The Wisconsin Idea in Water
Wisconsin is a water-rich state with unique lake, Great Lake, river, and groundwater resources. The Universities of Wisconsin have long played a role in inventorying, analyzing, and informing management of these valuable resources. In addition to meeting human uses, water is a critical part of the state’s natural ecosystems and is vital to wildlife. This panel brings together UW faculty and staff who are actively engaging in water studies that influence policies and programs to improve sustainable resource management. These approaches are fundamentally collaborative, taking place across different campuses and with numerous local governments and nonprofits. The Extension Lakes program based at UW Stevens Point has long worked with hundreds of community groups to address threats to lakes ranging from pollution to invasive species to habitat loss. The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin is a statewide effort based out of UW Milwaukee working to leverage all 13 UW campuses to create knowledge to solve freshwater challenges, recruit and train the 21st Century water workforce, and improve resource and community health through water management. These efforts all share a common bond in the “Wisconsin Idea”: the notion that the Universities are not just campuses and classrooms, they must also meet the needs of people and communities all across the state. This panel will discuss major ways that UW has boosted the sustainability of our water resources while also highlighting the most important challenges facing our waters.
Presenters:
Eric Olson, Director, Extension Lakes, UW-Stevens Point
Marissa Jablonski, Executive Director, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin, UW-Stevens Point
Embedding ESG in the Classroom: Preparing Future Leaders for Sustainable Success
The growing importance of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria in investment decisions underscores the need for future leaders to understand and integrate these principles into their professional lives. This presentation explores how ESG concepts can be effectively embedded into undergraduate coursework, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of sustainability and its relevance in various fields. Through detailed analysis of specific assignments and projects, the presentation will highlight innovative pedagogical strategies that educators can employ to teach ESG principles. Attendees will learn about the positive outcomes of incorporating ESG into the curriculum, including enhanced student engagement, better preparation for future careers, and a broader impact on society and future generations.
Presenter:
Maya Jaber, Assistant Professor, UW-Platteville
Creating Safe and Inclusive Classrooms that Promote Sustainable Discourse
In a time when universities have fewer resources to support students who hold marginalized identities, faculty need effective strategies to create safe classrooms. This panel discussion will focus on the use of specific strategies to utilize in the classroom to engage students in sustainable discourse. The classroom is a microcosm of the current political landscape, where students experience microaggressions and invalidations from their peers and faculty. As faculty who hope to build sustainable practices, we will discuss how to develop community care in the classroom. Additionally, the panelists will address how to respond to common barriers/responses that seek to maintain the status quo by shutting down or escalating difficult dialogues. Sustainable practices must include social justice work, and for educators, that work begins in the classroom. The panelists will also look at how we use calling forward, calling in, and calling out in the classroom appropriately to help facilitate an open learning space where all students feel safe to contribute and learn and grow. The panelist will engage the audience in this conversation to see what barriers they encounter, and to address questions and contributions.Amney Harper, Department Chair, Professor, Department of Counseling and Human Services
Presenters:
Amney Harper, Department Chair, Professor, Department of Counseling and Human Services, UW-Oshkosh
Jordan Landry, Associate Professor, English Department, UW-Oshkosh
Hiedi Nicholls, Associate Professor, Anthropology Department, UW-Oshkosh
Teysha Bowser, Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling and Human Services, UW-Oshkosh
Eco-Anxiety of College Students in an Introductory Environmental Science Course
Eco-anxiety can be defined as, “the reactions of people to the ecological crisis, their efforts to manage the difficult emotions that arise, and their challenge to act constructively to alleviate ecological problems” (Pihkala, 2022, p. 3). Studies show that young people and conservationists are particularly prone to eco-anxiety (Fraser et al., 2013; Hickman et al., 2020). We sought to localize such research by surveying students in our introductory environmental science course to answer: (1) To what extent are students experiencing eco-anxiety? (2) How does the level of eco-anxiety differ among different demographic groups and between students with and without personal experiences with climate change? Our survey consisted of the Eco-Anxiety and Eco-Guilt Questionnaires by Ágoston et al. (2022), plus some questions about demographics and impacts of climate change.
A total of 518 students completed the survey during the Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 semesters. Data revealed that many of our students are experiencing some level of anxiety and guilt. When asked, “How worried are you that climate change threatens people and the planet?”, 27% were “very worried,” and 13% were “extremely worried.” Scores on the Eco-Anxiety and Eco-Guilt Questionnaire showed higher levels of “habitual ecological worry” and “eco-guilt” than “negative consequences of eco-anxiety.” There were significant relationships between all three of those cores and personal experience with the impacts of climate. Students of different genders and in different majors expressed different levels of eco-anxiety and eco-guilt. Conversely, the scores of students from urban and rural areas were not significantly different.
This study documents levels of eco-anxiety across demographic groups and in relation to personal experiences. It does not delve into how sustainability educators can respond to, and possibly make use of, eco-anxiety and eco-guilt. To explore those topics, we may add survey questions related to hope or competency to act.
Presenter:
Kendra Liddicoat, Associate Professor, UW-Stevens Point
Becca Franzen, Professor, UW-Stevens Point
Laura Anderson McIntyre, Professor, UW-Stevens Point
An Experimental Community-Based Learning Course on "Sustainability Education in Wisconsin
I am proposing to describe and analyze an experimental community-based learning course at UW-Madison, Ed Pol (Educational Policy Studies) 150: “Sustainability Education in Wisconsin,” which was first offered in the spring semester of 2024 and is scheduled to be offered again in spring 2025.
The course is designed to allow students to combine intensive study of the history and legacies of environmental, sustainability and climate change research and education in Wisconsin with active participation in the day-to-day work of educational institutions and community organizations.
“Environmental education” emerged in the 1970s as a serious national and global movement, but Wisconsin has long been a pioneer in natural resource conservation education, beginning with the pioneering work of Aldo Leopold and others in the 1920s and 1930s. In fact, Wisconsin was the first state in the country to pass a mandate for conservation education, and the University of Wisconsin has also pioneered ideas about ecological restoration, natural resource studies, atmospheric and oceanic studies, environmental sciences and studies, and climate change impacts and adaptation.
As an experimental community-based or service learning (CBL) course, students were expected to engage in traditional academic research and assignments, and yet were also placed with local educational institutions and community partners. We also coordinated closely with the Morgridge Center for Public Service (MCPS) and other on-campus programs to help manage these community relationships. In the spring of 2024, students were placed at Wingra School in Madison (an environmentally-themed private K-8 school); at various programs run by the community group Rooted at Lakeview Elementary and especially at Badger Rock Middle School, a public charter organized around urban agriculture and sustainability; at a local children’s afterschool program called Outdoors We Learn (OWL); and in sustainability-themed student groups at UW-Madison.
Presenter:
Mark Johnson, Teaching Faculty and Faculty Associate, UW-Madison
Exploring the Depths: A Five-Day STEAM Expedition into Oceanic Learning for Early Childhood Education
This five-day STEAM unit leads a 4K classroom on an exciting journey to explore the ocean's wonders. These engaging activities immerse children in ocean habitats, marine life, and exploration techniques. This unit promotes interdisciplinary learning through STEAM lessons that foster critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity. Literacy is included in the unit through read-aloud, enhancing comprehension and vocabulary while supporting diverse learning styles. Central to this unit is the belief that children learn best through play. Emphasizing play-based learning, the unit fosters a sense of wonder and exploration and empowers young learners to become curious and compassionate for the ocean.
Presenters:
Aislinn Verhage, UW-Oshkosh
Yoko Mogi-Hein, Professor, UW-Oshkosh