Discover what Washington University is doing to improve sustainability on campus, in St. Louis, and internationally.

Part-time Student Worker Positions Available at the Office Of Sustainability

Typically the Office of Sustainability engages student workers in internship positions that require full-time summer commitments or part time work through the duration of the semester. Due to programming needs that fall outside of the typical internship program period, we have a call for student workers to help carry out two programs that support student-centered […]

From Confused WashU Student to Driven Human-Focused Conservationist

From Confused WashU Student to Driven Human-Focused Conservationist
Written by guest contributor and WashU class of 2018 alum, María Dabrowski One day during my junior year at WashU, I found myself lying in bed and wondering (forthe 18th time that month) if maybe I should be pre-med after all. Despite barely passingchemistry, physics, and calculus, I convinced myself that the trajectory all my […]

Kind Box: A Kinder Way to Carry Out

Kind Box: A Kinder Way to Carry Out
Written by Communications Associate, Jarea Fang Take-out meals are the best of both worlds, a heavenly combination of restaurant food and the comfort of your own home. The demand for take-out has especially increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical distancing became the norm. Striking a balance between disease prevention and reducing […]

Real Life Experience through the Restorative Justice Movement Center

Real Life Experience through the Restorative Justice Movement Center
Environmental Studies’ Impact Internship program has been partnering with the Restorative Justice Movement Center to provide meaningful opportunities and skills for WashU students to help address real environmental issues in Missouri. One of the interns with Restorative Justice Movement Center, Eimear Cunningham, shares her experience as an Environmental Studies Impact Intern below.  I had the […]

Reducing Printing: an Important Sustainability Strategy

Reducing Printing: an Important Sustainability Strategy
Written by student associate, Kyla Fung, Class of 2026 It’s October 2022, and the crisp fall breeze invokes a faint chill in the air. Unbeknownst to the workers of Resolute Products, however, a fire has engulfed the recycled kraft pulp mill in Menominee, Michigan. Unforeseen by those who would discover the catastrophe later, the fire […]

WashU Tune-Ups Support Local Youth Biking Program 

WashU Tune-Ups Support Local Youth Biking Program 
Written by Communications Associate, Jarea Fang If there is one thing Danforth Campus students and staff are familiar with, it’s the sight of bicycles and skateboards either parked or gliding on our sidewalks. Shuttles and buses are also quite a big thing around here, as well as the occasional electric scooter. Even those that drive […]

WUSM Compost Pilot

WUSM Compost Pilot
After many requests by students and staff, WashU’s School of Medicine is excited to announce a pilot post-consumer compost collection program! While back-of-house compost has been collected from the kitchens for many years, the pandemic paused efforts to expand the School of Medicine’s waste diversion programs. WUSM will be “pressing play” in February 2023 with […]

Grassroots Organizing with Missouri Sierra Club

Grassroots Organizing with Missouri Sierra Club
Since Spring 2019, Environmental Studies’ Impact Internship program has been partnering with Missouri Sierra Club to provide meaningful opportunities and skills for WashU students to help address real environmental issues in Missouri. One of the Fall 2022 Impact Interns with Missouri Sierra Club, Clara Chavez-Ives, shares her experience as a Grassroots Organizing Intern below.  This […]

Canon Ink Cartridge Recycling at Campus FedEx

Canon Ink Cartridge Recycling at Campus FedEx
Yes, you can recycle that. One of the most frequent questions sent to sustainability@wustl.edu is “How can I recycle my office’s ink cartridges?” Depending on the brand of cartridge, there are different instructions. Most involve printing a pre-paid postage label and sending them back to the manufacturer. However, thanks to a new program offering by […]

Supplier Diversity: A Principle of Sustainability 

Supplier Diversity: A Principle of Sustainability 
Written by Communications Associate, Jarea Fang No member of our consumerist society is unfamiliar with the concept of a supply chain shortage. A quick Google search will reveal to some that the 2021-2022 global supply chain crisis is an actual Wikipedia title, while others only need to scroll on social media to remember the recent […]

St. Louis Food Share Cares for Community 

St. Louis Food Share Cares for Community 
Written by Communications Associate, Jarea Fang It is a common trait among college students to love free food, which is probably why free food is present at almost all campus events. While hilarious, it’s also important to consider that a college student’s love of free food may be more complicated than we think, as food […]

WashU Receives AASHE STARS Gold Accreditation

WashU Receives AASHE STARS Gold Accreditation
Washington University in St. Louis has been awarded Gold status accreditation from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), renewing certification at the same level as its last certification in 2018, though on a more rigorous version of the reporting tool. STARS is a reporting framework developed by AASHE, the leading […]