The University of Wisconsin’s student government will introduce a Sustainability Committee to its list of grassroots committees this semester with the aim of fostering a better campus climate on environmental issues.
Sustainability Committee Chair Colin Higgins said he campaigned hard to create the new Associated Students of Madison committee because before Student Council approved its creation last semester, no body existed to tackle sustainability issues on campus.
“Sustainability is a topic that has been getting a lot of press coverage lately, so it’s only fitting that we as students have an outlet within the student government,” Higgins said.
ASM Student Council Chair Andrew Bulovsky said it is important for ASM to have a Sustainability Committee to provide the opportunity for students to give their input when it comes to environmental issues on campus.
Bulovsky said students expressed a lot of interest in the committee’s creation, adding it exists for students to work on it together.
Higgins said the Sustainability Committee will work directly with the UW Office of Sustainability, which is getting off the ground as well.
The partnership between the committee and office reinforces the idea students are behind this issue, Higgins said. But having the administration there shows support on the university’s behalf, he added.
ASM spokesperson David Gardner said the most interesting part about the new committee is its partnership with the UW Office of Sustainability.
With the ASM Sustainability Committee, Gardner said they will have the opportunity for a more focused push to advocate for students. He said both alone and with their collaboration with the UW Office of Sustainability, the committee will be able to bring together the work of student groups and organizations on campus into one strong voice.
“We always want to encourage collaboration because we can be so much more effective,” Gardner said. “I think the Sustainability Committee will accomplish this for our campus.”
Student leader and student program coordinator for the UW Office of Sustainability Meredith Keller said the office sees itself as having a facilitator role for student groups and organizations.
Keller said she hopes to make UW a living model for sustainability, and part of her job involves being the liaison between the Office of Sustainability and ASM.
Higgins approached the sustainability office with the idea to try to form a committee within ASM and, Keller said, his efforts made it easy to establish the relationship between the two organizations.
Keller said they see the Sustainability Committee as having more of an administrative role whereas they see themselves as having more of a focus on a broad operations, outreach and education.
“ASM at UW has a significant influence,” Keller said. “I don’t see how UW will become sustainable without the Sustainability Committee.”
This semester the Sustainability Committee will be getting their bearings and getting everything off the ground, according to Higgins.
Higgins added this semester they will devote their time to recruiting people. He said, as of yet, they do not have the infrastructure for working on larger campaigns.
“We don’t have the name recognition like some of the other ASM committees,” Higgins said. “After this semester, we will be able to work on larger issues, but this does not mean the issues we will work on this semester are unimportant.”
He said he would like to see renewable energy options and creating more avenues for locally grown and organic food in the dining halls as long-term goals for the committee. He suggested the introduction of solar panels and lower-flow showerheads in pre-existing buildings on campus as examples.
Higgins said the Sustainability Committee will meet every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. He added their first meeting will be Jan. 22 and added any interested UW student can become a part of the committee.
