The Office of Sustainability and Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies held its first Sustainability Symposium Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the Discovery Building.

The event featured talks from university faculty and a poster session that showed opportunities for students to get involved in sustainability on campus as well as current sustainability projects.

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University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin spoke about current sustainability projects the school is working on, including green rooftops and a recycling program where the school recycles more than 30,000 pounds of carpet every year from residence halls.

The school is also currently working on a “campus master plan,” which will place a notable focus on sustainability, Mnookin said in an interview with The Badger Herald.

“We’re making a difference in ways that really pay off,” Mnookin said. “Not simply making gestures but really thinking about how we reduce our carbon footprint.”

This is the first year this conference has been held, and Mnookin said the variety of research and integration of departments to make change is an exciting new development.

Office of Sustainability Director of Sustainability Melissa Nergard said sustainability requires input from every single discipline — a feature the conference highlighted. From the social side with business to the technical side with focused research, the conference stressed the opportunities for undergrads to participate in sustainability. 

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“I think it’s super important because you just don’t even know what careers are out there,” Nergard said. “For undergrads especially, your career doesn’t even exist yet. So understanding where you can go in the world, especially where you can go in sustainability is important. It’s everywhere.”

After such a successful inaugural event, the Sustainability Conference will certainly expand in the years.

If a student wants to get involved with sustainability initiatives on campus, Nergard suggested contacting the Office of Sustainability or any of the sustainability focused student orgs on campus.