{"id":35,"date":"2015-07-15T12:06:25","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T17:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/?page_id=35"},"modified":"2026-01-10T12:43:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T18:43:34","slug":"awards","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/","title":{"rendered":"Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion uwm-p-accordion--icon-left-circle\" data-accordion-prefix-classes=\"uwm\" data-accordion-cool-selectors=\"1\"><button class=\"uwm-p-accordion--toggle-button size-p-md\">Expand All<\/button>\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources &#8211; Recycling Excellence Award<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>On behalf of 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s overall recycling program, the Office of Sustainability received the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources 2025 Recycling Excellence Awards. The &#8220;Overall Program&#8221; category recognizes waste diversion programs that demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement and advancing diversion: <a href=\"https:\/\/dnr.wisconsin.gov\/topic\/Recycling\/Awards.html\">https:\/\/dnr.wisconsin.gov\/topic\/Recycling\/Awards.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Ben Konitzer &#8211; 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s University Staff Outstanding Service in a Single Year Award<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>In 2025, Ben Konitzer received recognition at the Employee Excellence Awards for his innovative approach to waste diversion, leading to new efficiencies, cost savings, and a new plastic film recycling program: <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-recognizes-some-of-its-finest-at-annual-employee-excellence-awards\/\">https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-recognizes-some-of-its-finest-at-annual-employee-excellence-awards\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Adrian Robar &#8211; 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s University Staff Outstanding Service Award<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>In 2023, Adrian Robar received 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s University Staff Outstand Service Award for his dedication to sustainability and for his customer service approach to delivering recycling services to campus: <a href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/fall-awards-recognize-long-years-of-service-to-uwm\/\">https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/fall-awards-recognize-long-years-of-service-to-uwm\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">AASHE &#8211; STARS GOLD<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>UW-Milwaukee is a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/stars.aashe.org\/institutions\/university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee-wi\/report\/2013-08-01\/\">Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education<\/a> (AASHE), and participates in the Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).\u202f In 2016 51ÁÔÆæ moved up to a STARS Gold Rating from Silver, and retained Gold in 2019. &nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/stars.aashe.org\/institutions\/university-of-wisconsin-milwaukee-wi\/report\/2016-05-31\/\">See 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s Sustainability Report here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/stars.aashe.org\/pages\/about\/2016-sustainable-campus-index.html\">AASHE Sustainability Campus Index- 2016 Top Performers &amp; Highlights<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Sierra Club &#8220;Cool Schools&#8221; Top 50 in 2017<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>Sierra Club named 51ÁÔÆæ to its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sierraclub.org\/sierra\/cool-schools-2017\/cool-schools-2017-full-ranking\">Top 50 Cool Schools<\/a> 2017 list. Out of more than 225 participating colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, 51ÁÔÆæ is No. 45. Since launching the comprehensive Cool Schools listing in 2006, the Sierra Club has recognized colleges with best practices in the areas of campus energy use, transportation and other environmental priorities.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">U.S. Department of Education &#8211; Green Ribbon Award<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was among the schools recognized in 2016 by the U.S. Department of Education for <a href=\"http:\/\/www2.ed.gov\/programs\/green-ribbon-schools\/index.html\">efforts in sustainability and reducing environmental impact<\/a>. &nbsp;The award is based on 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s high achievement in three key areas: reducing environmental impact and costs; improving the health and wellness of students and staff; and providing effective environmental and sustainability education, incorporating STEM, civic skills and green career pathways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s accomplishments include reducing greenhouse gas emissions at all sites by 10 percent, reducing energy consumption by 27 percent from 2008-2014, averting 16.5 million gallons of storm water each year with cisterns, green roofs and rain gardens, and making a large investment in a bicycle-sharing system, with the 2015 placement of six Bublr Bikes stations around campus.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">League of American Bicyclists &#8211; Bicycle Friendly University: Gold<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>In 2016, UW-Milwaukee made the leap from a <a href=\"http:\/\/bikeleague.org\/bfa\/awards#university\">bronze level campus to gold<\/a>. &nbsp;Engagement from students, staff, and faculty alike led to many bicycling amenity updates and new programs. &nbsp;The student-led investment to bring the Bublr Bikeshare system to 51ÁÔÆæ in 2015 was a large part of this gain in ratings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Bicycle Friendly University (BFU\u2120) program recognizes institutions of higher education for promoting and providing a more bikeable campus for students, staff and visitors.&nbsp; The Bicycle Friendly University program evaluates applicants\u2019 efforts to promote bicycling in five primary areas: engineering, encouragement, education, enforcement and evaluation\/planning, known as the Five E&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bikeleague.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2016_BFU_Awards_List.pdf\">View 51ÁÔÆæ&#8217;s report card here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p><b>2010 &#8211; 2023: <\/b>This <a href=\"http:\/\/www.princetonreview.com\/press\/green-guide\/press-release\">guide to green colleges<\/a> has recognized UW-Milwaukee, year after year, for its noteworthy accomplishments.&nbsp; The guide showcases &#8220;the most exceptional commitments to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives, and activities&#8221;.&nbsp;It has been an honor for 51ÁÔÆæ to be one of these highly regarded peer institutions.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Wisconsin Partners For Clean Air<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>UW-Milwaukee has been recognized by the Wisconsin Partners for Clean Air multiple times over the years. Our voluntary efforts in building performance and transportation were awarded as such:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Clean Air Recognition Award: 1997,&nbsp;1999, and&nbsp;2011<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Commuter Champ Award: 2014<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">SE2 Building Performance<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>Cambridge Commons residence hall was awarded a <a href=\"https:\/\/energy.wisc.edu\/news\/state-buildings-earn-sustainability-and-energy-efficiency-awards-wisconsin-green-building\">2013 SE2 Leadership Award<\/a> for &#8220;New Construction-Special Citation for Energy Efficiency&#8221; from the Wisconsin Green Building Alliance. The award honors leadership in energy efficient and sustainable design, construction and operation of Wisconsin non-residential buildings and related systems.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--header\">Zilber School of Public Health Building Awards<\/div><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel\"><div class=\"uwm-p-accordion--panel-inner uwm-u-clear\">\n<p>The Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health has received a number of awards including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2015 State Farm Building Blocks MANDI Award which recognizes a real estate project that advances the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>2013: <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bizjournals.com\/milwaukee\/blog\/2013\/02\/real-estate-award-winners.html\">The Business Journal Real Estate Award<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>2012:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/city.milwaukee.gov\/MayorsDesignAwards\/Previous-award-winners\/Year-16-2012.htm#.Vk0V33arTcs\">City of Milwaukee Mayor&#8217;s Design Award<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":522,"featured_media":0,"parent":30,"menu_order":10,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"class_list":["post-35","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Office of Sustainability<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Awards\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Office of Sustainability\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-10T18:43:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/about\\\/awards\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/about\\\/awards\\\/\",\"name\":\"Awards - Office of Sustainability\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-07-15T17:06:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-10T18:43:34+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/about\\\/awards\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/about\\\/awards\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/about\\\/awards\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"About\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/about\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Awards\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/\",\"name\":\"Office of Sustainability\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uwm.edu\\\/sustainability\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Office of Sustainability","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Awards","og_url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/","og_site_name":"Office of Sustainability","article_modified_time":"2026-01-10T18:43:34+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/","name":"Awards - Office of Sustainability","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-07-15T17:06:25+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-10T18:43:34+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/awards\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"About","item":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/about\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Awards"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/#website","url":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/","name":"Office of Sustainability","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/522"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3945,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35\/revisions\/3945"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/30"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/sustainability\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}