Potential/Future Projects

Below is a list of potential sustainability-related projects for students, faculty, and staff to engage in.  If you are interested in working on any of these projects, please contact UW-Stout’s Environmental Sustainability Coordinator, Sarah Rykal, at rykals@uwstout.edu to plan and coordinate the project you are interested in.

If you have ideas for an additional project, please submit your idea here.

Management Systems

  • Develop a personal appliance policy
  • Explore a 4-day work week policy
  • Enforce the thermostat policy
  • Establish green meetings guidelines and checklist
  • Eliminate all paper surveys
  • Implement a segregated "green fee" to fund sustainability initiatives
  • Provide incentives for faculty and staff to develop sustainability initiatives 
  • Offset projects with Stout Tech Park
  • Establish UW-Stout Sustainable Leadership Awards
  • Continuously integrate sustainability criteria into senior-level planning and decision-making
  • Include sustainability in performance evaluations
  • Provide green building design/management training of current UW-Stout personnel
  • Conduction sustainable Human Resources interventions with Masters in Applied Psychology students

 

Planning, Design, and Development

  • Conduct energy audits of all campus buildings
  • Implement use of faculty, staff, and student "Design Charrette" to provide feedback to new construction and upgrade proposals

 

Pollution Prevention

  • Maintain full compliance with all environmental legislative and regulatory requirements
  • Develop storm water management education (e.g., stenciling around campus, promotional campaigns, brochures, website, workshops, etc.)

 

Knowledge Systems

  • Create an online "Green Tour" of UW-Stout with links to all the sustainable initiatives on campus
  • Create a "Water Map" of hydration stations on campus
  • Campus-wide marketing campaigns for StoutBikes, Stout Route Campus Bus, energy conservation, UW-Stout Rideboard, waste reduction, Recyclemania, I Love Tap Water, etc. 
  • Improve communication methods by:
    • Communicating where food in Dining Services comes from
    • Communicating via paperless methods
    • Establish a central point of contact for communication
    • Use social networking tools for communication
    • Create an energy dashboard
  • Hold educational seminars and events that include the surrounding community such as:
    • Sustainability training
    • Signage in public use areas
    • Sustainability checklists
    • Awareness campaigns
  • Achieve sustainability training delivery to 50% of current student body and 100% of incoming student body
  • Achieve sustainability training delivery to 50% of current faculty and staff and 100% of incoming faculty and staff
  • Develop a Sustainable Construction Program
  • Create a General Education requirement in Sustainability
  • Establishment of University Wellness Center

 

Energy Management

  • Pilot a solar hot water heater
  • Engage building occupants in energy efficiency using a stoplight or energy dashboard
  • Progressively rely on renewable energy sources
  • Increasingly rely on remote monitoring and maintenance of campus heating, cooling, and energy use
  • Continue to implement energy retrofits for academic/nonacademic buildings
  • Develop a strategy for sharing refrigerators, microwaves, printers, etc.
  • Create energy conservation teams in particular areas of campus (academic buildings, residence halls, etc.) to reduce energy use
  • Retrofit existing lighting to more energy efficient lighting (natural light, LED, CFL, motion sensors) including parking lots
  • Inventory and install steam blankets/insulation in all buildings
  • Provide power strips to encourage shut down of equipment when not in use
  • Hot water heat for pool using solar panels
  • Replace sidewalk lights with solar lights
  • Install and replace windows with more efficient windows
  • Utilize window film to reduce solar gain
  • Purchase from Xcel Energy's Windsource Program
  • Residence Hall Renewal Plan includes all new windows, heating systems, lighting, and plumbing
  • Change out air handling equipment to more energy efficient equipment
  • Install sustainable roofs
  • Convert to trayless food service
  • Campus-owned appliance audit -- look at the number and characteristics (e.g., Energy Star, model, year, etc.) of refrigerators, microwaves, printers, etc. for each academic and administrative building
  • Faculty, staff, and student-owned appliance audit -- look at the number and characteristics (e.g., Energy Star, model, year, etc.) of refrigerators, microwaves, printers, etc. for each building

 

Water Management

  • Re-grade landscapes for storm water management
  • Install water saving equipment and fixtures in all on-campus restroom facilities
  • Install rain water tanks

 

Materials Management

  • Waste audit for campus buildings -- determining what is recycled versus what is thrown away
  • Audit of green products (e.g., cleaning products, paper, etc.) purchased by UW-Stout
  • Develop and implement a regional/community composting program
  • Require all vendors to provide their sustainability action plan (ISO 140001)
  • Achieve continuous reduction in municipal solid waste to landfill

 

Transportation

  • Coordinate travel for same destination trips
  • Partner with Wisconsin DOT or local transport company to start a vanpool program
  • Maintain current level of parking space through 2025
  • Convert fleet vehicles to hybrids or alternative fuel
  • Purchase electric or hybrid vehicles for on-campus use
  • Increase alternative transportation options for the campus
  • Develop an infrastructure to support bicycle transportation and parking on campus

 

Biodiversity

  • Purchase more land for green space
  • Install more permeable surfaces
  • Return on-campus plantings to native species