the UW Sustainability blog
Photos by Rosemary Reyes
The new Life Sciences Building under construction next to the Burke Gilman Trail features floor-to-ceiling windows all along the south side. The windows allow the sun to naturally light the space, but that sunlight also presents a problem.
In the summer, direct sunlight would overheat the building. Instead of relying on air conditioning, the team behind the building’s design found a unique solution.
As the New Year approaches, there's a simple step UW employees can take to save time, energy and resources.
Opting to receive your tax forms digitally rather than on paper is more secure, and also means you can access them immediately when they are available. It also contributes to a more sustainable University of Washington. UW employees need to take action through Workday by Jan. 5, 2018 to go digital for the upcoming tax season.
Shelby Cramer's path to the Husky Green Award started with a simple question.
"I was walking with my little sister, and she randomly asked me what this tree was, this tree that was outside our house for years and year and years," Shelby said. "I didn't know what to tell her because I didn't know what that tree was, and that was kind of a light bulb moment. I felt a weird sense of shame in not knowing my own place."
UW Recycling is hiring a full-time Program Coordinator. This position will serve as one of three primary customer contacts for the Recycling unit, and as department coordinator for strategy management systems and process improvement initiatives (including Lean process improvement).
The University of Washington's new West Campus Utility Plant (WCUP) has received an Envision Gold award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). The Envision system rates sustainable infrastructure projects across the full range of environmental, social, and economic impacts.
Cassie Maylor has had a passion for the environment pretty much as far back as she can remember.
Living just outside Seattle in Kenmore, Cassie's parents regularly took her and her brother to National Geographic talks. Even as an elementary student, she was fascinated.
The tall white screens, glowing softly at night, draw the eye from blocks away. At the base of the building, 10-foot tall LED screens play informative videos showcasing sustainability efforts at the University of Washington, while windows in between provide a glimpse at the workings of the equipment inside.
At the five-week mark of RecycleMania, the University of Washington continues to lead the Pac-12 in the recycling competition.
The UW's Seattle campus is well ahead of the other Pac-12 schools and is in 31st place out of the 178 schools competing. UW Bothell is doing even better, in 26th place. According to RecycleMania, UW Seattle has recycled more than four pounds of material for every person on campus - a total of nearly 500,000 pounds recycled.
As a freshman living on West Campus, when Nola Peshkin stopped by District Market to pick up food or other items she was often surprised by the behavior of her fellow shoppers.
"Growing up my family was really adamant about always bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, but when I came to UW I was just really surprised and disappointed in the number of people who would use paper bags when it didn't seem necessary," Peshkin said.
Winter Quarter is officially here, which means the holiday break is over. As you're putting away your decorations, keep in mind the proper way to dispose of any unwanted items.