Take Action & Get Involved in Sustainability

With over 240 student clubs and organizations, we highly encourage you to get involved in sustainable clubs and organization that our campus has to offer. Getting involved and educating yourself is the first step to make a difference. Here are some of the ways members of the Blugold community can play a part in making our campus more sustainable. 

Reuse & Recycle

• Whenever possible, use a reusable water bottle, coffee cup or utensils.
• Ask for paper bags instead of plastic bags when shopping or bring a reusable bag. 
• Be sure to recycle newspapers, aluminum cans, paper, plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles, jars and cardboard.
• Some things that do not belong in the recycling bin include Styrofoam, chip bags, plastic bags, paper towels or napkins, juice or milk cartons and lightbulbs.

Spending Habits

• Buy locally, if possible, instead of purchasing something further away.
• Buy second-hand! This can include clothing, furniture and decor.
• Embrace the minimalist lifestyle. Only buy things when you really need them.

Electricity Use

• Use alternatives for heating and A/C. Try opening a window or adding layers before activating a heating or A/C system.
• Change your lightbulbs to LED. LED bulbs typically use 75% less energy.
• Use power strips instead of plugging all appliances into outlets. When you are finished using the appliance, turn off the power strip to save energy and money.

Food Consumption

• Buy locally sourced food from the farmer's market. Not only are you supporting the community, but small business owners as well.
• Try composting food waste.
• Instead of throwing out food, save it for lunch/dinner or freeze it.

Transportation

• Walk or ride your bike to destinations instead of driving a car.
• Use public transportation through Eau Claire Transit. 
• Carpool with friends and utilize the UW Eau Claire Rideshare page on Facebook.

Attend Webinars and Trainings

There are many online opportunities to learn more about sustainability. Click here to view just a few of the many online opportunities.

Sources | Top Universities and Princeton Review

At UW-Eau Claire there are a variety of organizations students you can join to learn about and practice sustainable efforts. If you are interested in joining an organization, please see the clubs and organizations listed below.

Student Office of Sustainability (SOS)

The purpose of the SOS is to allocate the UW-Eau Claire Green Fund for projects, programs, and events addressing the various sustainability areas of transportation, energy, waste, climate change, water, food systems, campus ecology, education etc.

Conservation Club

The purpose of The Conservation Club is to increase awareness of the environment, and provide professional development opportunities in the Eau Claire community and for the students of the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. We seek to achieve our goal by implementing hands-on restoration, ecological education, and career development through productive collaboration with other organizations, thereby being a part of returning the environment to its natural state.

Geography & Anthropology Club

The Geography & Anthropology Club, or GAC as we affectionately call it, exists to unite all individuals interested in Geography and Anthropology. We are a social club for the department and have official meetings once a week with other social and service events throughout the semester. All interested students are welcome to join us for meetings and events.

Geology Club

All Geology majors and minors are automatically members of the Geology Club. We work to create a collegial environment among our members and share love of rocks!