this group. Participants will be encouraged to circulate between different working groups and contribute to a shared document capturing notes and ideas about this discussion period.

UW SYSTEM PLANNING

This session will continue the discussion of the UW System Sustainability working groups, and offer an opportunity for discussion about working group progress over the last year, and what involvement from UW System Administration is required to make more meaningful contributions to System-wide sustainability endeavours. Facilitators: Kate Nelson, UW Milwaukee; Working Group Leads; Maria Redmond, Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy.

WISCONSIN SALTWISE: THE HIDDEN COSTS OF OVERSALTING

For decades, road salt has been a cheap and effective tool for keeping roads and sidewalks clear of ice and snow. However, much of the salt that we apply to pavement ends up in our lakes, streams, and drinking water. In response, municipalities and private contractors across Wisconsin are reducing their salt usage by 30-70% after adopting practices highlighted in the SaltWise program. This session will inform how UW System campuses can also implement best winter maintenance practices to protect public safety and our freshwater resources.

CAMPUS UPDATES AND DISCUSSION

Each campus’s primary sustainability contact in attendance will offer a brief update to address the following questions, with a discussion period to follow for participant Q&A.

• What is one accomplishment that you are proud of?
  What is one project or initiative you are currently working on that is going well?
  What is one thing that you are finding challenging?

KEYNOTE: TOWARDS AN EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT URBAN FOREST (DR. CARLY ZITER)

Healthy urban forests provide countless social, economic, and environmental benefits to our communities – including cleaner and cooler air, improved mental health, and habitat for wildlife. However, the benefits of urban trees are inequitably distributed throughout our cities, and many of our urban forests are highly vulnerable to global change (e.g., climate change, insect outbreaks). In this talk, I will discuss recent and ongoing research assessing the biodiversity of, and benefits provided by, our urban forests, drawing in part on empirical work from Madison, Wisconsin, and Montreal, Quebec. I will also discuss the importance of tree equity – ensuring that trees are accessible in every part of every city.

ENERGY DASHBOARDS

This session will be a discussion facilitated by Brad Spanbauer from UW Oshkosh, but with multiple campuses offering input about their experiences with various energy dashboards and energy management platforms. The session will focus on the pros and cons of the platforms (cost, ease of use, audiences served, data representation and granularity, analysis capabilities, etc.) The goal will be for the group to compare the various platforms, and potentially explore multiple campuses moving forward with a single platform that meets all of the needs, practical and educational.

Schedule and Session Descriptions
Campus Updates

UW SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY 101

Join UW-Stevens Point Sustainability Coordinator, Dave Barbier, and UW-Whitewater Sustainability Director, Wesley Enterline, as they revisit the beginnings and explore the current state of UW System’s collaborative sustainability efforts. This presentation is great for those interested in learning more about who we are as professionals, what we do together, and how you can get involved.

CAMPUS UPDATES DISCUSSION

Discover the latest sustainability initiatives from around the UW system.

UW SYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY REPRESENTATIVE’S GOALS

UW-Milwaukee’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Kate Nelson, will provide updates and facilitate a discussion on setting goals for this working groups efforts in UW System.

UW SYSTEM STARS: SHARED RESPONSES AND PEER REVIEW

The STARS Working Group will provide a history of their shared approach to STARS, share the STARS Shared Response Repository, highlight some of their favorite STARS credits, explain the peer review process/ proposal, and identify what they’ve learned this past year, and finally invite meeting attendees to discuss STARS and ask any questions they might have.

WORKING GROUPS CHECK-IN AND UPDATES

During this time the group discusses the UW System Sustainability Working Groups that were formed at last year’s meeting (Climate Change/Advocacy, Energy, STARS, System Goals, Annual System Meeting, and System Sustainability Position). We will utilize this time to talk about the group’s successes and struggles and explore opportunities to dissolve, reorganize, or establish new working groups including joining or leaving working groups.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLEAN ENERGY WITH MARIA REDMOND

In 2020, Maria Redmond came on as the state of Wisconsin’s Director of Sustainability and Clean Energy. Maria will share her thoughts on taking on this new role and what the future holds.

HOW WILL CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT WISCONSIN?

Climate scientist and professor of UW-Whitewater, Dr. John Frye, will discuss the reality of recent climate events occurring throughout the country as well as in the state of Wisconsin. UW-Whitewater’s professor, Dr. Eric Compas, and student researcher, Eric Passler, will also join to assess the future of agriculture and winter recreation in Wisconsin using surveys and downscaled climate change models.

PLASTICS RECYCLING: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Plastics dumped in the ocean?! Recycling going to the landfill?! In this session, we’ll be breaking down facts vs fiction in the current recycling market and present action steps to move your recycling programs forward.

Agenda
Campus Updates

Agenda
Campus Updates

2017:  UW-Milwaukee
2016:  UW-Platteville
2015:  UW-Whitewater