Over the past several years, shellfish growers in Washington’s Willapa Bay have raised the alarm that Manila clams, one of the region’s most important commercially grown shellfish, were inexplicably declining. At the same time, these aquaculturists have witnessed growing populations of one of North America’s most destructive invaders: the European green crab. 

This spring, students in Professor Yen-Chu Weng’s course “Environmental Issues in East Asia” participated in an Online International Collaboration Learning (COIL) project with students from Taiwan on evaluating the accessibility of interpretive signs in nature parks. 

Students from the Spring 2024 offering of ENVIR 480, Sustainability Consulting Practicum, hit it out of the park last week with their presentation on super-gas user conversion to electric vehicles!
In ENVIR 480, students are split into teams and paired with local Seattle organizations — often either businesses or nonprofits — to work on a client project that advances sustainability in the respective sector. 

Ava Vaughan, Program on the Environment Undergraduate Scholarship
Ava is pursuing a dual degree in business and environmental studies with a minor in nutrition. She grew up on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington and spent most of her life on Dabob Bay. 

Seattle Parks and Recreation is hosting this year’s Greater & Greener Conference in Seattle, from June 21 to June 25 – and we are in need of additional volunteers!
What is Greater & Greener 2024? 

Position Description
Join us in helping our community keep their utility bills as low as possible and preserving a valuable resource for future generations. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) administers a regional water conservation program on behalf of SPU and 18 wholesale water utility partners, known collectively as the Saving Water Partnership (SavingWater.org). 

Tikvah’s Garden is a charismatic bioswale of native plants outside of the Fishery Sciences Building, which has undergone restoration led by the UW Program on the Environment. After some recent blackberry invasion, they reached out to the Society for Ecological Restoration (SER) to collaborate and have decided to take on the challenge. 

FareStart is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people gain skills to move out of poverty, while also working to feed the community. They have a number of volunteer opportunities coming up this summer for those interested in environmental justice, food systems, sustainability, and much more! 

Each year, the College of the Environment asks for nominations of College community members who make exemplary contributions in areas including teaching, mentorship, community impact, and more. This year, we are absolutely thrilled that PoE’s very own P. 

Climate change is a growing priority for the federal government.  If you’re interested in addressing this challenge as part of your career, join the Partnership for Public Service at our upcoming climate career fair!