9 tips to move into on-campus housing sustainably

smiling people moving cart full of luggage

The UW is recognized as a national leader for its deep commitment to sustainability on our campuses and in the community.

Looking forward to living on campus? Follow these tips to make move-in easier and reduce your waste.

1. Bring only what you need

Don’t let those MUST HAVE shopping lists distract you - only get the basics that you’ll need. Before you start shopping, take note of all the things you use in your everyday life and will continue to use.

Subtle, sustainable living on North Campus

Residents of the new North campus dorms may not notice the many sustainability features of their buildings. If they take a closer look, they’ll find the residence halls are rich with hidden touches that save energy and make living easier. 

All residence halls on North Campus are LEED certified, meaning they were built with sustainability in mind. Students, though, might not be aware of some features that Housing & Food Services (HFS) implemented.

Happening this week: May 14-20

UW Sustainability's weekly events banner

This week is forecast to be sunny and we hope you're excited to get outside! The sustainability events calendar includes all sustainability related events, but below we've listed a few of the top options for this week. Also, check out our calendar for a comprehensive listing of events. You can even subscribe to get weekly emails to keep up to date on all the sustainability events happening around UW!

Get your Cupanion sticker this week

Cupanion banner

The University of Washington is partnering with Cupanion to reward students each time they fill a reusable mug instead of using a disposable cup.

The SEED student group has partnered with Housing and Food Services to make Cupanion stickers available starting this week. With the sticker and a downloadable smartphone app, each time you fill your reusable mug scan the bar code in the app and earn point toward rewards such as gift cards.

SEED is tabling in various locations around campus this week and handing out the Cupanion stickers.

Tote Bag or No Bag at District Market

As a freshman living on West Campus, when Nola Peshkin stopped by District Market to pick up food or other items she was often surprised by the behavior of her fellow shoppers.

"Growing up my family was really adamant about always bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, but when I came to UW I was just really surprised and disappointed in the number of people who would use paper bags when it didn't seem necessary," Peshkin said.