UW Sustainability's blog

For Earth Day 2026, UW’s Executive Director of Campus Energy, Utilities & Operations David Woodson and UW Sustainability Director Lisa Dulude gave an online presentation on the work around decarbonizing the Seattle campus energy system.

The discussion touched on why we're working to decarbonize, the need to shift our campus Power Plant from natural-gas powered boilers that provide building heat to electric heat pumps, some recent good news around state funding for an initial project, some success stories from existing work and more.

Watch the presentation below.

UW students living in the North campus neighborhood can get rid of unwanted items for free during the Husky Neighborhood Cleanup. On June 11, 15 & 16 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:

Cultural Harvest, a student-led project at the UW that celebrates food, culture, and community, is holding their Year-end event on May 21 from 2:30-5 p.m. in HUB 340. The event celebrates UNESCO’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development and features the Cultural Harvest showcase.

UPDATE: Watch the recorded presentation here.

This Earth Day, learn how the UW is working toward decarbonization and what progress we've made.

Join a virtual discussion on the UW's efforts to decarbonize the energy system of our Seattle campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 10:30-11:30 a.m. via Zoom.

Speakers:

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is hiring four Solid Waste Policy, Planning and Outreach gradute interns. These paid positions will be working with SPU staff to support recycling and composting outreach for Seattle businesses and households, policy and planning activities, and program evaluation.

The UW's Molecular Engineering and Sciences Building (MolES) incorporates innovative strategies for energy savings and sustainability. Reducing the number of air changes by 40% lightens the load on the mechanical systems that serve technically challenging laboratories, while operable office windows and solar chimneys are part of a more "organic" approach to heating and cooling.

We want to hear from you!

UW Sustainability is working with undergraduate student Julie Shafer on a capstone project around water bottle refill stations on campus. This project will help understand campus water use, access to refill stations and perceptions around using the water stations.

Huskies for Equitable Sustainability (HuES) is a student-based program by UW Sustainability to connect students with sustainability projects that have an impact on campus, as well as a forum to connect and learn more about sustainability.

The Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA), a statewide nonprofit committed to promoting and advancing waste reduction practices and policies in the Northwest and beyond, is now accepting applications for a scholarship to attend its annual conference. The conference will be May 4-7, 2026, at the Tulalip Resort Casino in Marysville.

The University of Washington was given a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly University award by the League of American Bicyclists in recognition of the UW's achievements in promoting and enabling safe, accessible bicycling on campus.