At a glance
The UW Night Market has been one of the largest student-led events held in Red Square every year since 2001; since then, the… Read full summary
- Funding received
- 2023-2024
- Small
- Awarded
- $5,000
- Funding partners
-
- Services and Activities Fee (SAF)
The UW Night Market has been one of the largest student-led events held in Red Square every year since 2001; since then, the attendance has significantly grown and has now expanded into the Quad. With last year’s attendance at over 6,500 people we only expect this year’s attendance to be even bigger. Given the substantial magnitude of our event, it results in a significant amount of waste and a carbon footprint, posing environmental concerns for our community. In our commitment to sustainability, we aim to persist in implementing our zero-waste program to mitigate these impacts and ensure a greener and healthier event for everyone involved.
The TSA UW Night Market plans to make a sustainable impact through social sustainability, mainly cultural awareness & preservation, and support local vendors, public transportation, and our UW recycle program.
Jasmin Chang
Project lead
- jchang39@uw.edu
- Affiliation
- Student
- Years
- 1 year(s) remaining at UW Taiwanese Student Association
Jasmine Yuan
Team member
- jasyuan@uw.edu
- Affiliation
- Student
- Years
- 1 year(s) remaining at UW Taiwanese Student Association
Hailey Capps
TSA Advisor
- cappsh@uw.edu
- Affiliation and department
- SAO
Request amount and budget
Plans for financial longevity
n/a
Starting in early February, our sponsors and vendors teams kick off their outreach efforts to engage potential sponsors and vendors for our upcoming event in Red Square and the Quad. A primary focus during this phase is securing sponsors who align with our values of environmental responsibility and sustainability. This ensures that the corporations and organizations supporting our event share and endorse our commitment to sustainable practices.
Simultaneously, we initiate the vendor outreach process, drafting contracts in February that explicitly outline their responsibilities and our event's goals and mission. Transparency is key in these contracts, as we communicate the expectation that vendors adhere to our environmental efforts, including the use of compostable packaging and serving items, as well as efficient and minimal energy consumption.
Our organization hosts several booths during the event, spread across Red Square and the Quad. These encompass our food booth, game booth, and information booth. In March, as our food and game booths plan their menu items and activities, our officers prioritize a sustainable mindset. This involves utilizing existing resources, making the most of available materials, and incorporating compostable packaging, serving platters, and utensils.
Approaching the event day in May, a concerted effort is made to reinforce the importance of our role in sustainable efforts. We communicate this message to all officers, vendors, and volunteers involved in the event, ensuring everyone is aligned with our sustainability plan. This proactive approach aims to foster a sense of accountability throughout our organization and among all participants on-site during the event.
Plans for long-term project management
Upon the conclusion of our event, we are committed to gathering valuable insights from event organizers through a feedback form. This form will solicit their perspectives on the success of our environmental sustainability plans and pinpoint areas for improvement. The aim is to enhance our efforts in subsequent years based on constructive feedback.
Simultaneously, we recognize the importance of knowledge transfer within our organization. To facilitate this, we intend to meticulously document our thought processes and planning in our organization's folder. This repository will be easily accessible to future officers, allowing them to draw upon the lessons learned and strategies employed in organizing a sustainable UW Night Market event.
Looking ahead, we aspire to establish a dedicated page on our UW Night Market website. This page will serve as a public platform to articulate our missions and goals related to environmental efforts. By openly sharing our commitment to creating a cleaner UW Night Market, we hope to engage and inform our community about our ongoing sustainability initiatives and inspire collective action for a greener future.
Problem statement
The UW Night Market has been one of the largest student-led events held in Red Square every year since 2001; since then, the attendance has significantly grown and has now expanded into the Quad. With last year’s attendance at over 6,500 people we only expect this year’s attendance to be even bigger. Given the substantial magnitude of our event, it results in a significant amount of waste and a carbon footprint, posing environmental concerns for our community. In our commitment to sustainability, we aim to persist in implementing our zero-waste program to mitigate these impacts and ensure a greener and healthier event for everyone involved.
Problem context
We intend to utilize CSF funding to enhance sustainability at UW by prioritizing the procurement of local products for our food booth and adopting environmentally friendly packaging, such as compostable utensils and serving platters. In addition to implementing stringent environmental standards internally, we are committed to ensuring our vendors align with our sustainability goals and actively support our endeavors.
Building on our initiatives from the previous year, where we began communicating our commitment to a cleaner Night Market with our vendors, this year, we aim to solidify our goals and establish clear accountability for environmental standards. Given the significant foot traffic the Night Market attracts, with last year's attendance exceeding 6,000, we will actively promote sustainable transportation practices. Encouraging attendees to opt for public transportation or carpooling instead of individual driving is a key aspect of our strategy to minimize carbon emissions. To achieve this, we plan to disseminate information through marketing posts, flyers on our Instagram page, and our website, featuring maps and infographics outlining public transportation options.
Communication tactics and tools
Our key communication tactics include our Instagram page and UW Night Market website (which are our two main forms of communication), but we will also plan to create a poster detailing our goals to display at our RSO table in Red Square daily.
Outreach communication plan
Our UW Night Market Sustainable Program communication will be precise, detailing goals, implementation plans, and accountability measures. Through comprehensive outreach, we aim to spotlight the project's impact within the UW community, emphasizing the crucial link between sustainability, diversity, and the environment. This focused approach benefits Asian students, UW Night Market attendees, and the wider university community, fostering awareness and collective commitment to sustainability.
Student involvement
n/a