Built Environment
The Sustainability, Equity, & Justice Fund Grant Program promotes sustainability by providing grants to create and implement projects that positively impact environmental, social, health, and economic practices on our campus and in our community.
Sustainable Office Certification Toolkit
Amount Awarded: $4,840.50
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Active, Spring 2023 - ongoing
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Campus and Community Engagement Curriculum and Research Procurement Waste
This Sustainable Office Certification is a program housed within the Sustainability Engagement Institute that helps offices and departments in becoming certified as sustainable offices. It is a comprehensive certification process open to all offices, departments, organizations, and colleges on Western’s campus. It’s a way for these entities to contribute directly to the sustainability goals outlined in Western’s Strategic Plan and the Sustainability Action Plan, and to take action in strengthening Western’s role as a leader in sustainability in the Pacific Northwest.
The program provides recipients with the physical materials needed to realistically meet the goals stipulated in the broader certification. It ensures that the entities that have become certified can continue their sustainable practices without having to shoulder the financial burden of properly equipping their work areas with necessary materials. When offices are properly and wholly certified, they can inspire other people in the Western community to do their part in implementing effective behavioral changes in their own lives.
Project ZeNETH: Construction Phase
Amount Awarded: $20,803.72
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Active – Implementation Phase
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Campus and Community Engagement
Originally begun in 2017, Project ZeNETH (Zero Net Energy Tiny House) has been a (now long-running) objective aimed at engaging WWU students to design, construct, measure, and manage a net-zero, energy efficient mobile tiny house. Since its inception, the main emphasis for this project has been in maximizing students’ education at Western, and this project serves as a strong platform for incorporating disciplines and students from multiple colleges at Western.
The project was, as seen in every corner of the world, delayed indefinitely due to COVID-19. It picked back up in the 2022-2023 academic year; work was completed in electrical redesign, equipment sourcing, subcontractor and donor outreach, construction, and planning. However, due to the several year-long delay, additional expenses had cropped up during the final phases of constructing the tiny house. This grant served as a means to wrap up expenses and finally have the construction completed and installed on campus.
The tiny house will serve as a tangible design project and test bed for students in courses related to design, urban planning, environmental justice, business and sustainability, biology, environmental studies/science, electrical engineering, and energy policy. This will include using the house as a living laboratory, as well as a possible study space.
Campus Micromobility Counters
Amount Awarded: $99,185.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: Active, Spring 2023 – Fall 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Curriculum and Research Transportation
Micromobility can be defined as any transportation using lightweight vehicles, such as bicycles, scooters, and other electric or people-powered devices. As transportation has one of the highest impacts on our planet, these devices can help drastically reduce the impact of getting people where they need to go in both direct emissions and the impact of land uses designed for cars.
This grant funded the installation of three micromobility counters on major bike routes on WWU’s campus in an effort to collect data on micromobility ridership. This will allow campus and regional planners, as well as decision makers, to have the data necessary to understand current use patterns and determine how changes over time to programming and infrastructure can affect ridership. Additionally, data from this project will be available to the general public and can be used for educational purposes in planning and data analysis classes and Western and other institutions.
The counters would also have visual displays so that the Western community would clearly see how many people use micromobility devices to get around on campus on a daily basis. The hope is that these displays allow riders to see the positive impact of riding a micromobility device, as well as to encourage others to participate.
Attending the American Planning Association (APA) National Conference 2023
Amount Awarded: $34,305.00
Academic Year: 2022-2023
Implementation: April 2023
Full Application: Link
Categories: Built Environment Campus and Community Engagement Student Life
This grant provided Urban Planning Club members with the opportunity to attend the American Planning Association (APA) National Conference in Philadelphia. Up to 20 Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy (UEPP) students were given the opportunity to talk to professional planners and government officials from across the nation to expand their perspectives and build professional opportunities. Students were given the opportunity to present several posters educating government officials and planning professionals on the importance of a deep analysis of environmental policy, climate change adaptation, and housing needs in their communities. Following the conference, the UEPP students were able to share their experiences with the greater WWU community and bring attention to the Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy department.
The WWU Urban Planning club (members of which attended the conference) aims to bring awareness to the following goals on a local and national level:
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Climate change adaptation and resilience
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Environmental sustainability
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Housing affordability, accessibility, and diversity
These goals are best represented in sustainable cities and communities. Western is a small university, and students are only exposed to what our university and this region can expose them to; however, traveling to the national conference expanded their perspectives and gave them opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise had. They were able to bring professional experience back with them to improve the Urban Planning program, as well as their own professional lives.