the UW Sustainability blog
By Celia Gurney
My alarm goes off at 7:30 a.m. I hit snooze and roll over, eager to return to an exciting dream about IHOP. But just as I’m about to order a side of pancakes with my Smokehouse Combo, I remember something that jerks me awake. I sit bolt upright. There’s no time to waste. I’m about to start another day of work as a consultant for the Green Laboratory Program.
The University of Washington has been awarded the 2014 Grand Award for Higher Education in the Green Cleaning Awards by American School & University magazine. This is the third time the UW has been honored with a Green Cleaning Award - the university also won the Grand Award in 2007 and a Co-Grand Award along with the University of Georgia in 2010.
The University of Washington Sustainability office has created this blog to showcase the stories of sustainability across the University of Washington.
This blog is a place to discover the many sustainability efforts by students, faculty and staff across UW. We strive to tell the wide range of sustainability stories across the university, and we encourage any member of the campus community to submit their own stories for inclusion.
Harborview Medical Center and University of Washington Medical Center have each been selected for the 2014 Top 25 Environmental Excellence Award from Practice Greenhealth. The Top 25 Award recognizes health care facilities across the country that exemplify environmental excellence and is setting the highest standards for environmental practices in health care.
The University of Washington is one of four universities worldwide, and the only one from the United States, named this week as a Sustainable Campus Excellence Award winner by the International Sustainable Campus Network.
Sorting your waste at UW is now a little clearer with 3-D visuals showing ideal disposal. The new visuals, located in the HUB and By George Café, aim to simplify waste disposal on campus and encourage greater composting and recycling. UW Sustainability led the project in partnership with the UW Garbology Project, UW Housing and Food Services, and UW Recycling.
The US Green Building Council recently awarded LEED gold certification to UW Medicine Phase 3.1 in South Lake Union. Green features of the 183,000-square-foot, seven-story building include a storm water cistern for irrigation, a heat-recovery chiller, high-efficiency boilers, exhaust air energy recovery and more. The project was financed through $165 million in tax-exempt bonds via the National Development Council.
The University of Washington’s sustainability leadership was recognized Tuesday evening at the fifth annual Green Washington Awards, hosted by Seattle Magazine. The event celebrated 50 organizations in Washington state demonstrating leadership and commitment to sustainable business practices.
Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability is pleased to announce the launch of the new UW Sustainability Map—a web-based application showing the locations of over 25 types of sustainability resources.
Recognizing excellence in campus tree management, Tree Campus USA engages both the student body and the wider community in the establishment and maintenance of community forests. Since 2010 the University of Washington has held the proud distinction of Tree Campus USA recognition.