University of Washington, Seattle
PAE-19: Community Sustainability Partnerships

The University of Washington collaborates extensively with the local community and government offices to advance sustainability. UW is a founding member of the Seattle Climate Partnership, which offers businesses and organizations the opportunity to lead the community toward the complementary goals of reduced regional greenhouse gas emissions and increased economic competitiveness. http://www.seattle.gov/archive/climate/ The University of Washington is participating in and contributing to the leadership of a collaborative community planning process within the University District. Internally, the UW is conducting parallel physical planning studies focusing on UW’s role within the University District, specifically West of 15th Avenue N.E., known as West of 15th Avenue Planning. The community planning process, the University District Livability Partnership, is a three-year strategic initiative of the City of Seattle to shape a shared vision and action plan for the District’s future as a vibrant, walkable University District neighborhood, and as a regional center for innovation, knowledge and creativity. https://opb.washington.edu/content/west-15th-avenue-planning The University also partners with schools and colleges in the region to share best practices on sustainability, in addition to local business leaders like Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks and REI. Our students also work to advance community partnerships through service learning programs and other outreach efforts, like the UW Farm’s partnership with the Youth Garden Works program for disadvantaged youth run by Seattle Tilth. There are also opportunities for the community to learn about sustainability through our Professional and Continuing Education certificate programs and courses. http://www.pce.uw.edu/environment-sustainability.html