UW-Green Bay achieves silver environmental ranking

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With a solid effort from the UW-Green Bay Sustainability Committee, UW-Green Bay is again seeing STARS thanks to a newly confirmed environmental rating of SILVER from a program that measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. UW-Green Bay has participated in the Association for Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System™ (STARS) which measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. This is a voluntary evaluation process completed every three years in which colleges and universities review their sustainability efforts against the STARS framework.

STARS is designed to:

  • Provide a framework for understanding sustainability in all sectors of higher education.
  • Enable meaningful comparisons over time and across institutions using a common set of measurements developed with broad participation from the campus sustainability community.
  • Create incentives for continual improvement toward sustainability.
  • Facilitate information sharing about higher education sustainability practices and performance.
  • Build a stronger, more diverse campus sustainability community.

This framework assigns various levels of credit to topic areas and based on the number of credits accrued, a school achieves a reported bronze, silver, gold or platinum level.

UW-Green Bay’s Sustainability Committee completed its initial STARS review in 2011 and achieved a silver level. In November 2017, UW-Green Bay once again earned a silver level ranking; the third time in a row. This ranking will be used by organizations such as Princeton Review and the Sierra Club to promote the most environmentally responsible colleges in the U.S., letting students know we are Eco U™.

For more information about the STARS program and to view UW-Green Bay’s rating: UW-Green Bay STARS Report.

UW-Green Bay Once Again on the AASHE Sustainable Campus Index

The 2016 Sustainable Campus Index (SCI) recognizes top-performing colleges and universities in 17 distinct aspects of sustainability, as measured by the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS).

STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. It was developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) with broad participation from the higher education community. STARS participants submit data to earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum rating, or recognition as a STARS Reporter. The credits included in STARS span the breadth of higher education sustainability and are organized into four categories: Academics, Engagement, Operations, and Planning & Administration. As of July 2016, 637 STARS reports have been submitted by 398 institutions in 9 countries. All reports are publicly accessible on the STARS website. https://stars.aashe.org/

stars

Get green while getting to college

By Mark Walter, Brown County Port & Resource Recovery

Getting ready for college can seem overwhelming; there are books to buy, roommates to meet, and, of course, a new place to move into.

Ask any college student, and they’ll tell you there’s a lot less space in that new dorm room than there was at mom and dad’s place. Realizing you’ll have to downsize before you move can make packing for college a bit of a challenge. On the bright side of this challenge, it’s a great opportunity to recycle, reuse or donate everything you can’t bring with you.

Before you begin packing, take a look around your bedroom. What doesn’t need to be packed? I can guarantee you that your old high school papers won’t do you much good in college (and no, you can’t reuse those for your college assignments). Old papers, books and folders are all recyclable in your curbside bin. Even that “vintage” flip phone and mp3 player can be recycled. The Brown County Household Hazardous Waste facility accepts all types of electronics.

If your closet is busting at the seams, it’s time to downsize. There are a lot of places that will take your unwanted clothing if your friends or siblings won’t be caught dead in those styles. The Salvation Army Thrift Store, Goodwill, St. Vincent De Paul and several other nonprofits will gladly accept your clothing donations.

Once you’ve gotten rid of some of the clutter, it’s time to actually start packing. You basically have two options for your packing containers: cardboard or plastic. The choice is yours, but there’s a smart way to use each. For cardboard boxes, check your local grocery store or department store for used cardboard boxes. Stores usually have an overabundance, and most of them are in good condition. It saves you money since you don’t have to buy new cardboard boxes, and it’s a great way to reduce waste. Once you unpack your cardboard boxes, you could pass them onto to someone else who’s moving. If no one wants them, just recycle them at the Recycling Transfer Station here in Brown County. If you choose plastic, buy quality totes that will last a long time. They’ll come in handy the next time you have to move, and they can be used to store things indefinitely since they’re stackable and keep your items safe and dry.

When you’re unpacked and moved in, your recycling challenge doesn’t have to be over. It’s actually not as hard as it sounds to be intentional about recycling in college. At the very least, most colleges across America encourage their students to recycle by supplying their on-campus housing with recycle bins. Colleges like Pepperdine University set an amazing example, with only 22 percent of their waste produced going to landfill and the other 78 percent recycled.

If you find your college doesn’t have a recycling program or any sustainability initiatives yet, you can still get involved. RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs to promote waste reduction activities to their campus communities. Keep America Beautiful is another great resource to help you continue recycling and stay green in college.

Mark Walter is the business manager for Brown County Port & Resource Recovery and a supporter of the Environmental Management and Business Institute’s (EMBI) sustainability internship program.

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/life/2016/08/26/get-green-while-getting-college/89441566/

UW-Green Bay students donate 6,000 lbs of goods for charitable cause

Banner of St. Vincent De Paul
Banner of St. Vincent De Paul

During the Move-Out Donation program at UW-Green Bay, about 6,000 lbs of material were donated for a good cause. Goods varied from food, clothes, books, and small furniture to other items typically found in a dorm room. Thanks to the cooperation with St. Vincent de Paul, students at UW-Green Bay could drop off the goods in their residence halls, from where all donations were picked up in bulk at the end of the spring term.

Jeremy Bartels, Warehouse Manager at St. Vincent de Paul: “All donations are helpful but the ones we get in from college students usually are more in line of what we are in the most need of. Students have very limited space so the items they have tend to be more of a necessity and not just purely decoration.”

Among the donated goods were about 35 cubic feet of non-perishable food packages. That is more than the total volume of a large double-door household fridge. All of these items went to help clients at “Paul’s Pantry”, a community initiative founded in 1984 to help families in need fight hunger.

Jeremy Bartels, “We offer tangible assistance to those in need in Brown County on a person-to-person basis. Proceeds from all donations stay local.”

Both the University and St. Vincent de Paul hope to be offering the same program again in the 2015-16 academic year. Meanwhile, all those who will be coming back to campus in the fall are invited to take a look at our suggestions for Move-In Day at www.uwgb.edu/sustainability/tools/moving.asp.

***

About St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
“St. Vincent de Paul stores recycles your donated items for reuse in the community. Through your generous donations, our stores are able to provide household goods, clothing, furniture and other necessities for free to those in need. All store sales go directly to funding the Society’s many charitable programs and all donations of merchandise are tax-deductible. The store processes vouchers given to the needy by our Personal Service Center and by the many conference volunteers throughout Green Bay.”
www.svdpgb.org

About Paul’s Pantry
“Paul’s Pantry was started as a result of a need to care for hungry people in the community who are unable to purchase enough food for their family as a result of their meager or no incomes. Paul’s Pantry though, is more than just an emergency food pantry. Its goal is to provide a family with enough food every week, for as long as needed, so that they may use their food dollars for shelter, utilities and other necessities, and avoid becoming homeless.”
www.paulspantry.org

Photo, quotes and citations courtesy of St. Vincent de Paul.

 

Donate! Or: A smart twist on moving out for the summer

Girl placing donation goods into box.

For the Spring Semester move-out, we partner with St. Vincent DePaul of Green Bay for a collection drive. Bins are set up in the common areas of most buildings for students to donate the items they no longer want – whether clothes, kitchen goods, furniture, books, stuffed animals (yes, there have been a few!).

In the last two years, students have donated over 2.5 tons of goods to help support local thrift shop programs and community services in Green Bay! Unopened food goods such as soup, pasta, coffees or teas, and other edibles are collected and provided to Paul’s Pantry for redistribution to those in need.

So when you move out, there are many better options to find new homes for your ‘stuff’ than to just pitch it into the garbage bin. Take a few extra minutes to keep reusable materials out of the landfill and be proud when you leave for the summer or for good that you’ve helped keep EcoU green.

The following items can be donated in 2015: Clothing, Other Textiles, Kitchen items, Shoes, Books, other household items. Non-perishable food items will also be collected again this year and donated to Paul’s Pantry of St. Vincent DePaul. These items can be placed in the bins labeled accordingly.

NO Televisions or other electronics please. In 2015, no electronic appliances can be donated. Instead, the Brown County Port & Resource Recovery Department will accept these and many other items. Please refer to their website for more information: http://www.browncountyrecycling.org/what-do-i-do-with

Donation stations are located at:
Community Center, Mailroom Lobby
Pamperin, 1st Floor Lounge
Thompson, 1st Floor Lounge
Liebl, 1st Floor Lounge
Haevers, 1st Floor Lounge
Robishaw, 1st Floor Lobby
Harden, 1st Floor Lobby
Downham Hall, 1st Floor Lobby

Container with donated materials

Scheduled pick-ups will take place on Friday, May 15th and the final pick-up will occur on Monday, May 18th.

Sponsored by Residence Green Life Committee, UWGB Sustainability and St. Vincent DePaul of Green Bay. If you have any questions, please contact John Gerow of Residence Life.

Throwback Thursday in honor of 45th Earth Week

Two students planting a garden at UW-Green Bay
Pictured in the 1973 photo are Schellie Hensley (right) and Marcia Karras (left).

In 1973, the first gardening efforts occurred on the UWGB campus. Barbara Rosenbaum, a student from Missouri, contacted the Office of Student Life wondering if there was a section of campus land that could be made available for a garden. Other students, faculty, and staff soon joined the efforts. Dick Christie, director of student life, made sure the gardening group received funding. Although the allocation was only $100, the group accomplished a great deal the first year.

The garden consisted of a half-acre lot and was divided into a communal section and individual areas. The small organic campus garden grew cabbage, beans, corn, radishes, lettuce, and other vegetables.

One of the organizers was Schellie Hensely, a senior from Illinois. He indicated the limited gardening funds were extended by using the leaf mold from a campus recycling project. Hensley stated the campus gardeners learned from organic gardening publications and members of the group who “grew up on a farm” as well as intuition.

The 1973 garden quickly became bigger in purpose with the campus fruit trees benefitting from the garden mulching and pruning; planned renovation of the greenhouse; and the creation of a library on organic gardening.

Fast forward to 2010 when the current SLO Food Alliance was established and a new campus garden began on the plaza of the University Union. As part of UWGB’s Earth Week celebration, this year’s garden will be planted on Thursday and Friday.

This content was originally posted by the UW-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center to their facebook page on Thursday, April 23, 2015. View the original Facebook post.

Green Honors for UW-Green Bay: 4th consecutive year in Princeton Review

UW-Green Bay is one of the 353 most environmentally responsible colleges according to The Princeton Review.

Published April 16, a few days before the April 22, 2015 celebration of Earth Day, the free, 218-page guide can be viewed at www.princetonreview.com/green-guide or downloaded at http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings/green-guide/download.

This direct link refers to the online profile of UW-Green Bay:

Excerpt from the Princeton Review’s Guide to 353 Green Schools: “University of Wisconsin—Green Bay (UW—GB) is affectionately dubbed “Eco U.” “Environmental research and applied ecological sciences were the focus of the institution’s educational philosophy at its inception,” and UW—GB’s support of ecological research is both elaborate and wholehearted. Students have access to various programs, courses, student research, and internships in sustainability. UW—GB’s Environmental Management Business Institute is committed to education and research regarding local, regional, and global environmental problems. The Capstone Seminar in the Environmental Science and Policy graduate program allows students multiple perspectives to research issues such as carbon calculations, sustainable development, biofuels, and riparian restoration. It should be no shock that “Eco U” has historically strong academic programs in environmental science and environmental policy and planning at both bachelor’s and master’s level—including bachelor’s programs in environmental science and environmental policy and planning and a master’s program in environmental science and policy, as well as an online masters program in sustainable management. UW—GB students have a chance to witness various green construction efforts in their campus community. Mary Ann Cofrin Hall boasts an integrated photovoltaic system; campus design connects buildings with energy-efficient underground tunnels. The Cofrin Memorial Arboretum forms a natural boundary of 290 acres encircling campus and serves to restore and preserve some of Wisconsin’s native ecological communities. Plus, students can do their part in their daily lives; UW—GB has a detailed recycling program and various outlets for alternative transportation.”
Source: http://www.princetonreview.com/schools/1022776/college/university-wisconsin-green-bay#!campuslife

 

EARTH WEEK arrives at #EcoU, events April 20 through 25

 

EARTH WEEK 2015 AT UW-GREEN BAY

Monday 4/20 – Saturday 4-25
Download the complete program here (PDF, 3MB): Earth Week 2015 UW-Green Bay

All events are free (unless noted) and will take place at UW-Green Bay campus, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, WI

 

Monday, April 20th
Showing of NOVA Documentary Making Stuff Wilder

8:00pm, Christie Theater
A short documentary about modeling future technology after nature’s designs.
Sponsored by UWGB Chemistry Club

 

Tuesday, April 21st
UWGB Earth Day Forum, 3:00pm – 7:00pm, Phoenix Rooms C

3:00pm – 4:00pm, Convention featuring environmental organizations from UW-Green bay and Northeast Wisconsin
4:00pm – 4:45pm, Erin Wilcox, Water Resources Specialist, NEW Water
5:00pm – 6:00pm, Locally sources meal provided by Trust Local Foods
6:00pm – 6:45pm, Robert Atwell – President/CEO Nicolet Bank
Sponsored by SGA Environmental Committee

 

Wednesday, April 22nd
Annual UWGB Earth Day Celebration

11:00am – 1:00pm, Student Services Plaza (indoor Union if rain)
Annual UWGB Earth Day celebration with a meal for UWGB students ($5 for community members), live musical performance, water activities, and native seeds.
Sponsored by Public and Environmental Affairs Council (PEAC), Dietetics Club, SLO Food Alliance

…also on Wednesday:
Seminar with Justin Kroening
Justin Kroening from Stone Silo Prairie Gardens, Speaker on Native Plants
6:00pm, MAC 219
Justin will discuss the benefits of native plants and give tips on how to turn your garden into an oasis for wildlife!
Sponsored by Round River Alliance

 

Thursday, April 23rd & Friday, April 24th
Planting in the Student Services Plaza

5:30pm, Student Services Plaza
Our kick off to the planting season. Come get your hands dirty in our University’s garden. No prior experience is needed!
Sponsored by SLO Food Alliance

 

Saturday, April 25th
Annual Arboretum Clean-Up

9:00am – 12:00pm, meet/park on the corner of Champeau Rd & Sussex Rd at 9:00am.
Come clean up the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum. Wear rainboots and bring gloves!
Sponsored by Round River Alliance

…also on Saturday:
Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Third Annual River Clean-Up Project

8:00am – 2:00pm, various sites
Register online: www.fwwa.org/rivercleanup
All volunteers are welcome to join us for a free lunch and an afternoon of music and fun at our River Celebration at Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance headquarters in Appleton (1000 N. Ballard Road).
Sponsored by UWGB Ducks Unlimited Chapter

 

If you have any questions, please contact Anna Gribova, Co-President of PEAC, via sopeac@uwgb.edu. If you have a disability and would like to discuss accommodation, please contact Student Life at (920) 465-2720.

iPat Film Series presents “Damnation” 7pm on April 7th (free!)

The film will be shown at the Christie Theatre in the Union at 7pm, April 7th. Join for free! Popcorn will be served for free as well. Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2dYnTX55E

Free event hosted by the Department of Public & Environmental Affairs and the Center for Public Affairs at UW-Green Bay.

See the poster here (PDF): iPat Film Series_spring 2015