Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 59.88
Liaison Alex Frank
Submission Date April 14, 2022

STARS v2.2

University of Wisconsin-Madison
IN-18: Green Event Certification

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.50 / 0.50 Alex Frank
Sustainability Analyst
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have or participate in a green event certification program?:
Yes

Has the institution held one or more certified events in the previous year?:
Yes

Does the institution’s green event certification program address the following?:
Yes or No
Sustainable transportation options, teleconferencing options, and/or carbon offsets Yes
Sustainable catering (e.g., sourcing local and third party certified food and beverages, providing vegetarian/vegan options, using reusable/compostable materials) Yes
Paper consumption (e.g., minimization and recycled/FSC certified content) Yes
Energy efficiency (e.g., equipment and lighting) Yes
Waste minimization and diversion Yes
Communications and/or signage about the sustainable practices Yes

A brief description of the institution’s green event certification program:
The Green Events program provides guidance and resources to improve the sustainability of events on the UW-Madison campus. The program aims to reduce the environmental impacts of events by focusing on six major categories: Venue (including choosing energy efficient buildings and equipment), Decor (including signage), Communications, Transportation, Food, and Waste (including ways to minimize paper waste).

For large events, there is a Green Event Certification program where event planners collaborate with the Green Events team to identify and execute actions to improve the sustainability of their event. Green Events team members act as sustainability consultants to support the event planning efforts. Depending on the level of action taken, the event will receive a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Certification. All certified Green Events will be recognized on the Green Events website and receive a seal corresponding to their certification level to be used in post-event communications.

For smaller events, the Green Events team encourages event planners to utilize the sustainability tips sheets provided on the website. After the event is over, planners can submit an approval form to identify the steps they’ve taken to be more sustainable. Through this process, events have the opportunity to be recognized as a Green Event and receive a Green Event seal.

The last event receiving certification (Great World Texts, Center for Humanities) was in March 2020. Due to COVID-19 large events have not been held on campus since that time. As smaller, and virtual, events returned the Green Events team is now recognizing and promoting sustainability-themed events through a brand new virtual events calendar. Furthermore, as in-person events return the Green Events team worked with the Climate Forum event on October 6th, 2021.

Website URL where information about the green event certification program is available:

Optional Fields 

Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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