Welcome to the Conservation Conversation,

On Saturday, February 9, the UW–Whitewater men’s basketball team hosted UW–Superior and took home an 84 to 53 win. During the warm-up period, we worked hard to promote the UW-Whitewater Earth Initiative by performing some gorilla marketing tactics to increase awareness about sustainability efforts occurring across the campus.

The main draw was our water bottle give-away. Patrons attending the game could earn a reusable water bottle made of recycled materials by performing any of the following: liking the UW- Whitewater sustainability page on Facebook, Following UW – Whitewater sustainability on Twitter, or simply being part of a recycling video. Most participants opted for the “Likes” and “Follows,” but a few individuals aided in the creation of video clips.

Most of the video clips involved giving a short snippet giving the person’s name along with what they do to promote sustainability. One clip had people stating they recycle on a regular basis. Another turned off the lights every time they left their dorm room. We also had two guys state they recycled large amounts of aluminum cans.

The UW-Whitewater Cheerleaders even volunteered to be in our video! The cheerleaders remain sustainable by reusing water bottles at cheer practice. Seeing as there was a volleyball tournament occurring at the Williams Center concurrent with the basketball game, we decided to get volleyball teams involved with the video. Unfortunately, the initial team asked turned the video down.

Nonetheless, volleyball teams will be present again in the future allowing us future opportunities for additional videos. The UW-Whitewater dance team also expressed interest in filming a clip which may be done this coming Saturday, February 16th when the Warhawks battle UW–Oshkosh to extend their 5-game winning streak. We look forward to seeing everyone at the game, remember to stop at our booth for a water bottle.

GO WARHAWKS!

Last week our very own Zack Watton went around campus searching for answers to a few simple questions about sustainability here on the gorgeous UW-Whitewater campus. This week we would like to start by thanking Michael Flanagan, the Director of Crossman Gallery for his valuable time in answering a few of our interview questions.

This week we learned that Flanagan incorporates images from a tour of an ethanol production facility into course material. Flanagan really likes to get students thinking about how their choices can impact the environment post graduation by talking about different living arrangements and building materials among other topics. He hopes that getting students to critically think about applicable sustainability through coursework will be incorporated in decision making later in life.

When we interviewed Flanagan he expressed that he would like students to become more engaged in some of the activities hosted on campus such as Earth Day. Flanagan is huge advocate of campus beautification projects that incorporate sustainability such as native prairie seed plantings and hopes that more students get involved with projects like this on campus.

When we asked Flanagan where there is the most room for improvement around campus he expressed that we need more transit options around campus. There are far too many commuters that could easily benefit from mass transit in the area.
What do you think Whitewater? Would it make sense to have shuttle buses run in town for those distant neighborhoods? Would it make sense to have shuttle buses from park and rides in towns outside of Whitewater?

Let us know what you think and stay tuned for more interviews coming soon!

Let us know if you would like to have your voice be heard on anything to do with sustainability around Whitewater.