Sword ferns provide valuable ecosystem benefits, holding soil in place to prevent erosion and invasive plant growth. They also provide a habitat for forest birds such as the Pacific wren, and a food source for wildlife, such as mountain beavers. And in Seattle’s Seward Park, they are dying off at alarming rates.
Nobody really knows why, but Program on the Environment lecturer Tim Billo and Seward Park steward Paul Shannon have some ideas, which they shared with King 5 News reporter Alison Morrow last Friday. 

For Jasmmine Ramgotra, dance is a way to engage with the community, and a means to express tough social and environmental issues we face in today’s society. She’s looking to shift the culture of dance away from abstraction, in order to lead the way for a more connected and inclusive tomorrow.
Jasmmine recently received the honor of being named Miss Next Century by Future-ish, a creation of UW Sustainability’s Sean Schmidt. 

From 2008 to 2013, Tikvah Weiner worked at the Program on the Environment, as a graduate program adviser and then administrator, and was a much beloved staff member who is remembered fondly for her positive and joyous spirit.
This Spring, thanks to the generosity of donors to Tikvah’s Fund; the Campus Sustainability Fund; UW Landscape Architecture; UW Department of Urban Design & Planning; and UW Department of Facilities Maintenance & Construction, an outdoor learning and teaching space is under construction in honor of Tikvah. 

The Program on the Environment will host our Spring 2017 Capstone Symposium on May 24 at Alder Hall Auditorium. We welcome all to attend and support students as they present on the culmination of three quarters of hard work.
Topics include: achieving sustainability through behavior change and policy, environmental education in theory and practice, approaches for community engagement, and the link between art, technology and our relationship to nature. 

ENVIR 495 – Environmental Innovation Practicum
2 credits, Tuesdays 4-5:50 p.m. | Autumn Quarter 2017
ENTRE 443/543, ENGR 498A, ENVIR 495 (Soon to be ENGR 443, ENVIR 443)
Is the doom and gloom of environmental problems weighing you down? Be part of the solution as a student in this course! Each weekly seminar will inspire you to make an impact as experts discuss the circular economy, water innovation, land use, greening the built environment, and more! 

Now’s your chance to reflect on your accomplishments and receive some compensation for being the rockstar student you are!
The Environmental Leadership Scholarship recognizes the outstanding achievements, leadership skills, and potential of students pursuing a future in the environmental field. Two Environmental Leadership Scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded to two students in the major who demonstrate a passion for environmental studies, integrative thought and action in their academics and activities, and a vision of how they hope to make a positive difference in the world. 

Teaching, studying and modeling sustainability in action is a hallmark of the Program on the Environment.
This year, the Program is thrilled to congratulate three superstars who are leading change for a more just and sustainable world, through environmental student club leadership, environmental justice capstone work and creative teaching methods.
The 2017 Husky Green Awards winners, honored on April 20 at UW Sustainability‘s Earth Day festival include Environmental Studies majors Cassie Maylor, Shelby Cramer and Program on the Environment (POE) lecturer Kristi Straus. 

Come learn about the Washington State Legislative Intern Program! This is a paid, for-credit internship opportunity for college students of any major to work as staff at the State Capitol during the Legislative Session (January through March or April). About 70 students are hired each year from colleges around the state. Political experience is not necessary.  Students from diverse backgrounds who are active leaders, engaged in campus communities, and excited to learn about government and gain practical job skills are encouraged to apply.  

Congratulations to Environmental Studies student, Kristen Smith, one of UW’s 2017 Husky100!

The Husky100 recognizes outstanding students on all three University of Washington campuses who are making the most of their time in college and exhibiting leadership, passion and drive. As interim provost and executive director Jerry Baldasty notes, this honor is reflective of the caliber and spirit of a student body that “gain the skills they need to prepare for rewarding careers in industry, community and life.”
Kristen has a passion for environmental education and fostering environmental stewardship in young students. 

Communicating on Twitter about environmental topics and Capstone project experiences has become the new norm for Environmental Studies students in Sean McDonald’s three-quarter Capstone Course Series. Some are still skeptical of the power of social media, while others, like Amy Haymond, have taken to it, finding value in the access it gives to myriad environmental leaders and organizations.
During the course’s “topic of the week” Twitter assignment, students were called to find and connect with an expert doing work related to their Capstone, and Amy tagged Conservation Corridor, who then reached out to Amy to provide a student perspective on studying wildlife connectivity.