| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 70.87 |
| Liaison | Daimon Eklund |
| Submission Date | Dec. 23, 2021 |
University of Washington, Seattle
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Daimon
Eklund Communications Manager UW Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Two recent large construction projects at the UW - the Life Sciences Building and the Population Health Building - incorporate features that would not have been possible without student engagement.
Student efforts led to additions of solar electricity generation and an innovative water-reuse system in the Life Sciences Building, a 169,000-square foot building completed in 2018.
UW Solar students were instrumental in the addition of integrated photovoltaics to the shading fins on the south side of the building, a first-of-its-kind installation.
https://green.uw.edu/blog/2018-03/solar-powered-innovation-life-sciences-building
UW Solar students also used grants to find funding for a more traditional solar installation on the roof of the building.
Student energy also led to the innovative water-reuse system, which captures wastewater from the building’s reverse osmosis/de-ionization (RO/DI) filtration system to use for irrigation in the attached greenhouse. This project was funded by a Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) grant.
The Life Sciences Building earned a 2021 Top Ten award from the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment: https://www.aia.org/showcases/6420531-university-of-washington-life-sciences-bui
In part because of the success of these projects, students were invited to a design workshop early in the process of creating the Population Health Building. Student interest drove an effort by the UW's Carbon Leadership Forum to determine the embodied carbon of the building and whether it could meet the requirements of LEED’s whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA) credit. https://carbonleadershipforum.org/uw-population-health-building/
The Engineers Without Borders student group received a CSF grant to work on a rainwater capture system for the building, including a visual educational display showing the system function.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
The UW adopted a definition of sustainability in 2021 as part of the Sustainability Action Plan. This definition was created using an iterative process that included students, faculty and staff from all three campuses.
The process used to create the definition is detailed on the definition webpage. It included a review of existing definitions and literature, identifying themes, determining the goals for the definition, and then gathering feedback from sustainability stakeholders, faculty and students across the UW's three campuses through an iterative process. In this process, feedback from one group was used to inform revisions for the next group. Ultimately a final draft was passed to the Environmental Stewardship Committee and the President for approval.
After a draft definition was created, there were opportunities for feedback and response from the UW community before the final version was adopted.
The definition that resulted:
SUSTAINABILITY: At the University of Washington, we define sustainability as the capacity to create and maintain healthy, equitable and diverse communities now and into the future. That capacity comprises 1) an understanding and respect for the interdependence of the atmosphere, the waters, the land, and the Earth's inhabitants, and 2) a commitment to use our collective wisdom to act out of that understanding and respect.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Coordination & Planning
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
The student group UW Solar has been responsible for much of the solar energy infrastructure installed at the University of Washington. The group works on planning, design, and development of solar and related electrification projects on campus. They work with UW groups such as Housing & Food Services and Facilities to identify possible projects and collaborate to ensure the feasibility and that the project works for all stakeholders.
Recently, UW Solar worked with university staff to develop a 30 year Solar Energy Plan for the UW Seattle campus. They are also working with UW Transportation Services on a plan to electrify the University of Washington vehicle fleet, including an evaluation of all parking lots and parking garages on the Seattle Campus for their potential to support solar carports.
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.