UW Commencement
University of Washington
UW Commencement

It is graduation season, and with that comes well wishes for our graduates and an opportunity to shine a light on their accomplishments. In appreciation of their contributions to enriching the College of the Environment in numerous ways, the College has decided to jointly fund a project with the Campus Sustainability Fund (CSF). Recognizing our students are the next generation of leaders in environmental science and decision-making, we believe this is a contribution that showcases our collective commitment to the sustainability and the well-being of our Husky Community and our planet.

Based on the recommendation of our Student Advisory Council and a vote by our graduating students, the College will help fund the UW Anaerobic Digester: Food Waste, Renewable Energy & Public Health (Phase 2) at the University District Food Bank (UDFB), which serves some of the poorest and most vulnerable individuals in the North Seattle and University District community by distributing 45,000 pounds of food to over 1,200 families per week. UDFB currently receives extra food that spoils quickly, and UDFB pays ~$6,000 per year to haul away food waste to a municipal composting facility.

The new anaerobic digester will use food waste to create compost and natural gas. The anaerobic digester will help reduce carbon emissions from garbage/waste disposal trucks as less food waste will be hauled away from the food bank, improve soil health by producing nutrient-rich compost that can be applied to the food bank’s rooftop garden, and serve as a small-scale model of how to generate renewable energy from food waste to provide electricity to power UDFB’s refrigeration system. By reducing food waste and electricity costs, UDFB will save ~$12,000 per year. With these funds, UDFB can expand their services and hire 1-2 youth who are transitioning out of homeless. These youth will operate and maintain the digester to gain job skills. The project will involve 10-15 UW student volunteers per year, who will conduct research projects related to the digester under the supervision of faculty from the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences.