Chippewa Valley UW schools recognized for sustainability practices, efforts

With recognition pointing towards sustainability practices and efforts in Universities of Wisconsin schools in the Chippewa Valley, local institutions are taking steps towards tackling student concerns.

“Sustainability is in our strategic plan; it is really relevant for the incoming class of students,” said Lily Strehlow, campus sustainability coordinator from UW-Eau Claire. “We see current students recognizing climate anxiety events to help alleviate that climate anxiety, and I’ve heard about that happening on other campuses as well. Students are looking for a campus they know is doing good work to solve climate change and where they learn how to contribute to those movements.”

And with UW-Eau Claire receiving a silver rating from the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, STARS, Strehlow said their university is one of those places.

The STARS designation from the Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in Higher Education, AASHE, validated and recognized a total of 355 institutions throughout the world for their sustainability practices in academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, innovation and leadership. Ratings range between Reporter, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

This is the first time that the university has applied for and received the rating.

“It is a way for us to tell everyone that we are a sustainable campus…” said Strehlow. This means that we know where we’re excelling and where we need to do more work when it comes to sustainability.”

She said their university does many things to commit to this idea, including making the campus eco-friendly, connecting students to sustainability internships and committing to their 2025 strategic plan, among many other things. With their strategic plan, the university hopes to incorporate sustainability into their curriculum and practices both at the school and in their partnerships.

Also receiving a STAR rating from the AASHE, UW-River Falls share their commitment.

“Sustainability is one of our core values,” said Mark Klapatch-Mathias, sustainability coordinator at UWRF. “It is also in our academic and strategic plans, so it’s essentially in all of the guiding documents for our university.”

After filling out the report for their STARS designation, UWRF received a Gold rating for their campus. Their university has participated in the rating before, as schools are allowed to update their report every three years; this is the highest rating their university has ever received.

“Sometimes in our information communicated to the public through the university, sustainability tends to be used as a buzzword,” said Amber Rappl, a senior at UWRF and member of the Sustainability Office. “For our campus and for the context of the STARS rating, where we did rank higher this year compared to previous years, it includes social, environmental and economic sustainability.”

With that in mind, Klapatch-Mathias said that the scope of what sustainability entails is much more broad than what some people may realize. Universities also have to take into account other campus factors like economic sustainability, addressing poverty with students through food banks and access to scholarships and financial aid.

Klapatch-Mathias said there is also a social component, which was highlighted in their Earth Fest celebration that saw a partnering between local organizations, the city and the school district.

“We also have a big event each year called Earth Fest, and that is incorporating sustainability efforts on campus and in the entire River Falls community,” said Lauren Schmelzer, another senior and member of the Sustainability Office at UWRF. “We’re inviting organizations, student orgs, outside orgs and companies… And it is basically to spread awareness throughout our entire River Falls community about the importance of sustainability and how it can help our global perspective broaden.”

As both universities receive their sustainability ratings this year, Strehlow said — speaking from her perspective at UW-Eau Claire — she is thankful that there are people at the university who are passionate about this topic. Whether it is decreasing the carbon footprint or addressing economic disparity, she said facing this challenge as Universities of Wisconsin schools takes time and effort to make a difference.

U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School

Along with the STARS recognition for UW-Eau Claire and UW-River Falls, UW-Stout also received recognition as a Postsecondary Sustainability Awardee. They were one of three educational institutions, the only postsecondary one, to receive this recognition this year.

With this recognition, Stout became one of only 55 organizations and institutions across the country to be named as a 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School.

“For us it is an honor, but it also reinforces the work that we currently do on campus,” said Erik Guenard, vice chancellor for Business, Finance and Administrative Services at Stout.

He continued, and said, “Sustainability prepares us for the future. As we look at that, we are reducing our carbon footprint, looking at sustainable design in our buildings… for us, it is a way of thinking moving forward into the future.”

Kadi Wright, sustainability manager at Stout, said the application for the award is broken up into and measured by three pillars: efforts to reduce environmental impacts and cost, improve health and wellness of students and staff and increase environmental literacy.

With the recognition highlighting work done by university staff and students on campus and with their community, Wright said it is great to see this award go towards UW-Stout.

“It is an awesome way to communicate to current students and potential students what Stout is doing and what other universities are doing,” she said. “It is also an awesome way to highlight the work that other students are doing on our campus, as well.”

“It just reinforces the impact that we are having on the environment and looking at what our baseline of sustainability has been, what it is currently and what we should work towards in the future,” said Guenard.