Housing & Food Services established our first comprehensive Sustainability Policy in July 2000, laying the groundwork to incorporate the three pillars of sustainability—environmental, economic, and social considerations—into our decision-making processes.
Since then Housing & Food Services has become a national leader among higher education housing and dining operations in sustainability.
Sustainable housing
We play a vital role in the UW’s consistent recognition as one of the most sustainable campuses in the country. As an organization, HFS endeavors to consider every decision from a perspective of sustainability.
Solar energy
HFS and UW Solar, a student-led group, installed solar panels on top of Mercer Court Apartments to generate 33,000 kwh of electricity to supplement power needs at the 1,000 resident complex. In subsequent years, HFS and UW Solar installed similarly sized solar panel arrays on top of Alder, Elm and Maple halls.
Rain water collection
The first large-scale rainwater-capture laundry system in the U.S., using a 125,000 gallon underground cistern, is built under Mercer Court Apartments, providing all of the water for Mercer’s washing machines.