One Earth. It’s all we have. We, the Wisconsin Union team, always aim to do our part to help preserve our incredible planet for future generations. For us, that commitment includes many sustainability initiatives one of which was a research-based art display that debuted at Union South in October 2017.
For this newest initiative that combines both art and science, students from the Department of Life Sciences Communications (LSC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in collaboration with the Office of Sustainability and the Wisconsin Union sorted through and analyzed five bags of recycling and two bags of trash at Union South. This research effort also included conducting in-person observations of waste disposal practices, one-on-one customer interviews at Union South and a survey to determine typical waste behaviors.
The goal of this collaborative effort was to study the Wisconsin Union’s waste stream, which refers to the lifecycle of waste from its creation to when it is thrown away. This can include objects being recycled into new materials or being discarded in a landfill.