In this episode of the SustainUW Podcast, host Kylie Schedler speaks with the three winners of the second annual UW–Madison Sustainability Writing Awards: Hailey Sewell, who reflected on a memorable snowfall as a child and pondered the future of our climate; Scott Hershberger, who painted the scene of a conversation between himself, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, and a honey locust tree; and Madelyn Anderson, who celebrated the discovery of a Rusty Patched Bumble Bee hive and highlighted the importance of recognizing small wins.

The ⁠UW–Madison Sustainability Writing Awards⁠ are intended to inspire conversations about how writing can bring together people with different experiences to reflect and act within the context of the global climate crisis. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the Office of Sustainability offered three scholarships in the fall of 2023 to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who submitted essays on the topic of resolution. The topic encouraged writers to ponder the past, analyze the present, and imagine the future of our planet.