the UW Sustainability blog
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Carolyn Hartman has worked diligently to promote environmental education and campus sustainability in numerous leadership capacities throughout her time at UW.
The UW International Forestry Students' Association (IFSA) was created just a year ago, but it's already grown into a robust community of environmental sustainability leaders, with more than 10 officers and 43 active members.
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.
Kathryn Jansen is the UW Department of Surgery's medical student program operations specialist. After noticing that the department didn't have compost and recycling bins readily available, Jansen made it a priority to add several to the department's break and conference rooms.
"We produce a ton of coffee grounds and filters, along with other food waste, while trying to keep our staff and residents caffeinated all day and night," said Jansen. "I would see the garbage bin overflowing with items that could be composted."