Huxley College of the Environment to present 'Green Fire' tonight at Village Books

Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment will host a presentation and reading of “Green Fire: A History of Huxley College,” the new book detailing the first 40 years of the groundbreaking environmental college, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 21 at Village Books in Bellingham.

Former Seattle Times reporter and winner of the Pulitzer Prize, William Dietrich, the book’s lead author and a just-retired assistant professor at the college, will offer selected readings and lead a discussion of the book.

The full-color book is 185 pages, has nearly 170 photographs and illustrations, and involves contributions by nearly 20 writers, photographers, designers and editors. Most of the profiles were written by nine recent Western graduates, who worked with Dietrich as environmental journalism majors or on the college’s quarterly environmental magazine, The Planet.

The book includes a narrative history of the college from its contentious conception in the 1960s and first class in the fall of 1970. Included are an environmental timeline and 40 profiles that demonstrate Huxley’s success in graduating “environmental problem solvers.” The 40 were chosen to illustrate the diversity of approaches taken by Huxley’s nearly 4,000 alumni.

Western’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and is a recognized national leader in producing the next generation of environmental stewards. The College’s academic programs reflect a broad view of the physical, biological, social and cultural world. This innovative and interdisciplinary approach makes Huxley unique, and the College continues to earn international recognition for the quality of its programs.

For more information on “Green Fire,” contact Manca Valum at (360) 650-6542 or manca.valum@wwu.edu.