CEJS Report - Celebrating 10 Years

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF CEJS

Since launching in 2013, the Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability (CEJS) has become a place of experiential learning for the many Seattle University students who are interested in pursuing environmental justice and sustainabilityrelated careers. Thanks to our generous donors, we offer fellowships that provide opportunities for students to work with our amazing faculty. We have also had more than 70 CEJS student interns from across campus who have applied their skills in areas ranging from digital design to greenhouse gas accounting. Students have also had numerous service-learning opportunities that improve the lives of thousands of people in Seattle and around the world.

As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we look back at some of the highlights that include student and faculty accomplishments, national accolades for our campus, international conferences and successful environmental justice projects. We also look to the future as the university seeks to further strengthen its focus on

environmental justice and sustainability. Through the Reigniting Our Strategic Directions process, faculty from across campus are currently exploring how to further integrate sustainability concepts into our re-imagined curriculum. In addition, through its 2021 Laudato Si’ Action Platform initiative, the university has committed to infusing integral ecology throughout our academics and campus operations.

When it comes to environmental justice and sustainability, Seattle University has much to celebrate. I am sincerely grateful to the many donors and project partners who have supported CEJS over these past 10 years and I hope you will continue to support the work of our students who are dedicating themselves to climate action, environmental justice and a more sustainable world.

Phillip Thompson, PhD, PE

Phillip Thompson, PhD, PE Director, Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY RANKINGS

Seattle University is in the national conversation when it comes to sustainability on college campuses

Ranked #8

THE SIERRA CLUB’S LIST OF COOL SCHOOLS

When the CEJS started in 2013, Seattle University was ranked 109th. In 2018, CEJS ranked 8th and in 2021 ranked 14th, which was the last year of the rankings.

Placed 9th

RACE TO ZERO WASTE

In 2021, SU placed 9th for waste diversion among 200+ universities throughout North America and ranked 1st in the diversion category among medium-sized universities

CONSECUTIVE GOLD RATINGS 3

SU has received three consecutive Gold ratings in AASHE’s (the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) STARS program.

Ranked #16

SU ranked #16 out of 416 schools in Princeton Review’s

2021 Green Honor Roll

In 2019, SU was recognized by the City of Seattle for its commitment to conserving resources and protecting the environment.

SU has received Tree Campus USA status from the Arbor Day Foundation for promoting healthy trees while engaging students and staff in the spirit of conservation.

INTERNSHIPS

Since 2013, more than 70 Seattle University students with aspirations for sustainability-related careers have worked as interns at CEJS. Students have gained firsthand experience developing web content, conducting greenhouse gas inventories, managing social media pages, planning events and gathering data for SU’s STARS report, which is an Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) report for universities.

My internship with CEJS was an invaluable opportunity that expanded my view on what environmental justice is and taught me how to work collaboratively to implement efforts under a shared goal. Under the mentorship of the incredible staff at the center, I was able to explore the work of nonprofits and other colleges in the Northwest and implement lessons learned into the climate efforts at Seattle U. Through reviewing the work of fellowship recipients and assisting in running on-campus guest speaker events, I was exposed to how climate change disproportionately impacts underrepresented communities. My internship instilled in me the knowledge that everyone can help further environmental justice efforts. I now serve on a nationwide Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) working group where I collaborate with other representatives from National Fishery Management Councils and we share approaches different regions are taking to meet EEJ objectives and further efforts in place.

I was a CEJS intern and worked on CEJS projects throughout my entire undergraduate career at Seattle U. I owe so much of my professional and lifestyle passion to my time with the Center. CEJS helped me coalesce my professional goals to incorporate sustainability and resilience into everything I’m a part of. My time at Seattle U also helped me find a calling to work on reinventing our built environment. After graduating, I did a M.S. in Civil Engineering with a focus on energy systems and climate science at the University of California, Berkeley. In my current role as an Electric Transmission Line Project Manager at Pacific Gas and Electric, I execute a portfolio of underground and overhead transmission line capital projects and provide interconnection services for solar and wind developers. Whenever I’m engulfed in data analysis or sustainability reporting, I think back to the valuable time I spent at CEJS. I would do it all again in a heartbeat!

Jean-Paul Wallis, ’18 (BS Civil Engineering) Electric Transmission Line Project Manager, Pacific Gas and Electric

Angela Forristall, ’17 (Marine and Conservation Biology) Member, National Equity and Environmental Justice (EEJ) working group

Vitoria Cassol, ’23 (B.A. Digital Design)

Each year, students from SU’s Digital Design program work with CEJS to produce original artwork for campus signage, events and promotional materials. Digital design student Vitoria Cassol helped CEJS create several infographics that highlight the amazing sustainability work that is done through our campus operations. Her designs were featured during a men’s basketball game on the Jumbotron at Climate Pledge Arena.

Examples of infographics from a set of 30 slides done by Vitoria Cassol.

FELLOWSHIPS

With the generous help from CEJS donors, we have been able to offer two annual research fellowships for students. The first is the Gary L. Chamberlain Fellowship, which honors the legacy of Professor Gary Chamberlain, whose work explored the intersection of theology and water justice. Students may also apply for the Francis Fellowship, which honors both St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment, and Pope Francis who authored his encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’.

The CEJS fellowships have also provided faculty the time and seed money they need to move their research forward. The CEJS Faculty Fellows publish books and journal articles as well as receive external grants based on their fellowship work. New Laudato Si’ faculty fellowships are being developed over the next year.

Henry Louie, PhD Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering

My work is in the area of energy access and the attendant concerns of energy equity and energy justice. More specifically, I focus on solar-powered off-grid electricity access to homes and communities where the power grid has yet to—and may never—reach. Much of my work has considered communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 500 million people do not have access to electricity. More recently, I have been working on energy access issues on Tribal Lands in North America.

As a CEJS Fellow, I developed data-driven statistical and time-series models of energy consumption of electric vehicles. In my present work I use these same data analysis techniques, but to model electricity consumption of off-grid homes on the Navajo Nation. This helps us understand how to better design off-grid systems, ensuring the batteries and solar panels are appropriately sized for the homes.

By Serena Cosgrove and Benjamin Curtis

The fellowship from CEJS helped so much to finish up our textbook on global poverty, particularly the chapter on the environment. I also use the book in classes that I regularly teach.

I’m immensely grateful to CEJS for their support.

Serena Cosgrove, PhD Associate Professor, International Studies Director, Latin American Studies Faculty Coordinator, Central America Initiative

I was awarded the CEJS faculty fellowship in AY 2016-17 for a proposal titled ‘Remote Environmental Monitoring using Internet of Things (IoT).’ At the time, I was just beginning to explore various applications of IoT technology and the possibility of monitoring environmental parameters remotely and in real time, was intriguing. The fellowship was instrumental in solidifying my interest in this area of research and has served as a catalyst for several related accomplishments.

Results from this work were presented at the 2016 NCUR conference (by a student researcher) and published and presented at the 2017 IEEE Global and Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC).

This worked paved the way for a collaboration with Seattle University’s chapter for Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW). I worked with undergraduate students to design an IoT-based water-quality sensor system that was successfully deployed at the aquaponic facilities in Instituto Superior Tecnológico Trentino Juan Pablo II, Manchay, Peru in March 2017; Zion Children’s home near Chiang Mai, Thailand in July 2017; and Washington Middle School and Rotary Boys and Girls Club in Seattle in June 2017.

My work on remote environmental monitoring laid the groundwork for a $250,000 grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation’s Undergraduate Education Program in January 2017. This grant supported the integration of IoT technology within the undergraduate ECE curriculum.

More recently, my research team designed a remote sensing system for groundwater monitoring in Morocco. The system is being deployed at a landfill in Berrechid for continuous monitoring of indicators related to emerging contaminants in groundwater.

CEJS Student Fellowships

One of the many reasons I chose to continue my education at Seattle University is because of their commitment to sustainability. The CEJS gave me an opportunity, as a fellow, to be involved before I even moved to Seattle. CEJS, my research advisor and fellow students have provided me with opportunities to grow as a climate justice advocate and remind me daily that institutional efforts can make positive changes. Additionally, this research opportunity benefited my law school endeavors as it allowed me to grow in my writing and public speaking.

I was awarded a CEJS fellowship to work with Dr. Agnieszka Miguel and the Panthera big cat conservancy on a computer vision system, which could be used to increase monitoring and understanding of elusive and endangered snow leopards. Through this research project I fell in love with the technical rigor and creativity of computer vision research and saw the outsize potential for environment impact that this type of research could have. I’m currently starting a position as an assistant professor of AI and Decision Making at MIT. The early support from CEJS laid the groundwork for my academic career, and I’m soexcited to see what the next 10 years of this program will bring.

Donna Shahbaz, JD Candidate, ’24 Health Law Society | President Environmental Law Society | Vice President Student Bar Association | Secretary

Shiny Abraham, PhD Associate Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sarah M. Beery, ’16 (Electrical Engineering and Math) Assistant Professor starting fall 2023 | MIT

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

When CEJS started in 2013, one of the goals was to be a convener for regional and international conversations on environmental justice and sustainability. Since then, many conferences and events have drawn thousands of attendees. Many conferences hosted resulted in new scholarly works.

In 2020, CEJS had to pivot to a purely online conference format and Earth Talks was born. The inaugural Earth Talks was highlighted in USA Today and the event kicked-off with Denis Hayes, who founded Earth Day 50 years earlier. Earth Talks is now CEJS’s annual signature event showcasing the environmental justice and sustainability work by SU students, staff, faculty and community partners.

In 2014 and 2016, CEJS hosted Just Sustainability conferences for attendees from all over the world. Both conferences led to special issues of the journal, Interdisciplinary Environmental Review. Then in 2018, CEJS partnered with the Albers School of Business and Economics to host the Innovation for Sustainability Conference for the International Association of Jesuit Business Schools and the Colleagues in Jesuit Business Education. This resulted in a special issue of the Journal of Management for Global Sustainability. CEJS also hosted the 2018 Pacific Northwest Climate Resilience Summit and the 2018 Food Tank Summit.

YOLANDA CIETERS Sustainability Manager

In her role as Campus Sustainability Manager, Yolanda Cieters is well-recognized around campus because she interacts with so many different departments to gather information for the STARS report. “If Yolanda is knocking on your door, you probably owe her some data,” says CEJS Director Phillip Thompson. “She is an amazingly hard working and dedicated employee who does her job with professionalism, grace and humor.” Cieters juggles a vast array of activities that include sustainability reporting and planning; advancing the implementation of sustainability initiatives; organizing events, managing interns, producing web and newsletter content, providing campus sustainability tours and much more. Through this work, she collaborates with staff, faculty and students and with countless external stakeholders. In 2018, Cieters was the recipient of Seattle University’s Lee Thurber Award for staff excellence. As one of her nominators for the award noted, “Yolanda is the most deserving person for this award because of three things: Her work ethic, optimism and genuine care for other people.”

Over the past year, Cieter’s role has expanded to serve as co-chair of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP). Through this seven-year effort, she will help the university align sustainability initiatives within academics and campus operations with the LSAP’s priorities, which seek to “develop concrete actions to protect our common home.”

My role involves positive change and supporting our university in contributing to the betterment of our common home. Absolutely central in that work are our students, who I gain so much from. They motivate me every day.

Yolanda Cieters CEJS Campus Sustainability Manager

With the help of our CEJS donors and partners such as Rotary International, Professionals Without Borders and Engineers for a Sustainable World, our students, staff and faculty have contributed to water, sanitation and food justice projects that have improved the lives of more than 16,000 people in Haiti, Nigeria, Peru and Thailand.

CEJS Global Service Projects have improved the lives of 16,000+ people

*

*First CEJS project abroad

Drinking Water School Library Sanitation

SAFE WATER FOR HAITI

Within days of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010, CEJS Director Phillip Thompson shipped three drinking water treatment systems to Port au Prince for emergency relief. Through these efforts, lasting partnerships serendipitously formed with Haiti Tec, Engineers for a Sustainable World, Plumbers Without Borders, the Andrea Bocelli Foundation and several Rotary Clubs in the Seattle area. The mission of this partnership is to help provide access to safe drinking water for medical clinics and schools throughout Haiti.

Since 2013, CEJS has supported eight safe water projects with its partners in Haiti, including a groundwater well for an orphanage that was founded by Positive Action for Haiti soon after the earthquake. In addition to providing safe drinking water for approximately 20 children and caretakers, the well has been used to water a large garden that has been a critical source of food and additional income during these last several tumultuous years.

Above: Students at St. Philomene School, Haiti, 2018. Below: The new well at the Positive Action for Haiti orphanage in Gonaives, Haiti, 2018.

Plumbers Without Borders

Ret. Captain Jack McNamee from Plumbers Without Borders and the Haiti Tech team install a water treatment system at Notre Dame du Rosiare in Croix des Bouquets, Haiti 2016.

Residents of Cité Soleil line up for water after the Haiti Tech team repairs the pump that had been broken for months.

Engineers for a Sustainable World Club

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FOR LIMA, PERU

In 2015, Phillip Thompson met with Father Jose Chuquillanqui Yamamoto in Lima, Peru, to discuss access to safe water for the community of Manchay. The discussion quickly moved to the topic of aquaponics, which is a symbiotic system where water from fish tanks is used to provide nutrients to plants. It is also a sustainable process that uses 10 times less water than traditional agriculture, which is an important feature for this coastal desert region that receives less than one inch of rainfall per year. Fr. Chuquillanqui enthusiastically supported the idea for a project where Seattle University students would work with students from a local technical school, Instituto Superior Tecnológico Trentino Juan Pablo II.

The student teams built a vermicomposting system that upcycled compost to worms that could be used for fish food. They also installed a solar array to power air pumps and sensors for pH, temperature and dissolved oxygen that delivered real-time data to the web. Within two years, the system was able to produce 9,600 heads of lettuce and 400 tilapia per year, resulting in a net value of approximately $4000, for the school. Today, CEJS is helping support the Peruvian team as they seek to build a full-scale aquaponics system in their hometown of Jaén, Peru.

Left: Students modifying the aquaponics water quality sensors. Lower-left: The first crop of hydroponically grown lettuce at the John Paul II Technical School in Peru.

Top: Migrant housing in Manchay, Peru (30 miles south of Lima).

Above: Aquaponics system in Manchay, Peru.

SUSTAINABILITY MEETS STEM EDUCATION

In addition to being a sustainable farming approach, aquaponics is an excellent platform for teaching students about plants, fish, water chemistry, pumps, sensors and programming.

Right: Students program a Raspberry Pi microcontroller for aquaponics water quality sensors. Below: Students assemble piping

Rotary Boys and Girls Club

for an aquaponics system.

Washington Middle School

Above: Aquaponics system at Washington Middle School.

Left: Students using the ammonia test kit.

THANK YOU PARTNERSHIPS

Academic Assembly

Albers School of Business and Economics

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Bailey Gatzert Elementary School

Bullitt Foundation, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict

Center for Community Engagement

Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement

Center for Social Transformation and Leadership

Controller’s Office

Earth Ministry

Emerald City Rotary Club

Engineers for a Sustainable World

Environmental Health and Safety Office

Faith International

Food Tank

Instituto Superior Tecnológico

Trentino Juan Pablo II

Kilowatts for Humanity

Laudato Si’ Action Platform Committee

Lemieux Library and McGoldrick

Learning Commons

Loyola University of Chicago

Low Income Housing Institute

Managed Print Services

MotMot Coffee

Nicamigos

Plumbers Without Borders

Positive Action for Haiti

President’s Committee for Sustainability

Professionals Without Borders

Redhawk Dining

Residence Hall Association

Rotary Boys and Girls Club

Rotary District 5030

Rotary Club of Federal Way

Rotary Club of Lynnwood

Rotary Club of Seattle

Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences

Seattle Journal of Environmental Law

St. James Cathedral

SU Athletics

SU Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

SU Department of Mechanical Engineering

SU Department of Transportation and Parking Services

SU Endowed Mission Fund

SU Environmental Studies Department

SU Facilities Services

SU Grounds

SU Housing and Residence Life

SU Human Resources

SU Indigenous Peoples Institute

SU Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center

SU Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture

SU Institutional Research

SU Jesuit Community

SU Marketing Communications

SU Office of Diversity and Inclusion

SU Office of Institutional Equity

SU Office of Multicultural Affairs

SU Outreach Center

SU President’s Office

SU Procurement Office

SU Rotaract Club

SU Staff Council

Sustainable Seattle

Sustainable Student Action

The Northwest School

Undergraduate Admissions

United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 10

University of New Hampshire

University of Washington Integrated Design Lab

Washington Oregon Cascadia Higher Education Sustainability Conference

Washington Higher Education Sustainability Coalition

Washington Middle School

Western Washington University

World Relief

Yes! Magazine

Rotaract and Engineers for a Sustainable World Club

Students assembling a tiny house at the Low Income Housing Institute.

CEJS SUPPORTERS

Shiny Abraham

Agnes V. Decena, DMD Dental Corporation

American Financial Services Association

American Water Works Association: King County Subsection

Richard N. Anderson

Robert J. Andolina

Josephine A. Archibald

John Armstrong

Ngoc K. Armstrong

Eric C. Bahuaud

Keith G. Baldwin

Christina L. Barrese

Karen Barta

Carol A. Bement

Robin Beukers

Stephanie Birdsall

Olivia S. Blasi

Sean Blechschmidt

John Borghesi

Gabriel Boynay

Kristin R. Brethova

Guadalupe Briseno

Shannon K. Britton

Jeffery A. Brown

Jeannette M. Buehler

Heather Burpee

Ryan Burton

Caroline A. Cabeza

Katherine A. Camacho Carr

Leticia Camacho

Amber H. Campbell

Richard J. Caragol

Kathryn C. Carey

Joel Carlson

Delaney Carr

Michael R. Carr

John D. Carter

Sharon A. Chamberlain

Mary Chapman

Ronald Chapman

John P. Chattin-McNichols

Margaret Chon

Luc Cieters

Yolanda Cieters

Howard J. Cohen

Nathaniel H. Conroy

Kristin N. Covey

Janet T. Cowal

Vincent T. Cowal

Karen D. Cowgill

Julie A. Crowe

Ronald Dailey

Edward J. DeBroeck

Sidney W. Delong

Martha DiLullo

Jessica Dirks

Robert J. Dullea

Harry Dursch

Geraldine K. Dykeman

James J. Dykeman

Emerald City Rotary

Therry Rose Eparwa

Ara Erickson

F-I Granite-Marble Inc.

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund

Claire Fielder

Fine Stone, Inc.

Tamara L. Fitzpatrick

Stacey J. Fullwiler

John J. Gardiner

Kimberly S. Gawlik

Jacqueline N. Gehlen

Meletios Geokezas

Theodora Geokezas

Bryce Giron Mathern

Gareth P. Green

Georgia G. Gurrieri

Ashley N. Hagar

John H. Hainze

Rizwan Hamid

Jessica L. Harris Herrera

David J. Hartley

Rebecca S. Hartley

Colleen Hatfield

Denis A. Hayes

Brad R. Helland

Dylan W. Helliwell

Anne M. Hirsch

Stephen M. Hirsch

Luther C. and Marion E. Hitchcock

Theresa M. Honan

Wesley J. Howard-Brook

Le X. Hy

Calvin N. Ihler

Sonja A. Ihler

Jenna L. Isakson

Charles F. Jackels

Susan C. Jackels

Cynthia James

Patten P. Jazmine

Mark Jordan

Patrick Kabealo

H B Kahn

Yosef C. Kalinko

Donna Kam

Philip Kam

Madeline J. Kass

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, Inc.

Arlene Kennelly

Elsa P. Keown Borgen

Thomas D. Keown

Nancy Kessler

Paige S. Khoury

Paulette and Paul Kidder

Victoria L. Kill

Emmett S. Killebrew

Susan L. Killen

Larry Kinner

Lori R. Klumb

Denise D. Knapp

Beth Knox

Christopher T. Koruga

Kent W. Koth

Burak Kutlu

Carl J. Lambe

Julie B. Larson-Green

John W. Lauer

Charles F. Lawrence

Quan V. Le

Mark Leahy

Richard J. LeBlanc

Lily Lee

Valerie A. Lesniak

Kan Liang

Lightshine

David J. Lillethun

Jonathan S. Lindgren

Henry M. Louie

Richard T. Luoma

Carol Mabbott

David E. Macek

Gregory M. Magnan

Jane E. Magnan

Rubina Mahsud

Michael D. Marsolek

Shane P. Martin

Scott K. McClellan

McDermott Costa

Henry W. McGee

Kathleen A. McGill

John T. McLean

Marc C. McLeod

John McNamee

Margaret Melun

Elena V. Menagarishvili

Nancy M. Milan

Gordon L. Miller

Jacquelyn C. Miller

Janet E. Mills

Elizabeth Mitchell

Daniel J. Moresi

Darnel M. Moresi

Gregory E. Moy

Rose M. Murphy

Newport Presbyterian Church

Paige Novak

John W. O’Connor Lenth

Moira A. O’Connor Lenth

Kevin O’Leary

Carla K. Orlando

Joseph A. Orlando

Megan M. Otis

Constance R. Owens

Pace Engineers, Inc.

Barbara B. Parker

Amy L. Patton

Brian W. Patton

Jessica D. Peaslee

Joel Petersen

Dean J. Peterson

Joseph M. Phillips

Theresa D. Pimentel

Michaela N. Plumage

Sonja M. Ponath

William G. Poole

Charles Pratt

Marilyn S. Price

Thomas H. Price

Luis F. Quintero

Nicole C. Raeburn

Bret C. Ranoa

Ruby P. Ranoa

Susan Ranoa

Madhu T. Rao

Terence S. Read

RH2 Engineering, Inc.

Daniel R. Richings

M. Victoria Ries

Annemarie Riese

Clare K. Riley

Leanne D. Robertson

Jeanie M. Robinson

Mary Robinson

Thomas F. Robinson

Jeanette Rodriguez

Gerald T. Roling

Hannah M. Rolston

Natalie Rosenthal

Rotary Club of Emerald City Foundation

Rosanne Royer

Marie-Paule Rubens

Meg E. Ruby

Jennifer L. Salemann

Miriam S. Samuel

Gabriel D. Saucedo

Schwab Charitable Fund

Seattle University

Mary E. Sebek

Joslyn Semichy

Lorri J. Sheffer

Aerica D. Shimizu Banks

Brandon J. Shuman

Teodora R. Shuman

Jhon P. Smith

Snappy App, Inc.

Frank J. So

Megan E. Spaulding

Lance Stevens

Christopher D. Stoll

Glenn C. Strid

Wei Su

Kristen M. Swanson

Ethan J. Talbott

John C. Teegarden

Mary Margaret Thomas

Ky Thompson

Phillip L. Thompson

Sompit Thompson

Jennifer Tilghman-Havens

Matthew J. Tilghman-Havens

David P. Tom

Hannah Tracy

Galen Trail

Ian J. Tromble

Roger Tucker

Nathaniel F. Uttaro

Lailan Uy

Brianne L. Vanderlinden

Michele R. Vasquez

Nicolette R. Verhoff

Kerry S. Von Esch

Briana M. Walker

Jean-Paul R. Wallis

Betsy L. Watkins

Eric J. Watson

William L. Weis

Weyerhaeuser Company

Julie M. White

David K. Whitman

Rachelle A. Whitman

Patricia M. Whitney

Kevin Wilhelm

Abrianna T. Wright

Theresa H. Yeh

Dan R. Young