The University of Washington is a leader in campus sustainability. Our Sustainable Campus Walking Tour map showcases just a few of UW’s most visible sustainability highlights; buildings, green spaces and other points of interest. As you walk through campus, you’ll see many sustainability features, such as the conveniently located solar-powered trash, recycling and compost bins; bike parking racks, lockers and cages along with self-service repair stations; electric car charging stations; local and organic food choices; and much more. You can also visit our more detailed campus sustainability map to see more sustainability points of interest.
Click on the map image to download a PDF version.
West Campus
West Campus Utility Plant - WCUP supplies chilled water and emergency power to buildings on the west side of the UW’s campus. One of the plant’s visible sustainability features are the rain gardens to filter runoff. Video screens facing the street display information and stories about sustainability at the UW.
Biodiversity Green Wall - Hanging on the east side of Gould Hall are two large green walls, featuring primarily native plants that provide habitat for birds and insects. The green wall utilizes recycled rain water and reduces building energy needs by capturing heat during the day and releasing it at night. The wall was funded through a Campus Sustainability Fund grant.
District Market/Husky Grind - UW Housing & Food Services (HFS) is recognized as a national leader in sustainable dining, and emphasizes organic, local and fair-trade food on campus. District Market includes fresh produce and a full-service deli. Enjoy a cup of ethically sourced coffee at Husky Grind.
Local Point - This HFS campus dining location offers many different food options with sustainability in mind. Look for the plant-forward selections available at Tero, part of the “Menus of Change” initiative.
Mercer Court - These residence halls feature rooftop solar panels, as well as a cistern which stores and filters rainwater to provide water for laundry. The space between the buildings is used by the UW Farm to grow produce.
North Campus
Quad - The Liberal Arts Quadrangle is one of the most iconic spots on the UW campus. Each spring, visitors flock to the Quad to see the cherry trees in bloom.
Paccar Hall - This LEED Gold certified building is home to the Foster Business School. It includes many sustainability features, including energy and water conservation measures, utilizing natural light throughout, and a green roof.
North Campus Residence Halls - The new Madrona Hall, McCarty Hall and Willow Hall buildings incorporate many sustainability features. The residence halls include spaces for shared learning opportunities to foster community, and the landscaping around the buildings was created with pedestrians in mind. Willow Hall also houses the Center Table dining facility, which includes allergen-free and globally-inspired food stations.
UW Surplus Store - UW Surplus takes all unwanted items from UW departments and works to reuse, repurpose or recycle these items. The surplus retail store is open to the public Tuesdays 12-6 p.m.
Central Campus
Life Sciences Building - This LEED Gold building includes innovative sustainable features such as reusing water to irrigate the greenhouse plants. The glass fins that shade the south side windows have embedded solar cells which generate electricity.

East Campus
UW Farm - The UW Farm is a 1.5 acre student-powered urban vegetable market garden. The UW Farm’s mission is to be the campus center for the practice and study of urban agriculture and sustainability, and an educational, community-oriented resource for people who want to learn about building productive and sustainable urban landscapes. The farm has three locations on campus, with the largest being at the Center for Urban Horticulture. Here the farm has about an acre of land dedicated to growing sustainable fruits and vegetables and a hoop house used to grow the more delicate crops and a new composting toilet made possible by a Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF) grant.
Union Bay Natural Area - The 74-acre Union Bay Natural Area located at the Center for Urban Horticulture provides trails for running and walking with access to view the waters of Lake Washington and the many waterfowl that over-winter there. Yesler Swamp, located on the east side of the Union Bay Natural Area, offers a boardwalk loop that takes you to the edge of the lake and the site of the old Yesler Sawmill.
Waterfront Activities Center - Rent a kayak, canoe or rowboat to experience the Union Bay Natural Area’s wildlife and landscape, or paddle over to the nearby Washington Arboretum.
