GreenHouse Learning Community

Location: Leopold Residence Hall (two floors) | # of Residents: 92
Types of Rooms: mixed coed floors of double rooms (gender inclusive room options available)
Sponsors: College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, College of Letters and Sciences | Open to all majors
Additional Fee: $250 (exception request form)

Joining GreenHouse gives students an opportunity to go beyond a conventional residence hall experience. If you are the type of person who is interested in being active in your environment and community, the GreenHouse can provide you with the network, tools, and knowledge to get involved. As members of this learning community, residents will also have exclusive access to numerous unique programs like seminars, field trips, shared meals, volunteering opportunities, and discussions that focus on the theme of sustainability. It’s hard not to be inspired here, as the community is literally surrounded by sustainability, located in the LEED gold-certified Leopold Residence Hall, which includes an on-site rooftop greenhouse for residents.

How to Join

All items must be completed by your due date (May 1 for most admitted students). You can be assigned to any learning/theme community even if you did not preference it.

Sign your University Residence Halls contract and submit your advance payment in My UW Housing.
Rank the GreenHouse Learning Community first when you submit your hall preferences in My UW Housing.
Prioritize learning communities over residence halls when you submit your hall preferences in My UW Housing.
Indicate if you want a random or preferred roommate in My UW Housing, and create/join a roommate group if you have a preferred roommate(s). Make sure all preferred roommates have matching preferences.

GreenHouse helped me find my niche of people also interested in the environment and social justice through seminars, field trips, and student-led events.
Jordan S., GreenHouse Resident

Seminar

Greenhouse residents tend to the Eagle Heights community garden

GreenHouse Roots Seminar
Environmental Studies 117 | 1 Credit

The GreenHouse seminar will provide a fertile foundation for our collective journey across the landscape of sustainability. Students will be challenged to think deeply about themselves and their place in the social and biophysical communities of which they are a part. You will read some provocative essays to help engage the meaning(s) of “sustainability” and consider how lifestyle and career choices impact other people and the environment. You will also have some fun in the process by taking the time to get to know fellow peers and traveling to experience firsthand the deep history of sustainability in Wisconsin and to learn more about current sustainability initiatives on the UW-Madison campus and in the greater Madison area.

Programming

Community Goals

Think, work, and live in more sustainable ways
Learn more about sustainability and get involved in local efforts
Be a part of an active community of learners
Have a richer university experience

Events & Activities

Being the hands-on environment that it is, GreenHouse has many student-led initiatives take place throughout the year. Events and programs linked to experiential learning, food and environmental justice take place multiple times each semester. Residents are able to learn about the Madison community and its building projects, take part in cooking classes, canoe trips, and enjoy films and other travel opportunities. On average, residents have three opportunities each week to participate in a GreenHouse-sponsored event.

GreenHouse faculty and staff also help students to get their hands dirty and engage in experiential learning opportunities on campus and in the Madison area. Hands-on opportunities include cooking locally and sustainably, restoring a prairie, fixing bicycles, and gardening – just to name a few. These events provide students with an array of learning opportunities while also helping to bring together a tight-knit community within a large school. And on top of that, it’s a ton of fun!