EPA Launches Third Annual Campus RainWorks ChallengeThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched the third annual Campus RainWorks Challenge, a prize contest started in 2012 to encourage innovative approaches to stormwater management.Every time it rains, urban stormwater carries bacteria, nutrients, heavy metals and other pollutants into our nation’s waters, impacting tens of thousands of miles of rivers, streams and coastal shorelines, as well as hundreds of thousands of acres of lakes, reservoirs and ponds. At the same time, growing urban areas and shifting climate patterns are increasing the risk of both flooding and drought.EPA’s Campus RainWorks Challenge will engage the next generation of urban planners, designers and engineers in the development of innovative green infrastructure systems to meet our nation’s growing water infrastructure needs. EPA is inviting student teams to design an innovative green infrastructure project for a location on their campus. Student teams will work with a faculty advisor to submit design boards, a project narrative, and a letter of support describing their project.Teams will compete in one of two design categories: a Demonstration Project category or a Master Plan category. The Demonstration Project category calls for proof-of-concept level designs for a particular site on the team’s campus, while the Master Plan category calls for conceptual designs for a broader area of campus.EPA will select first- and second-place winners in each category. Winners will earn student prizes of $1,000-$2,000 to be divided evenly among student team members, and faculty prizes of $2,000-$3,000 to support green infrastructure research or training.EPA is also considering whether to conduct a grant competition involving Challenge participants. Grant funding could be made available to help carry out green infrastructure demonstration projects based on student designs. If EPA decides to pursue a grant competition, further information will be provided in the future.Registration for the 2014 Challenge opens Sept. 2 and endsOct. 3. Registrants must submit their entries by Dec. 19. EPA will announce winning entries in April 2015.
[volunteer] Friends of Cedar River Watershed habitat restoration
Friends of Cedar River Watershed are looking for students in environmental programs at the University of Washington to come join restoration efforts this winter. FCRW is a local non-profit organization with a mission to engage people to enhance and sustain watersheds through restoration, education, and stewardship.
Restoration projects run on Saturdays, from approximately 10:00AM – 2:00PM. All ages and skills are welcome!
- December 1st, Cedar Grove Natural Area, Renton
- December 8th, Madrona Woods, Seattle
- December 15th, Belmondo Reach Natural Area
For more information about the events, look at the website www.cedarriver.org
Dr. Timothy Nyerges is Professor of Geography at the University of Washington where he specializes in teaching and research related to participatory geographic information systems (GIS) focusing on sustainability management for land use, transportation, and water resource related issues. He received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 1980 specializing in database management languages for GIS. For the past fifteen years he has undertaken research projects funded by NSF, NOAA, and DOE to explore development and evaluation of networked GIS, particularly as supported by cyberinfrastructure technology, for enabling stakeholder participation in decision support. Currently, his research focuses on a sustainability information science approach to coastal resilience because of his interest in the space-time and land-water dynamic facing communities. He is the director of the Professional Masters Program in GIS for Sustainability Management within the University of Washington’s Professional and Continuing Education Division.
Click here for maplink to NOAA.
Click here for seminar event schedule
Questions? Contact Rita Peterson at: ritap@u.washington.edu
[course] – Autumn 2012: Interdisciplinary Watershed Hydrology
[event] Water, Stormwater, & Sustainabilty on Campus
Student research on the University of Washington’s impact on water
Friday, March 9
2:00 – 3:00 pm
Wallace Hall, POE Commons
(formerly the Academic Computing Center)
3737 Brooklyn Ave NE
Students in PoE’s Sustainability Studio spent this quarter researching options for more sustainable use of water on UW’s campus! This presentation is your opportunity to learn from their work. Projects include:
- Case Studies of Permeable Pavement on Campus – decreasing the impacts of runoff on water quality.
- Small- and Large-Scale Rainwater Catchment Systems on Campus – using rainwater for laundry and the landscape.
- Profiles of Student-Led Water Sustainability Projects on Campus – supporting students in having impact on the campus environment.
If you have any questions, please contact Justin Hellier at hellier@uw.edu.
[information session] – Summer Study Abroad – Rights, Governance and Culture in Sustainable Access to Water
**
INFORMATION SESSION!
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 3:30 p.m. in the PoE Commons
**
The UW School of Law partners with the UW Program on the Environment to present: Rights, Governance and Culture in Sustainable Access to Water, a study abroad program held in Leon, Spain!
Location: Leon, Spain
Department:School of Law; Program on the Environment
Estimated Program Dates: June 18 – July 25, 2012
Estimated Program Fee: $4,475
Credits: 6
Program Director: Gregory A. Hicks, School of Law
UW Study Abroad Advisor:Katherine R. Kroeger kroegk@uw.edu
Application Deadline:February 15, 2012 EXTENDED to March 1, 2012
The course will be focused on water and especially on the operation of public policy, law, and customary practice as forces that shape how water is used and understood. While the course will study examples from a number of countries and focus broadly on the challenges of achieving and maintaining just, sustainable and environmentally sound water allocation, our location in Spain will offer unique opportunities for the course. Spain is a country where aridity and intense pressures for water-dependent development have combined to produce serious challenges surrounding water availability and allocation. Water issues in Spain are vivid and pressing, involving questions of fairness and sustainability, and there is a new focus on the impact of water institutions as part of the social fabric and as important structures in the country’s physical and social landscapes. We will be working in and coming to understand the Spanish countryside through the lens of the nation’s water policies and focusing, too, on globally significant questions that will help us understand the challenges of effective and just water governance
For more information, please view the Rights, Governance and Culture in Sustainable Access to Water Study Abroad Program website.
[study abroad] Water in an Arid Land: The Engineered Water Cycle in Jordan
Come Study Abroad in Jordan with UW CEE! Study drinking water, wastewater, water-reuse, and water sources in the 10th most water-scarce country in the world and earn:
5 UW CEE 400-level credits
Early Fall term (Aug 20 to Sept 19)
All course work is in English, no language pre-requisite.
Financial aid may apply toward the costs of the course. Want to learn more, or ready to apply? A full course description and application can be found at the link below, watch for announcements about course information sessions planned for early January, or contact Dr. Heidi Gough (hgough@uw.edu, More Hall room 306) for more details.
Course Instructors: Dr. Heidi Gough, Research Assistant Professor at UW Department of Civil and Environmental; Dr. Muno Abu-Dalo, Assistant Professor at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, and Jaffer Alali, graduate student at UW Department of Civil and Environmental.
The CEE department is sponsoring a study abroad course to examine water resources in an arid setting. Water is a scarce commodity. Jordan is ranked among the 10 most water-scarce nations in the world, and will serve as the backdrop for learning about water and wastewater treatment in a water-scarce region. The course is going to focus on the current and historic water resources in Jordan, drinking water treatment and distribution in Jordan including the use of cisterns and desalination, treatment of concentrated wastewater including efforts for safe reuse, and plans in Jordan for meeting future challenges. The course is designed for juniors, seniors, and graduate students in the CEE department. Others will also be considered.
[study abroad] – Summer/2012: Rights, Governance and Culture in Sustainable Access to Water
The UW School of Law partners with the UW Program on the Environment to present: Rights, Governance and Culture in Sustainable Access to Water, a study abroad program held in Leon, Spain!
Location: Leon, Spain
Department:School of Law; Program on the Environment
Estimated Program Dates: June 18 – July 25, 2012
Estimated Program Fee: $4,475
Credits: 6
Program Director: Gregory A. Hicks, School of Law
UW Study Abroad Advisor:Katherine R. Kroeger kroegk@uw.edu
Application Deadline: February 15, 2012
The course will be focused on water and especially on the operation of public policy, law, and customary practice as forces that shape how water is used and understood. While the course will study examples from a number of countries and focus broadly on the challenges of achieving and maintaining just, sustainable and environmentally sound water allocation, our location in Spain will offer unique opportunities for the course. Spain is a country where aridity and intense pressures for water-dependent development have combined to produce serious challenges surrounding water availability and allocation. Water issues in Spain are vivid and pressing, involving questions of fairness and sustainability, and there is a new focus on the impact of water institutions as part of the social fabric and as important structures in the country’s physical and social landscapes. We will be working in and coming to understand the Spanish countryside through the lens of the nation’s water policies and focusing, too, on globally significant questions that will help us understand the challenges of effective and just water governance
For more information, please view the Rights, Governance and Culture in Sustainable Access to Water Study Abroad Program website.
[volunteer]: Washington Water Trust’s 6th Annual Benefit Dinner/Auction
Call for Volunteers!
Washington Water Trust restores stream and rivers throughout Washington State. We do this by working collaboratively with irrigators, agencies, tribes, and environmental groups to increase stream flows. Our work helps sustain the fisheries, water quality, and recreational resources vital to our communities. Please help us continue our work! We are seeking volunteers to help us with our annual fund raising dinner and silent auction. Our event is a great opportunity for networking with people from the across the natural resources community–biologists, hydrologists, geologist, attorneys, economists, bankers, regulatory agencies, municipalities and other environmental groups. Volunteers will help organize, prepare for, facilitate the event and enjoy a great dinner on November 12. We would like 1 to 2 volunteers to help prepare for the event over the next month at our office on Lake Union, and 6 to 8 volunteers for the day of the event. If you’re interested in volunteering please call Meghan O’Brien at (206) 675-7585 x 106 or email at meghan@washingtonwatertrust.org. Visit our website for more information about us www.washingtonwatertrust.org
EVENT DETAILS
what: Washington Water Trust’s 6th Annual Benefit Dinner & Auction
when: Saturday, November 12, 2011 from 5:30-9:00 pm
where: Willows Lodge, Woodinville, WA
guest speaker: Robert T. Anderson, Director, Native American Law Center, University of Washington
who: Business leaders, landowners, scientists, environmental philanthropists, political figures
tickets: $75 – Individual tickets $90 – Late registration $750 – Table of 10
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed: Premiere Screening: Watershed Report 2010 Update
Mark your Calendars!
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed presents…
Premiere Screening
Watershed Report 2010 Update
Thursday, September 8, from 6:00-8:00 PM
Seattle REI flagship Store
Films! Finger Food Feast! And the Future of our Watershed!
It only happens once each year. This is your exclusive invitation to the annual screening of the Watershed Report updated with all new stories from our 2010 survey. Nineteen high school students from seven different school districts, plus the private school network, will preview a short series of videos tracking positive sustainability policy trends in the 27 cities, two counties and 13 school districts of our watershed, the greater Cedar River – Lake Washington Basin.
- Last year… our 2009 pilot won multiple awards.
- Last year… it was standing room only at the REI premiere.
- Last year… we reached 5,000 people. We want 10,000 this year.
You are the ambassador for the success of this program! Bring your top ten well-networked people to the Premiere Screening. Help us roll out the Watershed Report 2010 Update to your local city council, school board, chamber of commerce, Rotary and other civic leadership groups. We track policy. We showcase and broadcast best practices. Come experience these exquisite data narratives and the powerful voice of the next generation. Put the Watershed Report in service to your own sustainability and stewardship work plan. Puget Sound starts here!
Forward this message to your network today!
RSVP: contact Rebecca Sayre at 206.297.8141 or rebecca@cedarriver.org
Learn more about the Watershed Report: http://cedarriver.org/programs/watershed-report
Check out the award winning 2009 pilot here: http://www.youtube.com/user/FriendsOfCedar
Join us!
Serendipity Ancira, Shorecrest High School, Class of 2014
Jessica Basi, Liberty High School, Class of 2013
Josef Benzaoui, International Community School,Class of 2014
Carolyn Birkenfeld, Ballard High School, Class of 2014
Kevin Davis, Green River Community College, Class of 2010
Alyssa Deardorff, Interlake High School, Class of 2012
Conor Hammond, Tahoma High School, Class of 2014
Shanan Hopp, Tahoma High School, Class of 2013
Cassandra Houghton, Tahoma High School, Class of 2013
Margot Kelly-Hedrick, Mercer Island High School, Class of 2013
Michaela Koke, Nathan Hale High School,Class of 2011
Tyler Loughran, Mercer Island High School, Class of 2012
Chris Norgood, The Northwest School, Class of 2012
Ben Pedigo, Shorecrest High School, Class of 2014
Jayaram Ravi, Tahoma High School, Class of 2015
Alex Rockhill, Nathan Hale High School,Class of 2013
Clara Tibbetts, Tahoma High School, Class of 2012
Tho Tron, Lakeside School,Class of 2013
Sergio Urrutia-Oyer, Tahoma High School, Class of 2013
Kendall von Michalofski, Tahoma High School, Class of 2013
About Peter Donaldson
Peter is the Executive Producer for the Watershed Report, a sophisticated “Community Curriculum” strategy from the Friends of the Cedar River Watershed. Peter has taught elementary through college creating myriad school partnerships around curriculum integration, story-telling and authentic assessment. In 2010 he was recognized as the Non-Formal Environmental Educator of the Year by the Environmental Education Association of Washington. He was appointed Distinguished Scholar to the Dan Evans Chair for the Liberal Arts at The Evergreen State College in 2008 and is currently collaborating with Antioch University to develop a teacher endorsement for Environmental and Sustainability Education. Peter has authored 17 plays for young audiences and was recognized as National Youth Theater Director of the Year by the American Alliance for Theater and Education. He tours a one-man show called Salmonpeople.