In Our Nature

Reducing the amount of waste we produce and diverting material to recycling and compost is a major aspect of sustainability.  Although you don’t have access to all the campus resources, you can still stay sustainable while teleworking.

Due to COVID-19 health and safety precautions, waste reduction hasn’t been so easy. With bulk sections in grocery stores being closed, bring your own container initiatives being limited, and dine in options at restaurants no longer being available, it makes reducing waste tough. Despite these difficult and necessary changes, use these tips to help...

For almost a decade, UW Solar has made impacts by generating power and energy all across campus. Since getting solar panels installed on the roof of Mercer Court in 2014, the group has grown and worked with campus partners to add solar to several West Campus residence halls and the new Life Sciences Building.

With no signs of slowing down, UW Solar is looking to carry out two major projects this year that will encourage the use of alternative energy at the university.

The first is a campus-wide plan assessing more than 300 buildings and...

As we head into the final weeks of the quarter, consider taking a break from the books by checking out events happening all across campus. This week’s events mainly cover getting out the message about your research findings, and informing policy practice.

We highlight the top sustainability-related events across UW each week so you can quickly find the ones you're interested in. We also always have a full, comprehensive list of all campus sustainability events on our calendar. You can even subscribe to get weekly emails to keep up to date on all the sustainability...

This 2020 contest has now ended. See the winners or learn about the 2021 contest.

UW Recycling is holding a Trash Art Contest in March, with $150 in gift cards to be awarded to the winners.

The contest, part of this year's RecycleMania effort, is open to all UW students and staff. Participants must create an art piece primarily composted of recycled, salvaged or...

The College of the Environment's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team at University of Washington (UW) will celebrate its Third Environmental Justice Conference on April 7, 2020 in Alder Hall. This conference emerges from an ongoing conversation across UW departments and community leaders regarding how to foster equitable collaborations with local and global communities. The main objective of this conference is to reflect on best practices around community-based approaches in order to fully understand the positionality of researchers...

Find some sunshine in the midst of midterm season and this nonstop rain by seeing how community members incorporate sustainability into their work. These groups and individuals keep the Earth in mind when making their way to work, gearing up the sports teams, or telling stories about the environment.

We highlight the top sustainability-related events across UW each week so you can quickly find the ones you're interested in. We also always have a full, comprehensive list of all campus sustainability events on our calendar. You can even...

RecycleMania starts this week at the University of Washington! For the eighth year, the UW will be participating in the friendly recycling competition.

As part of RecycleMania, UW Recycling will be organizing events and activities to promote waste reduction with campus partners.

Get Caught Green-Handed with SEED

Show off your recycling know-how when you get caught “green-handed”. Participants who sort their waste correctly at Local Point Café on Feb. 12 will be rewarded for being sustainable!

From 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., UW...

Communities both local and worldwide are taking various approaches to practicing sustainability. This week, there are opportunities to learn about how the environment and climate change impact different groups. Sit in on an event about children's health, New York's role in maintaining green cities, or the significance of the local kokanee salmon.

We highlight the top sustainability-related events across UW each week so you can quickly find the ones you're interested in. We also always have a full, comprehensive list of all campus sustainability events on our...

What's plastic film you ask? Plastic film can be a variety of materials including shrink-wrap, bubble wrap and shopping bags.

Effective January 1 2020, UW's plastic film recycling process has changed. Plastic film is no longer accepted in regular recycling bins and will need to be dropped off at specific locations to be recycled.

What types of plastic film are recyclable?

The easiest way to tell if the plastic film can be recycled is the "stretch test." If you can stretch the plastic easily with your...

What do you think of when you hear the word soil? When assistant professor Brittany Johnson asks students this question at the start of her Introductory Soils course, words like "dirty," "life," "brown," and "nutrients" come to mind. But soil is much more complex than that, Johnson says.

Johnson emphasized the many roles of soil in the recent lecture "From the Ground Up: Climate Impacts of and on Soils," part of the Nutritional Sciences winter seminar "Food Systems in the Age of Climate Change." This presentation aimed to...