Environmental Stewardship Committee

About the Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC)

On August 10, 2004, then-University of Washington President Mark A. Emmert confirmed the UW’s commitment to environmental stewardship by announcing to the President's Cabinet and the Board of Deans that he had supported and adopted the University's "Policy on Environmental Stewardship" and its related Environmental Stewardship Advisory Committee (ESAC). This was the culmination of a campus effort begun with a grass roots movement of staff, faculty and students, coordinated initially by the Program on the Environment, continuing with a Task Force on Environmental Stewardship established by then-Executive Vice President Weldon Ihrig, and finally gaining additional support and momentum when the Sustainable UW Alliance was formed.

In 2012, the decision was made to charge a new University-wide committee, the Environmental Stewardship Committee (ESC), with related decision making responsibilities. In collaboration with appropriate University units and committees, the Committee is to identify long-term goals and standards, as well as develop benchmark measures of efficiency and cost-effectiveness by which the UW community can examine its effectiveness and short and long-term progress towards those goals. This committee will interact with and receive information from existing committees/activities throughout the University, and identify mechanisms by which the UW community can be made aware of the progress being made throughout the institution. It is expected that the Committee will identify emerging opportunities for collaboration between academic programs and administration, offering the campus as a learning lab for students and faculty to work with administration on operational sustainability. The committee will guide UW environmental policy development by chartering teams and workgroups, as well as reviewing any recommended actions presented by these sub-teams and gaining approval by the appropriate leaders.

The Committee reports to the President, Provost, and Senior Vice President for Finance & Facilities. ESC will report to the University community on progress towards meeting each of the areas of expectation noted in the UW Environmental Policy Statement dated July 28, 2004. The committee also serves as a guide in implementing the University’s Climate Action Plan adopted September, 2009. 

Contact Information

For further information about the Environmental Stewardship Committee, contact:

Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability office
Phone: 206.221.0391
Fax: 206.685.7690
E-mail: oess@uw.edu