Fall 2021

Student Research: CEJS Fellowship Applications Open

Calling all Seattle University students! Do you have an environmental justice or sustainability research project idea? Thanks to generous gifts from our CEJS donors, we will be offering the 2022-2023 Gary L. Chamberlain Student Research Fellowship and the Francis Student Research Fellowship. Apply today!

Environmental Justice: Safe Water for Haiti

After a major earthquake struck Haiti on August 14th, our longtime CEJS partners from Haiti Tec and Plumbers Without Borders went to work. The team wanted to ensure that the drinking water treatment systems that had previously been installed at the St. Philomene and Notre Dame schools were still operational. After repairing broken water pipes and replacing ultraviolet disinfection lamps, the team learned about Mixte Saint Marie which is a primary school in Port au Prince that had a desperate need for water. Read more.

Stewardship: SU signs on to Pope Francis’ Seven-Year Journey Towards Integral Ecology

In an effort to deepen our commitment to environmental justice and sustainability, Seattle University signed on to the Laudato Si Action Platform to put concrete action behind the goals outlined by Pope Francis in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Sí: On Care for Our Common Home. Dr. Jeanette Rodriguez, Professor and Director of the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture, will lead SU’s Laudato Sí Action Platform Steering Committee. Read more.

Campus Sustainability: National Recognition

For the fourth year in a row, Seattle University ranked among the Sierra Club's top 20 "Cool Schools". The ranking is based on SU's commitment to divest from fossil fuels and on our STARS Gold rating (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), which measures and encourages sustainability in all areas of higher education. In addition, SU was recently recognized as a top-performer for sustainable purchasing in AASHE’s 2021 Sustainable Campus Index.

Campus Sustainability: Sinegal Center on Track for LEED GOLD

Seattle University's newest building, the Jim and Janet Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation, opened in September. It is SU's fifth campus building designed to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standards, the most widely used green building rating system in the world. The building is currently undergoing certification review and is on track to achieve certification. Sustainability features include an 8.5-kW rooftop solar array, fossil fuel-free heating and cooling, an expected energy use intensity (EUI) of 87 (compared to an EUI of 185 for typical lab buildings), the use of cross-laminated timber and recycled steel. Read more.

Social Sustainability: Tiny House Construction

First-year and new transfer students in the Civil and Environmental Engineering and Environmental Science programs are putting the finishing touches on a tiny house. Led by Professors Mike Marsolek and Mike Wright, the house will be donated to one of the Low Income Housing Institute's Tiny House Villages. By assembling the house on campus, the students hope to draw attention to Seattle's homelessness crisis. They have also learned traditional construction techniques and a little bit about each other in the process! If you would like to participate in a future Tiny House construction project, please email Dr. Phillip Thompson.

Sustainable Food: The Plant-based Convergence Zone

Located in the Sinegal Center for Science and Innovation, the Convergence Zone is the newest addition to Redhawk Dining! Named after the meteorological term for a region in which two different flows converge, the area is designed for people to come together and enjoy an entirely plant-based product selection. Eating more plant-based foods supports your health and the environment. With this in mind, the new café offers nourishing and delicious options that are 100 percent plant-based! Brands such as the Sambazon Acai bowl, Dillanos fair trade coffee, and UNFI plant-based snacks were chosen because of their commitments to sustainability and high quality plant-based foods. Checkout The Convergence Zone menu and Redhawk Dining's Sustainability Commitments.

Faculty Focus: EJS Summer Faculty Fellowships

Over this past summer, four Summer Faculty Fellows conducted environmental justice and sustainability research: John Armstrong, Ph.D. (Environmental Studies) studied the "Adoption of Ambitious Climate Change Policies by Cities and the Role of Modest Actions as Steppingstones". Aditya Mishra, Ph.D. (Computer Science) investigated "Greening the Electric Grid with Renewable and Energy Storage Integration". Rob Efird, Ph.D. (Anthropology and Asian Studies) addressed the question of “Appreciation or Appropriation?: Indigenous Knowledge as a Resource for Environmental Education” and Carlyn Ferrari, Ph.D. (African and African American Studies) dedicated her summer research to the topic of Black Environmental Imaginations. Read more and watch the fellowship presentations.

Campus Engagement: CampusCup

CampusCup is an initiative by All Matters/OrganiCup that allows schools to provide their students with free menstrual cups over the course of two weeks in an effort to address period poverty and reduce the environmental footprint of menstrual products.CampusCup at SU is a partnership between CEJS, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Health and Wellness Promotion, the Center for Student Involvement, the Outreach Center, Facilities Services, and the student club PERIOD. During the fall campaign (09/27-10/10), 360 students signed up for a free menstrual cup, eliminating the need for up to 190,080 pads/tampons over the next 2 years! All members of the Seattle U community can use CAMPUS20 to receive a 20% discount at All Matters. Read more.

Alumni Focus: Q&A with Meghan Reha

Meet Meghan Reha, a 2009 graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Program. Meghan is a principal engineer at the renewable energy consulting company Natural Power, where she works on wind turbine projects. In our interview, Meghan discussed the promise and challenge of wind power, the intersection of renewable energy and environmental justice, and the advice she has for students. Read the interview.

Community Engagement: Capitol Hill is a Certified EcoDistrict

The Capitol Hill EcoDistrict (CHED) recently became the first certified EcoDistrict in the Pacific Northwest. Seattle University is a member of the Ecodistrict's Steering Committee. To become EcoDistrict certified, organizations work with their communities to draft Imperative Statements, a Declaration of Collaboration with community partners, and a strategic Roadmap with a 10-year plan. Upon receiving its EcoDistrict certification, CHED officially affirmed its commitment to leading and supporting community development projects that support equity, resilience, and climate protection in Capitol Hill. Read more.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Washington & Oregon Higher Education Sustainability Conference 

When: March 2-4, 2022
Where: South Seattle College and Virtual Access
Description: Join the WOHESC 2022 Conference on March 2-4 with sessions on social sustainability, campus engagement, academics, operations, and student leadership. This year's conference theme is the "Path Forward to an Equitable and Regenerative Economy." Learn more and use the SU discount code to register.

Student Sustainability Action Challenge at WOHESC

Workshop: Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 | 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Finalist Pitch-Fest: Friday, March 4th, 2022 | 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

This WOHESC event for individual students or teams will introduce you to the process of human-centered design thinking to develop solutions for complex sustainability problems. The Challenge will include workshops facilitated by expert speakers and mentorship by local industry leaders. Learn more.