A magical space: UW's Medicinal Herb Garden

Keith Possee kneeling in the Medicinal Herb Garden

Tucked behind an assortment of trees along UW's Stevens Way is a garden unknown to many. The UW Medicinal Herb Garden is home to about 1,000 plants from around the world, spread out across seven plots, and provides a relaxing escape from the surrounding campus.

The garden hasn't always been as richly populated as it is today. There's one man in particular who has doubled the plant collection over the last 20 years.

Husky Green Award nominee: Facilities Services' Maintenance Electricians

A person replaces a light in the IMA.

There are thousands of light bulbs on campus, which use energy and regularly burn out or fail. The UW's maintenance electricians are addressing both issues with a program to upgrade campus lights to LED bulbs, which are more efficient and longer-lasting than traditional lights.

The team recently swapped out more than 200 lights on the IMA's squash and racquetball courts, which will reduce power consumption by 78%. Kane and Meany halls have also gotten LED upgrades. 

Husky Green Award nominee: Salvage Wood Program

Update 4/18: The Salvage Wood Program was named one of the seven 2016 Husky Green Award winners.

The Salvage Wood Program at the University of Washington is working to make sure any trees which need to be removed on campus can have a second life.

The program, run by Grounds Management and made possible by a Campus Sustainability Fund grant and help from the UW chapter of Engineers Without Borders, turns those removed trees into lumber for projects on campus such as benches and tables.

Toren's tidbits: It's cherry blossom time!

Have you been to the Quad to see the beautiful cherry trees? If not, now is the time to go because the blossoms are in full bloom and are incredibly beautiful right now - but they won't be around long in their colorful glory.

The iconic trees on the Quad are the Yoshino variety native to japan. The trees debuted at UW in 1939, though they were initially planted in the arboretum, not on the Quad. The trees were relocated to the quad when construction began on highway 520. Good news, every single tree that was relocated survived!  

UW's Manastash Ridge Observatory gets sustainability overhaul

For 40 years, the University of Washington's Manastash Ridge Observatory near Ellensburg has been home to countless research projects studying our vast universe. Now, it’s working on incorporating environmental sustainability into the mix.

"It’s time to make changes that reflect the use of the facility and our impact on natural resources, particularly our water and energy consumption," said Oliver Fraser, UW astronomy lecturer.

LEED Green Associate training course at UW April 16

If you're interested in working in the green building industry, you may want to become certified as a LEED Green Associate. This credential shows you have taken the training and have knowledge of the LEED ratings system.

LeadingGreen will be on campus on April 16 for a LEED Green Associate training session in Loew 102 from 1-5 p.m., which will provide an overview of LEED and information designed to help you pass the LEED GA exam administered by the U.S. Green Building Council. 

From LeadingGreen's event information:

From trash to treasure: Union Bay Natural Area

The UW's ENVIR 480: Sustainability Studio class in the Program on the Environment presents students with a sustainability topic which they engage in as part of an experiential learning course. The topics change each quarter - this spring, the students researched the UW's environmental history. This is part of a series of posts by the students on some of the information they uncovered.