Sustain Dane

On Tuesday, Spencer and Sam had the joy of kickstarting holiday cheer as guest judges for Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison's employee wreath-making competition. The challenge? Transform humble pool noodles into festive masterpieces. It's safe to say they were all a success! As a long-time Sustain Dane member and a champion of our annual Sustain Dane Summit, Ho-Chunk Gaming Madison continues to inspire us with their commitment to sustainability and community spirit. We were thrilled to join in the fun, spread holiday vibes, and connect with other passionate community members. A few favorites included a snow globe crafted from a repurposed cake lid, a shimmering snowflake, and a beautiful candy cane. It's great to see this kind of creativity and sustainable spirit—why not try your own upcycled decor this season?

In 2024, your support for Sustain Dane made some amazing things happen in our community! Together, we inspired thousands through education, helped families save on energy bills, and made homes healthier and more comfortable. You also turned food scraps into rich soil for local farms, helped guide teens toward green careers, and brought recycling to life in schools. Every bit of support created ripples of change, building a more sustainable, resilient future for everyone. We’re so grateful to have you working with us to make it happen!

The 2024 Annual Sustain Dane Summit has come to a close, and we’d like to thank the Summit sponsors and our members who make programs like these possible. Check out the Supporters Directory below to learn about local businesses and organizations that value sustainability. Consider supporting these local leaders during the holiday season and all year long. We would also like to recognize businesses that provided raffle items at our Summit. Thank you to Boulders Climbing Gym Madison, Eagle Outdoor Skills Land Assessment, Fromagination Artisan Cheeses and Perfect Companions, Greater Heights Climbing, Green Box, LLC, Green Life Trading Co. Ice Age Trail Alliance, KL Engineering, Inc., Orange Tree Imports, and Room of One’s Own. Browse the directory here: https://lnkd.in/gBjAESnq

We came together at the 2024 Sustain Dane Summit to learn, connect, share ideas, and reflect. One first-time attendee captured the spirit perfectly: “As a first-time attendee to the Sustain Dane Summit, it's very inspiring to see so many local companies trying to make a difference. It gives me hope that there's so many people and businesses in our community that are actively doing their part to create a more sustainable future.” —Todd C. Bollenbach Let's carry that momentum forward by turning hope into action. Your support may start right here in Dane County, but it has the power to spark meaningful change far beyond our community. Donate here: https://bit.ly/3VdarTc

We are excited to welcome our newest members to the Sustain Dane community: • Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison • Root 2 Rise • +6 individual members We appreciate all of our members and the work they do to move sustainability forward in our community. Support local organizations and businesses that value sustainability. Interested in becoming a member? Learn more and sign up here: https://lnkd.in/dBYEvCeU. Members receive complimentary access to Sustain Dane programs and other benefits.

This Thanksgiving, try some of these tips to enjoy your turkey day meal while preventing waste from ending up in a landfill: ♻️ Frozen leftovers can still be good months later — don't forget to store leftovers in the freezer to enjoy after you’ve had a break. ♻️ Get creative with your leftovers! Create new meals like turkey soup and turkey stock with the leftover vegetable trimmings. Search “Thanksgiving leftover recipes” online to find new ideas and recipes. ♻️ Don't overcook — calculate how much food you really need and try to make just enough for your Thanksgiving meal. ♻️ Send leftovers home with friends and family or drop off a plate at a neighbor’s who’s away from family to make sure nothing goes to waste! Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gjiNcsX9.

We are committed to addressing the effects of a changing climate, and striving for a future lled with resilience and hope. Donate to Sustain Dane as part of our Year End Giving Campaign today. We are a resource and a convener – providing an avenue to channel anxiety for the future into programming that provides opportunities for positive change. In addition to engaging 1,700+ people through educational programming, and reaching 31,000+ people through ripple effect impacts, in 2024 we also:  ⚡️ Reduced energy bills for over 177 units of affordable apartments, as well as improving energy efciency, comfort, health and resilience. 🍎 Collected 30,000+ pounds of food scraps at the farmer’s markets to regenerate soil at the Neighborhood Food Solutions farm. ✏️ Led over 5,000 students in lunch-time recycling and waste audits at 13 schools.  🌎 Facilitated the Powerful Teen Leaders summer youth employment program for 11 Northside teens focused on green economy careers and leadership   . Your donation helps turn climate goals into climate realities. Take action, get started here: https://bit.ly/3VdarTc

We are excited to announce the winners of the 2024 Sustain Dane Live Forward Awards. The Live Forward Awards acknowledge inclusive leaders who locally focus on sustainability, community healing, and resilience. This year's winners include: 🎉 Cody White, Madison Area Technical College 🎉 Isak Drangstveit, Waunakee Sustainability Committee 🎉 Tiffany Malone, Alvarado Real Estate Group Congratulations to this incredible group and to all the nominees!

Each month, we recognize the businesses, organizations, and individuals who value sustainability and are a part of our membership. 💚 Our September and October renewals include: 🌱 Elevate 🌱 Greater Madison MPO/Roundtrip 🌱 designCraft Advertising 🌱 Virent, Inc 🌱 Reynolds Transfer & Storage, Inc. 🌱 UW-Madison Office of Sustainability 🌱 Green Box, LLC 🌱 SmithGroup 🌱 Wisconsin Green Muslims 🌱 Miron Construction Co., Inc. 🌱 +4 individual members You can learn more about joining Sustain Dane membership and view all of our fantastic members at https://lnkd.in/g5ChypCz!

A total of 30,844 pounds of food scraps have been collected through the 2024 Food Scrap Drop Off program. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the program, which led to less waste in the landfill and an expansion of composting at Neighborhood Food Solutions Farm in Fitchburg. We surpassed our goal of collecting the weight of TWO adult woolly mammoths—enough to include a couple of baby mammoths, too! Were you unable to drop off your pumpkins? Keep them out of the landfill by: 🎃 Placing pumpkins at the curb with leaf collection (Madison residents) 🎃 Adding them to your own compost (smash or break the pumpkins to help decompose faster) 🎃 Cutting pumpkins into pieces and feeding the neighborhood wildlife