February 14, 2018

Meet UW SAN

The University of Washington Sustainability Action Network is a network comprised of representatives from a variety of student organizations across campus. Our goal is to facilitate and inspire the creation of a holistic sustainability movement on campus, one that addresses the intersectionality of our environment, economy, society, and government. Together, we want to foster a collaborative campus engaged in interdisciplinary action towards a more sustainable community.

What We’re Up To

Last quarter we dedicated our time and energy to the formation of a Council of student representatives, working to bring together a balanced representation of the pillars of sustainability into one collaborative and growing network. While our Council is a constantly evolving entity that will build connections to bring new voices into this shared space, we are proud to announce the commitment of the Hip Hop Student Association, Net Impact, S.A.G.E., EcoReps, CSF, and UW Sustainability Office to our organization. These groups have a shared commitment to building awareness and action geared towards interdisciplinary sustainability.

Fall Quarter gave us the opportunity to consider the values we want to embody. We came up with seven core values to guide our current and future development and collaborative events: Inclusion, Trust, Empathy, Cooperation, Action, Communication, Wisdom. With our Earth Day celebration event on the horizon, our member organizations have some awesome events covering a variety of topics ranging from art to business that can be found here: LINK.

This upcoming quarter is about action. We want to turn our visions and ideals into tangible products that involve outreach, education, and conversation. This quarter’s event is simple: a table. Catch us sporting our brand on campus March 2nd for some locally sourced hot chocolate and some good conversation about how conservation and justice tie into all aspects of our lives and interests. Being green isn’t just for the environmentalists: it’s for each and every one of us and our diverse and unique passions!

Why You Should Follow Us

This year we are working with the UW Sustainability office to orchestrate an epic Earth Day event! Being held on April 20th, this celebration will incorporate the local art, music, and change-making scene as well as the UW student group community, and will be an empowering, fun, and eye-opening showcase of collaborative action.

We are expanding our network! With all the awesome student groups and organizations with sustainable and powerful initiatives, we are looking to grow this platform of outreach and education with more collaboration among our peers. We want you to stay tuned with us as these exciting developments take place.

We are very excited to have attended the Washington Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference this past February. Here, our administrative team facilitated a workshop as well as participated in other workshops, attended talks and lectures, and networked with other sustainability-oriented groups across a variety of university campuses in the Pacific Northwest. It is our goal and responsibility to network with other communities in order to effectively develop a movement that attracts a diverse array of thinkers, students, activists, artists, and citizens.

Environmental justice goes beyond planting trees and recycling our trash. Social justice and democratic participation go beyond voting for our next president. Economic equity goes beyond advertising equal opportunity. These are complex issues that involve providing fair and equal labor laws, equitable and just opportunity, proactive rather than reactive conservation, growing awareness, activism over passivism, and so much more. We are here to help facilitate effective conversation, skepticism, and action through our thoughtfully developed, and evolving network and partnerships.