Student Athletes of UW for Sustainability (SAUWS) Union Bay Restoration Project

UW Athletics has an active sustainability program that engages with the campus and
surrounding community on many levels. This includes UW student-athletes, who use their
voices and outreach to promote sustainability though a variety of platforms.
The Student Athletes at UW for Sustainability (SAUWS) group was formed in 2019 with the
intent to organize student-athletes to complete projects that make an impact in the athletic
village, on campus or in our surrounding community. Sustainability has become a priority of UW
student-athletes, and this group provides a framework to work together on projects they are
passionate about.
This year, SAUWS is planning a restoration/education project along the waterfront next to the
Conibear Shellhouse and Dempsey Indoor Facility. The project encompasses wetland
restoration and removal of invasive species and garbage.
The project also provides an opportunity for UW’s student-athletes to create an educational
program to share their knowledge and passion. We plan to partner with Pine Lake Middle
School’s YESC group to take on this restoration project and create a fun, interactive education
sessions for the middle school students presented by the student-athletes and supported by
experts in the field. SAUWS is especially interested in connecting with youth in the community
on environmental education, and this is a unique opportunity for them to share mutual interests
in sports and the environment.
We also plan to create a video summarizing the event that can be shared on UW, Pac-12, and
student-athletes’ media platforms. Our hope is that the video demonstrates our athletes’
commitment and passion for sustainability, and that others will be inspired to do similar work
and create programs like these in their communities.
UW student-athletes are invested, and want to be leaders in sports sustainability, and foster
healthy and sustainable communities where we live, learn and play. This project is hopefully the
first of many collaborative community projects lead by UW student-athletes.