In Our Nature

EcoReps is continuing its Green Greek Representatives blog segment with Dylan Reynolds from the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, who discussed the new waste fines:

"Family households will face small fines for infractions, only $1 per can found to contain recyclables and compostables. However, larger properties such as apartments -- or greek houses -- will face a $50 fine per infraction. Previously this issue was a moral one, based on whether or not you chose to lead a sustainable lifestyle. Now, it appeals to a much higher power: financial reasons. And any honest member of...

The UW Farm is currently gauging interest and seeing which time slots would work best for an Agroecology Reading Group in Winter 2016, led by Professor Jennifer Ruesink.

This will be a weekly seminar in which students, staff and/or faculty read and discuss articles covering various aspects of agroecology. Agroecology represents the interaction of farming with the environment, in which "environment" can be variously defined in terms of how much of the human environment is included. The scope of "environment" covered by the readings will be modified according to participant interest....

The U District Partnership is hosting a community clean-up on the Ave this Saturday from 9-11 a.m. 

From the event's page: 

The U District Partnership is a nonprofit dedicated to a vibrant, innovative, and diverse University District.
Through vital community clean-ups, we take ownership of our community by ensuring a clean environment for our neighbors and those who visit the U District. Safe, clean equipment for cleaning up trash is...

Does this picture stress you out? It stresses me out - having stacks of paper everywhere feels unorganized, cluttered and chaotic. But there's a solution! Follow these simple tips for reducing paper in your office or home:

• Opt for using an online note taking application. Instead of writing notes or to do lists on a sheet of paper, use an online resource such as One Note, Evernote or Google Docs. 
• If you must print, print double sided. It cuts back on paper by 50% and also makes large documents easier to manage. (Check out the managing print services tab on our...

A committee of faculty from the College of Built Environments, the College of the Environment, and the College of Arts and Sciences are in the process of developing a proposal for a new Interdisciplinary Food Studies Minor, and they need your help.

UW students can help make sure the new minor is interesting, useful and relevant to students by answering a quick 10-question survey, which will help assess student demand. 

The survey is open to any student with a UW netID, so please help spread the...

The UW Chapter of the Society for Ecological Restoration has two open student internship positions for the winter quarter. The interns will work with SER-UW's native plant nursery and could fill a variety of roles, depending on the applicants.  The 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...

The annual Climate Leadership Conference will be held in Seattle this Spring, from March 8-10, 2016. The event is hosted by The Climate Registry and the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The UW's Climate Impacts Group will be presenting along with C2ES in a side event on March 8 which will focus on defining success as you make adaptation plans and...

The Boat Street Marina is owned by the University of Washington. A refurbishment project in 2015 included many elements which directly improved Salmon habitat. These improvements included: significant reduction of over water coverage, shore connecting gangways, and pilings. The new marina exceeded the requirements for the use of light penetrating decking by installing it on all surfaces. Shoreline habitat improvements included reduction of an existing hard shoreline and re-introduction of native plant species. Other project activities that benefitted salmon were re-purposing salvaged old...

Did you know that there are nearly 500 dairy farms in Washington state?  According to the Department of Agriculture, milk is the No. 2 agricultural commodity in Washington, produced by both small and large scale farming operations. One UW student is working to learn how to make dairy production sustainable across the state.

Heather Fower, a PhD student in the School of Public Health's Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, recently received a...

With the beginning of the Green Greek Representative Program, the EcoReps have asked the representatives to make a statement about what sustainability means to them and their efforts to increase sustainability in their chapters. This week we’re showcasing the Alpha Chi Omega (AXO) sorority whose representative is Kalie Morrell.

"I chose to be the Green Greek Representative for AXO to learn more about sustainability efforts so I can pass on what I learn to others who may not have been taught about the importance of sustainability," Kalie said.

"My first order of business in...