Jan 15, 2016

UW students return from Paris climate talks, advocate for stronger youth voice

Empowered by their experience abroad, a group of College of the Environment students are working toward more youth engagement in global conversations about the planet.

Fewer than 1 in 25 Seattleites can really eat locally

How many of Seattle’s residents could live off food grown in their city? If abundant P-Patches and backyard gardens teeming with kale come to mind, you’re like many residents who assume urban agriculture in Seattle could support 50, 80, or even 100 percent of the people who live in the city. It turns out that the actual number is drastically lower.

Composting food waste remains your best option, says UW study

Many people compost their food scraps and yard waste because they think it’s the right thing to do. A new University of Washington study confirms that sentiment, and also calculates the environmental benefits associated with keeping these organic materials out of landfills. The biggest takeaway for residents of Seattle, San Francisco and other places that offer curbside compost pickup is to take advantage of that service — and pat yourself on the back for using it.

College of the Environment honors graduates by helping fund on-campus water savings

Big congratulations are in order for all of this year’s College of the Environment graduates – you’ve reached the goal you set for yourself years ago when you became part of the UW community! We appreciate all of your contributions to the College and extend our well wishes and hopes for your continued success after graduation. In honor of our 2015 graduates, the College will jointly fund a student project that will build a rainwater collection and purification system in More Hall’s Construction Materials Laboratory with the University’s Campus Sustainability Fund.

Washington Sea Grant’s Ed Melvin wins presidential award for seabird-saving streamer lines

A Washington Sea Grant staff scientist is sharing top honors for developing gear that nearly eliminates seabird bycatch in long-line fisheries from the West Coast to South Africa. Twenty years of work on sea and land to save threatened seabirds from becoming fishing bycatch have won national recognition for senior fisheries scientist, Ed Melvin, also an affiliate associate professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences.