UW Sustainability's blog

This April, there are many opportunities to volunteer on campus. Both the UW Farm and Society for Ecological Restoration have multiple volunteer sessions each week providing opportunities to get your hands in the dirt. The UW Botanic Gardens are co-hosting the annual Arboretum Earth Day restoration event, and you can also find many other organizations throughout Seattle and our region hosting volunteer events as well.

Here are a few of the ways to volunteer this month at the UW:

There is an opportunity for students and young professionals to receive a complimentary pass to this summer's Circularity Conference in Seattle. The Circularity Emerging Leaders program aims to elevate, cultivate and support the next generation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in the climate community. Its goal is to foster a community of sustainability professionals that is diverse and representative of the world in which we live.

The first Accelerator Showcase hosted by NextCycle Washington is happening in Kane Hall on March 23. The showcase will feature 15 Washington-based business and organizations pitching reuse, repair, recycling, and composting projects. Teams are competing for monetary awards, as well as recognition and networking opportunities.

UW Sustainability's "In Our Nature" podcast's latest episode is a discussion with UW Recycling's Adam Fehn. Adam joined us for a discussion on how to properly recycle and compost, as well as waste reduction goals and efforts at the University of Washington.

Learn more about UW Recycling on their website or follow @uwrecycling on Instagram.

The PreCycle Innovation Challenge offers free training and cash prizes for students who have an idea to reduce waste in Washington through innovative entrepreneurship.

The Sustainability staff at the UW Bothell, Tacoma and Seattle campuses are jointly hosting a Winter speaker series around Climate Change and Food Systems. The series will include virtual events, as well as an in-person event on each of the three campuses. Events will be weekly from January 18 to February 22.

Please register to receive the Zoom link for any of the virtual events, as well as to indicate interest in the in-person events.

Washington has a free intern program for businesses to host a full-time, 10-week intern to conduct onsite or virtual research at your business. The Washington Applied Sustainability Internship (WASI) Program is jointly administered by Washington Sea Grant and the Washington State Department of Ecology. WASI is a summer internship program designed to link dedicated engineering, chemistry, sustainability and environmental sciences students with business and industry in Washington.

The Washington State Department of Ecology is encouraging groups working on food waste to be a partner in Food Waste Prevention Week happening April 10-16. 

Food Waste Prevention Week is a national awareness and education movement including online and in-person events. Cities, states, universities and other organizations have partnered around the effort.

For organizations interested in becoming a partner, there are two upcoming national Partner Info Sessions:

Cole Young is currently a junior pursuing a double degree in Industrial Design and Sociology, and has recently begun working as the UW Sustainability Graphic Designer. Cole is especially interested in exploring how sustainable practices and goals can inform design and lead to more positive outcomes for both consumers and the environment. With his studies in Sociology, he also hopes to better understand social structures and how design could be used to address different societal issues in order to make positive and lasting impacts on vulnerable communities.

The Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) is looking for a graduate student Fellow to plan, manage, and implement key communications campaigns for OSE's climate initiatives. The Fellow will develop a portfolio of environmental policy and communications materials to engage key constituencies and help communicate to residents about the investments and climate policies that are coming to Seattle.