U.S. Secretary of Education Honors UW-Milwaukee for Sustainability Efforts

MILWAUKEE _ The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was among the schools recognized Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Education for efforts in sustainability and reducing environmental impact.

Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews, Federal Chief Sustainability Officer Christine Harada, and Deputy Director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council Anisa Baldwin-Metzger joined U.S. Secretary of Education John King in congratulating the Green Ribbon Schools on their achievements at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Kate Nelson, UWM’s chief sustainability officer, said the award was based on UWM’s high achievement in three key areas: reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, incorporating STEM, civic skills and green career pathways.

“The Department of Education was very impressed with UWM’s efforts in combining health and wellness, curriculum and research,” Nelson said.

UWM’s accomplishments include reducing greenhouse gas emissions at all sites by 10 percent, reducing energy consumption by 27 percent from 2008-2014, averting 16.5 million gallons of storm water each year with cisterns, green roofs and rain gardens, and making a large investment in a bicycle-sharing system, with the 2015 placement of six Bublr Bikes stations around campus.

“This important award reflects UWM’s enduring commitment to sustainability work and the dedication of faculty members, staff and students across many disciplines,” Chancellor Mark Mone said. As the first UW System school to receive this award, we are proud to lead the way for other Wisconsin colleges and universities in this area.”

UWM was nominated by the state of Wisconsin. No other UW System school has received the award since its inception in 2012, and the only other Wisconsin recipient has been Western Technical College in La Crosse.

In all, 47 schools, 15 districts and 11 colleges and universities were honored at the ceremony in Washington. School and college representatives received sustainably crafted plaques in recognition of their achievements.

View the list of all selected schools and districts and summaries of each of the 73 honorees.  More information on the federal recognition award can be found here. Resources for all schools to meet the criteria for the award can be found here.

About UWM

Recognized as one of the nation’s 115 top research universities, UW-Milwaukee provides a world-class education to more than 27,000 students from 81 countries. Its 14 schools and colleges include Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health, and it is a leading educator of nurses and teachers. With a budget of $667 million, UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, offer student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2016 “Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.