Research

The University of Washington is announcing the steps it will take in this fiscal year, starting July 1, to reach the targets set in the UW’s Sustainability Action Plan.

The University of Washington has finalized its new Sustainability Action Plan, which will guide the university’s efforts during the next five years.

The Sustainability Action Plan includes five guiding principles and 10 measurable targets along with annual actions to reach those targets. Each year, the UW will evaluate the immediate actions needed over the next fiscal year to respond to changing realities and needs across our campuses.

Feedback from the University of Washington community on the UW’s draft Sustainability Strategy and proposed actions has been published.

The draft Sustainability Strategy was released on Earth Day, April 22. All members of the UW community were invited to take a survey to provide input on the draft - including the guiding principles and targets - and proposed actions.. Those survey results and comments have been compiled and are available as a PDF document.

The University of Washington is installing solar panels on three residence halls in partnership with Seattle City Light's Green Up program to support research on clean energy and smart grid technology.

"This project will put our students in the middle of a quiet revolution, the digitization of energy," said UW Clean Energy Institute Director Daniel Schwartz. "Setting up a major new testbed facility takes vision and partners, so we truly appreciate the way local industry, the state, and federal funders came together to support the UW team."

A researcher from the University of Washington is co-author on a new paper which reveals the cause of Greenland's darkening ice sheet.

A efficient, clean-burning cookstove developed by the non-profit BURN Design Lab - collaborating with UW mechanical engineers - can reduce the amount of fuel needed by 55 percent while also cutting down on particulate pollution.

Such a stove can make a big difference for much of the world. Smoke from open cooking fires and stoves causes millions of deaths and illnesses, and gathering wood and other fuel can expose vulnerable populations to dangerous risks.

A new University of Washington study has confirmed the best option for disposing of unused food and yard waste is composting rather than sending it to the landfill.

Food waste generates the greenhouse gas methane when it decomposes in landfills, but not when it's composted. Cities such as Seattle with municipal composting avoid generating a large amount of methane as a result of keeping the organic materials out of the landfill.

UW researchers studying trees in the Rocky Mountain West have found trees use different coping strategies when faced with drought and warmer temperatures. The results may help scientists determine how forests will adapt to future climate change.