Dean Graumlich, the team from UW and King County Executive Dow Constantine (from left: Sally Jewell, Kristie Ebi, Sally Clark, Jeremy Hess, Dennis Hartmann, Lisa Graumlich, LuAnne Thompson, Heidi Roop, Dow Constantine)
Dean Graumlich, UW climate researchers and King County Executive Dow Constantine (from left: Sally Jewell, Kristie Ebi, Sally Clark, Jeremy Hess, Dennis Hartmann, Lisa Graumlich, LuAnne Thompson, Heidi Roop, Dow Constantine)

King County Executive Dow Constantine will present University of Washington with the King County Environmental Catalyst Award, in recognition of efforts across the University to understand climate change, its impacts and the best responses to it.

The Environmental Catalyst award is the highest honor bestowed at the county’s Green Globe Awards, held every two years to recognize organizations in King County working to protect the local environment.

In selecting the University of Washington, Executive Constantine noted the 30-year history of UW climate research, which has shaped our understanding of how rising greenhouse gas emissions affect human and natural systems. This includes ground-breaking science, a commitment to training tomorrow’s leaders and a growing portfolio of programs focused on climate change.

Lisa Graumlich, dean and Mary Laird Wood Professor at the College of the Environment, will accept the award on behalf of the University. She describes the UW’s strong culture of collaboration as key to its success in its work to understand climate change.

“Climate work at UW comes in all shapes and sizes,” says Dean Graumlich, “It can be a small but dedicated research group measuring local impacts of ocean acidification, and it can be giant international networks of scholars from allied disciplines and institutions working on the recent groundbreaking report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. When we tackle these big, important questions, we must continue to do so as a community. As a team. And you can count on the University of Washington being a part of that team for as long as it takes.”

Dean Graumlich will accept the Environmental Catalyst Award at the Green Globes Presentation on Earth Day, April 22 2019.