By Jarea Fang Labs account for over 1.6 million square feet of space across WashU’s campuses, and in some cases, they can use 5 to 10 times the amount of energy an office space does. Lab energy use comes from built-in equipment and systems, such as specialty HVAC units, humidification systems, and more; these systems, for the most part, […]
Now more than ever, the climate crisis is on the minds of people all around the world. Due to the urgent need to implement effective solutions to this social and environmental crisis, we will be regularly featuring stories of climate solutions adopted at the university and at the local, state, and national levels to inspire […]
At a time when virtual experiences must often replace in-person ones, we are pleased to announce significant updates to the virtual Danforth Campus Sustainability Tour that was unveiled a couple years ago. The interactive GIS map-based tour now features 24 stops, starting with the new grand entrance to the Danforth Campus, the award-winning East End […]
East end project buildings, January Hall awarded LEED Platinum recognition. Five buildings on the Danforth Campus at Washington University in St. Louis achieved the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) highest green building certification, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum. The five LEED Platinum certifications — all issued at the same time — are […]
WashU is partnering with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association to offer a second phase of Grow Solar St. Louis! Grow Solar is a group-buy program for residential solar that makes it easier for homeowners and small businesses to install solar and slash their carbon emissions. The program is designed to […]
Since it was founded in 2001, the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council works hard on creating and restoring buildings and communities that will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. Consistently honored as one of the top USGBC chapters in the nation, the USGBC-Missouri Gateway […]
With shorter days and often below-freezing temperatures, winter comes with greater energy needs. While it’s tempting to turn the heat all the way up to make it through the cold season, being mindful of our heating habits is critical to avoid energy losses and unnecessary consumption. The five tips below will help you maintain a […]
Low costs, consumer demands, and organizational commitments to mitigate climate change have resulted in rapid growth of the renewable energy industry that is transforming how the US and the world generates energy. In response to growing student interest in renewable energy careers, the Office of Sustainability is launching a new program that will provide students […]
The Green Office program is a university-wide initiative that has had great success over the past several years with over 100 certified office spaces across all campuses. The medical school had 15 certified offices in 2017 and is planning to double that number by the end of 2019. With the recent Green Office Luncheons (pictured […]
Washington University in St. Louis is being recognized nationally for its institution-wide sustainability efforts: the school recently earned a gold STARS rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE). STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) measures and encourages sustainability in all aspects of higher education. The university also landed in […]
Since it was founded in 2001, the Missouri Gateway Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council works hard on creating and restoring buildings and communities that will regenerate and sustain the health and vitality of all life within a generation. Consistently honored as one of the top USGBC chapters in the nation, the USGBC-Missouri Gateway […]
With input from a variety of campus collaborators, the Office of Sustainability is releasing an interactive, multimedia, GIS map-based Sustainability Tour of Washington University’s Danforth Campus. The tour features eighteen locations that showcase WashU’s efforts to transform our historic campus into a truly sustainable campus. These locations make up a small sample of the variety of ways by which WashU is fully committed to […]
Over the past several years, the Green Rehab team at the Office of Sustainability has been implementing an exciting research project to investigate the impact of environmentally focused renovations on WashU off-campus residential buildings. This year, the team has undertaken a second phase of the project: engaging residents to explore the impact of habits and […]
Campus Next is a WashU channel intended to inform the community about campus physical changes. A few weeks ago, Campus Next led an exclusive interview with Railesha Tiwari, first Sustainable Design and Construction Project Manager at WashU, about her unique role and impact on new construction and renovation projects. The article can be found here. The […]
The Office of Sustainability and Brown School of Social Work are pleased to announce that Hillman Hall has accepted the Race to Zero Waste Challenge as part of WashU’s participation in RecycleMania. RecycleMania is an annual national competition where higher education institutions report waste diversion data and compete with each other to reduce and recycle […]
Last fall, the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermen unanimously passed a Resolution calling for the City to pursue a transition to 100% clean energy by 2035, following the path of 46 other US cities that committed to phase out of fossil fuel before 2050. By passing this Resolution, the city of St. Louis […]
This fall break, while many students were traveling or staying on campus to study or binge watch their favorite Netflix show, fifteen students from Washington University spent two days in Washington DC learning about the far reaching aspects of work in sustainability, conservation, policy, and alternative energy technologies. The students who attended came from a […]
As a part of the East End Transformation, the Office of Sustainability Renewable Energy team has been evaluating various ways the University can maintain its commitment to its Strategic Plan for Sustainable operations while continuing to expand and improve its facilities. The team has specifically been looking at implementing solar energy on some of the […]
Did you know that every day in the St. Louis metropolitan area, a volume of water equivalent to 212 Olympic swimming pools is used for domestic purposes? Did you also know that a large percent of this water could easily be saved by preventing leaks and transitioning to high efficiency plumbing fixtures? That is what’s […]
On May 22, 2017, construction began on the East Side of Washington University in St. Louis’ Danforth Campus, marking the beginning of a three year project projected to be completed by the Spring of 2019. The redevelopment aims to provide the Danforth Campus with a new and improved entrance to the public and to provide a […]
This summer, the Office of Sustainability has launched a partnership with WashU’s College Prep program to offer several new opportunities to scholars enrolled in the program. The College Prep Program is an immersive, on-campus learning experience that students attend every summer between their freshmen and senior years of high school. During the program, scholars take classes […]
Washington University School of Medicine is expanding the use of solar-powered waste and recycling bins on the medical campus. In May of 2017 two sets of the Bigbelly & Smartbelly waste stations will be installed around the exterior of the new Mid-Campus Center. The Bigbelly Waste station is a solar compacting trash receptacle that is […]
This summer WashU is beginning a new construction project in front of Brookings Hall on the east end of the main Washington University campus. The new building and underground parking structure will require crews to demolish the existing parking and green space. In preparation for the construction project, WashU’s landscaping team has relocating many of the […]
On March 13-15 Washington University proudly hosted the 2017 annual conference of the Missouri Chapter of the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (MOAPPA). The mission of MOAPPA is to support educational excellence through quality leadership and professional management, and the annual conference helps meet that mission through an agenda geared toward professional development and best […]
WashU’s annual energy reduction and sustainability competition has come to a close! Green Cup is a four-week competition to reduce energy use among South 40 Residential Colleges, North Side housing, fraternities, and the School of Medicine’s Olin Dorm and Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (in four separate leagues). Throughout February, leagues competed to reduce their energy […]
One component of the Green Rehab Experiment is to determine if a combination of energy efficiency upgrades, solar panel installations, and reduced energy consumption can result in a century-old apartment building that satisfies the annual energy needs of its occupants solely through on-site renewable energy generation. An experimental apartment building was retrofitted to this end, […]
The Office of Sustainability is pleased to welcome ten new part-time associates this semester. From left to right: Sam Emery, Jenna Schnitzler, Alexis Vidaurreta, Ankita Bhalla, Camille Rieber, Sofia Joison, Annalise Wagner, Sean Fallon, Channing Hunter, and Ashwin Sundaresan. This dynamic group of students will work alongside 12 returning associates and 3.5 staff members to […]
WashU’s annual energy reduction and sustainability competition is back! Green Cup is a four-week competition to reduce energy use among South 40 Residential Colleges, North Side housing, fraternities, and the School of Medicine’s Olin Dorm and Farrell Learning and Teaching Center (in four separate leagues). Students compete to reduce their energy usage below a baseline. […]
On January 27, the first annual Washington University Green Carpet Awards recognized the 55 university offices that certified or re-certified with the Green Office Program in 2016. To certify, an office must first fulfill requirements that promote a sustainable workplace and environment, ranging from sourcing recycled-content paper to eliminating individual space heaters. Since the program […]
In recent months, the Office of Sustainability’s Renewable Energy team has focused on identifying opportunities for increasing solar energy generation on WashU’s campuses. WashU currently has 605 kilowatts of solar photovoltaics (PV) installed on university-owned property throughout the region – roughly 2,500 solar panels that together would cover just under half of Mudd Field. The solar […]
The Office of Sustainability is hosting a two-day preparation course for the LEED Accredited Professional Building Design and Construction (LEED AP BD&C) exam. This exam builds on the Green Associate (GA) credential by providing expertise in a particular LEED Rating System; in this case, Building Design and Construction. The LEED AP BD&C exam is designed to […]
The Catholic Student Center (CSC) hosts weekly mass services for over 700 students and community members and provides free soup lunches. For many WashU students, it also offers a place to study and build community throughout the week. Brian Wieliczka is a graduate student who volunteers with the CSC, and over the past two years, he has been […]
In an effort to increase the canopy on Washington University’s School of Medicine campus, a fall tree and shrub planting project is planned for early December. Various locations on campus have been identified as sites that will receive a combination of shade trees, ornamental trees, and large shrubs. Some of these locations will be included […]
Etai Pinkas, a leading Israeli activist, will speak at two programs on Monday, November 14. The first event, entitled “From Water Recycling to Urban Green Spaces: A Talk with Israeli Environmental Leader Etai Pinkas,” will take place at 4p in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge and will be followed by a light reception at 5p. The talk […]
Believe it or not, buildings use an estimated 40% of all energy consumed in the United States. That’s a big contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, and although we can now construct extremely energy efficient buildings like the Bullitt Center in Seattle, we still need to worry about all of the existing ones that were built decades before […]
Over the summer, WashU staff and faculty supported a variety of sustainability projects and initiatives across multiple campuses. Learn more about several key accomplishments below. Energy Efficiency and Green Building Projects Installed a 25 kilowatt (kw) rooftop solar array on the Academy Building, just across Forest Park Parkway from the Danforth Campus (the photo above shows the installation mid-process). Over […]
Fifty-seven Washington University alumni and current students came together for a Sustainability Social in Washington, DC on July 14. The social was sponsored by the university’s Office of Sustainability with assistance from the Alumni Association. Jeremy Sigmon, AB ’04, and Anisa Baldwin Metzger, BS ’06, hosted the event at the U.S. Green Building Council Headquarters and gave […]
The Mid Campus Center (MCC), a 12-story administrative office building on Children’s Place in the Central West End, will open its doors in December 2016. MCC is bringing departments together to improve the way occupants work, with new spaces for faculty offices, campus administration, research, safety and auxiliary services. Move in’s begin in December and will […]