In Our Nature

Winter break and the holiday season are in full swing, leaving most people wishing for a white winter. What if you made it a green winter instead? From gift ideas for someone special to cleaning up after the new year, here are five tips for being more eco-friendly this season.

All wrapped up: Gift wrap can contain non-recyclable materials, meaning a portion of it ends up in the garbage. You can reduce waste by wrapping gifts with reused materials like fabric, brown paper, and newspapers. Make the switch from adhesive tape to washi tape, which is often reusable. For...

The Department of Applied Mathematics in Lewis Hall offers programs in applied mathematics and computational finance and risk management (CFRM). The department began to sharpen its focus on sustainability as a result of the UW's increased promotion of environmentally friendly behaviors, and is a Gold Certified Green Office.

Laurie Feldman, CFRM program manager, has taken on the role of keeping the office sustainable to her own workload, filling out the past three Green Office Certifications...

This year’s Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) national conference was held in Spokane on October 28-29. Several students, staff and faculty from the University of Washington traveled east to take part in the conference as presenters and attendees, joining about 2,000 people who gathered to discuss sustainability challenges and efforts.

UW Sustainability Director Claudia Frere-Anderson emceed the conference’s closing, recognizing the efforts of the many people who worked to make the conference...

Hi everyone! My name is Annika and I’m joining the UW Sustainability team as the communications intern. I’m currently a freshman in Engineering, hoping to also explore writing along the way. I grew up with a green thumb, where I developed a passion for nurturing plants and admiring the beauty of nature. Once I worked on a science project about honey bees, I realized that the self-sustainability of plants and organisms fascinates me to no end. From there, I knew I wanted to pursue environmental stewardship to greater depths.

My other interests include learning about...

The UW Farm is seeking undergraduate student staff members for the 2020 growing season (mid January through mid December). This position offers opportunities to work at three unique farm sites on campus as well as opportunities to develop real-life work skills in project management, team work, leadership, communication, volunteer management, food production, food safety, organic practices, and small farm business management.

Please note, this is an all-weather job. Student staff are expected to come to work on time and consistently, rain or shine. Commitment to the full four...

The Campus Sustainability Fund's winter funding cycle is now open for proposals from the UW campus community. The CSF grants over $400,000 per year to student-led projects that advance sustainability on UW's campus. The CSF supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals and encourages project teams to align with these diverse goals. 

The CSF's letter of intent application deadline for the winter cycle is December 1. Applicants will be expected to submit a brief description of their project, preliminary budget, and timeline....

Hi! I’m Grace and I am the UW Sustainability team's graphic design intern. I am a junior studying Human Centered Design and Engineering. I am really excited to start this position because it enables me to improve on my design skills while also working around and with people who are passionate about sustainability. 

In my design work, accessibility is something that I give a lot of thought to. I strive to create designs that are inclusive and accessible to broad and diverse audiences. This concept, for me, can also be applied to sustainability. I believe that all members of the UW...

The UW Society for Ecological Restoration's Native Plant Nursery is hosting a Native Plant Sale this Sunday, November 17, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Douglas Research Conservatory at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Come out and support UW's student-run nursery by picking up plants native to our region.

The nursery is looking for volunteers to help with the event. Volunteers must have a sufficient knowledge of Puget lowland native plant species, be able to answer...

The University of Washington is hosting the 2019 Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC), February 25-27, 2019. This is the second annual WOHESC event, which brings together students, faculty and operational staff from campuses across the region, as well as community stakeholders, to advance sustainability in higher education.

The conference will be held primarily at the UW's Husky Union Building, a LEED Gold facility that incorporates many sustainability features. Attendees will hear from a wide variety of...

My name is Madeline Zschiesche, and I am a junior at the University of Washington double majoring in Law, Societies, and Justice and Political Science. I am ecstatic to be joining the UW Sustainability Team as the Green Certification Program Coordinator. I admire the work being done here at UW Sustainability, and am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a hard working team. My interest in sustainability is paired with a drive for inclusivity and a goal of environmental work that includes everyone here at the UW and beyond. When I’m not at the office I’m exploring Seattle with...