Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 77.43
Liaison Daimon Eklund
Submission Date Oct. 14, 2015
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.0

University of Washington, Seattle
EN-4: Outreach Materials and Publications

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Claudia Frere-Anderson
Director
UW Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution produce the following outreach materials and/or publications that foster sustainability learning and knowledge? :
Yes or No
A central sustainability website that consolidates information about the institution’s sustainability efforts Yes
A sustainability newsletter Yes
Social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability Yes
A vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability Yes
Building signage that highlights green building features Yes
Food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems Yes
Signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies employed Yes
A sustainability walking map or tour Yes
A guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation Yes
Navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians Yes
A guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience Yes
Regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat Yes
Other sustainability publications or outreach materials not covered above Yes

A brief description of the central sustainability website:

The UW Sustainability website promotes environmental sustainability by engaging and connecting members of the UW community. It serves as a centralized place for UW sustainability efforts, resources, and information.


The website URL for the central sustainability website:
A brief description of the sustainability newsletter:

UW Sustainability sends quarterly newsletters with updates of sustainability projects, programs, and events occurring on campus.


The website URL for the sustainability newsletter:
A brief description of the social media platforms that focus specifically on campus sustainability:

The UW Sustainability office maintains several social media platforms focusing on campus sustainability. These channels highlight sustainability activities on campus, promote sustainability efforts, provide information on sustainable choices and activities and more while engaging and connecting members of the University of Washington community.

These social media channels include:

The "In Our Nature" blog (http://green.uw.edu/blog) containing stories about sustainability at the University of Washington.

A Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/UWSustainability) that shares news and events regarding sustainability around campus, including activities such as green certifications and sustainability research by students and faculty.

A Twitter account (https://twitter.com/sustainableUW) that highlights sustainability activities and groups involved with sustainability at the University of Washington, as well as sharing tweets and stories from other accounts relating to UW sustainability.

An Instagram account (http://instagram.com/sustainableuw) to share photos and short video clips highlighting sustainability events, efforts and locations around campus.

A YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableUW) which shares videos and compiles playlists regarding sustainability at UW.

A Pinterest account (https://www.pinterest.com/sustainableuw/) with boards compiling pages relating to various aspects of sustainability, which can be used as resources by the UW community.

A Google+ page (https://plus.google.com/b/104621188137416571638/) that features articles on sustainability across the University of Washington.

A LinkedIn account (http://linkedin.com/company/university-of-washington-environmental-stewardship-&-sustainability) that features information on sustainability at the University of Washington.


The website URL of the primary social media platform that focuses on sustainability:
A brief description of the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:

The UW Sustainability office maintains a page for students to share sustainability research projects: http://green.uw.edu/research/student.

Additionally, the College of the Environment maintains a news page (http://environment.uw.edu/news/) which includes stories on the work of the College of the Environment. Each week, the College of the Environment publishes a "Weekly Research" roundup including information on the latest peer-reviewed publications produced by researchers in the college.


The website URL for the vehicle to publish and disseminate student research on sustainability:
A brief description of building signage that highlights green building features :

Two processes are implemented for green building signage: (1) posted signage in buildings for impacts on the surrounding site area, energy consumption, usage of environmentally preferable materials, indoor environmental quality and water consumptions, and (2) a computer dashboard that is available for communication and education for building users in public locations, as well as provided information to the public via web linkage. http://buildingdashboard.net/washington/#/washington/


The website URL for building signage that highlights green building features :
A brief description of food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:

Housing and Food Services maintains a website discussing the sustainable dining options available to UW students and gives examples of local, organic and natural foods served: https://www.hfs.washington.edu/sustainabledining/

Additional signage is placed in dining halls providing information on locally sourced foods, organic foods and more. Digital reader boards highlight menu options which are healthy and sustainable, as well as graphics demonstrating where some of our food comes from. Posters of some of the graphics were printed for dining areas without the digital reader boards.


The website URL for food service area signage and/or brochures that include information about sustainable food systems:
A brief description of signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:

UW Grounds posts signage on trees preserved to maintain wildlife habitat. Additionally, UW Grounds is working with students to create signage describing the compost program on campus; the signs will be placed in several planting beds around campus to educate the community about the benefits of using compost.
http://depts.washington.edu/grounds/sustainability/index.php


The website URL for signage on the grounds about sustainable groundskeeping and/or landscaping strategies:
A brief description of the sustainability walking map or tour:

Brockman Memorial Tree Tour
About 480 different kinds of trees beautify the U.W. Only twenty-eight are species native on campus. Since before the turn of the century, forestry professors, botanists, gardeners and landscape architects have planted native and non-native trees for decoration and education. The campus community views trees as valuable resources, studies their ecological roles, and admires their fascinating variations and seasonal transformations. This tour introduces you to the great green realm of a campus renowned for its lovely landscape.

UW Sustainability has developed an interactive sustainability map which includes the campus locations of green buildings, compost bins, e-media bins, sustainable dining options, solar panels and other sustainability features of campus including Campus Sustainability Fund projects such as the biodiversity green wall and the bicycle repair stations. The map can be accessed at http://green.uw.edu/map/sustainability to create a self-guided tour of locations.


The website URL of the sustainability walking map or tour:
A brief description of the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:

The Transportation Services' Commute Concierge site offers tools to create personalized commute plans, customized commute information and contact information for UW's commute help desk. In addition, the Commute Concierge site includes links to resources and information on the U-PASS program, walking, biking, carpool/vanpool, transit, carsharing and telework options.


The website URL for the guide for commuters about how to use alternative methods of transportation:
A brief description of the navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:

UW Commuter Services Bikespace offers educational videos, seminars, and webinars on bike safety, bicycle maintenance skills, routing information to help you get to campus, and information on where to park your bike on campus.
http://www.washington.edu/facilities/transportation/bike

The Commute Concierge site also offers resources to pedestrians including the StepSmart and NightWalk programs.


The website URL for navigation and educational tools for bicyclists and pedestrians:
A brief description of the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:

Housing and Food Services at the UW provides online resources to assist students in understand all of the options that the department and their living spaces provide to live more sustainably. Information about the building’s green features, how to properly recycle and compost and other tips on how to live more sustainably on campus are available.

Examples of pages with information on green living include:
https://www.hfs.washington.edu/housing/Default.aspx?id=2740
https://www.hfs.washington.edu/housing/Default.aspx?id=2739 https://www.hfs.washington.edu/abouthfs/default.aspx?id=863


The website URL for the guide for green living and incorporating sustainability into the residential experience:
A brief description of regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:

"The Daily," the main student newspaper at the University of Washington, does not currently have a specific reporter assigned to sustainability, but they cover sustainability issues regularly without a specific reporter assigned.


The website URL for regular coverage of sustainability in the main student newspaper, either through a regular column or a reporter assigned to the sustainability beat:
A brief description of another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above (1st material):

The UW Sustainability Dashboard is a one-stop shop for information on metrics the University currently gathers in a variety of offices and entities around the Seattle campus in regards to sustainability.


The website URL for this material (1st material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (2nd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (2nd material):

In addition to UW Sustainability's social media channels, many other campus sustainability partners, maintain social media channels pages to stay connected with student environmental groups and individuals interested in learning about UW sustainability efforts through social media.
As an example, some Facebook pages from other organizations at UW that relate to sustainability include (but are not limited to):
UW Campus Sustainability Fund: https://www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Campus-Sustainability-Fund-UWCSF/496191420643
UW Recycling: https://www.facebook.com/UWRecycling
UW College of the Environment: https://www.facebook.com/UWCoEnv
UW Civil & Environmental Engineering: https://www.facebook.com/UWCEE
UW Center for Sustainable Forestry at Pack Forest: https://www.facebook.com/packforest
UW Environmental Innovation Challenge: https://www.facebook.com/UWEIC
UWalk: https://www.facebook.com/iheartuwalk
UW Commuter Commons: https://www.facebook.com/CommuterCommons
UW U-PASS https://www.facebook.com/uwupass
UW Bikespace: https://www.facebook.com/uwbikespace
UW Farm: https://www.facebook.com/UWFarm
UW Green Athletics: https://www.facebook.com/UWgreenathletics
UW Botanic Gardens: https://www.facebook.com/UWBotanicGardens?
Real Food Challenge at UW: https://www.facebook.com/rfcuw


The website URL for this material (2nd material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (3rd material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (3rd material):

Conservation magazine, published by the University of Washington, explores a diversity of environmental topics, and has won numerous awards and accolades since its founding in 1999 for raising the bar on environmental thinking with a mix of world-class journalism, cutting-edge science, and provocative ideas.


The website URL for this material (3rd material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (4th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (4th material):

The UW Sustainability office publishes a fact sheet with broad information on UW sustainability history, achievements, and programs. It can be downloaded on the following page: http://green.washington.edu/promote/media-toolkit


The website URL for this material (4th material):
Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (5th material):
Yes

A brief description of this material (5th material):

The UW Sustainability office produces a Sustainability Brochure, with general information related to various topics of sustainability, such as what the University of Washington is doing in terms of water conservation, energy conservation, and more. This brochure is used as outreach material at various public events, and is also available at the UW's main visitor center.


The website URL for this material (5th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (6th material):
No

A brief description of this material (6th material):
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The website URL for this material (6th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (7th material):
No

A brief description of this material (7th material):
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The website URL for this material (7th material):
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Does the institution produce another sustainability publication or outreach material not covered above? (8th material):
No

A brief description of this material (8th material):
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The website URL for this material (8th material):
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.