This project attempts to assess the feasibility of the University of Washington switching to an organic fertilizing system. The efficacy of biosolids, compost, and compost tea will be compared to the 8,000 pounds of chemical fertilizer that are annually applied to the campus lawns.
We are conducting a feasibility and design study for an app-based environmental challenge game that educates incoming student cohorts about sustainable practices on and around the UW campus. The challenge game concept is intended to orient new students to the sustainability resources in their new community, and create incentives and rewards - tangible and otherwise - for taking actions and adopting behaviors that conserve resources during their tenure at UW and beyond.
UW Sustainability Action Network (UW-SAN) will be a campus wide sustainability resource center that provides online and in-person support for student driven projects. The online component of UW-SAN will consist of: 1) a blog and website with resources, events, updates on student projects, and archives of student organizations and projects, and 2) a networking website that connects student groups for coalition building and provides a space for projects to form.
The Green Greek Representative Energy Challenge is a challenge designed to make the Greek community more energy efficient, which will make it more desirable to people who choose housing based on sustainability. Through this challenge, we seek to educate men and women in the Greek community about making sustainable choices that will save them and their chapters money while also helping improve the environment.
The teaching apiary at the UW Farm contains 10-12 hives of honey bees and is used by students to learn basic beekeeping skills and also to perform experiments in bee biology. The bee course has been taught Summer A+B terms since 2011. Support for the program derives from student fees, covering course-specific activities, and an account funded by donations and fund raising, which covers maintenance of the hives and equipment acquisition. Researchers from departments as varied as Chemistry and Psychology have used the hives as education and research subjects in past years.
Our project involves replacing UW Mailing Service delivery trucks with five electric assist cargo bicycles complete with fully secured cargo boxes and trailers. This project entails restructuring our delivery methods to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of the bicycles. Through incorporating our main operation in the Publications Building, located in the Southwest campus, as well as two additional satellite locations, we can utilize our resources to cut costs and emissions.
The Local Projects branch of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at the University of Washington will design and construct a series of eight phone charging stations powered by entirely by solar energy. Once construction is complete, these stations will be implemented throughout the University of Washington Seattle campus, in locations such as Husky Stadium and Rainier Vista for public use.
Can't make it in to the bike shop? Now, the bike shop can make it to you. The Mobile Maintenance Trailer allows the student mechanics at the ASUW Bike Shop to traverse this majestic campus with all the tools necessary to provide safety-check and quick tune-up services for any UW cyclists they encounter, free of charge. Everything a rusty bicycle could ever want, including an assortment of professional shop tools and an array of greases, degreasers, and lubricants, will be kept conveniently in a Surly long-bed trailer.
Local cleantech start-up SafeFlame aims to tackle a glut of high profile issues effecting people in developing nations. First among these is the potent issue of indoor pollutants. Globally, more than 3 billion people cook using biomass (wood, animal dung, crop waste, or charcoal). The indoor pollution created by burning these fuels results in over 4.3 million deaths annually with deaths particularly high among women and young children, who spend the most time within the home.
We are looking for an undergraduate student to serve on the CSF Committee for the rest of this academic year! Each year, the CSF Committee is charged with allocating over $300,000 of student funds to on-campus sustainability projects. As a CSF Committee Member, you will have influence over both the development of specific projects and our organizational strategy in pursuing a more sustainable UW. Serving on the CSF Committee involves a ~3 hour weekly commitment spent at our weekly meeting, reviewing grant applications and helping out with CSF outreach.