Awards & Recognition

We've scratched the surface of Sierra magazine's Cool Schools list on Treehugger before, but this time I've decided to dig into one of the schools so we can learn more about what makes it so green.

The University of Washington (UW) topped the list this year, and Aubrey Batchelor, Program Coordinator in UW's Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability office, said green programs and projects are commonplace at UW.

University of Washington is one of sixteen colleges in the U.S. listed on Princeton Review's Green Honor Roll.  Criteria for Princeton Review's Green Rating cover three areas:

What’s the coolest university in America? By one significant measure, it’s the University of Washington.
Sierra Magazine, the official publication of the Sierra Club, has named the University of Washington the top university in the country for its initiatives to operate sustainably and limit its contributions to global warming. This is the fourth year the UW has been among the top-ranked schools; it was fourth last year

Just a few reasons why UW leads the pack: Every building completed since 2006 has earned LEED Gold. All appliances bought are Energy Star rated. And the hydropowered campus runs three farms, an extensive recycling program, and the conservation-research hotbed Pack Forest. Above, from left, students Rachel Malinen, Brady Ryan, and Elizabeth Wheat tend to their cabbage crop. Score: 81.2

Think there are a lot of bicycles around campus? Well, you’re right. According to Transportation Services, 8 percent of all students, 6 percent of staff, and 13 percent of faculty commute trips are made by bicycle. On any given day, it’s estimated that approximately 4,500 students, staff and faculty bike to campus.

...The UW received a silver designation from the league....

On May 18, 2011, Commuter Services was recognized by Commuter Challenge with a Diamond Ring Award! Commuter Challenge, a program of enterpriseSeattle to reduce commute trips in King County through education and partnerships, grants the prestigious Diamond Award to recognize innovative leaders that reduce commute trips for their employees.

Seattle, WA -- The University of Washington announced today that PACCAR Hall has been awarded LEED® GOLD certification established by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI). LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Both the UW Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center received recognition this year as top environmental performers from Practice Greenhealth

The UWMC maintains its Environmental Leadership Circle status for the 5th consecutive year! The Environmental Leadership Award is the premier Award recognizing health care facilities that exemplify environmental excellence and are setting the highest standards for environmental practices and sustainability in health care.

The UW’s Seattle campus has just become the largest institution in the state to be certified as salmon-safe.

The certification, which was created by the Network for Business Innovation and Sustainability (NBIS), recognizes the UW’s efforts to protect water quality and salmon habitat. In addition, the UW had to agree to further reduce its environmental impact over the coming five years.
 

"GREENER CLEANERS: For the second time, the UW’s Custodial Services has won the American School and University magazine’s top award for green cleaning. The UW is the co-grand award winner in the higher education category, and that’s the first time such a repeat has happened in the history of the competition.

“Facilities Services at the University of Washington takes green cleaning seriously when selecting equipment and instituting best practices within the industry,” the article in the magazine said."