Earthcharter

The University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh

A major catalyst for UW Oshkosh’s work with the Earth Charter are the annual Earth Charter Community Summits . First conceived by Jan Roberts in 2001, there are now more than thirty Summits – local community gatherings – held in the US every October. Following the first Earth Charter Community Summit in Oshkosh in 2001, the Earth Charter was endorsed by all four elements of the UW Oshkosh’s shared governance – faculty, students, academic staff, and classified staff. Top university administrators, including the Chancellor, also gave their enthusiastic support. This was the beginning of a significant re-focusing towards sustainability on campus and engagement with the wider community. Sustainability is now one of the university’s “Governing Ideas,” along with Collaboration and Engagement.

The main goals of our efforts can be summarized as follows:

• • Development of the Earth Charter Community Summits as significant annual events
• • Implementation of sustainability principles across the university and encouraging the same in the local community
• • Fostering collaboration and good relations between campus and off-campus communities
• • Establishing the UW Oshkosh as a national leader in responsible, sustainable practices
• • Establishment of Earth Charter Oshkosh as a year-round presence in the university and wider community
• • Integration of Earth Charter principles into academic areas and everyday life

Although the concept of the UW Oshkosh being a ‘green campus’ is a new and (for some) surprising development, it has quickly become a key part of the university’s public identity. A direct outcome of the first summit was the creation of a campus environmental audit,. The Facilities Management office on campus created a “Green Master Plan” that is guiding the university and part of this plan involves achieving green standards in new building equivalent to the LEED ”silver” rating.

UW Oshkosh has also implemented a series of energy conserving building retrofits on existing buildings.

On campus, the university’s Chancellor has directed the formation of a sustainability team. Its purpose is to devise ways of integrating sustainability (in the broad Earth Charter definition) on campus, including in the curriculum, outreach, infrastructure, and food services.