Campus Sustainability Fund

The goal was to reduce the waste on the UW campus by focusing on “single use” (paper and plastic) coffee cup usage in one of the busiest cafés on campus: Suzzallo Café. This project entailed creating and implementing a poster campaign spreading awareness of the ten cent discount on drinks given to customers who bring a reusable tumbler or ceramic mug to any coffee shop on campus. Using reusable coffee containers saves ten cents for customers per cup of coffee, and saves the UW up to 14 cents per compostable cup, as well as additional costs for lids and coffee collars/plugs.

As we all know, reducing our consumption of water and electricity plays a key role in the effort to improve lab sustainability. Our group decided to focus on energy and water use on one floor of the Marine Sciences Building. Our first goal is to investigate the possibility of replacing current growth chamber lights with an LED alternative. Our study will provide information that can be used by campus organizations (i.e. Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Office, individual labs, etc.) to evaluate the viability of using LED growth lights in their own facilities.

This project will implement a rainwater harvesting system on the UW Farm for farm use and campus wide education. This system would be located beside the Burke-Gilman on the UW Farm and will be installed on a renovated sign roof. We estimate this project will save approximately 250 gallons of water per year. This project is designed to educate people on rainwater harvesting as well as inspire them to imagine future capabilities. Total CSF Grant size: $396. 

As an entirely student-led design and construction effort, students will transform a blank concrete wall into a showcase of improved habitat that fosters diverse native species, innovate rainwater harvesting methods, utilize solar power for lighting and irrigation pumping, try new methods of local food production, and test green systems that will potentially reduce building heating and cooling energy demand to help the campus reduce its carbon footprint and achieve its sustainability goals.  Successful implementation of the Demonstration Project may lay the groundwork for the construction of other green walls on campus, helping the campus achieve its multiple sustainability goals.

Husky Sustainable Storms (or HSS), an initiative launched by students, faculty and staff of the University of Washington to mitigate stormwater runoff on-campus by designing and building a stormwater treatment structure that mimics ecological processes and reflects environmental values. Husky Sustainable Storms hopes to achieve this goal in the 2012-2013 academic-year by building a water treatment bioswale on-campus.

Although various species of barn owls can be found around the world, many areas are experiencing severe declines in their population.  Urban expansion, habitat loss, and the use of agricultural poisons and pesticides are a few reasons for their diminish.  Yet, barn owls are a large charismatic species that have evolved the skills to live in a human modified environment.