UWO sets eco-friendly example for consumers in need of change
With the recent celebration of Earth Day, everything from Instagram feeds to The New York Times seems to be focused on planet love and sustainability. UWO, one of the top-ranked eco-friendly colleges in America, is leading the community by taking initiative. Recently, the university received a prestigious award for their actions toward sustainability.
“The Tree Campus Higher Education award is given to campuses that make a practice of planting trees every year as well as educating the campus community about the importance of trees and hosting volunteer and educational events,” Campus Sustainability Officer Bradley Spanbauer said.
UWO has received this achievement multiple times in the previous decade but this year marks a special anniversary.
“This award is important for UWO because this is the Oshkosh campus' eleventh consecutive year of earning this distinction,” Spanbauer said. “We have made tremendous efforts to 'green' our grounds - this means eliminating lawn, adding native plants, adding permaculture, and generally using more sustainable maintenance practices. Our Fox Cities and Fond du Lac campuses have earned this distinction for 2020 as well.”
UWO’s larger plans for incorporating eco-friendly solutions into the campus include the introduction of green energy sources.
“Several campus buildings have photovoltaic panels, solar thermal panels, as well as geothermal systems,” Spanbauer said.
In addition to going solar, the campus tries to avoid hazardous practices and waste that might prove to be dangerous to the environment.
“We work to use as little chemicals as possible and replace current equipment with lower emissions or reduce use of higher emissions equipment,” said UWO grounds and automotive adviser Lisa Mick.
UWO tries to involve as many people as possible in creating green change. Students at UWO can make proposals regarding sustainability and get a chance to have their projects funded.
“Every year, generally in spring and in fall, we have opportunities for campus community members to help with planting trees,” Spanbauer said. “The last couple of years, the trees were funded partially by the student Green Fund, which is a fund that is part of student segregated fees that covers the cost of sustainability projects. Students submit proposals and a student committee votes on which projects to fund.”
Although the school is known for larger solutions and projects, small-scale projects and participation are essential to overall success as well.
“The trees filter the pollutants out of the air and provide shade for both our students and the building, leading to reduced cooling costs in the summer months and for an overall healthier environment,” said Mick.
Science teacher John Reiland leads the Green Team at West. He oversees many eco-friendly projects.
“I’m a huge fan of energy conservation,” he said. “Your little bit can make a big difference over a length of time.”
While the original West building was not designed to be environmentally-friendly, there have been recent improvements to convert the building to a cleaner state.
“The light bulbs now take a third of the electricity they used to,” Reiland said. “In the gym, there's a sensor based on carbon dioxide that senses how many people are in the gym, and the fan runs based on that rate.”
As times change, new variables threaten to tip the balance of the global equation.
“We have to learn to be more sustainable,” Reiland said. “We can’t live the way our grandparents did. We have to be more conscientious of our resources.”
Commonly-known solutions like recycling might seem like a perfect solution, but only covers a minority of the problem.
“We can say we’re recycling the plastic, but not all the plastic is getting recycled,” Reiland said. “If we keep using resources at the rate we are, that's a problem. We can reduce and still not make our life inconvenient.”
Spanbauer also feels that to make significant changes, more than just recycling is necessary. He believes much more can be done to help the planet.
“I think people should know that sustainability is more than recycling. Recycling was the standard about ten years ago,” he said. “Now the standard is to ask yourself: what are you doing to reduce your consumption? Are you growing your own food? Can you support a local farmer or business to reduce mileage on your goods and services? Can you fix something that you own, rather than buying a new product? Can you substitute a car trip for a bike trip regularly?”
Change is possible with widespread acceptance and effort. Issues with sustainability require a team effort to overturn.
“Oshkosh is a progressive community,” Mick said. “We as community members need to step up and find opportunities on our own properties to advance the sustainable approach and help in the city's mission. There are so many ways to help this world regarding sustainability, we need to do our research and see what works for each of us.”
By Meghan Oakes
Published April 30, 2021
Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue VII