Husky Green Awards

Shelby Cramer's path to the Husky Green Award started with a simple question.

"I was walking with my little sister, and she randomly asked me what this tree was, this tree that was outside our house for years and year and years," Shelby said. "I didn't know what to tell her because I didn't know what that tree was, and that was kind of a light bulb moment. I felt a weird sense of shame in not knowing my own place."

In 2009, a small group of students started a grassroots campaign to create a student-powered green fund at the University of Washington. The idea quickly gained wide support, and today the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) has granted more than $2 million to student-created sustainability projects, giving UW students a chance to shape the future of campus.

Cassie Maylor has had a passion for the environment pretty much as far back as she can remember.

Living just outside Seattle in Kenmore, Cassie's parents regularly took her and her brother to National Geographic talks. Even as an elementary student, she was fascinated.

As the lead of the UW Tower Green Team, Bethany Staelens is always working to find ways to make her work at UW more sustainable.

Staelens, assistant to the vice provost of UW's Continuum College, has helped start UW Tower-wide initiatives such as reducing paper use and closing curtains to lower heating and cooling costs. She's also featured in a UW video highlighting the benefits of reducing paper.

Building Services Department Director Gene Woodard oversees the care of 11.5 million square feet of campus building space, as well as handling the waste generated by the occupants of those buildings. Woodard has empowered employees to put forward ideas to make the work better and more efficient, while keeping on eye on the sustainability of the UW's operations.

Environmental Studies lecturer Kristi Straus not only earned a Husky Green Award this year, but also a Distinguished Teaching Award, for her classes focusing on mindful sustainability.

The Husky Green Awards nomination deadline is almost here, and we still need your help to identify the top sustainability superstars at the University of Washington! Let us know who the top student leaders, faculty mentors, hard-working groups and behind-the-scenes staff are who keep the University of Washington sustainable. Unless you submit a nomination, we won’t know who deserves one of the annual Husky Green Awards, so please submit your nominations by the end of the day on Wednesday, March 1.

Tali Haller has been a student at the University of Washington for less than two years, and she's already won two Husky Green Awards – an accomplishment no one else has achieved.

"It's very motivating, and it also gives some validity to the things that I'm doing," she said about the Husky Green Award wins. "It's really nice to be recognized for work that I'm doing on campus."

Tali has already been able to make a big impact promoting sustainability in the UW Greek system, as well as being involved in many other environmental and sustainability projects on campus and off.

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.

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.