In Our Nature

Hello! I’m Caroline Beightol. I came to Seattle three years ago from my much smaller hometown of Santa Barbara, CA. When I get time away from school, I like to get outdoors, road trip, and dabble in food tourism.

As a third-year Urban Planning student, I focus on the sustainable and ethical design of places, so I am thrilled to have gotten involved with UW Sustainability. As the new Green Office Certification Coordinator, I look forward to encouraging different groups on campus to think and act in more environmentally-conscious ways.

The Green Office Certification program ...

Rebeca Rivera has gone above and beyond to involve students, faculty and staff in sustainability efforts across the UW Bothell campus. She is in the process of trying to start a garden at the UW Bothell campus, which is pending approval from the university. If all goes well, Rivera will begin the garden as soon as possible.

The garden will be a common space for growing sustainable food, independent study, and putting on class demonstrations. In an effort to make the future garden as best as it can be, Rivera has collaborated with the UW Farm and other community leaders in...

By Tali Haller

After a few wild days of recycle basketball, trash Minute-To-Win-It, sustainability trivia, and green pledging last weekend, the 2016 Green Greek Competition was a success. More than 180 students signed a Green Pledge and 29 Greek Chapters participated.

One chapter was outstanding in their commitment to the Green Greek Competition: PI KAPPA PHI (commonly known as Pi Kapps), led by Green Greek Representative Gavin Forster, won the competition and will receive $250 - and “green” bragging rights, of course. This chapter had 48 members take a Green pledge...

UW Transportation Services has introduced a new Bike Buddy program to help new bikers gain confidence in bike commuting - just in time for Bike Month and the Bike Everywhere Challenge in May.

Bike Buddies are UW students, faculty, and staff who have bike commuting figured out and want to help others who live near them bike commute to campus. Often, figuring out a comfortable bike route from your neighborhood to the UW is...

Whether it's composting and recycling at work or being mindful of what type of products to purchase – Ken Yasuhara is dedicated to sustainability both in the workplace and in everyday activities.

As a research scientist for the Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching and an instructional consultant with the Office for Advancement of Engineering Learning, Yasuhara makes sure his students are incorporating sustainability in their work as well.

"One of our projects includes getting engineering students to look at the life cycle more," said Yasuhara. "We want them to think...

Veronica Guenther has gone above and beyond in her role as outreach coordinator for the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF). Currently, she is coming up with innovative ways to bring in more small sustainability projects around campus. She has begun reaching out to students and faculty in the Dance program, GIS, ROTC, and American Indian Studies.

"We currently have a high concentration (of applicants) in engineering and environmental studies,...

It's Earth Week!

Earth Day is this Friday, April 22, but our planet deserves more than just a day. There are events happening throughout this week across campus, all gearing up to our Earth day celebration in Red Square on Friday. I've detailed the events hosted by UW Earth Club and UW Sustainability - check out our Earth Day events page for the full list of campus events.

Tuesday, April. 19 - UWS will be hosting an open house for all UW faculty. Stop by our office in...

There are thousands of light bulbs on campus, which use energy and regularly burn out or fail. The UW's maintenance electricians are addressing both issues with a program to upgrade campus lights to LED bulbs, which are more efficient and longer-lasting than traditional lights.

The team recently swapped out more than 200 lights on the IMA's squash and racquetball courts, which will reduce power consumption by 78%. Kane and Meany halls have also gotten LED upgrades. 

You can read more about the...

Update 4/18: Melanie Wade was named one of seven 2016 Husky Green Award winners.

UW fans know Melanie Wade for her contributions to the Husky volleyball team, including All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention nods her junior and senior year. Off the court, she's worked throughout her career to implement sustainability initiatives within the UW athletic department and across the campus as a whole....

Update 4/18: Aaron Tam was named one of the seven 2016 Husky Green Award winners.

UW student Aaron Tam is no stranger when it comes to environmental stewardship and advocacy. He is actively involved with several organizations on campus, including Carbon Washington, Earth Club, and UW Recycling.

As UW campus coordinator for Carbon Washington, Tam has led many community service projects in habitat restoration and petition gathering. He was also the only UW undergraduate student to collect over 1,400...