UW Credit Union Attains Green Master Status for Fifth Consecutive Year

Highlights from 2021 include raising more than $2,500 for local sustainability focused organizations, ongoing employee education and more

Eight UWCU employees wearing hi-visibility vests stand on the side of the road holding trash bags.

Madison, Wis. (December 15, 2021) – The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council has named UW Credit Union a Green Master within its Green Masters Program. Recognizing sustainable actions by businesses from across the state of Wisconsin, the Green Masters program works to identify businesses that have taken at least one action within each of the nine pillars of sustainability. Participants in the program receive recognition for their sustainability accomplishments and develop ideas for future sustainability actions.

UW Credit Union is a proud five-time recipient of the Green Master Award. Year over year, UW Credit Union strives to implement new green technologies and expand existing eco-friendly programs. Highlights from 2021 include raising over $2,500 for local sustainability focused organizations, continued participation in the WI Adopt-A-Highway program and ongoing employee education around the topic of sustainability.

UW Credit Union has been an EPA Green Power Partner for more than a decade and was the first credit union to achieve the EPA Green Power Leadership Club designation. The financial cooperative constructs all new branches and offices for energy efficiency and resiliency, while fostering employee leadership through sustainability efforts.

“Our longstanding commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency is bolstered by the amazing work from our Green Team,” says Paul Kundert, President and CEO of UW Credit Union. “Many of these recent fundraising and stewardship gains are largely employee led, something I’m immensely proud of.”

The Green Masters Program is an objective, points-based recognition, assessment and certification program that enables Wisconsin businesses of all sizes and from any sector to join a group of like-minded companies working towards sustainability. The program has established three levels of participation: Green Apprentice, Green Professional, and Green Master. UW Credit Union joined the program as a Green Master in 2017. Each year at the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference, the current top 20 percent of companies that applied during the calendar year are identified and recognized as the Green Masters level companies.

“The Green Masters Program is a tool for businesses to assess and grow their sustainability programs, to benchmark against their industry and to receive a third part certification recognizing their achievements in sustainability,” says WSBC’s managing director, Jessy Servi Ortiz.

About UW Credit Union
UW Credit Union is a growing, federally insured financial institution and a leading provider of a full range of financial services to University of Wisconsin communities. UW Credit Union's more than 800 employees serve the financial needs of more than 300,000 members through world-class technology systems, and through a convenient network of 29 branch locations and over 100 ATMs. With assets exceeding $4.6 billion, UW Credit Union is ranked nationally among the leading credit unions. Founded 90 years ago by members of the University of Wisconsin faculty and staff, UW Credit Union continues to operate as a not-for-profit, member-owned financial cooperative with locations in the Madison, Milwaukee, Stevens Point, Green Bay, Oshkosh, Whitewater and La Crosse areas.

About the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council
The Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council’s mission is to advance sustainable principles and practices forward through the power of business. We support businesses and sustainability professionals through an array of programming, education, resources and tools and are a catalyst for businesses looking to integrate sustainability into the fabric of their organization and be a force for good. We are a network of businesses integrating sustainability into business operations at a time when the business case for sustainability (defined in terms of people, planet and profit) has never been stronger. Find us on the web at www.wisconsinsustainability.com

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