Sustainability Gateway

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Information

The term sustainability is not limited to one precise definition but is a holistic concept that encompasses economic, ecological, social and environmental strategies. Within the global context of promoting sustainability, all sectors, including higher education, play critical roles. (See Sustainable Washington for more definitions of sustainability, sustainable development, sustainable society, sustainable design.)

Questions raised when evaluating the role of higher education in attaining sustainability include:

1. How can universities contribute to achieving the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals?
2. What is the role for higher education institutions in the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2015)?
3. Can the Global Higher Education for Sustainability Partnership serve as a model for shaping the practical role of higher education in sustainable development by making sustainability a major focus of teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities?

The primary goals of this website are to 1) serve as a gateway to sustainability initiatives being undertaken at the UW and other higher education institutions, government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits and 2) provide links to sustainability reporting models. The site is not a comprehensive listing of sustainability efforts but, rather, has established links to critically selected sites, organizations, and projects, and will continue to be a work in progress.

• Events. Relevant sustainability events taking place on and off campus. Includes links to sustainability-related calendars maintained by regional organizations.

• Sustainable UW. Information and resources on sustainability-related policies, practices, initiatives, research and courses at the University of Washington (Seattle, Bothell and Tacoma campuses).

• Sustainable Campus. Sustainability reports, policies, and initiatives at various universities. Includes links to campus assessment toolkits.

• Corporate Sustainability. Regional corporate sustainability reports and policies. Resource links.

• Government Sustainability. Regional government sustainability reports and policies.

• Non-profit Sustainability. Regional sustainability resources.

• Sustainability Reporting Resources. Links to reporting standards, templates and best practices resources and reporting models.

Contribute to this site! If you have information on sustainability initiatives at the UW or elsewhere that you think should be added to this site, please email poe@u.washington.edu, with "Sustainability Gateway" in the subject line.