University of Washington
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Education and Research:
The University of Washington (UW) educates a diverse student body to become responsible global citizens and engages these students in addressing sustainability issues through guided research and academic inquiry. From its inception in 1861, the UW has a long and illustrious history of environmental and natural resources education and research. The UW’s strong education and research history is complemented by a strong focus on environmental stewardship in its teaching programs. Today, the UW offers a diverse collection of academic programs that focus on the environment and sustainability. In the 2008-09 academic year alone, the UW offered over 500 individual courses on its three campuses that focused on or directly related to the environment and sustainability.
Independent study, internships and capstone projects connect the learning experience with specific action. For example, student projects have led to an analysis of the carbon mitigation potential of managing a campus landfill, recommendations for considering carbon-friendly investing for the UW’s endowment investments and a sustainability plan for UW Bothell.
In addition to formal education and research opportunities, the UW provides significant opportunities for engagement in environmental and sustainability issues outside of the classroom and the lab. From presentations by students advocating policy change to the University’s Board of Regents, to training programs for staff involved in purchasing, to public service announcements targeting visitors to athletic events, the whole of the UW community is involved environmental and sustainability programs.
A major academic initiative in strengthening environmental academic engagement is the establishment of a College of the Environment. This college is bringing together a critical mass of students and scholars to lead the development of strategic plans for curriculum enhancements; for innovative research into science, technology and public policy; and for effective outreach initiatives. The UW College of the Environment opens its doors to students as of July 1, 2009, and when fully implemented in early 2010 the college will have more than 1200 students, 200 faculty and $80 million in research grants and contracts.
The faculty brought together in the new College of the Environment are some of the most well-respected and productive within their respective fields and their work ranges from fundamental process studies to the implementation and evaluation of solutions. They include four members of the National Academy of Sciences, twelve Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and fourteen Fellows of the American Geophysical Union. In addition, the college faculty have been awarded the 2005 Heinz Foundation Award for the Environment, the 2006 Volvo Environmental Prize and five Fulbright Fellowships since 1998.
Campus Operations:
Buildings and Energy: Campus buildings include a Gold, two Silver, and one LEED certified plus 16 other projects in various stages of certification. All three campuses have implemented energy and water conservation projects over the last ten years. Recent efficiency improvements to the data center resulted in over 450 kW of reduced electric demand, or a 26% reduction in energy usage.. Consolidation and virtualization of computing resources is reducing campus-wide energy demand from computing even further.
Dining Services: Food Services implemented several sustainable programs that reduce the use of fossil fuels and subsequent carbon emissions. We spend millions of dollars on locally produced, organic and natural foods annually. Vendors are reviewed frequently to source new products from local partners. Food Services defined an operational plan and established agreements with vendors to reduce the necessity and frequency of deliveries and other related vehicle traffic on campus. Used cooking oils are picked up by a local company to be converted to clean-burning biodiesel, later sold to customers in the Puget Sound.
Transportation: Most community members choose energy-efficient commuting modes, enabled by our award winning U-PASS program. Introducing U-PASS reduced GHG emissions from University commuters by an additional 4,650 metric tons of CO2 per month.
Bicycle commuting is widespread and bike teams participate in three commute campaigns each year. 39% percent of commutes to the Seattle campus are by bus and another 30% by foot or bicycle – producing zero GHG emissions. Despite a 24% growth in employees and students between 1990 (the year before the launch of U-PASS) and 2007, there were fewer vehicle trips to campus per day in 2007 than in any of the previous 24 years.
Purchasing: Procurement created a “fast-track” procedure for ARRA (American Recovery Reinvestment Act) associated purchases. Procurement Services promotes best-practices where decisions are made with considerations to total cost, sustainability and supplier diversity. We are currently in the planning phase for the implementation of a state law requiring public institutions to purchase recycled paper for printers and copiers.
Waste: In 2008, UW diverted 48% of waste away from landfills made possible through education and outreach. Recycling & Solid Waste also provides a comprehensive list of disposal procedures available on their website: http://www.washington.edu/facilities/transportation/recyclingandsolidwas...
We started a compost program that includes almost all restaurants and coffee shops on campus, and increasingly in offices. Since 2006, HFS has been offering biodegradable service ware and collecting post-consumer food waste and packaging. Working closely with campus food service facilities, the program diverted more than 500 tons of compostable food waste and packaging in fiscal year 2007/08.
Administration and Finance:
Administration and planning: In 2004, the University's "Policy on Environmental Stewardship” was adopted tri-campus wide. President Emmert then created the Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee including faculty, students and staff, to make the policy a reality. In 2008, the UW Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Office was created as an administratively-focused office responsible for coordinating university-wide information, responding to inquiries, supporting the Advisory Committee and facilitating development of the Climate Action Plan as required by the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment.
Investment: The University is currently invested in renewable energy funds and energy-conscious real estate funds. The investment policies follow a set of ethical considerations, which state that due consideration shall be given to the degree of corporate responsibility exercised by the companies in which investments are made.
Diversity: “Diversity is an inherent ingredient in an excellent education”
To help the University of Washington reach even higher among the nation's foremost universities, we must continue to do all we can to create a diverse academic community.” – President Emmert.
Additionally, the UW Business Diversity Program exists is to proactively engage with and support the UW’s commitment to creating an environment for businesses contracting with the University that reflects diversity, promotes opportunity, and values transparency. As the state of Washington becomes more diverse, support for diverse and local businesses is an increasingly important component of the UW’s procurement and contracting strategies.
Human Resources: UW human resource policies and practices contribute to a culture that links the University’s values of integrity, diversity, excellence, collaboration , innovation, and respect to its’ workforce. Increasingly, HR is focusing on helping staff live more sustainable and environmentally friendly ways, including having access and to on-line reviews of payroll, retirement, insurance, leave information and health management tools online. A vast majority of HR communications are now electronic reducing the amount of paper consumption. The UW promotes telework and alternate scheduling which enable departments to enter into alternate work arrangements with employees.
UW employees are passionate about sustainability and give their time and talent through voluntary “green team” groups, such as the Environmental Stewards, UW Tower Green Team and Health Sciences Green Team.
To ensure that the UW remains affordable and is accessible to all students, the Husky Promise guarantees that full tuition and standard fees will be covered by grant or scholarship support for eligible students. These grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, which increase if tuition increases.
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