This year’s Postcards of Appreciation released by Public Affairs to express WashU’s gratitude to the Class of 2020 include many students with whom we had the chance to work with! To Natia, Jacob, Scott, Tessa, and the MANY others from the Class of 2020 who contributed to sustainability efforts at WashU, in the St. Louis […]
Every spring since 2011, WashU’s South 40 Residential Colleges compete to reduce energy use and adopt more sustainable lifestyles, taking away hundreds of metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere and helping the university save money on electricity costs. Traditionally, the competition takes place over a 4-week period during which students do all they can […]
Have you noticed the appearance of a couple of large digital signs displaying sustainability-related content on the Danforth campus? Since last summer, both the Whispers Café in the Olin Library and the second floor of the Schnuck Pavilion display a “sustainability dashboard”, an interactive screen that provides users with a fun and engaging experience. The […]
This past November, eight WashU students representing the Congress of the South 40 (CS40) and the Luminescence Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) participated in the Midwest Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (MACURH) Regional Leadership Conference, hosted at Saint Louis University. This year, WashU won the regional Commitment to Sustainability award, […]
Between September 20 and 27, an estimated 7.6 million people and 3,000+ businesses participated in the Global Climate Strike in 185 countries around the world. Inspired by Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future, the strikes took place on Friday September 21 and September 27. Some journalists suggest that it may have been the biggest international environmental protest […]
With the start of classes this August, WashU Dining Services quietly rolled out a simple and straight-forward response to a long- requested service by dining customers – students, staff and faculty alike. On either side of the dish return window, the waste storing holes which previously offered recycling and landfill now have two holes each […]
The Office of Sustainability, in partnership with the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, has helped with the planning of Engage STL, one of the four “themes” in the newly restructured Bear Beginnings program. Engage STL, like the WUGA program, provides incoming first-years with an important introduction […]
The Office of Sustainability is thankful and proud of all the graduating seniors who contributed to sustainability work and advocacy during their years at WashU, either through internships, student groups or grassroots activism. We are excited to see how careers will unfold for these talented individuals and to stay connected beyond their WashU time. Make […]
Sydney Welter is a senior majoring in Environmental Earth Sciences. She enrolled last fall in the Environmental Studies community internship program allowing her to work directly with the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) as a River Protection Intern. To mitigate the dramatic impacts that Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) have on human, animal and environmental health, MCE has been […]
Improving food access for the city’s most vulnerable residents is one of the top priorities for the St. Louis Food Policy Coalition (STLFPC), a formal multi-stakeholder entity housed within the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE). As part of this mission, MCE released the St. Louis Food Access Story Map to illustrate the patterns of […]
March 5 marked the end of WashU’s 9th annual Green Cup, with LeeBeau residential college coming in first place, and Brookings and HIG Residential Colleges coming in second and third place, respectively. For almost five weeks, Green Cup challenged residents of the South 40 to reduce their energy use, while engaging in a broad range […]
Still looking for summer internships in the St. Louis area? We have you covered! Our student associate program is one of the highest impact internship programs at WashU in terms of the caliber of work students produce; professional development and leadership training provided to prepare students for high-impact lives and careers; and the number of […]
Only a few years ago, WashU student Jenny Fang had one primary sustainability mission in mind—to reduce single-use disposable plastic waste while also saving money. Her idea has since manifested itself into the new Greenware Program, a reusable dishware loan program that is now available for WashU students, staff and faculty to use. The current […]
Looking for ways to get involved this semester but not quite sure where to start yet? The Student Environmental Council (SEC), a collection of WashU environmental student groups, offers many opportunities for students to engage, learn and take action for sustainability on campus. You do not need to be a member of a sustainability group […]
Waste Intern Jacob Halladay-Glynn recounts his experience working with middle school students from local Normandy Middle School, who visited Washington University for the Engage 360 program on the first Friday of November. (Note: the picture above was taken during a recycling relay game with WashU students). “On your marks, get set, go!” Two teams of […]
Every day, between 170 million and 390 million straws are used and thrown out in the United States (according to a recent New York Times fact check). Overall, over 8 million metric tons of plastic makes its way into our oceans every year, killing marine life that ingests it, introducing dangerous toxins into the food chain. Student […]
Hello and welcome to the WashU Class of 2022! My name is Mackenzie Hines-Wilson, I’m a sophomore Arts & Sciences student and just one year ago I was in your exact same situation: a little excited, a little confused, and a little uncertain of how exactly I, as a first-year student, could start to make […]