In Our Nature

The 2023 Husky Sustainability Awards have been awarded to eight recipients, as well as three Husky Sustainability Legacy Award honorees.

The winners will be recognized at an award ceremony on Tuesday, May 9 at 3 p.m. in the Kane Hall Walker-Ames Room. All are invited to attend, and the ceremony will be followed by an informal reception with light snacks.

This year's winners include students, faculty and staff who have demonstrated impact, leadership, initiative and dedication to sustainability. This is the 14th year the ...

On Tuesday, April 18, at 11 a.m. join us for a virtual presentation on the University of Washington's Energy Transformation strategy and the steps we can take to transition the Seattle campus away from fossil fuels.

Dave Woodson, the UW's Executive Director of Campus Energy, Utilities and Operations, will walk through the steps needed to move the campus energy system to 100% clean energy, and why we need to act. There will be a Q&A session after the presentation.

This event will be held virtually via Zoom...

This April, there are many opportunities to volunteer on campus. Both the UW Farm and Society for Ecological Restoration have multiple volunteer sessions each week providing opportunities to get your hands in the dirt. The UW Botanic Gardens are co-hosting the annual Arboretum Earth Day restoration event, and you can also find many other organizations throughout Seattle and our region hosting volunteer events as well.

Here are a few of the ways to volunteer this month at the UW:

The UW Farm...

Artists from around the UW created astounding art pieces from trash in the fourth annual Trash Art Contest. UW Recycling received 23 submissions from UW students, faculty and staff. Five winning pieces were selected in three categories. The artwork needed to be created from items normally thought of as trash or a written work about waste and sustainability. Artists were asked to express feelings or ideas about waste, or a sustainability topic that relates to waste.

Click below to see the full list of winners, descriptions of the artworks and the stories behind the pieces from the...

Earlier this month, several members of the UW Sustainability and Campus Sustainabilty Fund teams traveled to Oregon State University for the 2023 Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC). Around 400 people from across the region, including students, staff, faculty and community partners, came together to discuss the sustainability challenges we face and share ideas.

This was the first in-person conference for WOHESC since 2020, with the past two years being held virtually. The chance to meet people from other...

Our campus is defined largely by its buildings: the neo-gothic halls surrounding the quad, brutalist landmarks of cast-in-place concrete, new mass timber structures floating warmly by Denny lawn. Each new construction operates more efficiently than the last as Seattle’s energy and water codes and the University’s requirements continue to push for a more sustainable built environment. Each building consumes less electricity,...

There is an opportunity for students and young professionals to receive a complimentary pass to this summer's Circularity Conference in Seattle. The Circularity Emerging Leaders program aims to elevate, cultivate and support the next generation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in the climate community. Its goal is to foster a community of sustainability professionals that is diverse and representative of the world in which we live.

The Circularity Conference brings together...

The first Accelerator Showcase hosted by NextCycle Washington is happening in Kane Hall on March 23. The showcase will feature 15 Washington-based business and organizations pitching reuse, repair, recycling, and composting projects. Teams are competing for monetary awards, as well as recognition and networking opportunities.

NextCycle Washington is an initiative of King County, the Washington Departments of Ecology and Commerce,...

UW Sustainability's "In Our Nature" podcast's latest episode is a discussion with UW Recycling's Adam Fehn. Adam joined us for a discussion on how to properly recycle and compost, as well as waste reduction goals and efforts at the University of Washington.

Learn more about UW Recycling on their website or follow @uwrecycling on Instagram.

Listen to the episode below...

The PreCycle Innovation Challenge offers free training and cash prizes for students who have an idea to reduce waste in Washington through innovative entrepreneurship.

The challenge is a pitch competition for the best product, service, or idea that primarily addresses waste reduction. The program is hosted by Seattle Good Business Network and Zero Waste WA, with partial funding from the WA State Department of Ecology. It is open to businesses, individuals, and student teams seeking to...