UW-Whitewater joins national sustainability association

November 5, 2008

To become a more environmentally friendly campus, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has joined the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). As a leader of the sustainability movement among universities, AASHE will provide UW-Whitewater with tools, resources, training and guidance to become more environmentally sustainable.

“AASHE acts as a gateway for universities to link their efforts, either by partnerships or simple sharing of information,” UW-Whitewater Sustainability Coordinator Wesley Enterline said. “They also provide workshops and other forms of professional development training.”

UW-Whitewater became a member of the AASHE because of its dedication to the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), a pledge stating to work toward eliminating campus’ greenhouse gas emissions.

The resources that AASHE provides are available to all students, faculty and staff and range from academic tools for students and faculty to operational tools for administration decision-makers. Enterline said, “I think the information can be used to help establish a culture of sustainability that more closely reflects the developing environmental awareness in our society as a whole.”

One of UW-Whitewater’s immediate goals is to conduct a comprehensive greenhouse gas inventory of all campus activities. “As a signatory of the Climate Commitment, we are obligated to provide this information to establish a benchmark of carbon emissions. This will provide a starting point to work toward reducing our emissions,” Enterline said. He is also currently working with students in the “Human Environmental Problems” classes researching practical sustainability solutions and experimenting with implementation of these programs for possible long-term use.

Next semester UW-Whitewater also plans to participate in RecyleMania, a national recycling initiative where more than 400 colleges and universities will compete for 10 weeks in an effort to improve recycling rates and reduce overall volume of waste.

UW-Whitewater’s decision to obtain membership into the AASHE gives the entire campus access to members-only resources, discounts to AASHE-sponsored workshops and events, and opportunities for professional development and networking.

“In an effort to disseminate information, we also hope to develop a UW-Whitewater Sustainability Web portal where students can easily access information and events specific to our campus, and provide links to organizations like AASHE for more information on a broad scale,” Enterline said.

“I am very excited that we have joined AASHE,” he added. “There are practical benefits to being a member with the additional information provided and the opportunities for training and development. It is also a symbolic step which shows that the UW-W administration is committed to a more sustainable future and we believe the rest of the staff, faculty, and students are ready for this change too.”

Students, faculty and staff can stay current on the progress of campus sustainability by subscribing to the AASHE Bulletin, a weekly publication on the most recent sustainability news, resources, events and opportunities at U.S. and Canada colleges and universities. To subscribe, please visit the AASHE Bulletin Web site at www.aashe.org/archives/bulletin

For more information regarding campus sustainability please visit the AASHE Web site at www.aashe.org