Back to the Washington State Cougars Newsfeed

An inside look at the Pac-12’s sustainability efforts, with an assist from Bill Walton and Seattle

At the Pac-12’s inaugural conference on environmental sustainability, in 2017, keynote speaker Bill Walton did something that would have been surprising for anyone but Bill Walton.

He announced his personal cell number in front of hundreds of attendees and asked them to send him examples of green efforts in their lives.

Walton is a keynote speaker for the third annual sustainability conference, which begins Tuesday in Seattle. He had not yet finalized his podium plan at the time of our recent conversation, but the remarks will undoubtedly be heartfelt.

The environment is on Walton’s Rushmore of Passions, alongside basketball, cycling and the Grateful Dead, and he has become the willing, public face of the conference’s expanding green efforts.