Campus Sustainability Fund

With new efforts such as UW Farm, do-it-yourself bike repair stations, and the first-annual sustainability summit sprouting up around campus, the UW is going green. The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) is part of the process. But what goes on behind the scenes is a design meant to improve visibility on campus.

The CSF gave Husky Sustainable Storms (HSS) $9,220 to design a stormwater infrastructure project, called a bioswale, by the end of winter quarter, and they expect results.

This spring, the Quad’s vibrant cherry blossom trees will be given a run for their money. By then, a green wall — a diverse wall of vegetation — will cover the side of Gould Hall. The green wall is a part of a Biodiversity Green Wall, Edible Green Screen + Water Harvesting Demonstration project. The green screen will be for plants that are planted in the ground and climb like vines, which will allow students to explore the concept of vertical surfaces as a way to grow local plants when space in an urban environment is limited. The water-harvesting demonstration portion will capture water from the roof of Gould Hall and store it in a cistern to be used for irrigation.

Jennifer Perkins found a ride home for Thanksgiving weekend by using a new online carpooling site, part of a local movement to cut greenhouse gas emissions during commutes and network during the process.

While biking on campus, UW sophomore Ben Ross went over a curb and popped a tube in his tire. Instead of going home or to a bike shop to do repairs, Ross stopped by a self-repair bicycle station near Kane Hall.

The ASUW Board of Directors (BOD) has agreed to recreate the task force responsible for the launch of a food cooperative as an ASUW entity. An idea brought to the BOD by the UW Student Food Cooperative (SFC) triggered interest in bringing the co-op to campus.

“One of the big reasons why we decided to relook at this task force was that they changed the model of how they wanted to approach it,” ASUW Vice President Jocelyn McCurtain said. “Originally, they wanted to have a kitchen in the south campus.”

Environmentally minded UW students, staff, and faculty came together with greater-Seattle sustainability leaders this past week for the second annual UW Sustainability Summit, showcasing their efforts toward a greener future.

The three-day event culminated Wednesday evening with a panel of several well-known speakers, including Mayor Mike McGinn.

Learn about some of the inaugural projects by students, faculty and staff using money from the student-funded Campus Sustainability Fund as part of the second annual Sustainability Summit on campus Oct. 26.

What’s the coolest university in America? By one significant measure, it’s the University of Washington.
Sierra Magazine, the official publication of the Sierra Club, has named the University of Washington the top university in the country for its initiatives to operate sustainably and limit its contributions to global warming. This is the fourth year the UW has been among the top-ranked schools; it was fourth last year

A small group of UW students stood in an open field Sunday morning, munching on granola and fresh fruit as they anticipated the groundbreaking of the new UW Farm.

As of yesterday, that wait is officially over. The UW Farm, a registered student organization that grows produce, has expanded to include a new location near the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH) on the east side of campus.