UW Sustainability's blog

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.

The University of Washington signed the Washington Business Climate Declaration on March 31st, a statement which supports using energy efficiently, investing in cleaner fuels, advancing renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Declaration was drafted by the Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP).

The Spring quarter's in full swing, and you can find sustainability-related events on campus every day this week.

All of these events and more are listed on our Sustainability Events calendar, where you can find the full details for all events and any last-minute additions. If you'd like to get a weekly email of all the upcoming sustainability events, subscribe here. If you know of any events which should be added, let us know.

Everyone's back on campus for the start of spring quarter, which means there are once again plenty of sustainability-related events happening around campus.