In Our Nature

The Washington State Recycling Association (WSRA), a statewide nonprofit committed to promoting and advancing waste reduction practices and policies in the Northwest and beyond, is now accepting applications for a scholarship to attend its annual conference. The conference will be May 14-17, 2024, in Vancouver, Wash.

The scholarship covers the cost of hotel accommodations during the conference, educational sessions and networking opportunities, connection with a professional in the industry, and WSRA membership dues for the remainder of 2024. Assistance with transportation to the...

UW Recycling is now accepting entries for the 2024 Trash Art Contest! Participants must create an art piece from items normally thought of as waste or a literary piece about waste.

Categories include: 2D art, 3D art, Textile art and Literature. This contest is open to all UW students, faculty and staff. Submissions are due March 22, 2024 at 4 p.m. PST. Winners for each category will receive $100 or $50 gift cards to a low waste store.

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Campus Race to Zero Waste (CRZW) starts this week at the University of Washington! The UW will participate in the friendly recycling and waste reduction competition between colleges and universities for the twelfth year. As part of CRZW, UW Recycling is organizing activities to focus on good waste sorting practices. Here are some ways you can get involved.

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The 2024 Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) will feature a Makers Market for the first time. 

The Market will be Tuesday, March 5 from 1 - 6:30 p.m. during the conference held at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Artists and crafters of all types focused on sustainability are welcome. As part of the market, makers are welcome to sell products and wares. (Please note: All payment processing is the sole responsibility of participating makers).

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This last year has been one of hard work! We rolled up our sleeves to kick off multiple university-wide projects, all of which are foundational for the UW to make progress on our sustainability goals.

Over the past several months, we’ve been working with a consultant team to conduct a comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory for the UW. This is the university’s first comprehensive GHG inventory since 2005, and is the first time that UW has ever included emissions associated with the goods and services the university purchases. We expect to release the full inventory and...

The University of Washington was recognized among the national leaders in higher education sustainability by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

AASHE’s 2023 Sustainable Campus Index recognizes the UW’s Seattle campus as a top performer in Purchasing (No. 2 overall) and Transportation (No. 9). UW Bothell shared the top overall spot for Grounds with Cascadia College (the two schools share the Bothell campus), and was tied for No. 2 overall in the Water category....

At the recent UW Decarbonization Town Hall, one of the major questions posed from the audience was, "How can I get involved and help decarbonize our campuses?"

There are many different ways students, staff and faculty can get involved at the UW. We've put together just a few here. You can also email sustainability@uw.edu with questions or for information on other options.

Students

The most direct way to get involved with the UW's work is to join the...

Students interested in learning more about the UW's Energy Transformation strategy to decarbonize the Seattle campus energy system are invited to attend Student Energy Transformation Task Force meetings every other month.

David Woodson, the executive director of Campus Energy, Utilities and Operations, hosts these informational sessions and all current UW students are welcome. The next student task force meeting with Dave Woodson will be on November 27, 2023, 4-5 p.m. You can ...

Seattle Public Utilities is looking for ideas to reduce waste in our community. This contest is open to everyone who lives, works, or goes to school in Seattle, and prizes are available. The deadline to enter is November 14, 2023.

The Race to Zero Waste Competition is an opportunity to make a difference in Seattle for generations to come. The contest is NOT looking for business proposals or models - just great ideas about how to prevent waste! To enter, just answer a few...

The Faculty Council on Campus Planning and Stewardship hosted this panel discussion on the UW’s efforts to decarbonize our operations and address climate change. The event was recorded on October 25, 2023.

View the slides...