UW Sustainability's blog

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:

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.

The University of Washington will host the 2026 Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) on the Seattle campus March 2-4, 2026. 

WOHESC brings together staff, faculty and students from schools across our region as well as community partners to advance sustainability in higher education. The conference will be held primarily at the UW's Husky Union Building. WOHESC conferences feature presentations from a wide variety of sustainability practitioners in sessions, keynotes, panel discussions, workshops and more.

The 2025 Husky Sustainability Awards have been awarded to nine recipients, as well as a Husky Sustainability Legacy Award honoree.

The winners will be recognized at an award ceremony on Thursday, May 29 at 3:30 p.m. in the Kane Hall Walker-Ames Room. All are invited to attend.

Sustainability Action Plan Community Briefing

Friday, June 6, 10-11 a.m. online
Register for Zoom link

Join us for a virtual update on the University of Washington's Sustainability Action Plan (SAP) development.

UW Transportation Services is hosting an Earth Day-themed scavenger hunt! Pick up a scavenger sheet at the UW Sustainability office in the basement of Gerberding Hall, room B40, or see the list below. Complete three of the five items and return to Transportation Services to win a prize. If you complete all five, you'll also be entered in a grand giveaway.

Find Transportation Services' table on Red Square on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, from 1-5 p.m. to turn in your scavenger sheet or learn more about transportation options on campus. 

Scavenger items:

The University of Washington is hosting events to recognize Earth Day throughout the month of April - and beyond.

See the full UW Earth Month calendar to see all of the events happening at all three UW campuses, hosted by many different departments and student groups. Volunteer opportunities, inspiring speakers, discussions, tours, hands-on activities and much more are happening nearly every day this month.

Starting April 21, some of the highlights of the student-driven Earth Week programming include:

The Washington Applied Sustainability Internship (WASI) program is an undergraduate summer internship program designed to link dedicated engineering, chemistry, sustainability and environmental sciences students with business and industry in Washington. This program is open to Washington-based undergraduate student with junior or senior standing (including graduating seniors) in business, economics, engineering, environmental science, green chemistry, physical science or sustainability science programs.

UW Sustainability invites all members of the UW community to share their visions for a sustainable and equitable future through creative expression by participating in the "Message to the Future" campaign.

King County’s Finance and Business Operations Division, Procurement & Payables section, is seeking a Sustainable Purchasing Graduate Intern to join the Education, Compliance and Training team. This internship is expected to begin in May or June and will continue through the 2025-2026 academic year. The position is open to students who are enrolled in a Master's program for the full duration of the internship. Typically, interns work part-time (10-20 hours per week) during the academic term and may work full-time (40 hours per week) during the summer and school breaks.