Five new Green Lab certifications in February

Shout out to Schindler-Limnology Lab, Berg Lab, Shendure Lab, Keil Lab, and Olmstead Lab for becoming our newest certified Green Labs!

The Schindler-Limnology Lab placed at the Gold level of certification, scoring highest in the communication and education category. With about six staff and graduate students, the lab does research on water quality, fish biology, nutrient cycling, and all things inland water.

Restoring ecosystems with a Native perspective

A handful of students make their way to the University of Washington’s Forest Club Room as Todd Woodard stands in front, getting ready to discuss land preservation in Coast Salish country.   

Restoration projects are an integral part of Samish Native American culture  – whether it’s restoring ecosystems in the Samish river watershed or reviving landscapes in Cypress Island.

“The heart of restoration is getting things back to the way they are,” began Woodard, director of the Samish Nation Natural Resources Department.

Sqwatch's secret #8: Compost, compost, compost!

Sqwatch Secrets promo: leave no trace.

We're lucky in Seattle to have city-wide composting, which makes it easy to keep food scraps out of the landfill. Choosing compost instead of the landfill bin reduces methane emissions and allows for the material to be reused to increase soil nutrients. However, the city still sends about 100,000 tons of waste to the landfill each year which could be composted.

UW Sustainability will be at the Organizational Excellence Showcase March 8!

UW Organizational Excellence is hosting a Showcase on March 8 from 1-3 p.m. in the HUB Lyceum, featuring work from departments across the UW. This event will showcase how schools, colleges, and administrative units are making the UW better – together. UW Sustainability is excited to be there as a presenter and to see the outstanding work from other areas of the university.

Lecture: Sustainable City Year Program - 3/3/16, 6pm, Architecture 147

A group of UW faculty is considering a university-community applied research and teaching program called Sustainable City Year. It originated at the U of Oregon and now many universities, including WWU, are running similar programs. The program pairs a city and a university with a budget of $200-300K each year paid by the partner city. The university then utilizes multiple classes across the university to serve and advise the city.

Native plant nursery internships

The UW student chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration’s (SER-UW) native plant nursery is located on campus at the Center for Urban Horticulture (CUH). It is a student run operation that provides plants to the on-campus restoration projects that SER-UW manages. This year, with the support of a Campus Sustainability Fund grant, the nursery is expanding by building a new hoop house, growing more plants from seed and cuttings, and increasing its opportunities for volunteer involvement.