This post was originally published in the UW Green Labs newsletter.

Reducing your lab's energy use

With regular maintenance, you can significantly increase the efficiency and the lifespan of your lab’s freezer or fridge. In fact, regular maintenance of your ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezer can save your lab up to $280 per year in energy costs.

One important part of freezer and fridge maintenance is cleaning the condenser coils and filters. Over time, these accumulate dust and dirt, which reduce both air flow through the filters and the coils’ ability to...

Do you know a UW Commute Champion? UW Transportation Services is looking for Huskies who walk the talk with a commute that has a low-impact on the environment, enhances the quality of life in our community, and increases their health and wellbeing.

Each quarter, Transportation Services will select a champion and recognize them with an ice cream social for up to 20 people. The newest Commute Champion is Ross Howell from the School of Public Health as their newest...

It's true, it's true! Now go forth and test your recycling and composting knowledge for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. Click here to get started!

Here are some highlights from our Sustainability Events calendar for the week of March 2, 2015. If you know of any events which should be added, let us know.

If you'd like to get a weekly email of all the upcoming sustainability events, subscribe here. And we're always adding new events as we learn about them, so see all the details and any last-minute additions on the Sustainability Events calendar.

"In order to divert the majority of people, you have to make it second nature for them." - Cameron McCallum

The Physics Instrument Shop has been a certified Green Laboratory since June 2013. Run by about seven people, the shop handles nearly all the purchasing and machining for UW's physics department. Although the shop deals exclusively with materials, it is incredibly waste efficient. Purchases are always made in bulk and leftover materials are recycled or stocked for later use. Additionally, the shop processes...

Lab workers put in long hours in the search for data and answers, so when the Green Laboratory Certification program wanted to reward participants, coffee was a natural choice.

The Green Labs program has been delivering responsibly-grown and locally-roasted coffee from UW Husky Grind to all the labs that participated in the program in 2014 to recognize and thank them for the extra effort they've put into making their labs green.

Campus...

Here are some highlights from our Sustainability Events calendar for the week of Feb. 23, 2015. If you know of any events which should be added, let us know.

If you'd like to get a weekly email of all the upcoming sustainability events, subscribe here. And we're always adding new events as we learn about them, so see all the details and any last-minute additions on the Sustainability Events calendar.

Looking for a career in an environmental field? This Wednesday, Feb. 25, join the College of the Environment and dozens of employers for the Environmental Career Fair in Mary Gates Commons.

The event is open to all UW students, and provides an opportunity to explore careers in various environmental fields. Potential employers from the nonprofit, government and private sectors will be on hand to discuss career positions and internships.

More information and the...

The unseasonably warm February means there are plenty of opportunities to get outside and see sights which normally aren't available until later in the year.

The Seattle Times has a list of several good options for garden walks around Seattle (many flowers are already starting to bloom) and waterfalls further afield. 

For example, Franklin Falls near Snoqualmie Pass:

Snuggled up beneath the Interstate 90 freeway...

A classroom challenge to reduce students' carbon footprint has turned into one of the six research projects awarded a Green Seed Fund grant this year.

In the Green Seed Fund's latest round of funding, 25 proposals were received totaling $1.5 million in requests. A committee of students, faculty and staff awarded about $250,000 in funding to the top six proposals, including "Carbon Challenge: Footprint Reduction through Curricular Development and Community Building."

The groundwork for the proposal began a year ago with Ellen Moore. In addition...