written in part by ETSP student Cory C
Psst! Hey. If you haven’t heard, Sustainability is kind of a big deal here at Cascadia. In fact, there are several students and staff who are seriously passionate about it! We’re not keeping it secret. Actually, we’re trying to get the word out every chance we get! But, maybe you’re new to Cascadia and the UW Bothell Campus. Or perhaps your momentous amount of classwork has you hyper-focused on getting through the next assignment. However, if you’re reading this, maybe you found yourself with a few moments to explore life outside of your textbook and your latest Canvas assignment. And, since April is Earth Month 2023, what better time to explore a little about the Sustainability work Cascadia is doing around campus and the greater community!
So, in preparation for Earth Month, we’ll be looking back in this blog at some of the ways Cascadia/UW Bothell is building a community around sustainability and fostering a healthy atmosphere for education AND the environment!
Next chance you get to pull your head out from your textbook, look out to the east from campus. Just beyond the Sports & Recreation Complex, you’ll discover the crowning jewel of sustainability here at Cascadia/UWB, the 58-acre wetland in the North Creek Wetland! In case you missed it, this project was one of the largest and most complex floodplain restorations ever undertaken in the Pacific Northwest. When you have a moment, check out this video to learn more about it! Or better yet, if you need some quiet time in between classes, take a stroll out to see it in person. A boardwalk will lead you to a lovely viewing platform where you can immerse yourself in the serenity of this restored natural habitat that surrounds you—all the while keeping your feet dry!
While some of the projects that Cascadia/UW Bothell students and faculty have tackled may not be as noticeable as 58 acres of wetland, they are projects that are near and dear to us, and we’re excited to share them with you!
The Buzz about Bees
Did you know how important bees and pollinators are for our environment? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants and about 35 percent of the world’s food crops depend on animal pollinators to reproduce. That’s one out of every three bites of food you eat. More than 3,500 species of native bees help increase crop yields.”
While bees are the most important pollinator, butterflies, moths, beetles, flies, wasps, bats, and hummingbirds also contribute to pollination. Research has shown significant declines in native pollinator population sizes and ranges globally with up to 40% of pollinator species on earth at risk of extinction in the coming years as a result of habitat loss, the use of harmful pesticides, and climate change.
So, as you can imagine, there is a lot of work to do to protect our pollinators! And Cascadia is taking action to protect these vital creatures. Our campus has been pesticide free since 2006, and Salmon Safe certified since 2008, the first campus in the state to be certified this way! We’re also a certified Bee Campus since 2021!
A Busy Bee! – Image from UW Bothell News July 2019
We have implemented low-mowing techniques you can see in our pollinator meadow between our buildings at Pollinator Gardens by CC1 quad area and the gardens by North Garage and Campus Farm.
Additionally, a grant from the Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) added support for native bees by allowing our grounds crew to focus on new plantings of native plants on campus. The specific native plants around campus were chosen specifically because they should bloom at different times throughout the year. This will help close blooming gaps on campus, providing flowers throughout the spring and summer so that bees won’t go hungry.
One important point to mention about our native bees is that most of them nest underground. They don’t form hives in trees or boxes like normal honeybees. So, nurturing our native plants creates undisturbed soil locations for our native bee species to nest safely without disruption throughout the year from yard care or mowing. Ensuring a welcoming habitat for native bees. Learn more about Cascadia’s effort to keep our campus blooming with native plants and flowers by following this link.
Alright, we’ll let you get back to that assignment you’re working on. But stay tuned to this blog for more! We’re gearing up for Earth Month 2023 at Cascadia College by looking back at some of the sustainable ways our campus is truly outstanding.
And we hope you’ll come out to join us for all the Earth Month 2023 events!
To learn more about Sustainability at Cascadia Follow our sustainability department on social media!
Common Caws – Podcast | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter subscription
Also, visit this page and our outdoor sustainability efforts page regularly to see what our students, faculty and staff are thinking about, talking about, planning, and putting into action. We hope you’ll join us!
We’d love to hear from you! BASSP advisor: Stephan Classen
Integrate It! 