Sustainability courses
Sustainability courses at the University of Washington explore environmental, economic, and/or social aspects of sustainability, addressing the ability for society to innovatively utilize, develop, and protect natural resources and ecosystems in a way that meets the current and future generations' needs. Sustainability focused courses examine one or more topics with regards to all three dimensions (environmental, economic, and social) of sustainability in depth, or analyze a broad range of topics using a sustainability lens. Whereas, sustainability inclusive courses examine one or more topics with regards to at least one dimension of sustainability, or sustainability or the environment is a discrete element of the course description, but not necessarily the main focus.
The following highlighted sustainability courses offered at UW Seattle provide an introduction to courses that are focused on and related to the environment or sustainability.
To find more classes, see our full list of sustainability courses at UW.
Introduction to Environmental Health
Introduction to environmental health concepts.
Society and Sustainable Environments
Introduces the application of social concepts and theories to understanding and managing urban, urbanizing, and wildland landscapes in a sustainable manner.
Introduction to Environmental Economics
Introduces environmental and natural resource economics.
Sustainability: Personal Choices, Broad Impacts
An introduction to the frameworks and approaches to sustainability through exploration of the three pillars of sustainability.
Principles of Sustainability
Overview of principles of sustainability, including discussion of current literature and presentations by practitioners, and methods for balancing social, economic, and ecological consequences of policies and actions.
Health and Sustainability
Focuses on the intersection of human health and environmental sustainability and emphasizes a systems thinking approach to formulating solutions.
Energy and Environment
Discusses diverse environmental issues around energy sources and uses and the importance of evaluating environmental challenges.
Sustainability, Resilience, and Society
Introduction to concepts of sustainability and resilience and their relevance to environment and society in the current Anthropocene era
Eco-Capitalism
Explores the idea of environmentalism and sustainability across societies.
Attaining a Sustainable Society
Building a sustainable future depends on restructuring the global economy, major shifts in human
 reproductive behavior, and dramatic changes in values and lifestyles.
Environmental Innovation Practicum
Students develop innovative solutions to real-world environmental problems.
Sustainability Studio
Exploration of definitions and critical concepts of sustainability and analysis of sustainability practices on the UW campus.