Safety and Environment

It’s not by chance that communities in the New North region are consistently recognized as some of the safest in the nation.  Companies and public buildings implement and practice emergency evacuation and lockdown plans, and schools take pride in Safe and Drug-Free School guidelines.

Local safety efforts are elevated to the national and state levels with a Department of Homeland Security council, whose mission is to safeguard everything from the air to building infrastructure. In addition, the region’s law enforcement education and training is some of the best in the nation, including renowned criminal justice and forensic programs.

What’s more, communities to Fortune 500 corporations are working to reduce Northeast Wisconsin’s environmental footprint.  Extensive recycling programs are standard in the region, utility groups offer renewable energy programs, and construction and engineering companies promote sustainable green building initiatives to minimize the use of precious natural resources.  With further help from cause-specifi c groups, the New North region’s environmental future looks bright.  Government departments and task forces, along with area nonprofits and action committees, work to protect the public health, wildlife, forestry, rivers, wetlands and prairies.

The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, a leader in the region for sustainability, was recently awarded was  the Gold certification in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council for the newly built, Sage Hall (pictured above).  The beautiful building truly stands as a testament to the University’s sustainability commitment.

• Every major metro in Northeast Wisconsin as well as many smaller communities was named to be among the ‘Safest in Wisconsin’ in 2015 as part of an analysis by ValuePenguin.com, which analyzed the most recent FBI Crime Report to determine the safety of cities and towns in Wisconsin.

• The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is known for its commitment to the environment and sustainability.  The University has been named the third most sustainable campus in the country by the Sierra Club and is listed among the top 5 Greenest Universities by BestColleges.com in 2015. 

• Hospitals in Northeast Wisconsin were nationally recognized for their environmental practices in 2015 by Practice Greenhealth (formerly Hospitals for a Healthy Environment