WUStL Office of Sustainability

Donna Krekel and Gary De Wet, employees of the WashU School of Medicine, have been vanpooling to and from the WUSM every day of the week since 1999!! Their commuter journey is made possible by RideFinders, whose carpool and vanpool programs aim to reduce single-occupancy vehicles on the road and improve air quality. To learn more about the benefits and joys of commuting as a group, check out this inspiring alternative transportation story: https://sustainability.wustl.edu/vanpooling-an-inspiring-c/

Looking forward to the upcoming season of the podcast We Live Here that will cover Environmental Racism. First episode will be released on Feb 12. "How do we achieve a healthy life? And what kind of world do we want to leave for the next generation? These are profound questions for a region that boasts some of the most prestigious hospitals in the nation and is home to residents with some of the worst health outcomes. So in this season, we’ll trace the connection between systemic racism, housing conditions, and health outcomes. But we’ll also highlight the organizers, tenants rights advocates, and urban farmers who are working to improve conditions in their communities." By Jia Lian Yang and Lauren Brown for St. Louis Public Radio.

WashU is one of a few Regional Sustainability Award Winners recognized by RideFinders! "Washington University in St. Louis has added the most registered carpools over the last 18 months, reducing traffic congestion, and joining in the effort to improve air quality in the St. Louis region." https://tinyurl.com/y9jy5x8q

This past fall, Sam Fox School offered the elective "Eco-Art Fall 2020." Eleven students answer the call, and under the teaching of professor Cheryl Wassenaar-Savage, this online exhibition was born! See the creative and innovative ways that artists can advocate and raise awareness for environmental justice issues here: https://ecoartfall2020.myportfolio.com/eco-art

"Dr. King preached that segregation was harmful not only to black Americans but also to the nation as a whole. He died before the modern environmental movement, but a growing body of research around pollution and health shows that his belief about segregation hurting everyone extends to the environment as well."

Wondering what to do with your old or unworkable holiday lights? You can recycle them! The annual Holiday Lights Recycling Drive returns to WashU, and will run through January 29. Collection bins can be found in multiple locations on the Danforth and Medical campuses. #ewaste #recycle #recycleforthelou #washu #wustl More info: https://sustainability.wustl.edu//holiday-lights-recyclin/

Shout-out to everyone who recycled their e-waste and swapped their inefficient bulbs for LEDs! Over the course of our two events, we collected nearly 7,500 lbs of electronic waste that was properly recycled and diverted from landfills, and distributed 360 LED at no charge. Subscribe to the OOS newsletter (bio) to be in the know of future e-waste drives, LED swaps, and other cool events and opportunities! #ledlights #swap #washu #wustl #efficiency

Save the date for this cool event in less than a week! Hosted by Washington University Climate Change Program

ICYMI: At a time when virtual experiences must often replace in-person ones, we are pleased to announce significant updates to the virtual Danforth Campus Sustainability Tour that was unveiled a couple years ago. The interactive GIS map-based tour now features 24 stops, starting with the new grand entrance to the Danforth Campus, the award-winning East End Transformation. Tour participants can learn about off-the-beaten path sustainability features, like the living wall in Weil Hall or the nurse log in the sunken garden, while gaining a better understanding of the overarching principles that guided the planning, design, and construction of the project.

Plan to join us for Session 4 of the #MidwestClimateSummit, where we will move discussions towards finding solutions for the climate crisis, and unite campus with community to plan for a more resilient future. The virtual event takes place Friday, Nov. 6 at 10am-noon CT. The session will feature: > Daniel Wildcat, Founder of the Indigenous Peoples Climate Change Working Group and Indigenous & American Indian Studies faculty member, @HaskellU > Kimberly Wasserman, Executive Di...rector of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), @lvejo20 > Marshall Johnson, Vice President of the National Audobon Society, @audubonsociety > Santina Contreras, Assistant Professor in the City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School of Architecture at Ohio State University, @knowltonarchitecture See more

Green bus alert! Change is coming to how the St. Louis metropolitan area imagines transportation, with Metro Transit preparing to introduce four electric MetroBuses into circulation. Partnering with Ameren Missouri, Federal Transit Administration (FTA), NewFlyer, GILLIG, and the Center for Transportation and the Environment, the zero-emission, electric buses are set to hit the road in 2021, in a plan that both cuts down on carbon emissions and saves taxpayers around $230,000 over the lifespan of the buses. To learn more, read Citizens for Modern Transit's article on the change and its impact: https://cmt-stl.org/metro-transit-receives-first-two-elect/. Thank you to everyone involved in this project for pushing transportation to be more sustainable!

"A recent survey by the Weidenbaum Center at Washington University in St. Louis found that a majority of voters 95% of Democrats and 54% of Republicans recognize evidence for climate change. But partisans differ in how serious they view the issue, what they believe is causing global warming and their support for policies to address the problem." Click on the link below to learn more about the policy stances of each party regarding climate change: https://source.wustl.edu//majority-of-all-voters-say-clim/