DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
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Read stories from DEOHS about environmental justice, initiatives, movements and more! The Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Washington is part of the top-ranked School of Public Health.
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
3w ago
Prescribed burning reduces wildfire smoke impacts
Claire Schollaert, DEOHS PhD alum and UCLA postdoctoral scholar.
Across the American West, managers of fire-prone landscapes are increasingly using a practice that seems counterintuitive: setting small fires to prevent larger, more destructive ones. Commonly called “prescribed burns,” these targeted, controlled fires keep forests healthy by reducing the buildup of grasses, leaves, branches, and other debris that can fuel larger wildfires and smoke out nearby communities.
But smoke from prescribed burns also presents health risks. Today’s forest ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
2M ago
Preparing Washington’s second largest city for wildfire season
It might start with a slight scent of smoke from a faraway wildfire, and often ends with weeks-long warnings about hazardous air quality, calls to shelter indoors and lessons about how to build homemade air filters.
And some years, wildfire season explodes into global tragedy as it did in 2023, across Canada, to the shores of Maui, to Spokane, Washington—where two wind-driven August fires near town burned more than 200,000 acres and destroyed a reported 360 primary residences.
DEOHS Teaching Professor Tania Busch Isaksen.
The US E ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
2M ago
Why major in Environmental Public Health?
The UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) recently changed the name of our Bachelor of Science degree to Environmental Public Health. To learn more about what prompted this update, and where the major can take students, we caught up with DEOHS Teaching Professor and Undergraduate Program Coordinator Tania Busch Isaksen.
1. DEOHS recently updated the name of our undergraduate major to Environmental Public Health. What inspired that change?
We've spent the last several years reviewing, making changes to, and improving ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
3M ago
Centering young “climate heroes”
Cassandra Jean, DEOHS postdoctoral scholar.
Washington State is experiencing an increasing number of extreme heat events due to climate change. The 2021 Pacific Northwest “heat dome,” for example, resulted in 441 deaths and became the deadliest weather-related disaster in Washington’s history.
Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities are at an increased risk for extreme heat exposure due to underlying health inequities and historical marginalization, which necessitates a centering of their voices in preparing for future extreme heat events.
In ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
4M ago
Building climate resilience along Seattle’s riverfront
Explore the storymap
In the fall of 2022, our team of researchers from the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, the Duwamish River Community Coalition (DRCC), the City of Seattle and the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences went door to door in the Seattle neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown to survey households about their perspectives on issues relating to climate resilience.
Among other things, we found that community members prioritize environmental health; want more green spaces; see their community connec ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
4M ago
Climate change causing ‘indisputable’ harm to our health
Dr. Jeremy Hess
Experts from the UW Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS) are among the authors of the newly released Fifth National Climate Assessment, an overview of climate trends, impacts and efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change across the nation.
The assessment is led by the US Global Change Research Program and mandated by Congress. The fifth edition, released Nov. 14, assesses current and future risks posed by climate change in 10 regions.
Dr. Jeremy Hess, DEOHS professor, was an author ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
5M ago
Preparing the Northwest for disasters
The University of Washington’s new Center for Disaster Resilient Communities (CDRC) will lead the development of a new workplan for a regional public health emergency preparedness and response center to help prepare the Northwest for disasters and emergencies.
Under a $1.8 million contract with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the CDRC will convene partners across Washington, Alaska, Idaho and Oregon to develop a workplan to establish a future regional Center for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.
The CDRC launched in Sep ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
6M ago
Expanding the definition of worker health
Miguel Rojas-Flores Applied MS, Environmental Health Sciences Hometown
Merced, CA
Future plans
After graduation this fall, I plan to move back home to California’s Central Valley and pursue a teaching credential to serve the communities where I grew up.
“I am the proud son of Mexican immigrants who have worked in agriculture for most of their lives, and I am passionate about serving agricultural communities like the one I grew up in.”
- Miguel Rojas-Flores
Miguel Rojas-Flores is an MS student in Applied Environmental Health Sciences in the UW Departm ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
7M ago
On the job | Kailee Sisounthone & Allison Seamon
Editor’s note: This summer, 20 DEOHS undergraduate students are getting hands-on experience as interns with health agencies, nonprofits and private companies. In our occasional “On the Job” series, we feature some of their stories.
What should I do with clamshell plastics? Where does my trash go after it's picked up at my house? Why can’t plastic bags go in the recycling cart?
Everyone has questions about recycling. As summer interns for WM – one of the largest recyclers in North America – our job was to have answers.
During our summer in ..read more
DEOHS Blog » Environmental Justice
7M ago
Seeking sustainability and environmental justice
Power outages. Wildfires. Antibiotic use in livestock. Heat waves. In this year alone, Joan Casey has published new research on the health impacts of all these issues and more. At a glance, they may seem wildly different. But to Casey, these diverse strands of research all fit under one roof.
“For me, it’s about this big sustainability umbrella and the choices we need to make as a species if we want to continue to survive and thrive,” she said. “There’s how we use our energy, how we use our land, how we produce our food, how we get water. All ..read more