How a Madison, Wisconsin-based nonprofit is engaging the city in efforts to reduce waste and create more sustainable infrastructure

• Sustain Dane, named after Madison’s county, is a nonprofit that was founded in 1999.
• The organization is focused on recycling programs in schools and around the city.
• It’s also making improvements to affordable housing units to make them more sustainable.
• This article is part of a series focused on American cities building a better tomorrow called “Advancing Cities.”

The mission of Sustain Dane, a Madison, Wisconsin-based nonprofit founded in 1999, is to accelerate sustainability and equity efforts across the city and surrounding areas. 

“We approach this work holistically, which means environmental health, equity, and social well-being — and finding projects that can be implemented that are raising the whole community together,” Claire Oleksiak, the organization’s executive director, told Insider. 

Sustain Dane focuses on education, energy efficiency in affordable housing, recycling, and managing waste. Its name is a reference to Dane County, the home of Madison. 

Oleksiak said the nonprofit works closely with local city governments, businesses, and residents to achieve, plan, implement, and execute sustainability projects. The organization, which has five full-time employees and paid interns throughout the year, also provides funding in some cases to carry out some of the community-wide projects. 

“We get to be nimble,” she said. “We have more flexibility to innovate or move quicker than you can in a larger organization or a government structure.” 

Here’s a look at some of Sustain Dane’s projects. 

Making affordable housing more energy-efficient and healthy for residents

Affordable housing in Madison uses 33% more energy than other housing stock, often because it’s older. Sustain Dane is working on a project with the city and the local nonprofit Elevate to upgrade 100 of these units to be more sustainable through a program called Efficiency Navigator. 

The program provides $10,000 to $20,000 for upgrades like efficient lighting, insulation improvements, air sealing, water conservation systems, removing unhealthy building elements, and improved heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Upgrading the homes will boost water and energy savings by 10% to 20%, according to the organization.

The first phase of the program involved building assessments and coordinating with contractors, Oleksiak said. Now they’re in the implementation phase. 

A recent project involved adding insulation to the exterior walls of a brick, multifamily building. “The residents said as soon as they walked back into their units, they felt it was warmer and more comfortable,” she added. The program also includes a diverse contractor accelerator to provide opportunities for contractors from underrepresented groups to train and work on these projects.

Reducing food waste in schools and restaurants 

Sustain Dane partners with local school cafeterias to collect milk cartons and recycle them, as well as educates teachers, staff, and students on recycling.

Oleksiak said the organization is also conducting food waste audits to help schools uncover how much food per meal is wasted and find solutions to the problem, such as menu changes, a composting program, and a sharing system where students can take home leftover food.

Outside the classroom, Sustain Dane is educating about a dozen restaurants on their food waste streams and how to reduce waste by reducing portion sizes and expiration date labeling, and helping them track their progress. 

In May, Sustain Dane plans to launch a composting program with the city at local farmers’ markets, where residents can drop off food scraps to be taken to a farm for composting.

“The city has a goal of reduction in food waste,” Oleksiak said. “They have challenges with those logistics of collection and farm partnerships, and we’re able to act as a bridge to help bring everyone together.” 

Educating businesses and residents on sustainability projects

In 2021, 21 organizations and 26 individuals participated in Sustain Dane’s Accelerate Sustainability Workshops, which help businesses and individuals kickstart their own sustainability projects in areas like renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and equity and wellness. 

Sessions cover Madison’s climate action plan and case studies of projects that have worked for other businesses and organizations. Participants can also get help completing a sustainable project, such as installing LED light bulbs or solar panels, composting, or challenging employees to use alternative transportation.

Additionally, the organization engages residents via volunteer events throughout the year, such as trash pick-up or tree planting. Its Master Recycler program helps residents teach their family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers about improving recycling and community-wide sustainability efforts — including what’s recyclable and what isn’t.

Oleksiak said all of Sustain Dane’s work is approached as a “journey, an open door,” and residents are a key part of that.

“This is a really supportive community, and there’s no perfect way to be sustainable,” she said. “It’s just about continuing to use it as a consideration for how we support each other and how we thrive.”