Seattle, WA

 

The University of Washington has strong environmental and sustainable commitment at all levels of the organization.  President Emmert is a founding member of the Association of College and University President’s Climate Commitment.  The Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee  provides oversight for all three campuses-Seattle, Tacoma and Bothell.  Most of the UW Colleges offer sustainability related courses, with the Program on the Environment providing cross college coordination. Recently the UW has committed to creating a new College of the Environment, which is currently under development.  

 

The UW also has a full-time sustainability coordinator in Capital Projects and part-time coordinators for Environmental Stewardship Advisory Council and Housing and Food Service. 

Multiple green student groups on campus provide additional focus on creating a more sustainable campus including ASUW Sustainable Committee, Engineers Without Borders, Sierra Student Coalition, Campus Climate Coalition and many more.  Several student groups have close relationships with administrators lending to comprehensive projects. 

One such group is Students Expressing Environmental Dedication, or SEED.  SEED is a student group sponsored by Housing and Food Services (HFS).  Due to this relationship SEED’s primary mission is to promote sustainability in the campus residence halls and dining operations. SEED works closely with HFS: for instance, members have measured flow rates of showers and recorded the positions of exit signs and incandescent light bulbs as part of an HFS/SEED conservation plan to install low-flow showerheads, LED exit signs, and all fluorescent light bulbs. Last year, SEED helped get front-of-house composting in the dining halls, and is currently striving to add compost bins to every floor and room of the residence halls.

A few other recent activities include educating students about what to recycle and compost, picking up trash and recyclables around the residence halls, sponsoring a speaker, promoting a HFS-run program that allows students to exchange incandescent light bulbs for CFLS and establishing a residence hall student run garden on campus. SEED also reaches out to the broader campus community with actions such as distributing brochures on the environmental positions of presidential candidates and spreading information about CFLs.  Simply put by Krysta Youstoufian, a SEED member, “Our (SEED) activities are diverse, but they all support the same simple goal: to create a more sustainable society.”

On the operational side, the UW has implemented many sustainable programs including:

 

Renewable Energy 

The UW SEATTLE purchases 100% renewable electricity from Seattle City Light (SCL).  About 94% of the SCL power portfolio is hydro based (info from their website which references data from 2006).  Since 2006 the UW Seattle has been a Gold Level participant in the SCL Green Up Program. Through the Green Up program the UW purchases new green power equivalent to the remaining 6% of the SCL power portfolio, making electricity purchased for the Seattle campus 100% renewable.

There are two photo voltaic installations on campus, a smaller one on Mechanical Engineering and larger 7.5 kW installation on Merrill Hall which provides over 10% of the buildings’ needs.

 

 Transportation

• The UW is the home of first UPass program in the US providing subsidized bus passes to all full time students.  
• UW Commuter Café provides information on alternative transportation including commuter information on bicycling, buses, ferries and car sharing.
• Ride in the Rain is an inter-campus competition held for four weeks every winter to encourage bicycle commuting—even in the rain.
• The UW fleet includes several all electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and alternative fuel vehicles designed for bio fuels.  Additionally, the UW is initiating an internal “flexcar” program for UW Departments.

 

Recycling

• Food Services is implementing a sustainable food purchasing program and with the help of SEED, after composting for years have instituted front of the house composting in all residential dining services.  To learn more go to http://hfs.washington.edu/
• The UW has an innovative and comprehensive recycling program that focuses on educating the university community while reducing solid waste 

 

Green Building

• LEED building program with one Gold, two Silver and one Certified building completed and over ten other projects currently in various stages of the building delivery process. 
• The UW has over 50 LEED Accredited Professionals on campus primarily on the operational side.  To learn more about UW's Capitol Projects Office and slated LEED projects go to http://www.cpo.washington.edu/html/index.htm

 
Efficiency and Conservation

• The UW Conservation Project Development Team has been involved in energy retrofits and water conservation efforts.  From FY1996 through FY2007 the University of Washington Seattle Campus has avoided $58 million in utility costs through its conservation efforts and programs..
• UW water use has decreased over 30% since 2000 while the UW has grown by 40%.
• Housing and Food Services have implemented an ongoing CFL exchange program, with the assistance of the student group SEED, that has replaced 5000 incandescent lights. 

Click here to see UW conservation/cost avoidance charts and learn more about conservation efforts

 

Other

• The UW received the City of Seattle BEST award for sustainable leadership in 2006.  Other awards include:  ESAC.

If you would like to add to this page please e-mail additions or edits to info@nwgreencampus.org.  Thanks!