Receive fresh produce from the Campus Garden throughout the growing season with the UW-Whitewater CSA program. Members will receive weekly shares of produce from the student managed garden which produces over 2,000 pounds of vegetables and fruit each year using practices in line with organic growing methods. This blog post includes information about the Campus Garden CSA, why to consider supporting, how it works, and how to join!

What is a CSA?

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and allows consumers to purchase produce directly from the farmer. Individuals pay for a “member share” upfront, early in the year in exchange for freshly harvested goods throughout the growing season. There are numerous types of CSA’s that offer a variety of goods. For more information, visit https://www.csacoalition.org.

Why Join the UWW CSA?

Support the UW-Whitewater Campus Garden Program – The Campus Garden provides hands-on learning experiences for the students managing the garden as well as the volunteers that help maintain it. This space allows us to tangibly communicate the importance of locally sourced food while teaching gardening methods in line with organic production. Additionally, excess produce generated from the Campus Garden is provided to local food pantries to support individuals in the community.  Funds raised from the CSA program will help provide materials and labor needed to continue the Campus Garden program. 

Convenient and Fresh Produce That Follows the Season – All produce provided in the weekly shares is grown without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and harvested within the last 24 hours from the Campus Garden. Produce is stored in refrigerated conditions in the Warhawk Pantry and is easily accessible to nearby parking.  The vegetables you receive will vary week-to-week depending on what is in season and ready to harvest, offering CSA members with new experiences mixed with traditional favorites. Garden production will increase throughout the course of the season and peak in mid-August. 

Weekly Member Mailings – In addition to the produce, members will also receive updates from the gardening team as well as with delicious recipes and proper storage techniques.

How Does the UWW CSA Work?

Harvest – Starting late June or early July, UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office student employees and volunteers will harvest produce every Tuesday and deliver it to the Warhawk Panty. From there, the employees will distribute the produce equally between each of the member’s crates. All member shares will receive the same types of produce with approximately equal amounts. 

Pick up – Members will pick up their produce from the Warhawk Pantry each Wednesday between 3-5 PM. Members will place the items from the crate (labeled with their name) and place them in a tote bag, leaving the crate at the Warhawk Pantry.  Members will be provided with a large reusable tote bag the first week and asked to bring a bag with them each week for picking up their produce. This process will continue for the next 14 weeks (July 1 through mid-October) or until the first killing frost of fall. The final pickup date will be determined by staff and communicated via email based on growing conditions as the season winds down.

Join the UW-Whitewater CSA

1. Sign up for Membership. Click here to submit your member interest form. We are offering ten member shares for the first season of the UW-Whitewater CSA program. Memberships will be assigned in the order that inquiries are received and considered filled once payment is received. Please note, submitting a member interest form does not guarantee you will receive a CSA membership. Once all ten memberships have been offered we will begin a waitlist.
2. Check your Email. An email will be sent to the address listed on your sign up form. This email will state whether you are offered a membership or are on the waitlist along with the corresponding next steps. 
3. Make Payment. If offered a membership, you will need to pay the $300 in full by Monday, June 22. If your payment is not received by this time, your membership offer will be withdrawn and transferred to the next individual on the waitlist. More instructions on how to make a payment will be included in the membership offering email.
4. Pickup Starting 7/1. Keep an eye out for an email from sustainability@uww.edu with detailed instructions for picking up your weekly share each Wednesday from 3-5 PM at the Warhawk Pantry in Drumlin Dining Hall. Each week we’ll send you a reminder email with instructions for pickup and parking along with recipes and storage tips for the produce items received that week. 

Traveling can be fun, but also hectic when figuring out all of the logistics. It can be even more difficult if you are trying to plan sustainably. Here are some tips and tricks to help make vacation planning a little easier for the avid environmentalist.

Flying vs Driving

A plane produces a lot more carbon than a car does, even if you drive for a longer period of time. Try to pick vacation destinations that are within driving distance. Taking a road trip also allows for the opportunity to do more sightseeing along the way! If you chose to go on a road trip, bring friends along! Driving and road tripping are ecologically better if you travel with more than one person.

If you are going somewhere by yourself, try to opt for flying. If you decide to fly, try to book nonstop flights since the most carbon is released from a plane during take off and landing.

Travel to destinations that support sustainability.

Spring break is an economic boom for areas that are popular during travel seasons, like spring break. If you are trying to decide where you would like to travel, consider places where you would like to help the economy, because they put their money towards their environment.

Some sustainable destinations are:

• Costa Rica has been consistently working towards protection and restoration of their natural beauties and ecosystems. They focus on land preservation, which is why 60% of the island is covered in forest, and 30% of these forests are nature reserves. Costa Rica has also planned to become carbon neutral by 2021, which would make it the first country to become carbon neutral.
• The National Park Service has been actively working towards protecting and preserving the parks since Theodore Roosevelt started the National Park Service in 1905. The National Parks continue to strive towards conservation. Some examples of this would be Yellowstone National Park bringing back the wolves, Bird monitoring in Pinnacles National Park, and the reintroduction of wolves at Isle Royale National Park.
• Switzerland is well known as a leader in sustainability due to their impressive recycling rate including 94% of old glass is getting recycled, along with 81% of all PET containers. Along with this, legislation in Switzerland has been actively making sure that 30% of the land of Switzerland is trees. They have been doing this for 125 years now!

When you travel to destinations, you benefit the economy in these areas. Take time to think about where you want to benefit the economy and choose areas that promote for sustainability and conservation when possible.

Packing for Travel

Don’t forget to pack these essentials for traveling sustainably!

1. Reusable water bottles (especially great for tropical destinations).
2. Reusable bags are handy for shopping trips while on vacation.
3. Wooden utensil sets are a great alternative to plastic ware because they are biodegradable, reusable, and easy to throw into a purse, cooler, or backpack.
4. Reusable containers can come in handy for snacks or leftovers throughout your trip. Mason jars are a convenient option and a great alternative to plastic bags. 
5. A good pair of sunglasses and shoes to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, wherever you go!

Have fun on your spring break trips, but also try to instill daily sustainable practices while on vacation, just as you would in your daily life.

 

Water Conservation on Campus

Wisconsin Energy Initiatives (WEI) is a statewide partnership between private companies and the state government with a focus geared toward conserving energy in various facilities, including universities. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s sustainability efforts has incorporated several water saving techniques throughout the residence halls. This includes dual flush toilets and water saving faucets, shower heads, and washers.

Dual Flush Toilets

These dual flush toilets are also known as Sloan WES Dual Flush Valve and Zurn toilets. They allow for different directions of flushing, push the handle down for solid waste and pull the handle up for liquid waste. These different directions of flushing are useful in conserving water on our campus. Solid waste (or pushing down) uses 1.6 gallons of water per flush, while liquid waste (or pulling up) uses 1.1 gallons of water. We save 0.5 gallons of water every time we flush up for liquids. When compared to that of a regular flushing toilet, our dual flush toilets use about 25 percent less water which is a significant amount when considering the number of toilets and frequency they’re used. Dual flush toilets are located in Tutt, Knilans, and Starin halls, with Fischer and Wellers soon to follow as renovations on campus continue.

Faucets

All of the faucets in the residence halls are low flow and conserve water. In new construction areas and Starin Hall, faucets have flow rates of 0.5 gallons per minute in the bathrooms and 2.0 gallons per minute in the kitchen. The rest of the residence halls have water saving flow rates of 1.5 gallons per minute.

Shower Heads

All shower heads on campus ensure water is being conserved each day while students shower. The new construction areas on campus have shower heads with a flow rate of only 1.75 gallons per minute. While older shower heads on campus have a flow rate of 2.0 gallons per minute, which is well below the federal mandate of 2.5 gallons per minute or less.

Washers

In campus residence halls you will find Maytag White Commercial High-Efficiency Front-Load Washers, which are great at conserving water. These washers sense the amount of clothing inside and dispense only the required amount of water in order to complete the wash cycle. This saves at least 50 percent more water than traditional washers. The high efficiency of these washers, also allow for less detergent to be used by students while washing their clothes.

Overall,  UW-Whitewater has implemented several initiatives to ensure water is conserved throughout the residence halls. First, our dual flush toilets save 0.5 gallons of water every time we flush up for liquids, as well as using 25 percent less water overall than regular flushing toilets. The faucets found in residence halls ensure low flow rates of water, resulting in increased water conservation. Shower heads found in residence halls have flow rates well below the federal mandate of 2.5 gallons per minute. With flow rates of 1.75-2.0 gallons per minute, these are great for saving water. Lastly, our high efficiency washers found in residence halls save at least 50 percent more water than traditional washers, also allowing for less detergent per wash. All of these water savings really add up! With each of these initiatives, UW-Whitewater allows students to be sustainable while living in the residence halls.

 

 

Turn your favorite old shirt into your favorite new bag

Using your own shirt to make an easy-to-use reusable bag is a great way for you and your family and friends to practice reusing a common household item instead of creating waste.  Most shopping trips usually ends with more plastic bags given out with your purchase, which are typically used once and end up in a landfill or polluting our local environment. Reusable bags are an easy way to avoid adding more plastic waste, but are often somewhat cumbersome to carry around.

This fun craft will transform a favorite old shirt into a bag that you can take with you on every shopping trip.  Not only does this help reduce plastic waste from disposable bags, but it also helps reduce resource consumption and generated waste through textile manufacturing.

If you and your family are in need of shirts to transform, visit local thrift stores or donations center.  For those near Whitewater, visit either Goodwill or The Thrift Shoppe.

Follow these steps for your new bag

1.  Gather a marker, scissors, ruler, and your shirt.

2.  Start by measuring 3 inches from the bottom of your shirt and make a small mark. From this mark draw a light line across your shirt.

3.  Next along the bottom of your shirt mark every inch. This will be used to make incisions later.

4.  This step requires you to fold your shirt in half vertically and to cut out the neck and sleeve areas.

5.  Once you’ve removed the neck and sleeve areas unfold your shirt and make cuts from the bottom up to the line you drew earlier.  Each incision should line up with your previously marked points.

6.  Next tie together each strip of clothing sealing the bottom of the bag. Remove any unwanted or excess material.

7.  For extra fun turn your bag inside out and decorate the blank side.

Editorial By Taylor Stevens – Sustainability Assistant

When we think about all the environmental impacts that our consumption and waste habits have on the environment, there is a lot to be talked about. In the new wave of trends and discoveries, people have been experiencing the realization that our consumption of products: plastic, paper, natural, etc. all have an impact on the environment around us. Unfortunately, if we do not pay attention to crucial issues such as human consumption and single use plastics we can miss a lot of details in the makeup of the ecosystem we call our Earth. We need to be aware of the impact that our daily habits have on the environment. We also need to ask ourselves the question of: What will happen to the world around us if we don’t start becoming aware of the impacts that our daily habits have on the Earth around us?

As for single use plastics, the real question we should all be asking ourselves is why have we not talked about this sooner. For decades we have dumped single-use plastic trash into our oceans and shipped them overseas to countries that may not be as developed at the United States. In the process, we are destroying our natural ecosystems, poisoning waterways, and killing off the food that we eat and the animals we call our companions on this Earth. However, why has society recently focused on the use of plastic straws specifically and not the overall use of plastic? Plastic straws are apart of the single use plastic problem contributing to a lot of plastic waste, but what about single use plastic consumption as a whole issue? What happens when the plastic cutlery, plastic product bottles for beauty items and water, plastic food containers, and plastic wrap add to our use of plastic straws and the plastic catastrophe as a whole? Then, instead of the problem just being about one form of single use plastic, we have created a massive monster of single use plastic that is slowly killing our oceans and our Earth. We need to start asking ourselves what can we do about it and how can we change?

For the month of October is it Campus Sustainability Month. Sustainability is embracing the principles of conservation, preservation, justice, and environmental activism to create positive change in the world around you. As a campus, the University of Wisconsin Whitewater Sustainability Office will be having a pledge and petition. We, as a collective campus are fighting to reduce our use of single use plastics! For the week of October 1st, on the 2nd and 3rd (Tuesday and Wednesday) we will be having a banner pledge signing as well as giveaway sessions on the North Mall and in the UC 12:30-2 pm. The banner is a pledge to reduce your use of single use plastic in your personal life in any way possible! Small changes among a collective group of individuals can have a massive impact on the larger community. When you decide to sign the banner and pledge to reduce your use of single use plastics, you will be given a prize from the following variety: reusable tote bag, reusable water bottle, bamboo reusable cutlery, or a stainless steel straw. Please consider taking the pledge to reduce your use of single use plastics and lessen your personal daily impact on the world around you!

Interested in joining a student organization focused on sustainability? Consider joining SAGE (Students Allied for a Green Earth) Wednesdays 6-7:15 pm in UC 275 A! As a campus we can create a brighter sustainable future for both our community and our campus here at Whitewater. Ask yourself the steps you can take to help the environment around you in your daily life- it could be as simple as refusing to use a plastic non-reusable water bottle. You can make a difference! Go out and try to make a change!

More questions or comments? Contact sustainability@uww.edu

This summer, the Sustainability Office has been up to many of our favorite summer activities, including some great student leadership and outreach through our campus garden and a focus on strategic planning for the new school year. We also worked on the second submission to the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking and Rating System (STARS). STARS is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. STARS is intended to engage and recognize the full spectrum of colleges and universities – from community colleges to research universities – and encompasses long-term sustainability goals for already high-achieving institutions as well as entry points of recognition for institutions that are taking first steps toward sustainability. 912 institutions have registered to use the STARS Reporting Tool. Reported data is also utilized for participation in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges and Sierra Magazine’s Cool Schools.

An institution’s score is based on the percentage of points it earns by pursuing relevant credits across four main categories: Academics (AC), Engagement (EN), Operations (OP), and Planning & Administration (PA). In addition, institutions may earn up to four Innovation & Leadership (IN) points for exemplary and path-breaking initiatives that are not covered by other STARS credits or that exceed the highest criterion of a standard credit.

UW-Whitewater submitted our initial report for Stars version 2.0 in April 2015 and received a Silver Rating with a score of 45.35%. In spring 2018, we began the process of data collection, analysis, and reporting for our second submission to STARS version 2.1 and generated our final STARS submission in August 2018. We anticipate we will maintain a Silver Rating, but improved our score from 45.35% to a current provisional score of 55.21%. The report will be available on the STARS website and the UW-Whitewater Sustainability website upon acceptance by Chancellor Kopper and AASHE.

We are very proud of the achievements we’ve been able to make to improve our performance. On the other hand, STARS is a great tool to identify areas of improvement and we hope to take some strides in the upcoming years to reach Gold status by the next time we are required to report to STARS in 2021. We think this achievement is well within our reach and look forward to pursuing this goal with our campus!

Academics

• 2018 estimated performance:  34.30/58.00; 59%
• 2015 STARS score:  21.73/58.00; 37%

Our performance for the integration of sustainability into curriculum and research credits significantly improved from our previous report. This includes new campus learning objectives that embrace “Personal and Civic Responsibility” and mention social issues and environmental concerns. The Environmental Science undergraduate and Environmental Safety and Health graduate programs ensure students at various levels an opportunity to focus their studies on environmental issues. Numerous faculty self-reported integration of sustainability topics into a variety of curriculum and research activities from a diverse range of academic departments. Integration of the campus as a living laboratory was accomplished through faculty collaboration efforts with the UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office serving as a conduit to operational sustainability best practices and related data. Beyond our campus, sustainability-themed immersive experiences offer students a look at sustainable development issues globally.

Engagement

• 2018 estimated performance:  24.57/41.00; 60%
• 2015 STARS score:  22.87/41.00; 56%

A continued strength area for the UW-Whitewater Sustainability Office, our most notable success has been to transition several engagement programs to more direct student oversight as we have added several student staff members since 2015. We have also added marketing-focused staff to enhance the robust variety of outreach methods we employ to educate the campus community through our co-curricular programming, including others that involve students directly in this activity (Eco-Reps and Creative Marketing Unlimited for digital media and event outreach). Student organizations, campus events, and outreach materials provide sustainability information and experiences throughout the year. We also participate in organized national sustainability campaigns such as RecycleMania to engage the campus community and partner with various other campus and community organizations to maximize our impact in this area.

Operations

• 2018 estimated performance:  31.93/72.00; 44%
• 2015 STARS score:  30.63/70.00; 44%

Most operational categories utilize quantitative data to measure performance and in some areas, such as Waste and Water, we had noticeable improvements. Other areas, such as Air & Climate and Energy, saw noticeable improvements since becoming a signatory of the American College and University President’s Climate Commitment in 2007, but progress has stalled since our last report. There is a baseline of established practices that apply to Buildings that account for consistent scoring in these areas, but room for policy improvement still exists. Food & Dining will likely see increased values in future ore revised assessments, but the data needed for STARS reporting was not available in the format requested for assessment. Other areas, such as Purchasing, are restricted somewhat by UW System or state policies, but data collection methods improved from our previous report. Grounds and Transportation have notable successes, but indicate plenty of room for future growth.

Planning and Administration

• 2018 estimated performance:  17.22/32.00; 54%
• 2015 STARS score:  21.12/32.00; 66%)

This area is more difficult to collect data as many of these programs are not coordinated by the Sustainability Office, but the efforts to maintain an inclusive campus are reflected well in the Diversity and Affordability section. Coordination, Planning & Governance also saw strong scores, which reflects the existing efforts to incorporate sustainability in various planning processes already and the strong history of shared governance representation in campus decision-making. There is room for improvement in Health, Well-Being, & Work, but some of these elements are beyond our control, such as compensation, and great strides have been made to improve the living wage on our campus. Investment is a category that we received no points and remains the particular sub-category we could make the most improvements.

Sample of Priorities for FY 2019-21

• Improve data collection of sustainability activity in academics through consistent faculty outreach and annual reporting of curriculum and research activities.
• Re-launch Savanna Project sustainability training workshop to encourage more faculty to infuse sustainability concepts into their existing or new curriculum.
• Develop survey instruments to assess sustainability literacy related to learning outcomes and sustainability culture on campus.
• Reinforce partnership with Housing through the support of the Eco-Reps peer to peer sustainability training program.
• Advocate for more campus sustainability leadership in the state and beyond and increase leadership and involvement with community sustainability efforts.
• Pursue more aggressive energy conservation and renewable energy investment to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas impact.
• Encourage alternative transportation use and establish a bicycle/pedestrian culture to reduce single-occupancy vehicle use.
• Establish UW-Whitewater Nature Preserve as a protected area through formal policy.
• Increase green cleaning product usage and recycling percentage in paper purchasing.
• Develop data collection methodology with campus dining contractor and formalize reporting process on annual basis.
• Develop waste and recycling signage and bin consistency and pursue more aggressive outreach campaign to improve recycling rates to 50% diversion.
• Recommend development of mandatory cultural competence training and providing support for underrepresented staff members.
• Recommend sustainable investment best practices to University Advancement and Foundation staff for consideration.
• Write campus Sustainability Plan to inform future decisions and priorities with input from Sustainability Council and campus community.
• Implement annual reporting cycle for key components of STARS data to improve data accuracy, reliability, and responsiveness from relevant campus contacts.

As we approach the “dog days” of summer, there is always a lot to enjoy on UW-Whitewater’s campus. In particular, our partnership with the Office of Continuing Education allows us to host several Campus Garden and Landscape Tours every week, sometimes even twice a week, for anyone from campus or the community to come visit and enjoy.

All tours are free and open to the public, but we ask that you register online at www.uww.edu/ce/garden or by phone at 262-472-1003. These are walking tours with low activity levels. If you need accommodations or have questions about physical access, please contact Kari Borne bornek@uww.edu or 262-472-1003.

Here is the upcoming list of campus tour dates in August, followed by some details about each tour:

Prairie and Nature Preserve
• Thursday, August 9, 6:30-8:00 PM

Campus Flower Gardens
• Thursday, August 23, 6:00-7:30 PM
• Saturday, August 25, 10:00-11:30 AM

Upham Greenhouse and Campus Vegetable Garden
• Thursday, August 16, 5:00-6:00 PM
• Thursday, August 30, 5:00-6:00 PM

Prairie and Nature Preserve

The UW-Whitewater Nature Preserve and Recreation Area is approximately 100 acres, or about 25% of our total campus land area! This area that includes tennis courts, a softball field, reservable shelters, and walking trails through the 40 acre Friar’s Woods and a significant prairie reconstruction area we’ve featured in previous blog posts at both the beginning of the season and at the very end.  However, the real beauty and enjoyment of the prairie comes throughout the course of the summer months, with the prairie blooms peaking in July but offering something a little different no matter what month you visit.  The first tour this month will immediately follow the Summer Concert Series, so feel free to check out that free event and register to join us for our free prairie walk.  We will provide identification and some interesting facts and historic uses of about 30 prairie species and also talk about the invasive species that can often threaten a prairie habitat.  This walk follows a short looping path through the original prairie reconstruction area.  From this section, seeds are collected each year to distribute to other former agricultural lands in the Nature Preserve to restore this area to an ecosystem one might have found here prior to European settlement.

Campus Flower Gardens

The Campus Flower Garden tours are a crowd favorite and with good reason.  The FP&M Grounds Crew assigned to the central core we visit on this tour do an excellent job planting a variety of annual and perennial flowering forbs to enjoy blooms throughout the summer, but the efforts peak in their display near the beginning of fall semester each year.  We will take a short, but very meandering walk past about a dozen flower beds and landscaped areas.  Members of the crew that manage this zone will join us for this tour to talk about their work first-hand and provide details on the types of flowers and specific varieties they order to ensure we have a beautiful campus that even begins to approach botanical garden quality!  Additionally, staff from the Sustainability Office will provide details on the sustainable landscaping practices that allow our Grounds Crew to maintain a minimal impact on the environment and on their budget.  Questions are encouraged and this tour is geared toward anyone with a casual appreciation for beauty to those hardcore plant aficionados!

Upham Greenhouse and Campus Vegetable Garden

The Campus Garden and Upham Greenhouse tour provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the Sustainability Office manages these spaces to maximize student involvement in horticulture throughout the entire year.   The Campus Garden was started in 2013 as a food pantry garden by a Service Learning class focused on food security issues and how the nonprofit Growing Power addressed those issues in urban Milwaukee.  While Whitewater is not overly urban, its lack of a dedicated grocery store does limit access to fresh produce grown without use of pesticides or additional packaging and processing.  From this beginning, the Sustainability Office took over the garden project and grew it to be very impactful in its primary mission to donate between 1500 and 2500 pounds of produce each season.  Garden staff also collect donations from the Whitewater City Market and provide additional tons of produce to the Community Food Pantry each year.  Additionally, student support and involvement has expanded to reach other school and public gardens in our area and inspired the formation of the Gardening Club student organization.  These operations even occur in the winter as students use space in Upham Greenhouse to conduct horticulture experiments and stay involved in plant care in the Biology Department’s specimen collections.

We hope you can join us for one or several of these tour dates.  Each tour offers a unique perspective on how horticulture and land management practices on UW-Whitewater’s campus not only provide avenues for more sustainable operations, but also offer faculty, staff, students, and community members opportunities to get involved in community service and have a positive impact on our local environment and community.

The Power of Produce (PoP) Club is now at the Whitewater City Market on Tuesdays from 4-7 PM. This event may be new to Whitewater, but it is actually common at many markets around the United States!  The PoP Club works to encourage families to attend the farmers market each week and empowers young shoppers to make their own nutritious food choices.  Did you know? People are more likely to eat their fruits and vegetables when they attend the farmers market.

The Power of Produce Club is for kids ages 4-12 (registration is required).  For each market they attend, PoP Club members receive one free coupon that allows them to purchase $3 of their own fruits and vegetables.  Who doesn’t want fresh, tasty, local produce?

What’s the best way to learn about the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables? With fun hands-on activities!  Along with receiving coupons every week that the children visit, they also get to participate in free learning activities.  Some activities include: learning plant parts, planting a seed, decorating a garden rock, and painting with produce! The final two PoP Club dates at the Whitewater City Market are Tuesday, August 7^th and Tuesday, August 14^th where children can look forward to using the PoP photo booth and making thank you cards for their favorite farmers. For more information, visit our Facebook event page.