Buildings & Grounds

UW Civil & Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Amy Kim is offering a new graduate-level special topics course this fall. The course, "Sustainable and healthy building in global context," will discuss how to align building sustainability strategies to promote occupant health. More specifically, students will identify building components that affect occupants’ comfort, health, well-being, and productivity.

The University of Washington's new West Campus Utility Plant (WCUP) has received an Envision Gold award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). The Envision system rates sustainable infrastructure projects across the full range of environmental, social, and economic impacts.

The tall white screens, glowing softly at night, draw the eye from blocks away. At the base of the building, 10-foot tall LED screens play informative videos showcasing sustainability efforts at the University of Washington, while windows in between provide a glimpse at the workings of the equipment inside.

Students interested in green building and sustainable design can take a LEED Green Associate training course on campus next Wednesday, October 26. LeadingGREEN is offering the evening training course in Loew Hall room 102 from 6-10 p.m. The course is $300 ($200 for current full time students) and satisfies the eligibility requirements to take the LEED Green Associate exam, which is seperately administed by the US Green Building Council. 

To register for the course and for more information, visit leadinggreen.com/uwseattle

I recently attended the Just Sustainability conference at Seattle University, and had the opportunity to attend a breakout session with Stacy Smedley, sustainability director for Skanska Construction.

Join UW Sustainability for an exciting Green Bag presentation with Skanska Construction's Director of Sustainability Stacy Smedley. She will talk about Skanska's current sustainability initiatives and LEED standards for construction, as well as highlighting some of their current projects at UW.

The talk will be held in Parrington Hall, Room 309, on Friday, September 16th from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your lunch and join the discussion!

The Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) will be regularly featuring alumni, project leaders and other students who help the CSF make a difference on campus. Today's spotlight is on Dan Hintz, who is project lead for the Kincaid Ravine Restoration.

UW Graduation Year: 2016
Major: Master of Environmental Horticulture
Hometown: Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Favorite Outdoor Activity: Downhill skiing

It’s time to think twice about your carpet.

For well over 100 years, carpet has been the single most popular choice for American floors, but not without its drawbacks. Producing carpet requires the use of a host of harmful chemicals, and each year landfills acquire millions of tons of carpet that will take thousands of years to decompose.

Tucked behind an assortment of trees along UW’s Stevens Way is a garden unknown to many. The UW Medicinal Herb Garden is home to about 1,000 plants from around the world, spread out across seven plots, and provides a relaxing escape from the surrounding campus.

The garden hasn't always been as richly populated as it is today. There's one man in particular who has doubled the plant collection over the last 20 years. 

Over six million gallons of water is used to sustain the assortment of trees and flowers in the Washington Park Arboretum, much of it along Azalea Way, the main pathway through the Arboretum. But a group of UW students, staff and faculty are hoping to significantly reduce the amount of water used.