{"id":17488,"date":"2020-05-21T15:14:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T15:14:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=17488"},"modified":"2023-06-08T18:26:40","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T18:26:40","slug":"husky-green-award-valdez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2020\/05\/21\/husky-green-award-valdez","title":{"rendered":"Ursula Valdez receives Husky Green Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Ursula
Ursula Valdez teaching class remotely. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Sean Park
Ursula Valdez, a lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences<\/a>, has been named a recipient of a 2020 Husky Green Award<\/a>, which recognizes people or groups who exemplify a commitment to sustainability at the University of Washington. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In honoring Valdez, the selection committee highlighted how she incorporates both conservation and sustainability into her classes and in activities off campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe actively encourages students and other researchers to document avian diversity and natural history in urban spaces and educates them on how to restore these habitats,\u201d the committee noted. \u201cShe also encourages students and colleagues to reduce their personal ecological footprint in both their academic and personal lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDue to popular demand, Valdez also created a ‘Sustainability on a Student Budget\u2019 course to teach students how to embrace affordable, sustainable practices for everyday life.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the 11th year the awards have been awarded by the UW Environmental Stewardship Committee as part of the UW’s Earth Day celebrations. Valdez<\/a> is the only recipient from UW Bothell this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nature is everywhere <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
The outdoors is the classroom. Courtesy photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the core ways Valdez demonstrates her commitment to preserving and protecting the environment is through her teaching at the Bothell campus, including most recently a Discovery Core class called Natural History of the Pacific Northwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed not just to familiarize students with environmental issues, the course also is meant to actively engage them with the local ecosystem. In normal circumstances, Valdez would lead her students to the campus wetlands for tours and to have discussions about the animals and plants in this natural habitat. But with classes being held online this spring quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Valdez had to find a way to teach students how to observe nature and stimulate their curiosity for it without being outside together.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What seemed like a teaching impediment at first, however, turned out to be a blessing in disguise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite not being able to use the natural habitat on and around campus, Valdez reminded her students that they live in the Pacific Northwest. \u201cIf you think about it, we don\u2019t need to go anywhere particular to discover nature,\u201d said Valdez. \u201cIt\u2019s everywhere around us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observing and journaling <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Students were assigned to create their own naturalist journals. Each entry includes observational notes, ideas, “curiosity” questions and sketches about a particular species in each student\u2019s neighborhood. Valdez encouraged the students to pay close attention to the details and continue to ask questions as they do further research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCuriosity, that desire, that sense of wonder, is what I\u2019m trying to provoke out of my students,\u201d said Valdez. \u201cWhen they come across something, they should be asking, \u2018Why does it function like that?\u2019 \u2018Why is it that color?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of these journals is to help students learn by engaging them with first-hand experiences. As they create their journals, the students are also following steps similar to what biologists do when conducting research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe more they pay attention to detail, the more thorough their answers will be,\u201d said Valdez. \u201cNature provides the opportunity to observe and recognize details, and this skill is valuable in any career.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practicing effective rhetoric <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The journals serve as a way for students to capture their own reflections. Students are then assigned to write blogs so they can learn how to communicate their discoveries to a larger audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBlogs require deeper research and more elaborated descriptions,\u201d said Valdez. \u201cThe students have to interview experts and learn more about the overall ecosystem of their topic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal of this project is more than just learning the importance of communicating effectively, she adds. It also is designed to help students understand how quickly and easily false information can spread. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It highlights the importance of using credible publications and sources to back up scientific claims, as well. \u201cIn today\u2019s digital world, it\u2019s fair to be a skeptic,\u201d said Valdez. \u201cWith so much false information out there, it\u2019s important to know how to distinguish what is true and what is not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes, the inaccuracy comes simply from misinterpreting information,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it\u2019s important for students to learn the value of effective communication at a young age so they can continue to practice throughout their careers.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing a part in the ecosystem <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As the Husky Green Award committee noted, Valdez\u2019s commitment to sustainability has influenced her students and peers to reduce their ecological footprints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve already learned so much about plant and animal behaviors and the importance of their role in the ecosystem,\u201d said Heather Bartlett, a sophomore in this spring\u2019s Discovery Core class. \u201cI decided to take this course because I was interested in nature, and now I\u2019m looking up ways to take care of the planet properly, especially species that are becoming extinct.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notes Valdez: \u201cAppreciating nature and taking the time to understand our surroundings is crucial because we all have a part to play in preserving the earth. Do we ever think of nature as a source of air, food and water? Obviously, we do. But do we really recognize and appreciate the elements that keep us alive? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cUnderstanding that we are all part of one ecosystem,\u201d said Valdez, \u201cis literally a matter of survival.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving as a role model <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Valdez says her path to sustainability came from growing up in a family that had a deep appreciation for nature and the outdoors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy getting into more conservation and sustainability practices, however, was through my career in conservation and a very good friend who pushed me into \u2018walking the talk,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThat motivated me to change my personal life practices to minimize the ecological footprint of my actions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has been now 25 years of working through personal practices \u2014 changes in my diet, shopping\u202fchoices and habits, reusing and reducing, driving less, biking, walking, etc. It was a long and not easy process,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I feel that I made a little contribution to the larger scope. It also has made me personally happier, and we also save a lot of money in our household.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full circle, these personal choices also now inform and inspire her academic and volunteer work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSustainability is part of my life, and I have connected in this way with many members of my local and international community and in my courses at UW Bothell,\u201d she said. \u201cI have incorporated more topics on sustainability and reducing ecological footprints in my courses and in working in urban agriculture with the local community. It also is central to the study abroad program I run for students in Peru, my native country where I am part of the conservation and education collaboration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel the responsibility to engage others through education and community work.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ursula Valdez, a lecturer in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences, received a 2020 Husky Green Award in recognition of how she incorporates conservation and sustainability into her classes and activities. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[202,229,211],"tags":[213],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-17488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-news","category-faculty","category-honors-and-awards","tag-sustainability","school-school-of-ias"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":null,"link_2":null,"link_3":null,"link_4":null,"link_5":null},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":null,"button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nUrsula Valdez receives Husky Green Award - 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