Sustainability at UW

Sustainable solutions are those that meet the social, economic, and environmental needs of both current and future generations. We know that sustainable practices and ideas lead to better success in any sector, profession, or field of study. That’s why UW students engage in sustainability in the classroom, in the lab, throughout campus, and in the community.

Think sustainability woman working with plants outside

Learn sustainability people collect garbage for proper disposal

Research sustainability woman standing beside a solar panel in the mountains

Practice sustainability Laramie farmers market in the summer

THINK SUSTAINABILITY

better solutions start with better ideas

“Sustainability not only shapes the decisions I make in my personal life, but it guides my education, volunteer, and career experiences. It is the only future I foresee.”

Meghann Cranford (2017)

Major	Energy Resource Management, Environment and Natural Resources
Minor	Sustainability, Business
President	Sustainability Club (2015-2016)
Leader	Sustainability Coalition
Organizer	Solar Fest
Passion	Zero-Waste Movement

LEARN SUSTAINABILITY

foundational understanding informs smart actions

Explore the ethical, ecological, cultural, and other aspects of building a sustainable future. Add a sustainability minor to any field of study at UW. Keep it broad or focus on sustainability through a specific lens.

General: Choose courses in design, environment, and culture/society to complement your career interests.

Food: Explore the ecological, economic, policy, cultural, and social justice aspects of our food system.

Energy: Explore the water, climate, and community health and development aspects of a sustainable energy future.

Business: Explore how societies can use natural resources efficiently and equitably to promote both economic development and environmental protection.

man standing outside under partly cloudy sky

man standing in Prexies pasture at night under lights

man reading blue prints in a building being constructed

Each spring, students in Rachael Budowle’s Campus Sustainability course translate sustainability concepts to real-world projects on the UW campus. These students research, design, and implement solutions to reduce consumption of water and energy, divert waste, develop cleaner energy options, and more. Their work improves UW now and into the future.

Rachael Budowle

Instructor	ENR 1300: Foundations of Sustainability ENR 4600/5600: Campus Sustainability
Research	Anthropological perspectives on community food systems
Co-chair	Campus Sustainability Committee
Advisor	Sustainability Club
Big Win	UW Conservation & Efficiency Revolving Fund
Passion	Empowering students to use campus as a living-laboratory for sustainability

RESEARCH SUSTAINABILITY

creating new solutions

Below are just a few examples of the many kinds of sustainability research you can engage with as a student at the University of Wyoming.

person drawing blue prints for a building

Green Building

Earn an undergraduate or graduate degree from UW’s Civil and Architectural Engineering Department, and work with faculty members like Tony Denzer who is researching new ways to create homes that generate their own heat and electricity.

woman and girl looking at produce at a farmers market

Food Systems

UW scholars are developing new knowledge about food sustainability. Take Christine Porter, Wyoming Excellence Chair in Community and Public Health, whose community-based research including the Growing Resilience and Food Dignity projects aims to build food security, social justice, and healthy communities.

woman and child at farmers market looking at produce

Renewable Energy

Wyoming has long been at the center of fossil fuel-fired energy production, and now the state is taking a lead on renewable energy as well. Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jonathan Naughton, for example, directs UW’s Wind Energy Research Center and studies air flow and turbine blade aerodynamics.