Environment

In 2016, a few majors emerged that emphasized the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s attitude towards the importance of sustainability. Three new majors were implemented: a bachelor’s degree in sustainable food and nutrition, a masters program in sustainable and resilient food systems and an educational doctorate degree in educational sustainability. Jasia Steinmetz, professor in the School of Health Promotion and Human ... Read More »

Some students are opting to give experiences to their loved ones this holiday season. Janice Ian, senior environmental ethics major, said, “Every year, I struggle and debate on what to get my parents or really anyone who is no longer in college and making a decent living because I don’t really know what they need. So this year, I decided ... Read More »

The European Environmental Studies Seminar will be cutting Iceland out of their program next year. The European Environmental Seminar, which is an option for the required summer field experience for College of Natural Resource students, is divided into equal amounts of learning time between selected countries. As noted on the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point international programs website, this course gives students ... Read More »

Last month, the Wisconsin Legislature repealed what was known as the “Prove it First” law, which has put a freeze on sulfide mining in the state since 1998. Under the “Prove it First” law, the Department of Natural Resources could only grant sulfide mining permits to companies which had operated for 10 years and then closed for 10 years without ... Read More »

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Informational Technology Council has voted to install Ecosia as the default search engine on Microsoft Edge in campus computer labs. Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees with its ad revenue. Currently, there are over 7 million active users. Ecosia publishes monthly financial reports and tree planting receipts to improve transparency with users. They ... Read More »

An estimated 210,000 gallons of oil spilled from Keystone pipeline on agricultural land near Amherst, South Dakota last month.  The pipeline is owned by the Canadian company TransCanada. TransCanada reported that 44,730 gallons of oil have since been recovered in clean-up efforts and the pipeline resumed operations at the end of November.  The company said that there have been no ... Read More »

Gov. Scott Walker and Republican lawmakers are relaxing environmental regulations including laws governing iron mining and building on wetlands. In Gov. Walker’s 2015–17 budget, released in February, he proposed eliminating a third of the Department of Natural Resource scientists and 60 percent of its environmental educator positions. The cuts were approved by the state legislature’s budget committee in May, and ... Read More »

Students can earn a Permaculture Design Certificate through a three-week study abroad trip to Kenya next summer. Holly Petrillo, course leader and associate professor of forestry, describes permaculture as a set of ethics and principles for designing sustainable living systems. “We really like the permaculture curriculum because it integrates the natural resources and the sustainability aspect but also the community ... Read More »

The Central Rivers Farmshed is holding a fundraiser on Nov. 18, starting at 8 p.m. at the Brickhause Tavern in downtown Stevens Point. Brickhause Tavern is the host for the event, in conjunction with $Top Dolla$ Entertainment which is a music management company “dedicated to giving you the best that the Electronic Dance Music Scene has to offer delivered from ... Read More »

Liberation Farm in Almond, offers diverse food options. Holly Petrillo, assistant professor of forestry, began the farm with her husband John Sheffy in 2011. Petrillo said that they first got into farming because they wanted to be able to grow their own food and provide their young daughter the opportunity to grow up on a farm. One of Petrillo and ... Read More »