Sustainability Gateway

Also see UW-related information on the Sustainability Gateway

News and Events

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.

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.