Metrics

The University of Washington has a goal of reducing paper usage university-wide, in line with a Washington state law directing state agencies to reduce paper consumption by at least 30% from 2008-2009 levels and use 100% recycled copy paper.

UW is still working toward those goals, and you can see the progress on our Sustainability Dashboard's paper page. Below, you can that the amount of paper per employee across all UW campuses has steadily dropped since the law was passed.

The need to conserve water has been readily apparent this summer, as water levels in Washington have dropped enough for the City of Seattle to call on residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce water consumption by 10 percent. The University of Washington supports this effort, and in today's look at the Sustainability Dashboard you can see how the UW has been reducing water consumption for years.

Energy conservation measures aren't just good for the environment. At the University of Washington, our conservation is also good for the budget.

Conservation measures at the UW added up to a savings of more than $14 million over the last fiscal year in avoided utility costs. That includes nearly $6 million in savings due to water conservation, and another $4.76 million for electricity conservation.