Discover what Washington University is doing to improve sustainability on campus, in St. Louis, and internationally.
WashU Local Retailers Receive Green Dining Alliance Certifications
Written by Office of Sustainability student associate, Faith Phillips, Class of 2024 Launched in 2012, the Green Dining Alliance (GDA) is a restaurant certification program offered by local non-profit, earthday365. The GDA works with restaurants in the St. Louis region by providing them with practical strategies for expanding sustainable operations and then certifying them for […]
April is Active Transportation Month
April is the first of two Active Transportation Months (ATM) at Washington University. The goal of ATM is to motivate staff, faculty and students to kick the car habit and try active, low-carbon means of transportation. If you cannot imagine going car-free, consider carpooling or budgeting time to try transit one or two days during the […]
How to Handle Hard-to-Recycle Materials
Below you will find a collection of resources to help you navigate places in St. Louis that take specific types of materials for reuse, repurposing, or in some cases, recycling. What to do with university-owned “stuff” Before you get too far along, please note that there are specific ways to manage materials that are generated […]
New Summer Internship Program
In 2024, the Office of Sustainability is piloting a new version of its popular summer internship program that will place students with campus partners to give them a deeper understanding of campus operations and real-world experience. Spend your summer in St. Louis doing a deep-dive in sustainable operations with one of the numerous Office of […]
Sustainability at WashU School of Medicine’s Mallinckrodt Institute for Radiology
It is no secret that healthcare has a massive impact on the environment. In fact, if global healthcare services were a country, they would amount to the fifth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases. As the effects of climate change on public health and infrastructure are increasing, the need for specialized sustainability practices within the healthcare sector […]
Green Cup ResCollege Competition
What is Green Cup? Every spring since 2011, WashU’s Residential Colleges compete to reduce energy use and adopt more sustainable lifestyles, preventing hundreds of metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and helping the university save money on electricity costs. The Green Cup competition will kick off this year on Friday, February 2nd and conclude […]
Student Sustainability Spotlight: EV Shuttles
Written by Office of Sustainability student associate, Faith Phillips, Class of 2024. This is the Student Sustainability Spotlight, a series where we shine a light on important student-led initiatives on WashU’s campus and their positive, widespread impact on the university’s sustainable operations. There are a number of student-initiated and student-led projects that significantly contribute to […]
Newstead Garage Seeking Parksmart Bronze Rating
The newly constructed Neuroscience Research Building has been an exciting new addition to the WashU School of Medicine campus, with many sustainable features that make it likely to receive a Gold LEED rating. The associated Newstead Garage has also been built with sustainability in mind and is seeking Bronze Parksmart certification in early 2024. While […]
Introducing Reusable Boxes at EPNEC
In January 2024, WashU School of Medicine is launching an exciting new initiative to reduce catering waste at the Eric P. Newman Education Center (EPNEC). The EPNEC event team, WashU Sustainability, and Bon Appetit Management Company are partnering to offer reusable containers for boxed lunches at events held within EPNEC. This exciting new program was […]
Live Near Your Work Brings Sustainability to Local Communities
You would be hard-pressed to find someone in the Washington University community who is unaware of the chancellor’s “in St. Louis, for St. Louis” vision. The Live Near Your Work (LNYW) program is a prime example of how the university walks that walk. The program was first established in 1997 as the Employer Assisted Housing […]
Celebrating Sustainability Champions at the Green Carpet Awards
The annual Green Carpet Awards were hosted on November 7, 2023 at the Knight Center on the Danforth Campus. Sustainability champions from across the university gathered to celebrate significant projects and programs that are enhancing sustainability efforts and impact. The program hosted the following speakers, who recognized numerous sustainable achievements between 2022 to 2023. Phil […]
Leave the Leaves
Written by Office of Sustainability student associate, Faith Phillips, Class of 2024. The foliage in autumn is one of the most exciting aspects of the season but after a few weeks, the leaves can become a nuisance in the lawn. Unknown to most people, however, many insects and invertebrates rely on fallen leaves for protection […]