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Husky Green Team
News LATEST NEWS Husky Green Awards 2012 The Husky Green Award recognizes our peers who have shown leadership, initiative, and dedication to environmental stewardship and sustainability at the University of Washington. The third annual Husky Green Awards winners were announced at the celebration for Earth Day by Ruth Johnston, Associate Vice President, Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability office, Finance & Facilities. Six of fourteen nominees were chosen as award recipients for the 2011-2012 academic year.  Washington Student Athlete Advisory Council (WSAAC) Washington Student Athlete Advisory Council, Intercollegiate Athletics The members of the Washington Student Athlete Advisory Council (WSAAC)—specifically Terence Thomas and Gareth Galina— have created a way to reward student-athletes who put forth an effort to help make the campus more environmentally friendly. Each year, the student-athletes at the University of Washington participate in a program called the Dog Bowl. This program pits Husky athletic teams against each other, with the goal to raise their academic, athletic and community efforts to the highest level. Points are earned through a variety of activities,and at the end of the year, the team with the most points wins a prize along with the Dog Bowl trophy. This year and in future years, thanks to Galina and Thomas, teams can now earn points for a variety of green activities. The categories include providing and managing proper recycling systems for the locker rooms, creating/participating in community events that promote sustainability, furthering awareness of sustainability activities in the athletic department through the media, and implementing a program that promotes sustainability. Thomas, for example, helped execute the recycling of used tennis balls by arranging a program in which they are donated to I.E.D dog trainers from Fort Lewis. WSAAC also plans to create a Green Award of its own, which will be rewarded to the team with the most “green points” at the end of the year. Dean Pearson Gardener Lead, Intercollegiate Athletics Dean Pearson began working at the University of Washington as a Gardener Lead for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in the summer of 2010. In addition to his duties preparing soccer, baseball and softball fields, Dean leads the clean up process following each football game in Husky Stadium. He personally oversees the crew that sorts the compost, recycling, and garbage after each game. Since his arrival, he has changed the process of cleaning the stadium from sorting recycling and garbage to sorting for compost as well. He has adjusted the steps and staffing to accommodate this shift in process. The crew now “reverse sorts”, which means the garbage is picked out and then everything else that remains in the stands is recycled and composted. Dean is also an enthusiastic member of the ICA Sustainability Committee. He suggested the implementation of the “Green Minute” on football game days, in which ushers collected recyclable bottles from the fans while a video and public address announcement encourage fans to compost and recycle. Dean’s integral role as a member of the Sustainability Committee and as the leader of the clean-up crews have contributed significant this past year to the increase in composted and recycled materials in Husky Stadium from 29% in 2009 to 43% 2011. Click here to see more.- GLAD Grant Awarded to UW for Football Game day The UW Athletic Department was recently awarded a $3,500 grant to be used toward the reduction of game-day waste at Husky football games. The grant was one of 10 offered under the GLAD® One Bag College Waste Diversion Grant program. The grant will be used to create new waste diversion strategies for the 2012 football season and when we open Husky Stadium in 2013.
UW Sustainability Summit The UW ICA Green Team took part in the UW Sustainability Summit on October 24th-26th, 2011. The UW Sustainability Summit celebrates the University's leadership and accomplishments in environmental stewardship and sustainability. It provides the opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to find ways to get involved with sustainability on campus, and to learn about the Campus Sustainability Fund, the UW Climate Action Plan, and how our community partners play a role in UW sustainability. GREEN SPOTLIGHT
What led you to an internship in sustainability? I am a double major in Environmental Earth and Space Sciences and Environmental Studies, so I understand the impacts that humans have on the environment. I realize that there are a lot of simple changes we can help alleviate some of the pressure we put on the earth. Sustainable practices are ways in which all types of people can help lessen their impact the environment and I'm trying to be a part of that process. How did you become interested in sustainability for sports? Sports teams have the opportunity to reach out to such a large number of people. I like the idea that teams can have a positive impact on their fans in ways off the court/field/track. I hope that fans can learn and create good sustainable habits at sporting events and that will transfer over to other aspects of their life so they can make a difference too. What hopes do you have for the future of sustainability at UW? I would love to see Husky Stadium be the greenest stadium in the country (but NOT Oregon green)! The first year of the new stadium, I would love to see over 70% waste diversion!
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Rebecca Teel
