UW Sustainability's blog

Last month's SustainableUW Festival brought together people from across the University of Washington to celebrate our many sustainability efforts, and talk about what's next. There were many inspirational discussions and connections - relive some of the festival highlights with this video:

This fall, Jacqueline Patterson, the director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, came to UW to talk about the intersection of climate science and social justice, and how to work to advance equitable preservation of our environment. Kane Hall was at capacity for the event, but you can watch the entire talk below thanks to the Seattle Channel.

Tuesday night, the UW Honors Program is hosting a faculty discussion on Climate Change, part of their annual "Global Challenges - Interdisciplinary Answers" series. Honors Program Director Vicky Lawson will join three passionate UW faculty thought leaders from seemingly disparate disciplines in a fast-paced conversation demonstrating how interdisciplinary collaboration can impact Climate Change.

This weekend Husky football is hosting one of the biggest games of the year, trying to stay undefeated against Southern Cal. While you're in the stands cheering the Huskies to victory, you can also do your part to help UW win another competition.

The UW Study Abroad fair is coming up on Tuesday, November 8 in the HUB Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair is a chance to learn about international study and internship opportunities, attend info sessions, and connect with study abroad alumni, advisers and fellow UW students.

As a major research institution, the UW has a global impact, and many faculty and staff members regularly travel by air. Just how far, and the carbon impact of all that travel, was until recently something the UW could only estimate. Over the past year, the Sustainability Office has been working with student teams to gather the UW's travel data, quantify our air travel carbon footprint, and make recommendations. The student teams also interviewed faculty and staff to learn about campus attitudes towards travel.

What does global warming sound like? UW atmospheric science graduate student Judy Twedt provides an answer in this video, which turns the measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide over several decades into music. As the carbon dioxide levels rise, so does the pitch of the music. It can make for an unsettling listen:

Ever wanted to ride an electric bike? Interested in Sustainability Jobs? Want to learn more about sustainability at the University of Washington?

The creators of JikoPower found their great idea. The team (formerly known as FireBee) won the 2015 Environmental Innovation Challenge and the 2016 UW Business Plan Competition with their product to generate sustainable energy for people without electricity.

Wednesday in the SustainableUW Festival includes a wide variety of events on campus.