Greystar 鈥� a national developer and investor in university student housing in combination with its nonprofit partner, Provident Resources Group 鈥� was selected by the UW Board of Regents to lease four University-owned student housing properties: Nordheim Court, Radford Court, Blakeley Village and Laurel Village.

The plan is in line with the University鈥檚 commitment to providing a strong percentage of below-market rents for UW students with families, maintaining stable rents for single students, and increasing child care spaces for UW students, faculty and staff. The plan will reduce debt for UW Housing & Food Services, eliminate deferred maintenance in its building portfolio, and allow for the renovation and replacement of certain on-campus residence halls.

Provident will serve as the lessee and borrow the proceeds of tax-exempt bonds to fund the redevelopment. Greystar, which has a strong local team and presence, will serve as the developer and manager of the properties.

All properties are located adjacent to or near the Seattle campus, are prime student housing locations and will continue to provide housing to serve UW students. Students will have priority for all apartments, followed by UW faculty and staff.

Additional details, which remain under review, are as follows:

Phase I

• Nordheim Court currently has 454 apartment beds serving single students and is relatively new. It will continue to serve these students and be managed by Greystar.
• Radford Court currently provides housing for 399 student families, staff and non-university affiliated residents, and is relatively new. This property will continue to serve the UW community and be managed by Greystar. Rents for approximately 127 of these apartments will be set at 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) for UW student families. The existing 77 child care spaces will remain at this facility.

Phase II

• Built in 1981, Blakeley Village, at 4747 30^th Ave Northeast, features 80 student family apartments that are nearing the end of their useful life. Blakeley Village will be redeveloped into approximately 1,000 single student apartment beds and is anticipated to open in Summer 2028.
• Built in 1981, Laurel Village, at 4200 Mary Gates Memorial Drive Northeast, features 80 student family apartments that are nearing the end of their useful life. It will be redeveloped into approximately 350 apartments for single UW students, as well as student families with an adjacent 123-space child care facility, anticipated to open in Summer 2028. Rents for approximately 33 of these apartments will be set at 50% of Area Median Income (AMI) for UW student families. These apartments will be available to UW student families when completed.

The University will work to relocate Laurel and Blakeley families with rental agreements predating knowledge of this redevelopment (Sept. 12, 2022) to the 50% of AMI apartments at Radford Court prior to the start of construction at Laurel and Blakeley.

Contact: Victor Balta at balta@uw.edu.

November 7, 4:30 – 6:00pm | Communications Building

This presentation by Sharon Stein asks how universities can navigate the complexity of confronting the colonial foundations of higher education and enabling different futures. This discussion approaches reparations as a potentially regenerative process of enacting material redistribution and restitution, (re)building relationships grounded in respect and reciprocity, and repurposing our institutions to be more relevant and responsible.

Free |

November 7, 6:00 – 8:00pm | 听Kane Hall

The Pandemics – COVID 19 and the worldwide racial reckoning – forever changed how people work, live, go to school, and interact as a community. Come listen to a recorded dialogues about the pandemics, and engage in dialogue with the UW community. Together the session will remember and honor each individual’s lived pandemics experiences.

Free |听

November 8, 7:00 – 8:30pm | 听Burke Museum

Join the Burke Museum to celebrate Spirit Whales & Sloth Tales: Fossils of Washington State, by Elizabeth A. Nesbitt, Burke curator emerita of invertebrate and micropaleontology, and David B. Williams, Seattle-based author, naturalist, and historian.

From primitive horses on the Columbia Plateau to giant bird tracks near Bellingham, fossils across Washington state are filled with clues of past life on Earth. With abundant and well-exposed rock layers, the state has both old and 鈥測oung鈥� fossils, from Ice Age mammals dating only 12,000 years old back to marine invertebrates more than 500 million years old.

Free |

November 8, 7:30pm | Meany Hall

Seattle favorite Garrick Ohlsson has established himself as a pianist of masterful interpretive and technical skill. He commands an enormous repertoire ranging over the entire piano literature. He brings a full program of Chopin, Schubert, and Beethoven, along with an evocative work by Ursula Mamlok. Ohlsson鈥檚 brilliant stage presence and easy connection to audiences amplifies his well-earned reputation for bringing piano masterpieces to life with virtuosic firepower and resonant interpretations.

Buy Tickets |

November 8 | National First-Generation College Celebration

The UW proudly supports the experiences of first-generation students. For the sixth-straight year, the UW Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses are joining colleges and universities throughout the nation to participate in the on November 8.

Led by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success, the day is intended to celebrate the success and presence of first-generation college students, faculty, and staff on campuses across the country.

Free | More info

November 9, 6:00 – 8:00pm |

Different disciplines, cultures, and individuals have distinct approaches to gathering information, interpreting it, and forming beliefs. This begs the question: 鈥淗ow do we know things and where else should we be looking for answers?鈥�

UW Honors鈥� annual Global Challenges/Interdisciplinary Answers conversation, led by Polly Olsen (Yakama), director of DEI & Decolonization and tribal liaison at the Burke Museum; Tony Lucero, Professor and Chair in the Department of Comparative History of Ideas; and Katie Davis, Associate Professor in the iSchool, consider questions cultivated by students in the University Honors Program. This conversation will be moderated by Samantha-Lynn Martinez, a rising junior marine biology major.

Free |

November 12, 11:00am – 12:00pm | Burke Museum

Burke Museum education partner Hindi Time Kids has planned an exciting all-ages event to teach visitors about the meaning and traditions of Diwali, a South Asian annual festival of lights celebrated in many parts of the world. The word 鈥楧iwali鈥� derives from Sanskrit language and means 鈥渁 row of lights.” Diwali is a time for gathering with loved ones, celebrating life, and enjoying the illumination of lights.

Free |听

November 12, 1:30 – 2:30pm | 听Henry Art Gallery

Meet curator Nina Bozicnik for a tour of Sophia Al-Maria: Not My Bag. Born in Tacoma, Washington and now based in London, Al-Maria is a Qatari-American artist, writer, and filmmaker. Not My Bag brings together, her recent trilogy of films. In this exhibition, Al-Maria interrogates histories of colonial authority in contemporary culture. During the tour, Bozicnik will share insights into the concepts, ideas, and artworks within the exhibition as well as take time for questions and conversation.

Free |

October – November | 鈥淲ays of Knowing鈥� Podcast: Episode 4

鈥淲ays of Knowing鈥� is an eight-episode podcast connecting humanities research with current events and issues. This week’s episode is with Louisa Mackenzie, associate professor of Comparative History of Ideas at the UW, will describe how human’s view of nature has evolved over decades, from fear to appreciation.

This season features faculty from the UW College of Arts & Sciences as they explore race, immigration, history, the natural world鈥攅ven comic books. Each episode analyzes a work, or an idea, and provides additional resources for learning more.

More info

For more than 50 years, the 天美影视传媒 has recognized Earth Day by engaging students, faculty and staff in a variety of activities and events aimed at creating a more sustainable future.

Over the years, the UW has been a champion for sustainable practices on campus, winning awards for recycling and reducing waste. New construction at the UW is recognized as state-of-the-art, and now campus officials are aiming to reduce the 鲍奥鈥檚 carbon emissions by improving behind-the-scenes heating, cooling and electrical systems on all three campuses.

In 2023, the UW plans to spend $3 million on energy and water conservation efforts, representing a 400% increase from the previous year, officials said. Aging equipment is being replaced, lighting exchanged and new monitoring systems installed allowing for the UW to take informed steps to reduce the university鈥檚 carbon footprint. As a result, the UW will pay less for energy and water and use those cost savings to pay for future sustainability improvements.

鈥淎s a world leader in climate research and innovation, the UW is committed to doing our part to reach a carbon-neutral future by reducing the amount of energy and water used on our own campuses,鈥� said UW President Ana Mari Cauce. 鈥淏y focusing on innovative new construction practices, improving energy efficiency in all our existing buildings and updating parts of our core infrastructure, the UW is taking a significant step toward increasing sustainability in all our operations.鈥�

New construction at the UW is utilizing some of the most advanced sustainable building practices available, minimizing energy and water usage while maximizing space for collaborative interactions. Opened in 2021, the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health earlier this year achieved LEED Platinum, the highest standard in sustainable building practices. And when the Foster School鈥檚 Founders Hall it was the first building at the UW to be constructed of engineered wood in place of steel and concrete, and will use 70% less energy and 53% less water than a comparable facility built with conventional materials.

Meanwhile, UW Facilities has worked to improve existing buildings, some dating back more than a century. The UW resource conservation program, established in 2015, has completed more than $5 million in capital improvement projects. Most of the work involves repair, replacement and modernization of heat and cooling systems, and lighting and electrical components. Antiquated machinery is being replaced with cutting-edge building automation technologies that allow facilities engineers to better monitor and control heating and cooling systems.

鈥淭he UW takes seriously its role in the region, the state and the world,鈥� said Lou Cariello, vice president for UW Facilities. 鈥淲e are poised to evolve our physical spaces and infrastructure to meet the needs of tomorrow by implementing technologies that will reduce our carbon footprint and create a campus for the future.鈥�

鲍奥鈥檚 lays out a plan to transform and decarbonize the energy system of the Seattle campus and help the UW meet the greenhouse gas reduction targets in its . Cariello and other UW Facilities officials have been sharing the plan with key stakeholders.

鈥淥ur Energy Strategy provides a roadmap for the UW to decarbonize its operations while modernizing our energy systems and adapting our infrastructure,鈥� said Dave Woodson, executive director of Campus Energy, Utilities and Operations. 鈥淭ransforming how energy is used at the UW will be a substantial effort and will require everyone鈥檚 involvement. Because the easiest and cheapest energy to be saved is that which doesn鈥檛 need to be used, even small gestures, like switching off lights and unplugging unused devices, help maintain and grow our culture of sustainability.鈥�

The Hans Rosling Center for Population Health at the 天美影视传媒 has achieved LEED Platinum Certification, the highest possible rating, reflecting the university鈥檚 commitment to sustainable building practices.

, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a widely used green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Rosling Center is the first building in Washington state to achieve LEED Platinum using the most current criteria, version 4 and version 4.1. The UW’s other LEED Platinum building, the Russell T. Joy building at UW Tacoma, was one of 10 buildings in Washington certified Platinum under version 2.2.

Buildings earn points to achieve LEED certification levels by demonstrating energy savings, reduced water needs, clean indoor air and other measurements. Standout features of the Rosling Center include rainwater collection to flush toilets, shading fins on the east and west fa莽ades, improved accessibility throughout the site and design elements that promote human health. The building earned the most points available in LEED in the energy efficiency category.

鈥淎chieving LEED Platinum in the Rosling Center demonstrates the 鲍奥鈥檚 commitment to implementing sustainability best practices,鈥� said Lou Cariello, the 鲍奥鈥檚 vice president for facilities. 鈥淭his building was designed to exceed state and local requirements, leading by example. It also shows how sustainable design can create a better experience for the people who use the building.鈥�

The Rosling Center, which debuted as LEED Gold and won a number of industry trade awards, was made possible by a $210 million gift from the听 and $15 million in earmarked funding from the Washington Legislature, as well as funding from the university.听The center is home to the听, the听听(IHME), parts of the听听and the offices of the Population Health Initiative.

The 天美影视传媒 Board of Regents last week approved the development plan for the first major project in the 鲍奥鈥檚 newly named Portage Bay Crossing area on the west side of the Seattle campus. The Regents approved a ground lease of the property at Site W27 to Wexford Science + Technology and a lease of building space by the University.

鈥淭his is a significant milestone for the UW and we are so excited to expand into the area west of campus and begin to define Portage Bay Crossing as a new place for discovery and innovation,鈥� said Lou Cariello, the 鲍奥鈥檚 vice president for facilities. 鈥淲e envision this as a lively and vibrant place with a mix of academic, arts, culture and retail spaces where students, researchers and others can engage in support of the 鲍奥鈥檚 learning, research, health care and public service missions.鈥�

Wexford will develop and manage long-term an 11-story building totaling about 340,000 rentable square feet of lab, office, collaboration and retail space. The 鲍奥鈥檚 Clean Energy Institute, Brotman Baty Institute and Institute for Protein Design are slated to occupy a significant amount of the space.

鈥淭he Clean Energy Institute is excited to have the Regents approve this project in Portage Bay Crossing,鈥� said Daniel Schwartz, director of the Clean Energy Institute and professor of chemical engineering. 鈥淚n recent years, the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds have attracted about 600 facility users from the UW and other research organizations across the state and nation who work side by side with a group of roughly 60 companies.听The dynamic environment in this new space will unleash Washington students, faculty and companies to create home-grown technologies that can scale solutions to address the climate crisis.鈥�

The sits just south of NE 40th Street and is bounded by University Way NE to the east, Brooklyn Avenue NE to the west, and the Burke-Gilman Trail and NE Pacific Street to the south.

鈥淭his is a momentous opportunity for two of UW Medicine鈥檚 significant and thriving institutes,鈥� said Ruth Mahan, chief business officer and chief of staff at UW Medicine and the 鲍奥鈥檚 vice president for medical affairs. 鈥淧lacing the Brotman Baty Institute and the Institute for Protein Design in one location will provide each with space to grow, enhance collaborations between them and accelerate translation of discoveries into effective treatments.鈥�

The vision for Portage Bay Crossing is to create a place where student and faculty experts across multiple fields 鈥� including public health, engineering, life sciences, social work, public policy, the humanities, physical sciences and environmental studies 鈥� can partner with business, government, nonprofit organizations and the Seattle community to solve critical challenges.

# # #

For more information, contact Victor Balta at balta@uw.edu.

Elvi Olano had been working for only a month as a custodian when she had an experience she鈥檚 never forgotten. While she was cleaning a bathroom, a professor walked in and yelled at her for keeping him, and the students around him, from using it. When she apologized, he said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e ridiculous.鈥�

Olano, an immigrant from the Philippines, didn鈥檛 have strong English skills at the time, so she didn鈥檛 know what 鈥渞idiculous鈥� meant 鈥� although she could tell he was angry from the tone of his voice. As the students stared at her, she started to cry.

A friend helped her report the incident, and news of it made its way to the department chair. The chair called a meeting the next morning to make it clear behavior like that wasn鈥檛 acceptable. But for Olano, remembering the humiliation still hurts, 16 years later.

鈥淭hey should respect us,鈥� she said, referring to professors, students and all those who benefit from her work.

The is calling on the UW community to do just that. The volunteer-led effort, which is not affiliated with UW, is advocating for custodians, lifting their voices and raising awareness about their important roles on campus. As part of the project, an art exhibit called 鈥�(in)Visibility鈥� is hanging in UW Tower through March. It features photos taken by 16 custodians, paired with their testimonials.

The UW Custodian Project was started in March 2020 by Evalynn Fae Taganna Romano, the daughter of two UW custodians who earned her bachelor鈥檚 degree, and master鈥檚 degrees in social work and in public health, from the UW. Custodians were continuing to report to work while the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of campus life.

Inspired by her parents 鈥� who dedicated a total of nearly six decades to cleaning UW buildings 鈥� Romano brought food, coffee, hand-sewn masks and thank-you cards to custodians once a week, with support from friends, businesses and community organizations.

From there, the project grew from a way to show appreciation to include direct services and a larger advocacy effort. Many campus custodians are immigrants, refugees and people of color, groups that often are more vulnerable due to health and social inequities.

鈥淐ustodians might not feel comfortable telling leadership to their face what they need, and I think it’s really important to think about how to create intentional spaces for them to do that,鈥� Romano said. 鈥淯W has a responsibility to take actions and structure policies that recognize the value and ensure the safety of their essential workers.鈥�

Romano based 鈥�(in)Visibility鈥� on a method she learned about while pursuing her master鈥檚 in public health and later used for her thesis. Called , it incorporates voices of community members in research. She started recruiting participants for photography-based storytelling sessions in August 2020 to learn more about the health impacts of their workplace and home. She then asked custodians to take photos and conducted group sessions with the custodians to collect their testimonials.

The exhibit made its debut in the Art Building in September 2021 鈥� the building Romano鈥檚 mother has been caring for since 1997 鈥� with the idea that it would rotate to a different building on campus each quarter.

The photos, documenting custodians鈥� lives on and off campus, reflect the time we live in. One picture entitled 鈥淢y Yellow Shield鈥� shows a custodian鈥檚 cart. In the accompanying quote, the custodian talks about how the cleaning materials in the cart shield us from COVID-19.

Gina Tabasan took a picture of one of the surgical masks she receives at work each day. “I was thinking, will this help us for preventing COVID?鈥� Tabasan said in an interview. 鈥淥r how will it help if we don’t have the shot yet? How will it help if it鈥檚 wet?”

Olano took a picture of her squash plant. She eats squash every day because 鈥渋t’s one of the fruits that can be a vitamin for health” 鈥� something that has been particularly important to her as she looks for protection from COVID-19.

These photos capture the anxiety custodians experienced during the height of the pandemic.

“It was horrible, it really was,鈥� said a custodian, who wishes to be identified by her initials, K.P. Although UW provided some protective equipment, K.P. said it was unnerving going into an uncertain environment. 鈥淲e didn’t know what we were going to be exposed to. We had to do all this extra deep cleaning.鈥�

Another theme of the exhibit is the pride the custodians have in their work. Photos show clean floors, custodians on the job or the machines they use.

鈥淏eing a custodian is not as easy as people think,鈥� Tabasan said. 鈥淎 nurse or a doctor, they save lives. We save them, too, because without us, buildings are dirty. Students and staff can get sick. We are the army protecting you from the garbage.鈥�

Photos also show things or practices that bring comfort, like birds on campus or a walk during break time. K.P.鈥檚 photo is of artwork with lines from a Native American proverb, reflecting her heritage: 鈥淟ive strong as the mountains. Walk tall as the trees. Be known by the tracks that you leave.鈥�

Romano said her childhood was filled with memories of going to other custodians鈥� homes with her parents. When she was a student, she鈥檇 drop in at lunchtime potlucks. Tabasan and Olano get relief from their jobs by taking breaks together, an activity that has been restricted during the pandemic. Many extend this feeling of camaraderie to the UW community.

鈥淚 can’t speak for all custodians, but I know that there are a lot of them who see people on campus like family, especially the people they interact with,鈥� Romano said. 鈥淢uch like you would with your family, they see it as their job to protect them and make sure that they’re safe and healthy.鈥�

And sometimes people show that the feeling is mutual. Olano remembers a professor who offered to help her with the U.S. citizenship test. Olano was scared that she wouldn鈥檛 be able to pass, but the professor took time to get to know her, which made Olano comfortable enough to try. The professor then tutored her every day for three weeks.

“It was the happiest moment I had here. I passed the citizenship test,鈥� Olano said. 鈥淚 cannot forget her.”

The custodians interviewed for this story say that they don鈥檛 always feel the care they give is returned 鈥� for example, when people throw garbage on the floor. But there are also many who say hello and express thanks, a gesture the custodians all said they appreciate.

“I love to be here. I love to see all the faces. I love to talk. I love to say 鈥榟i鈥� and 鈥榖ye,鈥欌�� said Elsa Tesfai. 鈥淪ome people will talk to you about their lives, and they come to me like a human being. I feel so happy when they tell me their story, because they don’t just say, ‘She’s a custodian. Why do I have to speak with her?’鈥�

Tesfai arrived in the U.S. in 1991 as a refugee from East Africa with two children. She went to community college but for only two quarters. It was hard to get childcare, and she had to take a bus across town. Now, she watches students pursue a dream that wasn鈥檛 available to her. Missing the connection with the people on campus, along with the fear of COVID-19, is what made the height of the pandemic so hard for her.

“It was ugly because no one was here. Even though we got paid, I didn鈥檛 have peace in my heart,鈥� Tesfai said. 鈥淚 have to see them getting their education. For me, if I don’t see them, I’m suffering.”

鈥�(in)Visibility鈥� is on display in UW Tower on the lobby level past the elevators through March 31.

The 天美影视传媒鈥檚 Seattle campus saved more than 5 tons of food from being thrown away in 2020, preventing unnecessary waste and helping feed people in the community who struggle with food security.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized the achievement by selecting the UW for a in the 2021 Food Recovery Challenge. The award is given to select institutions and businesses that voluntarily set data-driven goals, implement targeted strategies to reduce wasted food in their operations, and then report the results to the EPA. The UW is recognized as a national leader for its deep commitment to sustainability on its campuses and in the community. 鲍奥鈥檚 Seattle campus recovered 10,720 pounds of food in 2020 that would have otherwise been wasted, a 13% increase over 2019 and a 26% increase from 2018.

The success comes from the 鲍奥鈥檚 food recovery efforts across dining facilities, the the UW Food Pantry, and its partnership with . works with local food banks, including the one on campus, to divert excess food purchased or overproduced at dining facilities.

The programs also support the 鲍奥鈥檚 waste reduction goal under the . Working to minimize food waste has been a major part of the efforts toward of reducing the amount of waste generated 10 percent by 2025.

It鈥檚 been about 18 months since the 天美影视传媒 led the nation in pivoting to largely online learning and working as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.

While campus operations never halted completely, many students and UW staff have been based elsewhere, studying and working remotely.

Now, with autumn quarter set to begin at the end of this month and many UW staff beginning their return to on-campus work on Sept. 13, officials are making final preparations.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 wait for everybody to come back,鈥� said Lou Cariello, 鲍奥鈥檚 vice president of facilities. 鈥淧eople are going to come back to a campus, and buildings on this campus, that have never been more clean, never been more beautiful and shiny.鈥�

Throughout the pandemic, heating, ventilation and cooling engineers have worked to ensure that air is properly flowing through buildings and classrooms. Filters are being changed more frequently, airflow machines are running longer and air purifiers have been added to many locations.

鈥淥ur facilities team has been on campus every day, through the entire pandemic,鈥� Cariello said. 鈥淲e really haven鈥檛 skipped a beat.鈥�

Window washers, plumbers, electricians, custodians, power plant operators, gardeners and more have been working to maintain the buildings and the 634-acre grounds. Facilities teams worked with experts across the university to determine the best way to adapt and keep campus safe. They deep-cleaned floors and carpets, dusted even in hard-to-reach places, power-washed, and scoured restrooms.

鈥淲e鈥檙e making sure that the systems are working effectively,鈥� Cariello said. 鈥淲e listen to what the guidance is on what will keep people safe. And we do the cleaning and disinfecting. We make sure that our ventilation systems are operating as best as they possibly can be.鈥�

Also receiving a lot of attention: doorknobs, railings, elevator push buttons 鈥� places that people come into contact with the most.

鈥淭hose high-touch-point surfaces get cleaned on a more frequent basis than they did pre-pandemic,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 as a result of mitigating our safety and health risks for the people on campus.鈥�

Campus housing is expected to return to full capacity this year, said Pam Schreiber, assistant vice president for Student Life and the executive director of Housing & Food Services.

鈥淔or many of our students it鈥檚 going to feel like a brand-new experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e cannot wait for our students to return. We are looking forward to it. We know the power of the residential experience and how much it adds to the student鈥檚 time at the UW.鈥�

About 10,000 students are expected to move into the residence halls this year. This includes first-year students and returning second- and even third-year students whose on-campus living experience was interrupted by the pandemic. Demand for on-campus housing was so great that Haggett Hall, which closed in 2019, has been reopened. And isolation rooms are reserved throughout the residence halls to provide a safe space, should a student need to quarantine.

Teams are planning to make life safe and simple for students elsewhere on campus. Many dining halls will have grab-and-go prepared meals, and officials are expanding the use of , an online, mobile food-ordering system.

Most important, housing and food service crews recognize that they鈥檙e providing much more than a service, Schreiber said; they鈥檙e creating a welcoming space where students can feel at home.

鈥淲e recognize that they鈥檒l need a lot of support, need a lot of help, directions, they鈥檒l have a lot of questions. We need to have a lot of patience to support them and make sure they really get everything out of the experience of being on campus that they can,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e way more than just buildings and serving food, we鈥檙e really here to create this community for students and to help them connect with the UW, and have this really tremendous collegiate experience.鈥�

Cariello said he鈥檚 eager to see the campus bustling once again.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to get back to it, and it鈥檚 going to be terrific,鈥� he said.

Still, he points out that everyone has a role to play in keeping the UW safe by heeding the calls of public health officials, and following vaccination and masking requirements.

鈥淭he most important thing we can do to mitigate risks of the virus spreading is to get vaccinated, to mask up indoors and to always practice good hygiene,鈥� Cariello said. 鈥淛ust wash your hands a lot.鈥�

The Sustainability Action Plan was adopted on July 1, 2020, and set out 10 measurable targets to be achieved over a five-year span. The UW annually evaluates progress toward these targets and determines the actions required over the upcoming year to respond to tri-campus needs.

This spring marked the first time the UW initiated the process of updating the annual actions. Faculty, students and staff from all three campuses joined employees working on the actions to determine the proper efforts for the upcoming year.

鈥淥ne of the guiding principles of the Sustainability Action Plan is to center equity and inclusion in our work,鈥� said UW Sustainability Director Claudia Frere-Anderson. 鈥淲e strived to connect with a broad range of communities and stakeholders across our campuses while providing meaningful ways for everyone on campus to engage.鈥�

The targets under the Sustainability Action Plan include areas relating to energy, transportation, food, waste, academic research, purchasing and more. For each of the 10 targets, teams identified several actions for this year. A survey, open to all members of the UW community, was completed in winter quarter and informed the decision-making process.

Actions include efforts to compile catalogs of course offerings and research projects related to sustainability, working toward creating a student sustainability resource center, exploring offsets for professional travel, electrifying the campus fleet, reducing single-use items and others.

鈥淲e are excited to launch a new action this year for reducing waste on our campus to reduce single-use disposable items. The new action was identified as a key waste prevention goal from the Sustainability Action Plan survey. Campus community feedback was a key motivator for adding this target, which furthers our work to avoid landfill waste and reduce carbon emissions,鈥� said Liz Gignilliat, manager of UW Recycling.

Many of the teams working on the Plan actions this past year had to adjust due to the unexpected impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sustainability Action Plan and actions for the first year were largely drafted before the pandemic response. The shift to primarily virtual instruction and work at the UW also made it difficult to measure progress in areas where the reduced population on campus affected data, such as reduced energy use and travel.

鈥淚 am proud of how our teams working on sustainability efforts responded and adapted to the challenges of this past year,鈥� UW Facilities Vice President Lou Cariello said. 鈥淲e have continued our progress, and our teams have been finding innovative ways to ensure we build on what we have learned over this year to further advance sustainability.鈥�

One target impacted by the pandemic was the goal to reduce professional air travel. This past year, such travel was down more than 60% due to restrictions. This upcoming year, the UW will build on the lessons learned from the past year, making information about professional travel more accessible to departments, developing suggested policies for encouraging videoconferencing and creating offset programs.

“Professional air travel is a key sustainability issue in an academic context because it touches so many different individuals in quite varied ways. It is deeply intertwined with core academic values and behaviors, including collegiality, communication and consensus-building,” said Gary Handwerk, director of the UW Program on the Environment and professor in the Department of English. “Failing to address its impact, moreover, could easily undo much of the progress we are making in other areas. We can’t afford to leave it off to the side.”

The full Sustainability Action Plan document is available on the plan website . Data and metrics on the 鲍奥鈥檚 sustainability efforts and status updates are posted to the on the UW Sustainability site.

Students, faculty and staff interested in learning more about the Plan and how they can be a part of next year鈥檚 planning process can email sustainabilityplan@uw.edu.

Viewing options

A number of virtual viewing options are available, including UW Video鈥檚 live webcam overlooking the Quad, a听virtual tour with photos from campus that will be updated throughout the blooming season and tweets from .

live webcam
Virtual tour

UW News will not track full bloom timing this year due to the pandemic. Please avoid coming to campus to see the cherry blossoms and instead enjoy them virtually. Campus buildings along the Quad are closed to the public and restrooms are not available.

Identifying cherry blossoms

Many of the earliest-flowering pink trees each spring are plums, Shores said. She recommends checking the bark to verify. Plum flowers also tend to smell sweeter than cherry flowers.

Find cherry blossoms in your neighborhood

The Seattle Department of Transportation maintains this of trees across the city. To see cherry trees in your neighborhood, click on 鈥淓xplore street trees鈥� in the top navigation bar, then click on 鈥渢rees by type鈥� and look for trees with the 鈥淧runus鈥� genus (cherry and plum trees).

Virtually tour the blossoms on campus