UW Sustainability Action Plan update

Why are we updating the Sustainability Action Plan?

As we conclude our current five-year Sustainability Action Plan cycle in the 2024-2025 academic year, we are excited to embark on the development of a new, ambitious plan that will guide us towards our 2050 sustainability vision. This new plan will address the unique needs of our tri-campus community and provide an actionable roadmap for UW's sustainability goals, including: 

• Creating a vision for 2050: The University of Washington will engage partners to create a long-term visioning framework for 2050 across three key areas: campus operations; community service and partnerships; and research, academics, and learning. This vision for 2050 will guide the development of specific five-year goals, strategies, and actions in the new Plan.
• Promoting equity: We will embed equity considerations into all aspects of our sustainability planning and implementation through a structured framework. This framework will be guided by the principles established in our University's Race & Equity Initiative and Diversity Blueprint, helping us proactively assess the outcomes and impacts of our future sustainability goals and actions. 
• Identifying needed resources and funding: Ensuring we understand what is needed to meet the sustainability goals outlined in the Sustainability Action Plan.
• Driven by data: The new Sustainability Action Plan will reflect the latest climate and sustainability science, as well as UW-specific data, to inform ambitious goals, strategies and actions.
• Alignment with state and local legislation: We will look at state and local policy, as well as frameworks such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) to inform the Sustainability Action Plan.

• Connection through storytelling: The new Sustainability Action Plan will incorporate storytelling elements to reflect the University community and inspire collective action toward meeting our sustainability goals.

• Bolstering current efforts: The new Plan will reinforce the University of Washington's current efforts by highlighting existing projects and establishing goals that help them grow. 

Anticipated timeline

The development of the new SAP will be a collaborative effort involving faculty, staff, students, subject matter experts, and the broader UW community. Our engagement process will include a variety of activities, such as town halls, working groups, and focus groups to gather diverse input and create a shared vision for sustainability at UW. 

The Sustainability Action Plan update process will begin in Fall 2024, with opportunities for partners and other members of the community to share their input and 2050 vision for a sustainable UW. The work to develop goals, strategies and actions as part of a draft plan is expected to go through July 2025, with the language being refined and revised during Fall 2025. We expect to publish the updated Sustainability Action Plan in early 2026.

Engagement approach

We believe that creating a truly effective Sustainability Action Plan requires input from our entire UW community. That’s why we are currently designing a range of engagement strategies to ensure we hear from a broad spectrum of the UW community. All outcomes and insights gathered from these engagement initiatives will be documented and made available on this webpage. Our preliminary engagement plans include: 

• Visioning Sessions: Through targeted 2050 visioning sessions with a variety of units across the tri-campus, we aim to gather bold ideas and aspirations for the future of the University. These sessions will take place in fall 2024 and winter 2025, and focus on three main themes: academics/research, operations, and community partnerships. Outcomes of the visioning will be documented and used to inform the development of targeted goals and actionable strategies. Key participants will include UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, UW Medicine, students, the Sustainability Action Plan Executive Committee, and the broader UW community at our fall kickoff event.
• Community Meetings: Throughout the Sustainability Action Plan development process, we will host three open community meetings - at the beginning, middle, and end - free for all to attend. To maximize participation, we will provide both in-person and virtual attendance options for all our meetings.
  • Community Kickoff Event: Fall 2024
    The kickoff meeting will feature breakout sessions where participants can share their vision for a sustainable future for the tri-campus, as well as presentations on the Plan's development process. Input gathered from this kickoff will guide the development of new and ambitious sustainability goals, strategies, and actions.
  • Midpoint Town Hall: Spring 2025
    Marking the midpoint of the Plan's development process, this town hall will update attendees on the Plan’s progress, including newly formulated goals, strategies, and actions. Participants will have the chance to share input, ask questions, and seek clarification on any aspect of the Plan's ongoing development.
  • Final Plan Launch: Winter 2026
    At the final community meeting, we'll unveil the completed Plan, recognize the partners who contributed to its development, and outline the next steps for implementation.
• Working groups: Topic working groups, set to convene in early 2025, will be dedicated to specific areas of the Plan and responsible for developing goals, strategies, and actions. To craft ambitious and measurable goals, we will rely on a diverse team of partners, including faculty, staff, students, and other subject matter experts. This collaborative approach will ensure that each focus area benefits from a range of perspectives and expertise. We will build groups around critical topics, including:
  • Energy and climate
  • Operations
  • Waste
  • Food systems
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Transportation
  • Academics
  • and more.
• Other engagement: In addition to active visioning, community, and working group meetings, we plan to provide other ways for folks to participate in the development of the plan. These may include virtual community bulletin boards, surveys, and tabling events across the tri-campus.

How to participate

UW Bothell visioning session

UW Sustainability is hosting a sustainability visioning session at UW Bothell on Wednesday, February 26 from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. in the Activities & Recreation Center Overlook Room. This session will help the University chart its course toward a sustainable 2050 and is a key step in developing UW’s new tri-campus Sustainability Action Plan, which will provide an actionable roadmap for UW's sustainability goals.

During this session, we'll ask participants to share their ideas, aspirations, and priorities about what a successful sustainable future looks like for UW Bothell.

We welcome UW Bothell students, faculty, staff, and campus partners from all backgrounds and disciplines to join this conversation. We encourage folks to join as they can – whether that’s for the entirety of the session or just a portion. Input received at this event will help shape a more sustainable future for UW and ensure our sustainability framework reflects the needs of UW Bothell.

Register here

Message to the future

The Message to the Future project invites undergraduate, graduate, and PhD students across the tri-campus to share their visions for a sustainable and equitable future through creative expression. These may include written pieces, visual art, audio and video content. Submissions will inform the new Sustainability Action Plan and be featured on our website, as well as a physical showcase. 

We invite you to contribute your vision for the future through various media forms, including:  

• Written expressions (essays, poems, letters)  
• Visual art (paintings, photographs, digital designs)  
• Audio recordings (spoken word, music, soundscapes)  
• Video content (short films, animations, vlogs)  

Submit your message

Previous events

UW Medicine Sustainability Visioning Session

On January 14, 2025, over 70 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, faculty, and staff members from UW Medicine participated in a sustainability visioning session to share their insights and ideas about what a sustainable future could look like for UW Medicine and how we might address the healthcare sector's unique challenges and opportunities.

View the slides from the UW Medicine presentation.

Kick-off events

UW Sustainability held in-person and virtual Community Kickoff Events in Fall 2024 for members of the UW community to learn about the process for creating the new Sustainability Action Plan and share their visions for a sustainable UW. We will be using the input from these events to inform the Sustainability Action Plan, ensuring our efforts reflect community values.

You can watch the presentation about the Sustainability Action Plan update process from the virtual event below.

Join the conversation

More engagement opportunities will be announced soon, and we invite you to be part of this important process. Your input is crucial in shaping a sustainable future for the University of Washington. Email sustainabilityplan@uw.edu with questions or to receive updates.