In Action
The Office of Sustainability leads GW's efforts to address the university’s impact on the planet and its inhabitants by working closely with students, faculty and staff across the institution. We collaborate with academic partners to advance the impact of sustainability on and off campus, leveraging the campus as a living laboratory to create opportunities for research and learning by students and faculty. Additionally, sustainability has become an integral part of our endowment, employee benefits and procurement practices.
Much of the credit for this improvement is due to our passionate, engaged students. Some of the most impressive initiatives happening at GW, including the GroW Community Garden, Sustainable Investment Fund and the ChargedUp design competition, were initiated by students and reflect their ideas, ingenuity and hard work. The Eco- Equity Challenge and DC Climathon, are additional programs that enable students to develop and fund their ideas for sustainability on the campus and in the community.
The Division of Operations sponsors regular tours of on-campus sustainability features, including a combined electricity and heat production system that powers Science and Engineering Hall. Sign up for a tour of the cogeneration system or email [email protected] to request a tour of other on-campus features like LEED Buildings, the GroW Garden, and Square 80 Park.
We also take inspiration from the complex sustainability challenges of urban environments. That’s why GW's sustainability strategy is built on an ecosystems enhancement approach. GW has examined the ecosystem services we collectively depend upon and created targeted improvements ranging from engineering systems that capture stormwater to providing indoor and outdoor green spaces to recharge the human spirit. And the University is approaching these efforts with commitments to achieve cost savings, efficiency and employee engagement.
