UW Sustainability's blog

The University of Washington is once again among the top 10 greenest schools in America according to Sierra magazine.

UW's ENVIR 480: Sustainability Studio class in the Program on the Environment presents students with a sustainability topic which they engage in as part of an experiential learning course. The topics change each quarter - this spring, the students researched the UW's environmental history. This is part of a series of posts by the students on some of the information they uncovered.

Coming autumn quarter 2015, the Communications department will be offering a new sustainability focused class; Communication, Cities, and Sustainability (Com 325). This five credit class will explore how creative communication processes can enhance the sustainability and livability of cities by inviting, inspiring, connecting, educating, and engaging its citizens. Students will employ ethnographic techniques to analyze the complex, urban communication environment in which they live.

Harborview Medical Center and University of Washington Medical Center have received 2015 Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards from Practice Greenhealth. The Top 25 Award recognizes healthcare facilities across the country that exemplify environmental excellence and are setting the highest standards for environmental practices in healthcare.

Students: Are you interested in sustainable science and engineering? Do you want to network with professionals in this field? If so, please help launch the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I²SL) UW Student Chapter on Wednesday, May 20, from 5-6 p.m. in Allen Research Commons Room Red C.

Ever wondered what benefits a green wall adds to a building? Could electric or diesel vehicles support the rugged nature of the Grounds crew’s work? Green Seed Fund teams funded in 2013-14 will hold a poster session on June 2 to share the results of their research, which took a look at these questions and more.

For this year's Sustaining Our World Lecture, the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences (SEFS) presented a talk by Molly Steinwalk, the executive director of the Environmental Learning Center in Florida.

Dr. Linda Steg, an environmental psychologist and a respected scholar, author and professor at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands, will discuss "How to inspire people to engage in pro-environmental actions" on May 26 at Alder Hall.

The lecture will touch on what values are likely to promote pro-environmental actions, and how to activate values that increase the liklihood of sustainable choices. The evening will begin with a reception at 5 p.m. and the talk will begin at 6 p.m.