University of Washington, Seattle
PA-2: Sustainability Planning

The UW believes that an inclusive, shared future depends on choices we make today. The UW has an ongoing strategic planning process that allows the University to be responsive to the changing landscape of higher education. Based on our community’s shared vision of its future, the UW strategic planning process identifies trends and drivers of change, and takes steps to ensure the UW is responding in ways to keep us on track to thrive in the future.

A visioning document titled "UW of the 21st Century" provides a high level vision and strategy, and the Sustainable Academic Business Plan sets out specific objects and strategies (see links below). Specifically, the Sustainable Academic Business Plan includes the following sustainability-related objectives and strategies:

-- Redouble efforts to achieve operational & organizational efficiencies
-- Support the goals of the Diversity Blueprint and improve campus climate
-- Increase global learning and scholarship
-- Optimize finance & facilities
-- Improve UW environmental sustainability
-- Leverage tri-campus opportunities for collaboration and coordination

Several of of the objectives and strategies above are shared by the State of Washington goals and strategies.

In addition, the UW Sustainability Dashboard and Map are listed as key tools used to compile indicators and assess progress (see links below).

Finally, the new Population Health initiative, with its moniker "Healthy People, Healthy Planet", have been a formative development at the UW. The initiative focuses on improving population health locally and globally and is defined by three major pillars — human health, environmental resilience and social and economic equity (see link below).

Links:
https://www.washington.edu/strategicplanning/

https://www.washington.edu/strategicplanning/plan/

http://www.washington.edu/strategicplanning/files/2012/12/uw-of-the-21st-century.pdf

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/uw-s3-cdn/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2012/10/05212738/UW_Strategic_Plan_2018-final.pdf

https://green.uw.edu/dashboard

https://green.uw.edu/map/sustainability

https://www.washington.edu/populationhealth/

Several campus-wide divisional offices have plans. Some published plans are included below:

Transportation (website navigation changes occasionally, so general link below is recommended):
http://facilities.uw.edu/transportation/

Facilities (website navigation changes occasionally, so general link below is recommended):
https://facilities.uw.edu/

Our UW Bothell campus also recently published a sustainability action plan:
https://www.uwb.edu/sustainability/sustainability-action-plan

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objectives for curriculum at the UW:
2.2.1 Develop Environmental
 Literacy. Actions: Develop 
environmental 
literacy
 courses 
at
 the
 College
 of
 the
 Environment
 that
 all
 students
 may
 take
 as
 part
 of
 their
 general
 education
 requirements.
2.2.2 Enhance 
Interdisciplinary
 Environmental 
Instruction.
 Actions:
 Establish
 interdisciplinary
 units
 or
 centers
 at
 the
 College
 of
 the
 Environment.

 Offer 
joint
 appointments 
allowing 
faculty 
to 
retain 
a 
relationship 
with
 their
 existing
 department 
while
joining
 an 
interdisciplinary 
unit
2.2.3 Explore 
the
 Boundaries
 between
 Disciplines.
 Action: 
Develop
 courses
 at
 the
 College
 of
 the
 Environment
 that
 are
 collaboratively
 taught
 by
 faculty
 members
 from
 multiple
 disciplines;
 these
 courses
 will
 focus
 on
 exploring
 the
 relationships
 among
 the
 various
 disciplines
 and 
the
 boundary 
space
 between
 them.


The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.1 a. Integrating and Assessing Sustainability Across the Curriculum
-Create tools and resources to facilitate the incorporation of sustainability into courses
-Explore means of assessing sustainability literacy on campus
-Construct tools and resources for faculty to implement green practices in course delivery
2.1 b. Expanding Academic Exposure and Opportunities in Sustainability
-Strengthen and expand sustainability offerings in current and additional degrees / curricula
-Strengthen the exposure of all students to concepts surrounding sustainability
2.1 c. Promote Scholarship and Service in Sustainability
-Encourage Community-Based Learning and Research (CBLR) components in sustainability teaching

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objectives for research at the UW:
2.1.1 Foster 
Undergraduate
 Participation
in
 Environmental
 Research.
 Actions
:
 Create
 a
 web‐based
 clearinghouse
 for 
current
 environmental
 research
opportunities in
 the 
sciences,
 engineering,
 public
 health
and
 the
 social
 sciences; include
 in
 the
 clearinghouse
 descriptions
 of
 exemplary
 recent
 student
 accomplishments,
 and provide
 clear
 explanations
 of 
how 
to
 pursue
 opportunities; and make
 undergraduate 
research

scholarships 
available 
on
 all
 campuses.
2.1.2 
Support 
Junior Faculty 
in 
New
 Areas
 of
 Environmental Scholarship. 
Actions: 
Develop 
a
high‐level,
 tri‐campus
 strategy
 for
 hiring,
support,
 promotion
 and
 tenure
 and
 merit
 criteria
 of
 new
 faculty
 with
 environmental
 scholarship
 focus.

 Develop a 
pool
 of 
expert
 research
peers
 across 
the 
globe 
for
 assisting
 with
 decisions
 of
 promotion
 and 
tenure.
2.1.3 
Expand 
Environmental
 Foci
 to 
UW’s 
Professional
 Degree 
Programs. Actions: Develop
 both
 strategic
 priorities
 and
 implementation
 plans
 for 
high‐quality 
environmental
professional 
degree 
programs
 or 
courses 
in
 relevant
 schools
 and
 colleges.


2.1.4 Foster
 Collaborations
 between
 Academic 
and 
Administrative
 Activities. Actions: Develop
 an 
approach 
to 
link the
 UW
 environmentally
 focused
 academic
 units
 with administrative
 units
 to
 provide
 research
 opportunities
 for
 students 
and
 faculty.

2.2 a. Increase Engagement in Sustainability Research
-Foster faculty and staff Sustainability Research Fellows Program
-Showcase sustainability research
-Promote student research opportunities
-Develop research support

Campus engagement to support the University’s carbon reduction strategies are provided in the UW’s Climate Action Plan, Section 4. (http://green.washington.edu/cap). The UW will reduce GHG emissions to meet or exceed the goals passed by the Washington State Legislature in April of 2009, requiring state agencies to reduce emissions by 15% below 2005 levels by 2020, and 36% below 2005 levels by 2035. The UW is hoping to achieve neutrality by 2050.

As part of the Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the UW has created a sustainability pledge for members of the UW community and the Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability office measures the number of pledges taken as one communications metric.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.7 a. Campus Sustainability Engagement
-Create a formal peer-to-peer education program
-Integrate sustainability into orientation programming
-Develop support for campus sustainability projects
-Integrate sustainability into Residential Life
-Develop sustainability programming in Outdoor Recreation and Wellness
2.7 b. Outreach Materials and Publication
-Develop campus-wide sustainability outreach campaign
2.7 c. Staff Involvement
-Incentivize involvement campus sustainability activities for staff and faculty
-Provide continuing education opportunities for staff and faculty in sustainability topics
-Increase access to and attendance in University of Washington wellness programs
2.7 d. Sustainability Programming
-Increase engagement in current sustainability programming
-Improve engagement with Campus Garden and the Sarah Simonds Green Conservatory

The Climate Action Plan, the UW of the 21st Century visioning document, and the Diversity Blueprint all contain measurable sustainability objectives (links appear below). UW Bothell's Sustainability Action Plan is the newest plan to include measurable objectives in public engagement so it is provided as an example.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.8 a. Community Partnerships
-Leverage community partnerships to meet other sustainability goals
-Build upon existing relationships with community partners in organizing summer camp programs
2.8 b. Strengthen Resources for Campus-Community Members
-Strengthen online resources about sustainability for public access
-Improve signage and interpretation of UW Bothell grounds to enhance understanding and appreciation of the environmental history and sustainability projects
-Create a “green ribbon” graduation pledge
-Identify and implement a system for qualitative and quantitative assessment of public engagement efforts on the UW Bothell campus

The UW has committed to reducing emissions by 15% below 2005 levels by 2020, and 36% below 2005 levels by 2035. The UW aspires to achieve neutrality by 2050. The UW Climate Action Plan guides us to that goal. See more at: http://green.uw.edu/inform/uw-climate-action-plan

The UW built all new buildings to LEED Silver standards through 2018 and going forward Leed GOLD will be the new standard. The UW has committed to reducing emissions by 15% below 2005 levels by 2020, and 36% below 2005 levels by 2035. The UW aspires to achieve neutrality by 2050. The UW Climate Action Plan guides us to that goal. See more at: http://green.uw.edu/inform/uw-climate-action-plan

The UW has committed to reducing emissions by 15% below 2005 levels by 2020, and 36% below 2005 levels by 2035. The UW aspires to achieve neutrality by 2050. The UW Climate Action Plan guides us to that goal. See more at: http://green.uw.edu/inform/uw-climate-action-plan

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.3 a. Building Energy Conservation
-Upgrade all lighting to energy efficient LEDs
-Build load shedding into the Metasys Johnson Controls Building Automation System
-Revise Building Hours Policy to include blackout times during academic breaks when campus is shut down

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for food and dining at the UW:
5.2 Food
 and
 Composting. Actions: 
Increase
 availability
 of
 compostable
 service
 ware
 for
 department‐organized
 events.
 
 Increase
 coordination
 among
 Recycling,
 Solid
Waste
 and
 Housing
 and
 Food 
Services
 (HFS) offices
 to 
ensure 
appropriate
 receptacles
 and
 post‐event 
pick
up
 for
 functions
 catered
 by
 HFS.
 
Capture
 pre‐consumer
 waste
streams
 from 
large
 food 
preparation
 facilities 
at
 UW 
Medical 
Center
 and
 Harborview
 Medical
 Center.

In addition, HFS measures sustainable food and beverage purchases, waste diversion, outreach and education efforts and customer feedback on our sustainability practices. Waste diversion goals within UW Dining are aligned with the campus, which is to achieve a 70% waste diversion rate by the year 2020. HFS is striving for 100% compostable take out containers in all of our food platforms, which we have almost achieved. As part of our internal waste diversion plan, we are continuing to work with our vendors to implement compostable or recyclable packaging so we can divert more products from the landfill.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.3 d. Landscape
-Advance on-campus food production for Food Services and Husky Pantry
2.5 Food and Dining
-Enhance sustainability in food purchasing
-Educate food service staff and consumers
-Increase sustainable food options

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for grounds and land use at the UW:
5.1 Land Use. Actions: Create
 guidelines
 based
 on
 best
 practices
 that
 support
 a

comprehensive
 understanding
 of 
sustainable 
land 
use 
planning. 
Determine
 how

to 
best 
to 
include 
these
 guidelines 
in 
the
 decision
making
 process
 for
 grounds, real
 estate

and
 capital
 projects. 
Translate
 guidelines
 and
 policies that are developed.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.3 c. Water Conservation
-Implement rainwater capture for irrigation use
-Enhance water conservation in landscape irrigation
2.3 d. Landscape
-Restore and conserve upland coniferous forest
-Implement on-campus plant material propagation
-Advance on-campus food production for Food Services and Husky Pantry
-Improve wetland access

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for procurement at the UW:
4.3.1 
Buy 
Green. Actions: explore
 costs
 and
 benefits
 of
 adopting
 a
 UW
 policy
 that

meets
 faculty
 and
 staff
 research,
 teaching
 and
 administrative
 needs
 for
 purchasing
 computer
 hardware
 that
 reduces
 energy
 use.
 
Where
 possible,
 require the

Energy
Star
 rating 
and 
EPEAT 
Gold
 registration
 goal for
 all
 computes,
including

workstation
 quality
 laptop
 computers,
 docking
 stations,
 standard
 monitors
 and

standard
 keyboards.

 Replace 
CRT
 monitors 
with 
LCD
 monitors and
 configure 
systems 
with
aggressive
 power
 management 
or 
install
 power
saving 
software to
 accomplish
 the
 same
goal.


Procurement Services has created an annual performance metric for EPP purchases, copy paper reduction, energy efficient appliances, computer purchases and electronics. Annual or quarterly business reviews are scheduled with university contract suppliers and a standing topic is sustainability and supplier diversity. Suppliers within our eProcurement catalog environment are asked to identify products meeting sustainability classifications. Many have developed separate listings of these products to make it easier for campus to choose environmentally responsible products.

Procurement Services maintains a list of contract suppliers who offer sustainable products and publishes this on our Procurement Services website.

Opportunities to increase awareness and purchases of sustainable products is an on-going activity within Procurement Services.

In addition, Procurement continues to grow their Supplier Diversity Program (https://finance.uw.edu/ps/supplier-diversity) in partnership with the state-focused Business Diversity Program (https://bdp.uw.edu/)

In 2018, Procurement was one of the areas identified for developing a modular sustainability plan. The plan is schedule to be released in 2019.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.6 Purchasing
-Bring Supplier Diversity Program from UW Seattle to UW Bothell
-Develop Green Purchasing Guidelines and encourage their use
-Investigate opportunities and feasibility for tracking and reporting environmental and social impact criteria within purchases

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for transportation at the UW:
4.4.1 
Support 
Bicycling
 and
 Walking. Actions: Construct
 sufficient
 secure
 bicycle
 parking
 spaces
 to
 meet
 demand,
 and 
improve
 campus 
safety
 generally. Explore
 options
 and 
adopt
policies
 for 
building
 and
 campus
 design 
that
 support 
walking
 and 
bicycling.
4.4.2 
Increase
 Student,
 Faculty,
 and
 Staff
 Housing
 near 
Campus. Actions: attract
 faculty
 and
 staff
 to
 live 
near
 campus
 and 
advance
 the
 construction
 of
 new
 student 
residence
 halls
that 
are
 energy
 efficient.
4.4.3 Maintain 
Low‐Cost
 Transit
 Access. Actions: develop 
and 
implement 
a
 new
 funding
 model
 for
the
 U‐PASS
 program
 that
 leverages
 its
 wide‐ranging
 benefits
 to
 the
 University
 and
 the
 region, 
and
 keeps
 user 
fees
 low.

4.4.4 Reduce Vehicle 
Parking
 on
 Campus. Actions: explore 
the 
impact 
of 
increasing 
the
 cost
 of
parking and 
identify 
improved
 opportunities 
for
 other
 commute 
options.

4.4.5 Increase 
Vehicle
 Fuel‐Efficiency. Actions: research
 and
 identify
 low‐
 and
 zero‐emission
 vehicle
 purchase
 incentives
 from
 outside
 sources
 and
 consider
 developing a
 program
 to
 promote 
them 
on
 campus. 

Increase 
the 
level
 of 
investment 
the
 University
 is
willing 
to 
make 
to 
reduce 
vehicle
 emissions 
by
 greening
 the
 commute
 fleet,
 including 
public 
transit.
4.4.6 
Encourage
 Telework
 and 
Distance 
Education. Actions: develop
 a
 comprehensive
 University‐wide
 effort
 to
 provide
 staff,
 faculty
 and
 students
 with
 the
 tools,
 resources
 and
 knowledge
 needed
 to
 maximize 
the 
use 
of
 telework
 and 
distance
 education.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.4 a. Encourage Alternative Transportation Options
-Promote alternative fuel vehicles
-Prioritize implementation of strategies in the university Trip Reduction Plan
-Reduce vehicle volume on campus
2.4 b. Investigate Opportunities to Reduce our Transportation Impacts
-Develop a transportation study
-Minimize impervious surfaces
-Investigate certification opportunities
-Engage in future research projects connected to our regional bike trails

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for waste reduction at the UW:
5.3 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Actions: Migrate
 desk‐side
 waste
 collection to
self‐service
 disposal.
 Expand
 break room/office/kitchen
 recycling
 programs. Replace
 stand‐alone

waste
bins
with
recycling
bin‐sets
in
common
areas,
classrooms
and
conference

rooms
 as
 appropriate
 to
 the
 space.
 Increase
 visibility
 and
 density
 of
 recycling

bins
 at 
athletic 
events.

 Expand reuse
 services
 for 
low‐value
 high
 volume 
items

like 
office
 supplies, 
including
 virtual
 storefront 
and
 delivery 
services
 to
 parallel
 e-procurement. Expand
 reuse
 marketing
 to
 the 
non‐profit
 sector 
and
 small businesses.

UW recycling has set the UW's overall waste diversion goal as 70% waste diversion by 2020. This measure ‘s performance can be viewed at: http://green.uw.edu/dashboard/landfill-reduction

Additionally, we have a stated goal of 100% participation of state funded campus buildings in our MiniMax program by the end of fiscal year 2018. Currently, 84% of these buildings have been converted. Read about MiniMax program here: http://www.washington.edu/facilities/building/recyclingandsolidwaste/minimax

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.3 b. Waste Management
-Centralize waste operations
-Waste education
-Landfill waste reduction
-Add Minimax service to leased buildings

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for water at the UW:
4.1.3 
Measure
 and 
Monitor
 Building
 Performance. Actions: create
 baseline
 water
 use
 information
 for
 all
 buildings 
on 
all
 three 
campuses.

 Provide
 additional
 metering
 with
 online
capabilities
 as
 appropriate.
 
 Monitor
 building
 performance
 and
 use
 information
 to

identify 
water
 conservation
 opportunities.
7.4.2 General
 Office
 Guidelines
 and
 Policy. Actions: 
training
 and
 education 
in 
the 
wise
 use 
of
 resources 
delivered
 at
 the
 office
 and
 facility
 level
. Establish
 Green
 Committees
and
 Building
 Coordinators
 as 
a
 focal
 point
 for
 providing
 ongoing
 education 
in
 water
conservation
 and 
other
 sustainable 
practices.

 Creating 
UW‐wide
 workshops 
and
celebrations
 of
 special
 events 
like
 Earth
 Da to 
build
 awareness
 and
 a
 broader
 sense 
of
ownership.

The UW has strived to reduce Seattle central campus total water use by a minimum of one percent per year. Some water reduction strategies being implemented include installation of irrigation and cooling tower submeters, replacement of cooling towers, optimization of cooling tower blowdown, replacing single-pass city-water cooled equipment, irrigation best practices including networked controllers and low-water use plantings, re-use of Reverse Osmosis reject water at a cooling tower, installation of lab faucet aerators, rainwater harvesting for irrigation and laundry makeup.

The UW has also strived to improve water quality. Some water quality strategies being implemented include installation of bioswales and bioretention treatment trains, planter cells, underground cartridge systems for surface water runoff, separation of combined storm sewer systems, and Salmon-Safe certification.

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
-Improve tracking of water consumption
-Implement rainwater capture for irrigation use
-Enhance water conservation in landscape irrigation

The Diversity Blueprint has metrics, strategies and timeframes for these goal areas and selected strategies:

1) Provide leadership and communicate commitment to diversity
a. Build diversity into mission of unit
b. Include diversity resources on home page of unit
c. Set up and sustain a diversity committee
d. Develop and implement a unit diversity plan
e. Include progress on diversity goals in performance evaluations for administrators
2) Attract, retain, and graduate a diverse and excellent student body
a. Establish collaborative relationships between central recruitment and outreach
services and departments to better coordinate K-12 pipeline programs and
initiatives and to connect potential students to academic departments for
follow-up
b. Explore multiple mechanisms and funding opportunities to expand recruitment
and retention of underrepresented and low-income students
c. Increase funding for graduate students in order to recruit, retain, and graduate a more diverse group of students
d. Provide comprehensive financial aid packages that will enable students to
earn degrees and implement proactive advising of students to ensure financial
literacy and management of resources
3) Provide rich learning experiences and prepare students for global citizenship
a. Provide adequate scholarship assistance and support infrastructure to ensure
access to and success in high impact educational experiences for underrepresented
students
b. Increase underrepresented student interaction with faculty particularly in areas
such as career advising, mentorship for graduate and professional study,
internships, and professional development opportunities
c. Create new courses and transform existing courses focused on US and global
diversity issues and their intersections
4) Attract and retain a diverse faculty and staff
a. Craft position descriptions to attract a diverse pool of candidates; emphasize
diversity expertise and research priorities in position descriptions
b. Utilize availability data and applicant flow information in faculty and staff hiring
processes to monitor and improve applicant pool
c. Create a departmental toolkit and training for staff recruiting and workplace
diversity, with attention to recruitment strategies, interviewing, orientation,
career advancement, and succession planning
d. Offer workshops for underrepresented junior faculty members to clarify the
tenure and promotion processes, including third-year reviews, annual reports,
and compilation of tenure files
5) Encourage and support diversity research
a. Enhance central funding to diversity research institutes to support new research
projects and faculty-led conferences and speaker series
b. Create new university professorships for diversity research
c. Assist faculty members to address National Science Foundation “Broader
Impacts” Criterion for grants (broadening participation of underrepresented
groups)
6) Create and sustain a welcoming climate for diversity
a. Conduct periodic assessment of climate for students, faculty, and staff and address issues that surface
b. Provide leadership workshops for department chairs and unit managers to
focus on departmental climate and its impact on faculty and staff from diverse
backgrounds

Data is collected and analyzed every two years and action steps reevaluated and revised. Metrics include participation rates and highlight differential patterns.

Additional information can be found at the Race & Equity Initiative website:
https://www.washington.edu/raceequity/

The Whole U is a campus-wide office and resource for promoting health and wellness among students, faculty, and staff. Although elements of health and wellness are mentioned in many campus and department plans such as the UW of the 21st Century visioning document and the Diversity Blueprint, no measurable sustainability objectives are identified. Increasing offerings and participation in Whole U and other health and wellness programs is certainly a goal of the Whole U, however. In 2018, the Whole U offered 166 events (workshops, health activities, lectures, etc.) that engaged over 15,000 participants in over 35,000 interactions. Annually updated information on Whole U programs and achievements can be found here:
https://www.washington.edu/wholeu/about/

The UW Bothell Sustainable Action Plan also includes these measurable sustainability objectives:
2.7 a. Campus Sustainability Engagement
-Develop sustainability programming in Outdoor Recreation and Wellness
2.7 c. Staff Involvement
-Increase access to and attendance in University of Washington wellness programs

The Climate Action Plan identifies the following measurable sustainability objective for information technology at the UW:
4.3.1 Buy
Green. Actions: explore
 costs
 and
 benefits
 of
 adopting
 a
 UW
 policy
 that

meets
 faculty
 and staff
 research,
 teaching
 and
 administrative 
needs 
for
 purchasing
 computer
 hardware
 that
 reduces
 energy
 use.
 
Where
 possible,
 require the

Energy
Star
 rating 
and 
EPEAT
 Gold
 registration
 goal for 
all
 computers, 
including

workstation
 quality 
laptop
 computers,
 docking
 stations,
 standard 
monitors
 and

standard 
keyboards.

 Replace 
CRT 
monitors
with
 LCD 
monitors and
 configure
 systems
 with aggressive
 power
 management 
or 
install
 power
 saving 
software to 
accomplish 
the
 same
goal.

4.3.2 Exercise
 Power
 Management. Actions: activate
 automatic
 sleep
 and
 hibernation
 on
 workstation
 computers.
 
When
 patch/update
 procedures
 permit,
 shut
 down
 workstation

computers
 at 
night 
if
 not
 running 
BOINC.

 Where 
possible, 
provide
 power
 strips

that 
sense
 the 
power
 of
 a 
control
 device 
to
 automatically 
turn
 off 
all
 the
 related

peripheral
 equipment
 when
 the
 control 
device 
is 
turned
 off. Provide
 economic

incentives
 for
 departments
 to
 manage
 power
 via
 installing
 monitoring
 and
 reporting technology.
4.3.3 Increase 
Data
 Center
 Efficiency. Actions: examine
 the
 costs 
and
 benefits 
of 
replacing
non‐rated
 server
 equipment
 with
 Energy
 Star 
equipment.
 
Conduct
 research
 projects
 to
 identify
 best 
practices. 

Install
 HVAC
 economizer 
equipment 
and
 controls.

 Study
 opportunities
 for
 waste 
energy
 recovery. 

Install
 building
 management
 and 
inventory

control
 systems
 to
 monitor,
 track
 and
 trend
 energy
 use
 by
 all
 equipment
 and

match
 demand
 accordingly.
4.3.4 Consolidation
 and 
Virtualization. Actions: explore
 new
 computing
 technologies
 and
 develop
 appropriate
 approaches
 and 
policies 
given 
emerging
 opportunities. 

Collaborate
with 
faculty
 and
 staff
 to migrate
 distributed
 computing 
resources 
to 
data
 centers
 where

appropriate.
 
Remove
 financial
 incentives
 for
 departments
 to
 place
 servers
 in

locations
 that 
are 
not
 designed 
to
 support
 computer 
equipment.
 Expand
 capacity
 for
virtualization.
4.3.5 Utilize
 Cloud
 Computing. Actions: aggressively
 explore
 opportunities
 for
 using
 cloud
 services
 rather
 than 
servers
 provisioned 
locally 
in
 our
 own
 data
 centers 
when 
the 
cloud

services 
are
 compatible
 with 
the
 university's
 functionality, 
policy 
and
 cost
 objectives.
 
 This
 would
 include
 applications
 such
 as
 email
 and
 other
 collaboration
 tools, 
as
 well
 as "infrastructure 
as
a
service."

The UW Board of Regents has published position statements on several topics related to sustainability. These include a policy on the university's role and mission to serve the community, state, region, nation and world, as well as serving traditional and non-traditional students; a policy on the economic sustainability of the university, a policy on transportation, a policy on diversity, a policy on ethical principles (including topics such as conflict of interest and waste of university resources), a policy on business equity (purchasing goods and services from diverse vendors), and a policy on divestment (created and applied in 2017 in association to divestment from coal companies). Links to policies are provided below.

Regent Policy No. 5 - Role and Mission of the University
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP5.html

Regent Policy No. 7 Transportation Policy
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP7.html

Regent Policy No. 11 - Statement on Diversity
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP11.html

Regent Policy No. 14 - Statement of Ethical Principles
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP14.html

Regent Policy No. 15 - Declaration of Concern for the Sustainability of Washington Public Higher Education:
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP15.html

Regent Policy No. 16 - Statement of Business Equity for the University of Washington
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP16.html

Regent Policy No. 17 - University of Washington Divestment Guideline
http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/BRG/RP17.html

The Sustainability in the Curriculum committee was charged by Provost Ana Mari Cauce to meet, analyze and report back regarding providing a more formalized and visible sustainability curriculum for undergraduate students at the UW.

The Committee discussed a variety of definitions of sustainability, and supports adopting a broad and inclusive definition. The Brundtland Commission report’s (1987) definition is one of the most commonly cited: “…sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” A more recent (Griggs et al. 2013) conception identifies elements of sustainability related to thriving lives and livelihoods, sustainable food security, sustainable water security, universal clean energy, healthy and productive ecosystems, and governance for sustainable societies. We also discussed other definitions that included variations on the “3 pillars” of sustainability (environment, society, and economy), and the “triple bottom line” (planet, people, profit). We did not settle on one particular definition of sustainability, but agree that faculties, elected faculty councils and deans of academic units must decide what sustainability means to them (within a broad framework). Additional work is needed in order to develop a broad framework definition of sustainability (similar to the process that developed the diversity definition).

The complete report may be referenced here: http://f2.washington.edu/ess/sites/default/files/May 31 Final Report.pdf

UW signed on to ACUPCC in 2008.

UW signed on to the Washington Business Climate Declaration in 2015.
https://green.uw.edu/news/uw-signs-washington-business-climate-declaration

In 2018, UW signed the Declaration on University Global Engagemen, a joint effort from the United Nations Institute for Training Research and the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities:
http://globallyengageduniversities.org/

Campus Master Plan: http://www.washington.edu/community/cmp_site/final_cmp.html
Sustainable Academic Business Plan and 2Y2D Initiative: http://www.washington.edu/discover/leadership/provost/initiatives/2y2d
Campus of the 21st Century document: http://www.washington.edu/provost/print/2y2dCampus21stC.pdf
Diversity Blueprint
http://www.washington.edu/diversity/files/2013/04/Diversity-Blueprint.pdf

In September 2018, UW joined leading universities around the world in signing the newly-launched Declaration on University Global Engagement. This effort further aligns the work of the world’s top universities with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
https://www.washington.edu/globalaffairs/2018/09/24/declaration-university-global-engagement/?utm_source=UW+News+Subscribers&utm_campaign=60059bc875-UW_Today&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0707cbc3f9-60059bc875-307369609