Academics

Looking for information on environmental topics but not sure where to start? The UW Libraries resource guide is for you. The libraries have compiled resource guides on many topics, including the environment, which give students and researchers links to articles, books, journals, websites and more.

Check out the UW Libraries Environment Resource Guide and see where your search takes you!

UW's ENVIR 480: Sustainability Studio class in the Program on the Environment presents students with a sustainability topic which they engage in as part of an experiential learning course. The topics change each quarter - this spring, the students researched the UW's environmental history. Over the coming weeks, we'll be publishing some of the information students uncovered.

Within the College of Built Environments the urban planning real estate track will be offering a new sustainability focused class starting winter quarter 2016 ( R E 518). This three credit class will explore the best practices in sustainable real estate, analyzing at a macro level, the importance of sustainability in urban areas and introducing the best practices for various environmentally friendly and financially feasible interventions in the US and abroad.

Coming autumn quarter 2015, the Communications department will be offering a new sustainability focused class; Communication, Cities, and Sustainability (Com 325). This five credit class will explore how creative communication processes can enhance the sustainability and livability of cities by inviting, inspiring, connecting, educating, and engaging its citizens. Students will employ ethnographic techniques to analyze the complex, urban communication environment in which they live.

The Washington Higher Education Sustainability Coalition (WAHESC) invites you to learn about cutting edge sustainability initiatives on campuses around Washington State in this first ever state-wide broadcast. The purpose of this event is to inspire, engage, and connect our regional higher education institutions during Earth Week. The broadcast on April 20th from 4:00pm-5:00pm will feature eight short presentations from staff and student sustainability advocates representing these projects:

A classroom challenge to reduce students' carbon footprint has turned into one of the six research projects awarded a Green Seed Fund grant this year.

In the Green Seed Fund's latest round of funding, 25 proposals were received totaling $1.5 million in requests. A committee of students, faculty and staff awarded about $250,000 in funding to the top six proposals, including "Carbon Challenge: Footprint Reduction through Curricular Development and Community Building."

The University of Washington has hundreds of classes which touch on sustainability, but there is much more the university can do to explicitly incorporate sustainability into its academics. The interdisciplinary cross-campus Sustainability in the Curriculum Committee recently concluded, “the time is ripe for all UW campuses to make sustainability a top priority not only in its operations but across the curriculum.” 

The Husky Leadership Initiative continues their Leadership Firesides series with Lieutenant General Stephen Lanza, commander of Joint Base Lewis-McChord's (JBLM) I Corps. JBLM has been a sustainability leader in the Puget Sound region for many years along with other miliatary bases.

The 10th Annual Allen L. Edwards Psychology Lectures presents The Psychological Science of Inequity and Inequality. These free lectures discuss the latest research on factors affecting quality of life for underrepresented and non-majority individuals. As part of this popular series, notable experts from across the nation come to the University of Washington to co-present with faculty from the UW Department of Psychology.

This free, public series is made possible by a generous bequest from Professor Allen L. Edwards.

In January 2015, UW CoMotion (formerly Center for Commercialization) hosted a panel innovation leaders to discuss UW's role in regional innovation, entrepreneurship, and growth.