sustainability

More than 60 of the 118 innovative, far-reaching projects that Washington University in St. Louis students have committed to accomplish as part of this year’s Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) April 5-7 will be on display at Faces of Hope. Also, WUSTL leaders will announce the university’s institutional Commitment to Action, a significant investment in a more sustainable future, during the event from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in the Danforth University Center, 6475 Forsyth Blvd.

WUSTL has made strides in becoming more sustainable, from keeping more waste out of landfills to adding staff to focus on energy conservation. The university’s overall institutional waste diversion rate improved to about 40 percent in fiscal 2012. The campus community also is participating in the Recyclemania competition this month.

Sustainability and economic growth: two desirable goals which should demonstrably complement one another, especially in our cities. But how? On Feb. 21, the Sam Fox School and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., will present The Innovative Metropolis, a daylong symposium (and web simulcast) on fostering economic competitiveness through sustainable urban design.

Dining Services debuted a new environmentally friendly to-go program that includes both a compostable to-go box and a redesigned reusable box. Dining Services also recently began offering take-home heat-and-eat meals for four, aimed at busy campus faculty and staff.

As the holidays draw near, expect the usual onslaught of well-intentioned suggestions for lifestyle changes guaranteed to make you healthier, wealthier and wiser in the new year. Talk is cheap, but these 13 New Year’s resolutions for 2013 are backed up by decades of research. If your resolve needs strengthening, click through the embedded web links to learn more about the research behind the resolutions, including tips on using your smart phone to quit smoking and the best way to pay down your holiday debt.

WUSTL and its academic and corporate partners worldwide are putting research into action and leading a major initiative in Mumbai, India, Dec. 6-12 to address global energy and environmental solutions. The WUSTL-led McDonnell Academy Global Energy and Environmental Partnership (MAGEEP) — a consortium of 28 international universities — is convening in Mumbai for the Fourth International Symposium on Energy and Environment: ACCESS. The symposium is co-hosted by Washington University, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Bombay.

Bring burned out or unwanted light strings to Washington University this holiday season and help keep thousands of pounds of waste from landfills. The Holiday Light Recycling Drive is returning to WUSTL — with collection bins on all four campuses. The drive runs through Jan. 13.​

During October, more than 180 faculty, students, and staff members participated in WUSTL’s second car-free challenge. Throughout the month, participants were encouraged to leave their cars in the garage and go “car-free” by using public transit, walking, biking, and carpooling.

The Office of Sustainability is hosting another set of “Brown Bag” information sessions at each WUSTL campus for the Green Offices Program, which launched this past spring. Offices that enroll in the program fill out a checklist of sustainable practices focusing on awareness, education and behavior change with the goal of becoming a certified Green Office. Since the program’s launch, 61 offices have registered to participate and 27 offices have submitted checklists.

Artwork created by Washington University employees’ children will be on display from April 12-25 in the Farrell Learning and Teaching Center Atrium. The creations were part of a contest offered to children in kindergarten through high school to raise awareness among university families of hte importance of sustainable living.