Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.68
Liaison John Gardner
Submission Date May 31, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
IN-4: Innovation 4

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Kate Nelson
Chief Sustainability Officer
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Title or keywords related to the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
EnQuest- Girl's Engineering Camp Solar Powered Stormwater Irrigation Project

A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:

In 2015, UWM's College of Engineering and Applied Science hosted EnQuest, a high school girl's engineering that focused on solving a sustainability challenge on campus. The camp centers on a hands-on engineering project every year. The campers also spend time with women engineers, take field trips and experience life on a college campus.
EnQuest 2015 was vital to a water project at our campus garden. The second phase and location of the campus gardens has a challenge garnering water. After an underground cistern was put in place, the access resided down hill from the garden through a hand pump. While the rainwater collection offered so many other benefits, it was not an accessible water use for the adjacent garden. The EnQuest girls utilized the campus challenge to frame their camp for the year. Teams approached analyzing the locations of use, the power necessary to pump the water, and the technology necessary to power it. The camp sized the system by working with area engineers and our UWM Engineers Without Borders. They also laid out a plan for implementing a solar pv system to run it off of. Now the gardens have a source of sustainable water, powered by sustainable renewable energy.


A brief description of any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation (if not reported above):

-Rain water reuse for the campus gardens, powered by renewable energy
-Hands-on green infrastructure design and implementation for dozens of high school girls


A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise:
Which of the following STARS subcategories does the innovation most closely relate to? (Select all that apply up to a maximum of five):
Yes or No
Curriculum No
Research No
Campus Engagement No
Public Engagement Yes
Air & Climate No
Buildings No
Dining Services Yes
Energy Yes
Grounds Yes
Purchasing No
Transportation No
Waste No
Water Yes
Coordination, Planning & Governance No
Diversity & Affordability No
Health, Wellbeing & Work No
Investment No

Other topic(s) that the innovation relates to that are not listed above:
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The website URL where information about the innovation is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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