Campus Sustainability Fund

The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) is hosting an evening of interdisciplinary discussion and project brainstorming. CSF representatives will share information on the fund, and how students can apply for grants to make their environmental ideas a reality on campus, as well as brainstorming ideas for projects. The goal of the event is to engage the campus community in brainstorming sustainability improvements we want to see at UW, and moreover, to empower students to make an impact by applying for a grant and starting their own project!

What was once a bustling sawmill in the late 1800s is now home to more than 100 species of birds, turtles, ducks, and even a beaver family.

I’m talking about Yesler Swamp, one of the few true swamps remaining in Seattle and a unique part of Washington’s vanishing urban forest. It’s hidden in a grove of trees just east of the UW Center for Urban Horticulture, remaining a fairly unknown public area to this day.

You may not have noticed, but as you walk around the UW campus more of those plants and flowers at your feet are species native to Puget Sound.

That’s because UW’s Society for Ecology Restoration student guild (SER-UW) native plant nursery has been working to restore areas on campus by increasing native species biodiversity and creating open spaces for students to engage with the natural world just steps from their residence halls. 

By Tiffany Loh
This post was originally published on the Campus Sustainability Fund site.

Earlier this year, the CSF awarded a grand total of $105,367 to 6 projects in the first round of funding for 2015. One of the projects proposed innovative adjustments that would optimize the use of a gift Mother Nature likes to shower upon Seattle: rainwater. 

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.

Photo: (Left) Co-creator of ReThink Will Fantle and (Right) Vice President Gracie Dahl

A trip to Israel sparked a UW student's dream to leave a mark on the environment.

"There was a full moon, a massive brilliant orb, and stars everywhere,” said Will Fantle, co-creator of ReThink, a UW club focused on business sustainability. “They took us out in silence and told us to go find a spot in the desert. We sat out there for what felt like hours. I just lay there looking up at the stars thinking about what I wanted to do with my life."

The UW Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration teamed up with the UW Carpentry Fabrication Shop to transform a dead cedar tree on campus into a bench where the UW community can enjoy the surroundings of the restored forest.

If you're interested in working on sustainability issues around campus, there are several openings right now for current UW students.

The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) is looking for two students to fill the brand new Creative Assistant and Development Assistant positions.  The Creative Assistant will facilitate design, implementation and production of various branding and communication endeavors for the CSF in the 2014-2015 school year, including but not limited to stickers, letterhead, banners, etc.

UW Solar's array of solar panels on top of Mercer Court has been generating energy since going online this April, and you can see exactly how much the panels are producing with a real-time visualization tool.