Oshkosh sustainability plans seek harmony between ecological needs, human stewardship of resources

As Wisconsin winters oscillate between 50-degree days and Arctic chill, communities across the Midwest fight against data center development, and federal environmental regulations being tossed aside, leaving many worried for the health of the environment around them. The City of Oshkosh is taking action to address these concerns and plan for the future by updating its Sustainability Action Plan.

Oshkosh’s first Sustainability Action Plan, written by the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board, was adopted in 2019. According to Emma Dziengeleski, Associate Planner for the City of Oshkosh, the document created an extensive list of areas where the city could integrate sustainable practices. 

“The priorities that were set were things like native plantings, potentially joining some groups like Green Tier Legacy Communities, which is a state group, to further our sustainability initiatives, addressing local food, how the city manages waste, the safety and health of the community, conservation, and possible ways to conserve our energy,” she said.

Though the plan has helped Oshkosh achieve several sustainability successes, the city is now updating its plan to address evolving priorities and past obstacles to implementation. 

“The city is updating the plan because the current plan is now outdated. A lot has changed on the federal and state level,” Dziengeleski said. “This is the first time that the Sustainability Advisory Board and the city have hired a consultant to assist with developing the plan, so we’re hoping that with that there will be much more buy-in from city departments, as well as the Common Council.”

Dziengeleski notes that designing the new sustainability plan will involve exploring a wide range of opportunities to bring sustainable practice and technology to the city.

“With transportation, is there any opportunity to have hybrids or electric vehicles within our fleet?” she said. “When a new development comes in the city, are there some standards that we can set, like maybe developments need to install EV charging stations, or maybe they need to have increased green space?”

In addition to considering new initiatives to bring to the community, the city is also interrogating existing systems to identify areas with the most room for growth. 

“The 2019 plan was created primarily by Sustainability Advisory Board members, so a lot of priorities that were addressed in the plan were things the board members could tackle. Unfortunately, there wasn’t that much buy-in from city departments, so some of those key priorities could have been overlooked,” Dziengeleski said. “There’s still plenty of room to get the city on the map with a renewable energy project, or just increasing our recycling among city buildings, increasing plants at parks.”

According to Dr. Misty McPhee, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Biology at UW-Oshkosh, adopting renewable energy is one of the best ways for a community to reduce its impact on the environment and bring down energy costs in the long-term. 

“When my husband and I ride our bikes around the area, we see all these buildings that have these great roofs, and they should be covered in solar panels. In my opinion, every parking lot should have a solar canopy on it,” she said. “Renewables should be top on the list in terms of things we’re doing in the city.”

While she acknowledges there may be barriers to infrastructure updates, McPhee also suggests the city should make it easier for individuals to adopt sustainable habits, particularly in transportation.

“Doing things to make the city more walkable and more bikeable, the bike infrastructure in the town is horrible, as someone who bikes all over the place,” she said. “This is a very car-centered town, which most towns are.”

Beyond reducing the community’s toll on the environment, Dziengeleski says the city’s sustainability initiatives are aimed at building ecological resilience, especially as climate change drives fluctuation in seasonal weather patterns and more extreme weather events. 

“With the location of the city, the river running right through, we could see some potential issues with shorelines. We want to make sure that those areas stay preserved for future generations,” she said. “The city in past storms has lost a lot of trees, so where can that ground cover be expanded upon?”

Though much of the current scientific and popular discussion of environmental conservation focuses on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, the city’s sustainability plan encompasses a much wider range of environmental issues and aims to connect the city’s residents to natural spaces.

“In parks or city lands, we’re considering where could aquatic plants be planted around storm water ponds, or where could we possibly have native plantings or gardens? Are fruit trees an option for the parks?”  Dziengeleski said. “In addition, we want to make sure that we’re not planting all of the same species. Emerald ash borer took out a lot of trees just within the city and within the area. If something like that happens again, we’re going to lose a majority of that species, so we want to make sure we have a diverse forest and diverse landscaping.”

The benefits of taking a more sustainable approach to city planning transcend the health of the environment, according to Dziengeleski.

“Most of our municipal buildings are rather old, so are there ways to increase that energy efficiency where we can save money for us and the taxpayers—that’s something that falls under sustainability,” she said. “Taking care of our outdoor space increases our air quality, as well as increasing people’s mental well-being. It gets people outside.”

Though the term is often used to discuss caring for nature and the planet, Dr. McPhee says the fundamental goal of sustainability is designing a healthy society for future generations. 

“We think about sustainability in terms of the environment, but it’s also society. Do we live in an equitable society where everyone has access to what they need and they are treated fairly?” she said. “You also think about economic sustainability. Are all of the parts of the production chain getting paid appropriately, are all aspects of society having access to the funds they need?”

Integrating the pillars of environment, society, and economy, the city is considering the priorities of stakeholders across the community as it forms its sustainability plan. Members of the community can take the Oshkosh Sustainability Survey, which can be accessed on the city’s website through the end of April, and apply to collaborate with the city’s Sustainability Advisory Board and consultancy group by joining the Community Input Team, which is expected to meet four times throughout the spring and summer. 

Though she notes there may be some conflict between planning meetings and school schedules, Dziengeleski encourages students to share their perspectives on the city’s sustainability priorities.

“Students can definitely fill out that community survey. As well, on the Community Input Team, we are hoping to reach just a number of different people in the community and looking for feedback from all individuals, so if they’re interested they could potentially apply to that,” she said. “If students are interested in sending emails or scheduling phone calls with staff and consultants to voice some of their opinions or what they want to see the city do in the future, we will gladly take any feedback they may have.”

by Aria Boehler

Published March 20, 2026

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue VI