Winter 2017

Sustainability Stewardship: Recyclemania 

February is Recycling Month and SU is competing in RecycleMania, a friendly competition between colleges and universities to reduce waste and improve waste diversion on campus. SU is participating for the first time and we have set a grand goal: Divert 80% of our Waste! Faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to take the RecycleMania Pledge and participate in Recycling events on campus, such as Community Recycles Day on March 29. Follow the competition here!

Environmental Justice: Focus on Haiti

On October 4th 2016, Hurricane Matthew made landfall in Haiti, killing over 800 people and leaving a wake of destruction and a humanitarian crisis. Fred Shilling, the vice president of Plumbers Without Borders (PWB) and long-time partner of SU's student chapter of Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW), traveled to Haiti to help Haiti Tec begin rebuilding plans. Learn More.

Community Outreach: Holiday Fair Trade Fair 

On December 1, 2016, SU's Campion Ballroom was transformed into a bustling marketplace with 24 vendors and organizations selling fair trade goods. Over 500 community members visited the fair to learn about ethical sourcing and to find wonderful holiday gifts. Learn more and check out some photos here!

Sustainability Education: SU Partners with WWU

The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) recently announced a partnership between Seattle University and Western Washington University for its Centers for Sustainability Across the Curriculum Program. The new "Washington Center for Sustainability Education" will partner with AASHE to offer curriculum development workshops. Learn more.

Social Sustainability: Tiny Houses

A team of Seattle University Senior mechanical engineers have partnered with the Low Income Housing Institute to improve and expand upon current tiny home villages in Seattle. These villages provide shelter for low-income, homeless, and formerly homeless individuals. The team hopes to improve the homes by adding heating and ventilation systems to the retrofitted shipping containers. Learn more.

Sustainability Stewardship: Survey Results 

In Fall 2016, CEJS and Seattle University’s Department of Transportation launched a campus-wide commuting survey for all students, faculty, and staff to evaluate how Seattle's changes in traffic, housing, and availability of public transportation have affected the commuting trends of our community. The overall response rate for the 2016 survey was an incredible 33%. Thank you! The new commuting data revealed a five percent reduction of SU's greenhouse gas emissions from commuting since 2009. Read more.

Student Focus: ESW builds an aquaponics system at Washington Middle School and in Thailand

In December, the Seattle University Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) chapter completed construction of an aquaponics system for an orphanage in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The club has also partnered with Washington Middle School to teach Seattle youth in an after-school program about sustainable agriculture and to ultimately have the WMS students operate, maintain and tinker with the system. Read more.

Community Outreach: SU Donates 200 Beds 

Over the last three years, the Campion residence hall has moved to offering tool-less beds As a result, 200 bunk beds were donated to the Union Gospel Mission and NW Furniture Bank. Some of the beds found homes locally and were given to families displaced from their homes by a West Seattle apartment fire, while others will be donated to communities in Africa through a separate donation service. Learn more. 

Upcoming Events

February 5-April 1, 2017: Recyclemania. SU participates in Recyclemania with a grand goal: Divert 80% of SU's Waste! Read here how you can support SU and start collecting goods for Community Recycles Day on March 29, 2017.

April 3-28, 2017: SU Annual EcoChallenge. Celebrate Earth Month and participate in SU’s 4th annual EcoChallenge. The theme of this year's Ecochallenge will be "Belongings and Belonging." For four weeks, participants will have a variety of EcoChallenges and will reflect on their consumption and on how they connect with their communities. The event is open to all SU students, faculty, staff, and alumni. Gift cards to local businesses will be awarded to five EcoChallengers! Read more.

April 20, 2017: Interfaith Earth Day. Celebrate Earth Day and learn about the environmental programs of local faith organizations. Location: Student Center. 

April 25, 2017: CEJS Spring Brown Bag Lunch. CEJS Faculty Fellows Dr. Quan Le and Dr. Shiny Abraham present their research. Dr. Le will discuss the collaboration of Seattle University and Nicaraguan smallholder cooperatives in bringing the Fair Trade and Organic Coffee Café Ambiental  to campus and the broader community. Dr. Abraham’s talk will focus on the use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to build and deploy smart, connected sensors that provide continuous monitoring of air, water, and soil quality. Location: Wyckoff Auditorium (ENGR 200). Time: 12:30-1:30 PM. Read more.