In Our Nature

As we get ready for a new school year to begin, I’m excited to see the campus come alive again with the energy of our students. It’s why we are here as a University, and why we are committed to working toward a more sustainable future for everyone. 

There’s a lot of challenges around this work now, but the UW is still all-in on sustainability, and we know our community is too. Our office works with people across the UW every day on sustainability efforts, from operational staff to committed faculty to the students who push us to embody our mission and vision. We know we can’t make a...

The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) is now accepting applications for the Fall cycle of large grants (more than $5,000). The CSF is a student-run and student-funded program at the University of Washington working towards a justice-centered sustainability movement. CSF grants are available to all students or RSOs on the Seattle campus, as well as staff or faculty working with students.

Letters of Intent for large grants will be accepted in this cycle until November 3rd. Applications for...

UW Sustainability is looking for an undergraduate student sustainability intern. This is a part-time position (12 hours per week) for a current student, paying $23/hour. The intern will work closely with the UW Sustainability team to plan and develop outreach and engagement opportunities, develop and maintain partnerships with RSOs and organizations on campus, organize and coordinate events, and assist with sustainability projects on campus. This position will be for the 2025-2026 academic year, starting in Fall quarter, and will be a mix of remote and in-person work.

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Welcome new (and returning) students! With Fall quarter starting, Dawg Daze has tons of events to help new students learn about campus and resources at the UW. There are many events focusing on sustainability, including campus tours and student group meetings.

We've put together a list of some of the Dawg Daze events related to sustainability, including ways to learn more about the UW Sustainability office and how you can get engaged with sustainability efforts on campus. Find even more events on the Dawg Daze site.

Up first...

The Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) will be hosted by the University of Washington on March 2-4, 2026. The conference is now accepting proposals for program content, speakers and sessions. 

The 2026 conference theme is "Still, We Rise: Intergenerational Leadership for a Sustainable Future." Proposals will be accepted until October 17, 2025. See the details below or as a PDF.

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There are plenty of common questions that come up when talking to new Huskies on campus. UW Recycling is here to provide some answers.

It's easy to bike to home UW football games! Avoid traffic and know your bike is secure while you're watching the game by utilizing Transportation Services' free bike valet service.

The bike valet is on Rainier Vista, just off the Burke-Gilman trail and close to Husky Stadium. You can drop your bike off anytime starting two hours before kickoff, and pick up in the hour after the game ends. 

Learn more and see a map at the UW Transportation Services site.

As spring quarter comes to a close, the thousands of students moving out of the residence halls often have items they no longer need but are still usable. This June, a UW program made sure 59,718 pounds of those items went to local organizations and on-campus reuse groups instead of the waste stream.

The Student Clean-up, Recycle and Move-out, or SCRAM, program is designed to bridge the gap between those unwanted items and organizations looking for donations.

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UW students living in the North campus neighborhood can get rid of unwanted items for free during the Husky Neighborhood Cleanup. On August 28, Sept. 22 and Sept. 23 trucks will be on site accepting items for recycling or disposal.

A UW student Husky card will be required to drop off material. Items can be taken on those days to the median at 17th Ave NE & NE 47th St. from 1 to 5 p.m. or until the trucks are full.

Accepted items include:

• Recyclable materials, including scrap metal and...

The University of Washington is in the process of updating our Sustainability Action Plan, which will lay out our goals and priorities and drive future actions.

The UW’s first Sustainability Action Plan was adopted in 2020 with a five-year framework. Now it’s time to look forward and create an ambitious plan to guide our path to a sustainable future. This new plan will set a long-term vision for 2050, while also determining the actions and strategies that will be needed over the next five years.

Over the past academic year, UW Sustainability held in-person visioning sessions...