Capstone Project Updates

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With many students’ capstone internships currently wrapping
up, I would like to share some information about what are students have been up
to the last couple of months!

Jesse Barr– Jesse has been working with the City of
Vancouver’s Water Resources Education Center and high school students to build
a recycled soda bottle greenhouse. Jesse is trying to demonstrate some
innovative ways to deal with pollution, and to educate the public about the
unbelievable amount of plastic that enters landfills and our oceans.

Aaron Elefson – Aaron is working at the EPA Region 10
offices with a team focused on the remediation of the Black Butte Superfund
Site. The site is in Oregon and is home to an abandoned mercury mine that
continues to be a source of contamination for the downstream reservoir where
methyl mercury is absorbed by the resident fish. Aaron has been working with
his site supervisor to narrow down the potential areas the methylating bacteria
could be found.

Ryan Cun – Ryan has been working with the Wilderness Inner-city
Leadership Development (WILD) youth program. WILD is a non-profit organization
that is aimed to build youth leadership qualities like self-confidence, team
building skills, within the context of environmental education and civic
involvement. In a nutshell this program is all about educating youth and
equipping them with the tools they need for their future!

Thanks for all of your hard work! Great job PoE

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The Society of Wetland Scientists’ Pacific Northwest Chapter Meeting

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The Society of Wetland Scientists’ Pacific Northwest Chapter is pleased to announce their 2015 meeting, From a Watershed Perspective: Incorporating Science into Policy, this October 6-8 at the Red Lion Hotel in Olympia, WA.

The Chapter welcomes abstracts for talks and posters on any realm of wetland science, including wetland, riparian, and coastal ecology, and wetland restoration, conservation and education. This year’s theme links applied science and federal, state, local, and tribal wetland, stream and riparian, water quality, and wildlife policy. Basic and applied talks in line with this theme are especially encouraged.

For more information on conference schedule, accommodations, registration, etc. or to submit an abstract, please see the SWS-PNW Chapter website:www.sws.org/pacific-northwest-chapter

This year there are numerous student scholarships and volunteer opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to attend the meeting and present their work at no cost. Information on scholarships is available at:

www.sws.org/Pacific-Northwest-Chapter/mcmillan-student-scholarship-awards.html

For general information on the Society of Wetland Scientists, see:http://www.sws.org

Please note that correspondence for the SWS-PNW meeting should be directed to: swspnw.meeting@gmail.com

UW Farm Stand Opens Friday!

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The following is from participating students:

We here at UW Farm would like to announce the opening of a farm produce stand this summer, and we’re inviting you to come join us and support our very own volunteer-driven agricultural enterprise. Enjoy seasonal, sustainably sourced, picked-that-morning fresh produce grown just two miles away, along with great music, refreshments, and delicious seasonal recipe ideas.

Starting July 24th, the farm stand will be open Fridays from 4pm-7pm, in the Fisheries Supply parking lot at 1900 N. Northlake Way. We’re right along the Burke-Gilman Trail and directly across from the Gasworks Park parking lot. Keep us in mind and we hope to see you there!

Learn more about the UW Farm:  http://food.washington.edu/farm/  

Course Announcement from Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences UW School of Public Health:

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ABOUT THE COURSE:

Presents green chemistry in the context of social impact and public health. Focuses on the relationship between the science and application of chemistry, and the conditions of life that affect everyone’s health, particularly in the developed world.

COURSE NAME: Green Chemicals, Green Products, Green Processes: Crafting a Less Toxic World

NUMBER: ENV H 310 (3 cr)

QUTR/YR: Autumn 2015

Targeting juniors and seniors

Prereqs: CHEM 220 or CHEM 237

Green Laboratory Internship Available

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UW Sustainability is currently recruiting a student intern to support our Green Laboratory program. To apply please visit:

https://careers.washington.edu/HuskyJobs and search for #91979. 

Internship Title: Green Laboratory Certification Coordinator

Internship Description: The Green Laboratory Program provides resources and guidance for laboratories on campus to implement sustainable practices, including a certification program to recognize laboratories that decrease the University’s environmental impact in alignment with the UW Environmental Policy statement and the Climate Action Plan goals.

Internship / Learning Goals:

1. Gain hands on experience in project management, program development, collaboration, networking, communications, marketing, and development of

evaluative and educational materials under the direction of the Program Supervisor.

2.  Learn how to effectively communicate with a variety of stakeholders and navigate through the complex structure of the University

3.  Learn how to incentivize sustainable behaviors within a laboratory setting

4.  Learn more about sustainability at the University through knowledge discovery

The expected outcomes of this internship are:

1.  Continue to promote and expand the Green Laboratory Program by:

      a. Certifying labs and offering consultation services to help labs implement sustainable practices

      b. Working to secure sponsorship support for the program

      c. Creating and administering department and college-wide competitions

2.  Evaluate the certification program effectiveness, identify areas of improvement for the process of certification, and work with the Green Laboratory Advisory Committee to address challenges and opportunities for the Green Laboratory Program.

3.  Continue to share best practices for greening labs with higher education institutions, and identify areas of program improvement based on best practices from other institutions.

4.  Achieve reductions in energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste generated on campus in laboratories

5.  Report measurable metrics such as:

      a. Number of laboratories applying for certification (Overall Total)

      b. Number of laboratories certified as green laboratories (Total and at each level of certification)

Salary will start at $12 and we would like a one year minimum commitment for the position. For questions please contact Sean Schmidt: sgs1@uw.edu

Native Plant Nursery Internships

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Interested in horticulture, communications, or construction? The UW student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER-UW) is looking for two interns this Fall quarter to help grow their native plant nursery. The two available positions are for:

A​ Building Projects Intern to help construct rolling sidewalls, a potting bench, plant construction tables and​ an irrigation system.

A Communications Intern to help develop an advertising strategy to increase volunteer involvement, create a website design, develop online inventory, advertise work parties, and increase the club’s social media presence.

Interns will also receive UW credit for their work (ESRM 399).

To apply send a resume and a 300-500 word description of why you are interested, what you want to learn, and how your previous work experience and/or coursework apply to this position to sernursery@gmail.com.

Applications are due by August 28th

Sustainability Studio Recap: The Hidden Challenges and Stories of UW Sustainability

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Blog post by Chelsea Bogrow

On Thursday May 28th, 2015 PoE’s Environment 280 Sustainable Studio class gave a tour on UW’s hidden truths of sustainability and its natural history. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and the students were excited to finally put all their research and hard work into the tour. Due to the size of the class and tour, the group was spilt into two tours. From here, I will be highlighting only one: The Hidden Challenges and Stories of UW Sustainability.  

After leaving the Drumheller Fountain -where the tour gathered- we headed for Red Square. This location is a staple of the university; if you haven’t had the chance to slip on it once, you’ve definitely heard about someone else doing it. Luckily we didn’t learn about the tragedies of falling on Red Square, although, we did learn that the bricks laid down not only to help water from permeating the underground parking garage, but might have been chosen to discourage protests from taking place in the square. Red Square has a rich history of protests and student congregations but also ties in very nicely with sustainability on campus.

Afterwards, we learned about buildings on campus. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what year Suzzallo Library was built, I’d probably be able to pay for half my tuition! Although buildings on campus look like they were built centuries ago, it turns out they were only mocking an architectural style that they believed to emit higher education excellence. Many of the buildings are designed to look like that of Oxford and Cambridge. But fast forward to more modern times, even though UW still preserves these old style buildings, if renovations are done, a LEED certifications is required, further proving UW’s commitment to sustainability.

Moving forward, we then visited the Medicinal Herb Garden where we learned about the wide variety of plants from all around the world that are maintained in the garden. A small demonstration of burning sweet grass showed us a small glimpse of what native tribes did in the past. The group leading this portion of the tour did an excellent job of getting audience engagement while also telling a story. Note cards with descriptions of native plants were handed out and as a group we had to identify what species belonged to the card. It really painted a picture of how difficult identifying plants can be. 

Lastly, we ventured to a secluded corner for some shade with a view of the Burke-Gilman trail and the future light rail for a wrap up talk about UW’s transportation. As many know, the Burke-Gilman trail used to be a railroad, but after some failed projects, some protests, and a lot of headway, we now have one of the most popular trails going right through campus. With growing populations, the trail is trying to be extended and also separated between bicyclists and pedestrians. This will be helpful for the UW community because we learned, through efforts from the transportation department, more and more people are ditching single riding cars and getting to campus in alternative, more sustainable ways. 

Overall, it was a great day to learn more about UW and how far the university has come with its sustainability efforts. The students reflected on how much time and work they put into their tours and made it very enjoyable. We all learned some things about campus we might not have known before.

Photo credit: Daimon Eklund, UW Sustainability

Sustainability Studio Tour Recap: Big Icons of UW-How Our Visual Identity Informs Our Sustainability

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Blog post by Dorothy Kong

On Thursday, May 28th, this quarter’s ENVIR 480 course culminated with a walking tour on the environmental history and sustainability of the University of Washington campus. The tour was open to the public and as we, the tour guides, gathered at Drumheller Fountain in our purple shirts, a larger group of people gradually began to form around us! Around 11:45 AM, the tour kicked off with an introduction from Megan Horst and Ashley Blazina, the instructors for this quarter, and they split the group into two.

One tour, titled “The Hidden Challenges and Stories of UW Sustainability,” focused on the diverse inputs of UW’s environmental history, including many of the hidden challenges the university still faces in terms of sustainability. This group elaborated on Red Square, buildings/power, the Medicinal Herb Garden, and transportation. The second tour, titled “Big Icons of UW: How Our Visual Identity Informs Our Sustainability,” focused on who we cheer for, what we eat, and how we move as a community and population. This was the group I was a part of and we visited the south end of campus, including the Burke-Gilman Trail, Husky Stadium, Lake Washington, and UBNA.

image

Tour Highlights

For this tour project, the ENVIR 480 class was split into groups of 3-5 and we each put together a presentation for one of the stops on the tour. Since each group studied a small aspect of UW’s environmental history and sustainability, piecing all of the information together into a more complete picture through the tour gave an even broader story of our campus! I honestly learned so much that I hadn’t known before through my own group’s research and other group’s presentations. Here are just a few of the interesting facts I picked up:

  • The Burke-Gilman trail used to be a railway, which was founded by a group of men led by Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman
  • The railway was abandoned and transformed into a trail (27 miles) in the 1970’s
  • 95% of the waste from the 2013 construction of Husky Stadium was recycled or reused
  • Husky Stadium is U-shaped with the opening toward Lake Washington, which means fans can sailgate (or tailgate by boat)
  • The bleachers from the old stadium were repurposed as panels behind the UW logo at the front of the current stadium
  • Lake Washington used to be called Lake Stinko because of how Seattle discharged phosphate-treated sewage into the lake in the 1900’s
  • The water from stormwater drains at UW is discharged into Lake Washington through 2 places
  • The Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the lake’s water level by 8 feet
  • Much of UBNA and the surrounding area used to be part of the Montlake Landfill in 1911-1966 before being partially cleared, covered, and developed
  • Ravenna Creek used to connect Green Lake and Lake Washington until partially drying up around Cowen Park

Reflection
I never thought that I would lead a tour, but this class proved me wrong. I now have a greater appreciation of those who regularly lead tours because it really isn’t easy. In particular, my group had trouble talking loud enough with the traffic from the nearby street and we also had to change our location last-minute to one with more shade because of the hot weather. This year’s topic was also a big one to tackle and I only wish that there was a way to fit more of the interesting information my group found from research into the presentation!

Overall, ENVIR 480 has informed me of the rich history of UW and how the university has gradually implemented more sustainable practices throughout the years, but still has a ways to go. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to learn this while I’m still attending UW and can appreciate walking across this campus every day.

Sustainability Studio Recap: The Hidden Challenges and Stories of UW Sustainability

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Blog post by Chelsea Bogrow

On Thursday May 28th, 2015 PoE’s Environment 280 Sustainable Studio class gave a tour on UW’s hidden truths of sustainability and its natural history. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and the students were excited to finally put all their research and hard work into the tour. Due to the size of the class and tour, the group was spilt into two tours. From here, I will be highlighting only one: The Hidden Challenges and Stories of UW Sustainability.

After leaving the Drumheller Fountain -where the tour gathered- we headed for Red Square. This location is a staple of the university; if you haven’t had the chance to slip on it once, you’ve definitely heard about someone else doing it. Luckily we didn’t learn about the tragedies of falling on Red Square, although, we did learn that the bricks laid down not only to help water from permeating the underground parking garage, but might have been chosen to discourage protests from taking place in the square. Red Square has a rich history of protests and student congregations but also ties in very nicely with sustainability on campus.

Afterwards, we learned about buildings on campus. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what year Suzzallo Library was built, I’d probably be able to pay for half my tuition! Although buildings on campus look like they were built centuries ago, it turns out they were only mocking an architectural style that they believed to emit higher education excellence. Many of the buildings are designed to look like that of Oxford and Cambridge. But fast forward to more modern times, even though UW still preserves these old style buildings, if renovations are done, a LEED certifications is required, further proving UW’s commitment to sustainability.

Moving forward, we then visited the Medicinal Herb Garden where we learned about the wide variety of plants from all around the world that are maintained in the garden. A small demonstration of burning sweet grass showed us a small glimpse of what native tribes did in the past. The group leading this portion of the tour did an excellent job of getting audience engagement while also telling a story. Note cards with descriptions of native plants were handed out and as a group we had to identify what species belonged to the card. It really painted a picture of how difficult identifying plants can be.

Lastly, we ventured to a secluded corner for some shade with a view of the Burke-Gilman trail and the future light rail for a wrap up talk about UW’s transportation. As many know, the Burke-Gilman trail used to be a railroad, but after some failed projects, some protests, and a lot of headway, we now have one of the most popular trails going right through campus. With growing populations, the trail is trying to be extended and also separated between bicyclists and pedestrians. This will be helpful for the UW community because we learned, through efforts from the transportation department, more and more people are ditching single riding cars and getting to campus in alternative, more sustainable ways.

Overall, it was a great day to learn more about UW and how far the university has come with its sustainability efforts. The students reflected on how much time and work they put into their tours and made it very enjoyable. We all learned some things about campus we might not have known before.

Photo credit: Daimon Eklund, UW Sustainability