In Our Nature

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...

UW Bothell graduate student Alison Schmidt has volunteered all over Seattle. Most of her volunteer experiences have been with Seattle Tilth, where she focused on community engagement and education on recycling and composting and local farming and student learning gardens. She has also done ecological restoration with community partners like Mountain to Sound Greenway and Friends of North Creek Forest. Recently, she began participating in the kayak cleanups with Puget Sound Keepers on Lake Union.

Before pursuing her degree in environmental studies, Jansen spent 14 years working for...

As the manager of Cultivate, James Windau makes sustainability a top priority. The on-campus, full-service restaurant works to incorporate local and seasonal food, including serving produce grown on the UW Farm. Windau and Cultivate have recently signed up for Smart Catch, a chef-driven, sustainable seafood program. The program works to support environmentally sustainable fishing practices.

UW Housing and Food Services works to ensure the food and dining experiences on...