Now that St. Louis is taking a turn towards warmer weather, the WashU Farmers Market has moved back outside to the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy Quad. The Farmers Market has been a staple of the WashU community since 2010, bringing new and familiar faces to campus over the years. Many of our vendors […]
The Sustainability Champions are a group of Washington University School of Medicine custodians dedicated to sustainability. They ensure that your recycling makes the journey from your desk or lab to the dumpster for transport. Our custodians are committed to keeping our campus clean and safe. We would like to give a special thank you to […]
As part of an effort to upgrade its campus entrances, the WashU Medical School conducted a major landscape transformation within the two large triangle areas associated with the new “Washington University Medical Campus” signage near the 64-40/Kingshighway interchange. Since its completion in the fall of 2019, the project, which consisted of the replacement of turf […]
With over 200 people in attendance, the Green Labs Program was officially kicked-off with a party earlier this month. Most of our lab supply vendors, local lab sustainability groups, and departments presented their options for greening our lab spaces. Some vendors displayed high-efficiency lab equipment, others had samples of products made with recycled content, and […]
Accounting for over 1.6 million square feet of campus space and using between 2.5 and 5 times the amount of energy as office spaces, labs represent an important opportunity to reduce the university’s carbon emissions and expand our multi-faceted effort to address climate change. Building upon the success of the Green Office Program, WashU is […]
A recent heavy rainstorm in St. Louis caused a storm drain backup and minor flooding in the gymnasium in the basement of Olin Residence Hall at the School of Medicine. The WUSM facilities team was able to solve the drainage problem to prevent flooding in future rain events, but the gym floor was not able […]
Ultra-Low Temperature Freezers (ULTs) are a critical piece of equipment in many research labs and are designed to protect valuable samples. Capable of reaching temperatures as low as -85 degrees Celsius (or -121 degrees Fahrenheit), ULTs require a significant amount of electricity to operate — more than a typical American home — and are thereby […]
“To the chickens!” is now a common phrase used in the Clinical Translational Research Unit (CTRU) Metabolic Research Kitchen. This refers to the food scraps produced by the kitchen operations that are thrown into bright green 5-gallon buckets and saved for the chickens at Howie Farms, one of the vendors from the School of Medicine […]
This summer, the Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Parking and Transportation Services (Danforth) and the Operations & Facilities Management Department (WUSM), is bringing back the free bike tune-up series. We will be hosting four free tune-up sessions, on both the Danforth and the Medical campuses: Medical Campus, Hope Plaza, 11a – 2p Thursday, June […]
The Facilities Operations office at the School of Medicine has started a new tradition of celebrating Green Monday with an office lunch! The office members were inspired to participate in Green Monday because of their personal dedication to making sustainable choices and because it fits in with the culture created from being a certified Green Office. For the […]
The first Sustainability Action Team (SAT) meeting of 2019 took place on Wednesday, March 27 on the School of Medicine campus. The group has been on pause over the last year while administrators conducted a sustainability survey and worked to better structure all of the sustainability programs on the medical campus. The first SAT meeting […]
For the 4th year in a row, the WUSM Operations and Facilities Management Department is accepting new and gently used shoes for donation from March 11th through May 31st. Since 2015, the WUSM community has collected over 4 tons of shoes for donation to the ShoeCrew Water Projects, a local non-profit that provides clean water […]
Last fall, WashU and the St. Louis Higher Education Sustainability Consortium (HESC) hosted a Brining Workshop to bring together authorities from the St. Louis region to discuss the use of road salt during snow and ice events. The workshop featured speakers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) and a Biologist from SLU to […]
This fall, the Office of Sustainability is launching a green event certification program that provides a framework for best practices, easy access to resources, and recognition for exemplary events and event planners. With hundreds of events planned by professional and non-professional event planners across the university, there is a high potential to reduce, recycle and […]
Throughout each semester, the medical students at WashU School of Medicine attend daily lunch lectures. The Operations and Facilities Management Department (OFMD) recently supported the Student Sustainability Group in their effort to reduce the waste footprint for these catered events for the first 2 weeks, when lecture attendance is highest. The student group’s leader, Alex […]
The future is bright for transit in St. Louis! Three projects, one completed and two upcoming, aim to enhance Metro’s current offerings and bring exciting new transit options to the region. Cortex Metrolink Station Grand Opening About a month ago, the long-awaited Metrolink station opened in the Cortex Innovation Community, just east of WashU’s medical […]
This fall, the Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Parking and Transportation Services (Danforth) and the Operations & Facilities Management Department (WUSM), is bringing back the free bike tune-up series. After construction in the East End and parking changes, alternative transportation has become increasingly significant at WashU, leading many car commuters to drop the car […]
The Clayton Parking Garage at the Washington University School of Medicine is getting a sustainability upgrade! The Operations and Facilities Management department, which oversees parking and transportation on the medical campus, recently installed 20 electric vehicle (EV) chargers throughout the garage, bringing the total EV charging capacity to 21 spots. Most levels of the garage […]
“The Last Straw” for Bon Appétit The School of Medicine campus has two major dining facilities – Shell Café in McDonnell Medical Sciences Building and Farmstead Café in McDonnell Pediatric Research Building. Both of these cafés are operated by Bon Appétit Management Company, a full food-service management company based in Palo Alto, CA. Sustainability is […]
[Pile of plastics in China – Photo Credit: Fred Dufour/Agence France-Presse] In 2010, WashU made the transition to single-stream recycling on all campuses, making it easy and convenient for the university community to recycle. At the time, this change helped the university to nearly double consumer waste diversion. Today, about 42% of the waste generated by […]
If you haven’t walked through Hope Plaza recently, now is the time! The native garden beds are currently sporting their summer best with a variety of bold and subtle floral displays. The WUSM landscape design and maintenance crew focuses on planting native plants where possible because of the reduced irrigation needs and the benefits to […]
This summer the Office of Sustainability will be hosting a series of Recycling Genius Lunch & Learns. The Recycling Genius training consists of a brief, yet in-depth, training on what can be recycled and composted and why. Once you are trained as a Recycling Genius, you can provide presentations to groups (like your office) or […]
“Walk Smart. Bike Smart. Drive Smart.” – The Pedestrian and Vehicular Safety and Education Program has the straightforward goal of making the WashU School of Medicine campus a safe place for all types of commuters. The WUSM community had the chance to see this program represented at the recent Earth Day festival in Hope Plaza. […]
A couple of weeks ago, the WashU School of Medicine welcomed Alicia Hubert, who will be the first Sustainability Coordinator for the medical campus. In her new role, Alicia will be in the Operations & Facilities Management Department on the WUSM campus and she will also work closely with the Office of Sustainability to coordinate […]
The Office of Sustainability, in partnership with Residential Life and Facilities, is excited to announce the launch of WashU’s eighth annual Green Cup competition! Among Washington University’s South 40 Residential Colleges and School of Medicine residents, leagues will compete to reduce their energy usage. A Competition to Save Energy On the Danforth campus, electrical energy use from […]
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 […]
Week one of Active Transportation Month (ATM) is underway and has featured several exciting events. On October 1, the Office of Sustainability collaborated with the Outing Club for a bike trip to Grove Fest. Attendees (shown above) enjoyed a ride through Forest Park en route to this annual event, which features street performers, live music, and a variety […]
On September 30th, the Office of Sustainability and the Operations and Facilities Management Departments will team up with the Employee Picnic Planning Committee to pursue zero waste at the Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) Employee Picnic. Betsy Snyder, Chair of the Employee Picnic Planning Committee, worked with vendors, including caterer Kendrick’s and frozen custard provider […]
Nearly a year ago, at the corner of Scott and Taylor Avenues, a detention basin was constructed as part of the landscaping associated with the newly constructed 4515 McKinley Research Building. Since then, the St. Louis area has received periods of heavy rain including a couple of record-setting events. Detention basins are a low-lying area designed to […]
Paul Williams has joined Washington University’s School of Medicine in the Operations and Facilities Management Department (OFMD) as the Communications and Program Coordinator. “This is a great opportunity to contribute to such a diverse and energetic organization. Truly honored,” he said. Paul received his Bachelor of Science from Harris Stowe University. He brings years of […]
WUSM’s Facilities Custodial Department has demonstrated innovation and thrift when getting rid of old equipment and supplies. Rather than throw it away, they sold it! The WUSM Facilities Custodial Department has been upgrading and removing old equipment in order to provide custodians with reliable equipment to carry out their daily duties. During this process, WUSM […]
Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) students have called Olin Residence Hall home since it was built in 1959. Because it houses over 200 residents at a time, it has also seen its share of furniture over the past fifty-seven years. In 2014, the Facilities Management Department (FMD) began administering the lease for the Quadrangle, which manages […]
A Dynamic Duo: Carrol Joiner and Bob Gereaux Carrol Joiner came to the Medical School 20 years ago, while Bob Gereaux joined the Medical School 11 years ago. Carrol started out as a building HVAC maintenance mechanic/technician. Bob ended up working for the in-house HVAC systems and controls group as a recommissioning technician. About 2½ […]
The School of Medicine’s (WUSM) Facilities Management Department has been involved in two recent efforts at the Central Institute for the Deaf (CID) to optimize the operation of the space conditioning equipment at the school and research buildings in order to save energy and lower operating costs. The Facilities Management Department has operated and maintained the CID’s […]
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 […]