Environmental Studies

Last week I participated with a panel of speakers for an ecogastronomy class at Western Washington University. The course is taught by Gigi Berardi, an enthusiastic instructor who also teaches local food and farm courses at WWU and ecogastronomy in Italy with Slow Food. The topic this particular…

Normally, professor Michael Medler focuses his research on fires in forests, but when a student he knew died in an avalanche, his thoughts turned to snow in the mountains.
In December 2003, three students from Western Washington University were snowshoeing toward Artist Point by Mount…

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new plan to accelerate forest and watershed restoration.

Officials say $40 million has been allocated to fund several projects nationwide, including two forests in Eastern Washington state.

On Wednesday, the EPA released a new interactive map letting people check out the biggest stationary sources of global-warming emissions in their area. It’s a nifty tool. But could it actually lead to less pollution? Quite possibly, yes, if the past is any guide.

In a conference call with…

Its name evokes visions of lofty, snow-covered crags and wild America. A place where few venture far off-road and where wild things roam, an untamed landscape rich with rewards if you have the mettle to explore its mountains.

And yet, while North Cascades National Park was designated in…

There is a false sense of security in the National Park System surrounding officially designated wilderness. And political actions, or, rather, inaction, demonstrates why there should be concern for the long-term fate of lands with wilderness qualities.

It is true that the National Park…

In Seattle, the rich may get richer.
But the poor get pollution.
A recently published study by academics from the state shows that the most dangerous air pollution in Seattle is becoming concentrated on the vulnerable residents of poor neighborhoods.