environment
June 1, 2012
Culture and cleanup
Decades of industrial and urban waste have badly contaminated South Seattle’s Duwamish waterway, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will determine the long-awaited, final cleanup plan of this Superfund site later this year.
Green light
More than 40 UW students from a variety of disciplines are building a car for the future as part of the EcoCAR 2 competition.
A patent success
Catching up with Robert Charlson, ’64, professor emeritus of Atmospheric Sciences and Chemistry, and co-inventor of the first UW-held patent that brought royalties to the UW.
March 1, 2012
Slick job
Two UW alums who helped devise a better way to ameliorate oil spills were part of a team that won a $1 million prize for its ingenuity.
December 1, 2011
Green giant
The Sierra Club honors the UW as the most environmentally minded college in the nation.
Purple, gold and green
In August, the Sierra Club named the UW as the nation’s most environmentally friendly university in its ranking of the nation’s “Cool Schools.”
Biofuel: a poplar idea
The U.S. Department of Agriculture awarded the University of Washington a $40 million grant to turn woody biomass—mainly poplar trees—into biogasoline and renewable aviation fuel.
March 1, 2011
Sink to Sound
Researchers are using a new method for collecting old-fashioned data: They are employing real people—citizen scientists—to study changes in the environment.
December 1, 2010
Bay keeper
Half of the West Coast’s oyster supply and roughly one in 10 oysters harvested in the U.S. comes from Willapa Bay. Ensuring the bay will remain productive, without compromising its overall health, has become the mission of Jennifer Ruesink, ’96, an associate professor with UW Department of Biology.
September 1, 2010
Elephant vs. bird
Elephants may be the biggest factor in the impending disappearance of a tiny bird.
June 1, 2010
Innovative idealism
Student teams from across the University of Washington and other state schools heralded their inventions of clean, green technologies at the second annual UW Environmental Innovation Challenge.
Greener roads
A UW team has helped develop the world’s first system to rate the sustainability of road construction and maintenance projects.
March 1, 2010
MRSA digs in
Dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria are gaining a foothold in the natural environment, suggests recent research from the UW School of Public Health.
December 1, 2009
Peak cleanup
Brent Bishop, ’93, grew up in a climbing family and knew Mount Everest was dirty. At 27 years old, he was determined to do something about it.
March 1, 2009
Sneaker swim
Curtis Ebbesmeyer recalls the event that first turned him on to flotsam: the Great Sneaker Spill of 1990.
December 1, 2008
Clean and green
If, in 15 years, you’re driving a car powered by pond scum, you’ll probably have Rose Ann Cattolico to thank. The UW biology professor thinks algae is the most promising source of alternative energy out there.
September 1, 2008
Sick from cleaning
According to a study by Anne Steinemann, a UW professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs, many of today’s top-selling dryer sheets, detergents and plug-in deodorizers contain toxic chemicals.
Environmental focus
With environmental expertise that comprises more than 400 faculty members on three campuses, extending across 18 fields of study-from the geosciences to natural resources, and from climate dynamics to environmental policy — the UW is launching a new college.
March 1, 2008
Sea levels on the rise
Melting glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, combined with other effects of global climate change, are likely to raise sea levels in parts of Western Washington by the end of this century.
Shade crusade
It's time to abandon the hard-edged urban landscape, says Kathleen Wolf. Trees, shrubs and plants not only help the environment, they also make us feel — and behave — better.