This Spring, a vibrant outdoor learning space, located on the northern side of the School of Aquatic and Fisheries lawn was built.
The garden space, adorned with nature-themed quotes, hand-crafted wood benches, native plants, a bioswale and rain garden is the result of a tremendous team effort by students, faculty and staff across campus.

Sword ferns in Seattle’s Seward Park are disappearing and nobody really knows why. UW’s Tim Billo, Paul Shannon and national fern experts are investigating the phenomenon.

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. 

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. 

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. 

Encouraging students to examine their personal impact on the environment by carrying their waste for a week is just one way Program on the Environment lecturer Kristi Straus pushes the envelope when it comes to teaching students about sustainability.
To honor her dedication to engaging students with innovative teaching curriculum and methods, Kristi has been awarded the Center for Teaching and Learning Distinguished Teaching Award, one of the highest recognitions at the University. 

Today, the UW’s Livable City Year program published its first reports from a year-long partnership with the City of Auburn. Reports represent a diverse range of applied learning projects students and faculty implemented to address the City of Auburn’s sustainability challenges.
The Livable City Year program (LCY) is a new initiative led by UW faculty directors Branden Born (Urban Design and Planning) and Jennifer Otten (Public Health) in collaboration with UW Sustainability, Urban at UW and the Association of Washington Cities.  

What it’s like to spend 9 days in PNW backcountry: ‘A reset for the human spirit’
The Seattle Times environmental reporter, Lynda Mapes, joined Environmental Studies instructor Tim Billo and 10 students during an intensive 9-day backpacking excursion into the Olympic National Park this summer, part of Tim’s class: Landscape Change in the Pacific Northwest.
This challenging class immerses students in nature, where they reflect on the importance of wilderness, discover their own strengths living in the wild, and learn about the unique species in the Olympics. 

Read more at The Seattle Times

The Environmental Studies team is delighted to welcome Rick Keil, professor of chemical oceanography, to lead the program for the next three years.
Rick brings to the directorship a diverse background of university service including stints as associate director of oceanography and as chair of the UW’s faculty sub-council on academic programs. His research focuses on a changing ocean with specific emphases on low oxygen environments (oceanic ‘dead zones’) and on the changes humans impart upon the ocean’s carbon cycle.  

Kristi Straus, Ph.D, a lecturer for Environmental Studies at the College of Environment, University of Washington, teaches about sustainability and practices it in her daily life; today she spoke on King 5’s New Day Northwest about ways that everyone can weave sustainability into their lifestyle.
Watch the New Day segment and learn some of Dr. Straus’s tips on everyday actions citizens can consider to lessen their environmental impact.