In Our Nature

Washington has a free intern program for businesses to host a full-time, 10-week intern to conduct onsite or virtual research at your business. The Washington Applied Sustainability Internship (WASI) Program is jointly administered by Washington Sea Grant and the Washington State Department of Ecology. WASI is a summer internship program designed to link dedicated engineering, chemistry, sustainability and environmental sciences students with business and industry in Washington....

The Washington State Department of Ecology is encouraging groups working on food waste to be a partner in Food Waste Prevention Week happening April 10-16. 

Food Waste Prevention Week is a national awareness and education movement including online and in-person events. Cities, states, universities and other organizations have partnered around the effort.

For organizations interested in becoming a partner, there are two upcoming national Partner Info Sessions:

• Tuesday, January 24, 10 a.m. PST:...

Cole Young is currently a junior pursuing a double degree in Industrial Design and Sociology, and has recently begun working as the UW Sustainability Graphic Designer. Cole is especially interested in exploring how sustainable practices and goals can inform design and lead to more positive outcomes for both consumers and the environment. With his studies in Sociology, he also hopes to better understand social structures and how design could be used to address different societal issues in order to make positive and lasting impacts on vulnerable communities. Cole is therefore very...

As my first calendar year with UW Sustainability comes to a close, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on what we've accomplished over the past year and our focus areas for  2023.

I joined UW Sustainability in May of 2022, and the past few months have flown by, as I’ve met with many staff, faculty, and students to learn about their fantastic sustainability efforts..While I still have much to learn and more people to connect with, I continue to be amazed and inspired by all the depth and breadth of sustainability work across the University. I’m also excited about the...

The University of Washington has begun developing its new Energy Transformation Strategy. This multi-year strategy will transition how the Seattle campus heats and cools buildings - from burning natural gas to produce steam, toward a new clean energy system that will use electricity to heat and cool the campus.

Part of this process is engaging with people across the UW to provide information on this Energy Transformation and listen to concerns and ideas from the community. November 28 was the kickoff of a new Student Energy Taskforce, which will provide a way for students to...

The University of Washington has recently been recognized as a national leader for its sustainability performance, particularly in the areas of purchasing and transportation.

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) 2022 Sustainable Campus Index named the UW second overall, and first among doctoral universities, for sustainable purchasing. The UW was also ninth overall, and fourth among U.S. schools, for sustainable transportation.

The UW was also recently named among the...

The Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is looking for a graduate student Fellow to plan, manage, and implement key communications campaigns for OSE's climate initiatives. The Fellow will develop a portfolio of environmental policy and communications materials to engage key constituencies and help communicate to residents about the investments and climate policies that are coming to Seattle.

This is a summer position for 14 weeks...

The University of Washington is starting the process of transforming and decarbonizing our energy system, and we want student voices to help guide the process. 

UW Facilities, UW Sustainability and the Campus Sustainability Fund are organizing an Energy Transformation Student Task Force as a way to inform students about the project and get input. All students are invited to join the inagural meeting on Monday, November 28 at 4 p.m. This will be a virtual meeting on Zoom, and will be led by Dave Woodson, Executive Director of Campus Energy, Utilities & Operations...

The UW Sustainability's "In Our Nature" podcast has been re-launched. The latest episode is a discussion with our new director Lisa Dulude. Lisa joined the UW Sustainability office in May 2022. Prior to starting at UW, she served for 12 years as the Energy and Sustainability Manager for Snohomish County. In this episode, Lisa talks about her sustainability background, some of the big sustainability opportunities at UW and ways for students, faculty and staff to get involved.

Listen below, or visit our podcast page for links to the podcast on other platforms...

UW Sustainability is hiring a Sustainable Building Materials intern. This internship position will help UW Sustainability research and develop draft sustainability guidelines for materials used in UW building construction. Many materials commonly used in building and construction, such as concrete, steel, timber, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) have high embodied carbon, contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions, and present additional challenges with respect to sustainability. This intern will research approximately half-a-dozen building materials, and identify opportunities and/or...