the UW Sustainability blog
The University of Washington is one of more than 180 college and universities from across the country - along with more than 1,000 businesses, cities and states - to sign the "We Are Still In" letter declaring continued support for climate action and reducing carbon emissions despite the absence of leadership from the federal government.
Students interested in learning about bees, beekpeeping and pollination have an opportunity to take a summer course covering basic modern beekeeping skills. If you are interested in food production, farming, holistic gardening, botany, entomology, pollination, or are just curious about bees, this course will provide a deep knowledge base. Your participation will be part internship and part science project, so be prepared to don your suit, grab your notebook, and have fun. Who knows - you may become a beekeeper!
As the lead of the UW Tower Green Team, Bethany Staelens is always working to find ways to make her work at UW more sustainable.
Staelens, assistant to the vice provost of UW's Continuum College, has helped start UW Tower-wide initiatives such as reducing paper use and closing curtains to lower heating and cooling costs. She's also featured in a UW video highlighting the benefits of reducing paper.
UW Sustainability will hold Green Certification workshops the first Wednesday of each month, starting June 7th at 10 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join to learn more about our Green Office and Green Laboratory certification programs - we'll have a brief presentation, answer questions about the certification application, walk through available resources to help make your workplace more sustainable, and provide support for filling out the application.
The first Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference (WOHESC) will take place February 6-8, 2018, at Portland State University. This regional conference merges the Oregon and Washington higher education sustainability conferences to create a platform for empowering and inspiring change making, facilitating action, and for sharing, networking, and collaboration related to sustainability within the region's higher education institutions.
Students interested in creating solutions to environmental problems can register for the Environmental Innovation Practicum. The weekly seminar will help students create project-based solutions while receiving coaching by environmental professionals or entrepreneurs.
It's almost the end of the year, and for many students that also means it's almost time to move. If there's items you don't have room for as you pack up, don't just throw them away - UW Recycling has several ways to give unwanted itmes to someone else who could use them.
The Sustainable Business Consulting team is hosting a career workshop at the University of Washington on Wednesday, May 24. This hands-on workshop will teach some of the best practices for professionals looking to begin or advance their career in the sustainability field.
The Society for Ecological Restoration - UW Chapter is hosting its annual native plant sale this Sunday, May 7, at the Douglas Research Conservatory next to the Center for Urban Horticulture (3501 NE 41st St.). he sale goes from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will have more than 40 different native plant species available. Cash and credit cards accepted.
The 2017 Urban Forest Symposium: Equity and the Urban Forest, co-hosted by PlantAmnesty and University of Washington Botanic Gardens, is Tuesday, May 23 from 9 a.m to 4 p.m., with a reception following. The symposium will be held at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St., Seattle, WA 98105.